The Bull
The purpose-built brewhouse in the garden is now drinking space, because Greene King bought the freehold in early 2022 and the brewery was shut down.
Why go
The chronology matters here because most listings still get it wrong. Dan Fox, who had managed the White Horse in Parsons Green, took this C18 Highgate pub on in 2011 and put a 4hl kit in the kitchen under the name London Brewing Co, first selling beer that September. He sold the pub complete with its brewery in July 2016 to Samantha and Rob Laub; the head brewer Reuben Moore stayed on, the operation became Gorgeous Brewery in March 2017, and in early 2018 it moved into a purpose-built 8hl brewhouse in the rear garden. Then the freehold went to Greene King in early 2022, the brewery was suspended, the kit was removed and the shed became somewhere to stand with a pint. Church Farm Brewery in Warwickshire bought the Gorgeous brands outright in August 2023 (Des de Moor). What trades here now is a Metropolitan Pub Co gastropub with two cask beers, a listed Georgian room, a fireplace and a garden.
Order this / avoid
- Order: the lobster and crab croquettes with bisque mayo, which the critic who marked down half the menu called
a near-faultless drinking snack
1. The sausage roll with HP sauce. On a Sunday, the lemon and thyme roast chicken, which comes out better than the other roasts. - Avoid: the Sunday lamb, which arrived dry after a long wait, and the loaded wedge salad, which is mostly lettuce. And do not come for a house beer.
What locals & experts say
- Heidi Lauth Beasley, The Infatuation London (21 November 2025), 7.0 out of 10:
Outside of those rich, moreish lobster croquettes, a lot of the dishes read more fancy schmancy than they taste, and you might be in for a long wait for some dry lamb during the Sunday lunch service.
She is warmer on the room: the downstairs bar is a good spot for a low-key pint, with armchairs in front of the fireplace if you time it.1 - Des de Moor, author of CAMRA's London beer guides, on how the brewing ended:
Early in 2022, the freehold of the pub was sold to Greene King and it was placed under new management, with the brewery forced to suspend operations. Its building has since been converted into additional drinking space.
Reference reporting.2 - CAMRA's North London branch, dating the change:
19 March 2022 - acquired by Metrpolitan Pub Co a sub-brand of Greene King. Two cask beers (as listed) were available on a visit in June 2023 - a third pumpclip was turned around.
They also record Thursday steak night and a large dining area to the left of the door.3 - Fred Waltman's London Beer Guide carries a Downgraded! flag on this pub, and counts about three handpumps in use, about six keg taps and about fifteen bottles and cans. A signed reader note on the same page says the fridge range is
much reduced from London Brewing Co days
. The page is stale on one point, still calling the venue the home of Gorgeous Brewery, so it is used for the hardware and the downgrade only.5 - No chef or bartender vote for this pub. Two industry voters in our files pick The Bull & Last on Highgate Road, which is a different pub, and the vote file already flags the pair as a name trap. Nothing from it is used here.
Good to know
- Where: 13 North Hill, Highgate N6 4AB. Grade II listed, C18, two storeys, stuccoed front with a parapet.
- Not to be confused with: The Bull & Last at 168 Highgate Road NW5, a separate and well-known gastropub about a mile and a half away.
- Timing: noon to 11pm on Saturday, noon to 10.30pm on Sunday, with weekday service finishing between 9pm and 9.30pm.
- Booking: worth it for dinner and for Sunday. There is a dining area set aside to the left of the entrance.
- Room: wooden floors, a front deck and a rear garden, a fireplace with armchairs, dog and family friendly.
- Hygiene: the FSA records rating 5, inspected 23 May 2025, with all three components at 0, which is the cleanest score the scheme gives.6
- Michelin: not recorded either way. Our cached Michelin data covers stars only.
Verdict
could-visit — Read the row before you go, because it is out of date. Dan Fox left the White Horse in Parsons Green, reopened this C18 pub in 2011 with a 4hl kit in the kitchen and called it London Brewing Co. He sold up in July 2016, the brewery carried on as Gorgeous and moved into a purpose-built shed in the garden in 2018, and then Greene King bought the freehold in early 2022 and that was the end of it. The kit went, the brewhouse became drinking space, and Church Farm in Warwickshire owns the brands now. What you get today is a Metropolitan Pub Co gastropub with two cask beers. The food is decent rather than a reason to cross London: Heidi Lauth Beasley gave it 7.0 in November 2025, called the lobster and crab croquettes 'a near-faultless drinking snack', and said the rest read more expensive than they taste, with the Sunday lamb slow and dry. Order the croquettes, the sausage roll and the roast chicken, take the armchairs by the fire, and go because you are in Highgate rather than to get to Highgate.