Part of our Best Pubs in London microsite. Is your local listed?
Right on the Barnet-Enfield border, the Cock Inn feels like something you might find out in deepest, most affluent Surrey. It's a bobby-dazzler of a pub, complete with its own clock tower and weather vane.
We reckon its clientele is drawn from two main demographics. The first is wealthy locals, or those who've driven in from surrounding areas (the car park was almost full, while the pub was not). It's certainly a more glamorous crowd than you might find in a Wetherspoon's beer garden on a Friday afternoon. The second cohort will be wary travellers who've just hiked in from Elstree or Barnet on the London LOOP. Section 16 ends in Cockfosters, and the Cock Inn must rear up as a very welcome sight to many.
Inside, the mood verges on the posh, with many of the tables set for dinner and a general air of money. But it's a perfectly affable place, with a welcoming bar and quiet corners to retreat into. It's no ale haven — just one cask on our visit, and a few mainstream kegs. But most people were drinking spritzers or lagers anyway.
The biggest treasure here is the beer garden, which can seemingly accommodate half the population of Cockfosters. It's all very pleasant, whether you're a blister-footed hiker or a well-heeled banker.
