The pitch: an editor's read on Little Mercies
Little Mercies sits at 20 Broadway Parade in Crouch End, opened in 2018 by Alan Sherwood with Max and Noel Venning of Dalston's Three Sheets. The Infatuation and Time Out both rate it among North London's essential cocktail rooms, a rare thing for a neighborhood with no tube stop.
This is the room for locals who want destination drinking without the trip: lab style prep, cocktails around £11, and small plates that outrun most dedicated kitchens. Skip it if you want a late one. Crouch End nights end earlier than Soho's.
The room: a closer read
Exposed brick, deep blue walls, and a striking concrete bar set the tone, with the prep happening out back rather than as bar theater. SquareMeal's review flags the food focus; the plates run from croquettes to bao and char siu celeriac.
Destination drinking, no tube stop required.
What to order, and what to skip
The list runs short, clarified, and precise in the Three Sheets style. Most serves sit around the £11 mark.
Skip nothing on price grounds; most cocktails sit around £11, well under West End rates for this level of prep.
The crowd: who shows up, and when
Crouch End locals and N8 dates fill the room, families early on weekends and the cocktail crowd after 8pm. Luxurious Magazine's review reads it as cosy first, showpiece second, which matches the room.
For the wider picture of where this room sits in the city, our editors keep the ranked list of the best cocktail bars in London updated through the year.
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What regulars say
- “The best cocktails in North London, full stop.” (The Nudge)
- “Book on weekends; the room is small and local demand is real.” (Google Maps reviews, pattern read)
- “Come hungry. The food is not an afterthought.” (The Infatuation review)
- “Around £11 a drink feels like a different city.” (r/london thread, pattern read)
Who it is for
- North Londoners who want Three Sheets quality without the Dalston trip.
- Dates that pair a cocktail list with a real dinner.
- A north flank to a London list built on Swift and Nightjar.
- Avoid if you need a 1am finish; this room keeps a neighborhood schedule.