The Good Reader is an independent gastropub at 120 Park Road in Crouch End. Its name honours local philanthropist Sir Henry Reader Williams, and the pub aims to carry that community spirit into a welcoming neighbourhood dining room and garden.
The kitchen serves fresh, seasonal food through an à la carte menu, with a dedicated children’s selection available throughout the week. Saturday brunch and Sunday lunch give the weekend a different rhythm from the regular lunch and evening service.
Sunday roasts are a central draw, while smaller plates and changing mains allow for both a quick bite and a full meal. Wine, draught beer and batch-made cocktails complement the food and support a relaxed evening visit.
The garden provides a sunny outdoor option, and friendly dogs are welcome in the pub. As the menu follows the seasons, diners with allergies should discuss the current dishes and any cross-contact risks with staff before ordering.
Address: 120 Park Road, Crouch End, London N8 8JP, England
The Good Reader Menu
Bar Snack
Rosemary focaccia, white balsamic & evoo
House marinated Gordal olives
House marinated boquerones
Beetroot hummus & nigella seed flatbread (vg)
Swaledale lamb empanadas with chimichurri aioli
Chorizo picante with saffron aioli
Sunday Roast – Starters
Roasted Jerusalem artichoke soup, winter crisps and curry oil
Cornish mussels, garlic, white wine & butter broth with a hunk of focaccia
Burrata, cumin roasted cauliflower, pomegranate, tardivo & sunflower seeds
Saffron braised Brixham cuttlefish, chickpeas & aioli
Roasts
All served with aged beef fat or rapeseed roast potatoes, candied carrots, celeriac, garlic greens, yorkie & gravy
Sutton Hoo chicken supreme with bread sauce & crispy skin
Middlewhite slow roast belly of pork with bramley apple sauce
Dry aged Highland beef rump with horseradish crème fraiche
Slow cooked shoulder of Swaledale lamb with salsa verde
Chestnut mushroom, butternut squash & kale wellington with porcini gravy
Kids roasts
Cauliflower cheese
Roasties & gravy/garlic greens
Yorkie & gravy
Roast Cornish hake, pink fir potatoes, spinach, smoked leeks & caper butter
Kids mac’n’cheese
Bar menu
Focaccia
white balsamic, evoo
House marinated olives
House marinated anchovies
Chips
chicken salt, aioli
Babaganoush
celery, radish & sumac (vg)
Chorizo picante
saffron aioli
Mac’n’cheese croquettes
nachos sauce, house chilli jam
The Good fried chicken
maple buffalo sauce
The Good Burger
(vegan available)
Sample – Starters
Cornish mussels
garlic butter broth & a hunk of focaccia
Burrata
panzanella and a shot of virgin mary (v)
House hot smoked chalk stream trout
beetroot, horseradish
English asparagus
ajo blanco, crispy serrano & grapes
Mains
Swaledale aged beef ragu
pappardelle, pangrattato, parmesan
Artichoke barigoule
peas & broad beans, wild garlic emulsion, cherry tomatoes & focaccia (vg)
Wild nettle risotto
courgettes, ricotta courgette flower
Marinated bavette steak
fat chips, watercress & horseradish
Middlewhite pork belly
remoulade, garlic pink fir, madeira, apple & watercress
Roast Cornish cod
jersey royals, spinach, sea herbs, trout roe
Sides
Pink fir potatoes
wild garlic butter
Seasonal greens
brown sage butter
Cos salad
cherry tomatoes, dijon dressing & shallots