The Star, Highgate, London

From Bethnal Green to Tufnell Park London is awash with stars. Seems I’m not the greatest of fans of Stars but this place I really wanted to like and I almost do. I can’t fault the décor. I like the taxidermy animal heads on the bare brick walls however un-Peta friendly they are. And the dark paintwork and old industrial lighting is great. But its relatively in the middle of nowhere and there’s little more to write home about than the interior. Last time we all went we’d gone for Sunday lunch with intentions to make an onwards journey towards the Heath. We left hungry, a little pissed and annoyed that we had asked 10 times (I kid you not) for our bread that eventually arrived post stupidly small and expensive meals, delivered by a super grumpy greasy haired individual. The Italian guy who runs this place is sweet as are most of the staff even if they do often look like rabbits in headlights (are they the next to join the poor sods stuck on the walls?). The place looks great but doesn’t quite manage more than this and I’d always choose atmosphere and good food over uber cool interiors. They do have a weekly Acoustic evening held in the upstairs bar which all budding singer song writers can sign themselves up to by emailing them but I’d want to make a full evening of something like this and miserly me just ain’t prepared to pay the money they ask for the food. And bizarrely they have a Lachapelle print in the hallway at the bottom of the stairs hidden behind a closed door where few are likely to see it, if you’ve got it flaunt it right?

Agree with the other two reviewers here. A pretty unremarkable place that serves beer late…....so it gets 4 stars from me.
Price wise, not a major issue here, as you pay for what you want and unless you want to go home and call “candy cabs”, then you pay a bot over the odds for a drink here.
I would recommend the house wine as a value for money option, but let’s face it, if you’re in there at 3am, the last thing on your mind is the credit crunch is it?

This place is hilarious. It’s basically a bar that’s been built in a shop furnished with what looks like cheap ikea furniture.

I’ve been here a few times because it has a late licence. I don’t know what it’s like at weekends, but it has seemed pretty empty the few times I’ve been here. And the downstairs area is absolutely freezing. They cranked the aircon right up for no discernable reason.

But it is decent enough. I don’t think they have any beer on tap chosing instead to charge more for a small bottle. Worth a special mention just for the late licence…