The Drayton Park Arms — Restaurant in London

🚇 Arsenal 🍺 £6.40 Asahi

The Drayton Park pub is located in Highbury, North London, close to Arsenal’s Emirates Stadium. The nearest Tube is Arsenal, Drayton Park mainline is also close by.

This pub was built in 1886 which ironically is the same year when Arsenal were founded. The pub closed during Covid and worryingly didn’t reopen once life got back to normal. Thankfully, the pub reopened in July this year and has been completely renovated top to bottom.

This is a bright and airy one bar pub that is traditional decorated. The servery is located on the right and is clad in light wood panels, much like the rest of the bar. There is plenty of seating throughout and the floor is bare-boarded. There are some nice decorative touches, like the Art Nouveau-style downlighters, the fireplace and the tiled column in the centre. There are a couple of large screens to watch live sport, at the rear of the pub is a good sized partially covered decked beer garden which has murals by @realnorthbanksy

The beer selection is all keg and offers a choice of familiar favourites and local brewers. I decided on a pint of Asahi, my pint was reasonably priced considering this lager normally costs around seven quid. If you’re feeling peckish, the food offering is by @yardsalepizza who will deliver your pizza to the pub. The pub is planning to start serving traditional pub grub in the near future.

I arrived at 4pm on a Monday afternoon in October. The pub was quiet so I had a good mooch about. I got talking to the owners who were telling me all about the hard work they’ve put in reviving the Drayton. They also mentioned how the local community and Arsenal fans are delighted in having their local pub back.

It is always great to see a pub come back from the dead in a time when so many are closing. I thoroughly enjoyed my visit to @thedraytonpubn5 , my beer was great, the ambience traditional and the hospitality fantastic. Get this one on your list.

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All the staff were lovely behind the bar. However it seems as though the man that has lost all his hair has also lost all his manners. All jokes aside I don't know what his problem was, was very rude and abrashive when asking us to come back in after the garden closed by smacking his hand on the table and screeching "inside now". He also blamed us for ruining a coaster at the end after a grouo had left which had been sitting there, these coasters should really be discarded per shift anyway. We felt this treatment was abrahive and intimidating which made us feel very alienated and honestly just all in all a weird and surreal interaction. Although it can never be proved we felt and ultimately concluded this was due to us being the only people of colour in the establishment as we didnt notice this treatment for anyone else. Unfortunate as we're locals and used to go to this pub back in the day before it had closed. Seems they only cater for the gentrifiers and don't want...

What a cool spot to check out! Great vibe and so clean ! It’s absolutely stunning inside with stained glass and all hard wood that really make you feel like you’ve walked into a hidden gem. The service was above and beyond as well ! Robby and Juliano make you feel just like family from the second you walk in the door. You’ll never be waiting long for a pint or bevy, their team is so fast -even on match days with a full bar ! Im so impressed with the people and the place, whether you come in alone or bring all your friends it is a fun filled night ! It’s conveniently located right across from arsenal stadium and watching a match in the pub is just as much fun as watching in the stadium ! Next time you’re near the area I highly recommend...