The Butchers Arms is a no-nonsense High Barnet local that wears its sport on its sleeve — eight screens, weekly open-mic nights, and a claim to the longest bar in Barnet. It's the kind of place where you go for a pint and a match and end up staying for the karaoke.
Eight screens, the longest bar in Barnet, a secret sun-trap garden, and weekly open-mic — this unassuming High Street local punches well above its weight.
Check their Instagram for the live sport and open-mic schedule before heading down — match days get busy and the best garden spots go fast on sunny evenings.
Barnet's longest bar and liveliest sports local
The Butchers Arms is what you'd call a proper local — the sort of place that doesn't try to be anything it isn't, and that's exactly its charm. After a major refurb in 2016, it reopened with a clear identity: sport, music, and a decent pint. Eight screens mean you'll rarely miss a match, and the atmosphere on big game days is genuinely lively without being unbearable. CAMRA lists it as a free house, and the real ale selection — including a decent pint of Tribute — keeps the traditionalists happy alongside the cocktail and gin drinkers.
What sets it apart from your average sports bar is the entertainment calendar. Weekly open-mic nights and regular live music give it a community feel that's hard to manufacture, and the karaoke draws a crowd that's more enthusiastic than polished. The "secret sun-trap garden" out back is a lovely surprise on a warm evening — you wouldn't guess it from the unassuming High Street frontage. The pub also claims to have the longest bar in Barnet, which means even when it's busy, you've got a decent shot at getting served.
It's not a gastropub and doesn't pretend to be — food is pub grub, not destination dining. Reviews hover around the 3.4–4.2 mark depending on the platform, which tells you it's solid rather than spectacular. But for a relaxed evening watching the game, a Sunday pint in the garden, or a rowdy karaoke night, the Butchers Arms delivers exactly what it promises. Dog-friendly and wheelchair-accessible too, which rounds things off nicely.