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The Flask, Hampstead, NW3
NW3
NW3 1HE
Reviews (Current Rating Average: 7½ of 10) see review guidelines
Bucking Fastard left this review about The Flask
Having walked up Flask Walk,I dived into the first entrance door ,by luck into the best of the interior IMHO.It's completely seperate from the rest of the pub,square with an old lino floor and many fine features.A side door is marked Private Bar and indeed it is possible to hire this space .There are prints of old Hamstead on one wall below some very fine etched glass,the curved bar is carved wood ,old and attractive while there is some good tiling in a frieze at dado rail height.The terrestrial TV was on mute,you can eat in here from the pub grub menu but most punters were just drinking.There are external tables in the passage way outside.
The main part of the pub is L shaped but bedevilled by reserved signs on the tables with no indication of booking time , so it felt uninviting despite the many heritage features.CAMRA rate it 3* for historic heritage,quite rightly.
Youngs pubco. tie so the ale options were their ever dull Youngs Original and London Special saved by the guest of Five Points XPA (£3.20 the half,well it is Hampstead ,NBSS 3.5).
Worth popping in for the heritage ,dont miss out on the "Private Bar".
On 17th March 2024
- rating: 8
[User has posted 2727 recommendations about 2727 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Tris C left this review about The Flask
Dating back to at least 1700 and rebuilt in 1874 on the site of a former plaque pit, The Flask is situated in a lovely scenic Hampstead idyll. As a former local boy, I've been coming to the Flask since the mid/late-1980s and, rear bar aside, it's changed little and all the better for that too as this boasts a Regionally Important Historic Interior. Externally, the building features some very fine polychromatic glazed tiles with two entrances to a building which abuts the residential and very quaint pedestrianised parade of little shops. Internally, the left-hand bar seems unchanged and quite basic since my first visit all those years ago. The right-hand bar has some remaining etched glass windows, fine marble fireplace, more polychromatic tiles and a spectacular screen with etched and cut glass along with rare painted glass cameos that separates the public and small saloon bars. Seating here is essentially an oxblood leather studded banquette running around the periphery. The rear bar and dining room however, is more traditional/modern with conventional furniture, bare boards and a typical grey/blue colour scheme with prints to the walls. Out back there's a small drinking/smoking patio and there are tables and chairs out front.
Friendly staff were serving up Bitter, Special, Truman's Lazarus and St. Austell's Proper Job on excellent form.
Catch it at the right time and this is a very good pub indeed, one of the best in the borough and a must-visit if on the NW3 trail.
On 8th May 2019
- rating: 8
[User has posted 1985 recommendations about 1951 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Pub SignMan left this review about The Flask
This is a nice traditional two bar pub down a quiet side street just around the corner from Hampstead tube station. There are two separate entrances, each with etched glass doors, taking you into either the Public Bar to the left or Saloon Bar to the right. The Public Bar is a reasonable sized square shaped room with a curved dark wood bar counter in the rear right corner. Bench seating serves the tables at the front of the room, with standard tables and chairs through the rest of the space. The right hand wall partitions the room from the Saloon Bar and has some decent panelling with large images of local scenes printed onto them and some smart etched glass panes above. To the left is a smart fireplace with a 'wines and spirits' mirror above and some limited glimpses of glazed tiling to one side. Similarly, a broken glazed tile dado runs around parts of the room, hinting at a rather more impressive interior in days gone by. The walls have been decorated with a few nice retro posters including one for Hampstead tube station and there are some large barrels on top of both the porch and the bar back. The Saloon Bar cannot be reached without exiting the pub and re-entering through the right hand door. It has similar bits of tilework to the Public Bar, large mirrors down one side and lots more chair and bench seating plus button backed banquettes to the rear. Some more fine etched glasswork can be seen high up on the right hand wall and there is a symmetrical curved bar counter to the left forming part of the same servery as in the other bar. Beyond is a rather bland conservatory with seating set up for diners, under pastel shaded walls with bookcases and a few small pictures on show. Music was playing in the Saloon Bar and this was just about audible from the Public side.
This has been a Young's pub for over 110 years and their Ordinary, Special and Hummingbird were available alongside a guest ale which was Twickenham Naked Ladies. A pint of the latter set me back a rather upsetting £4.75, although this is far from the priciest pint in Hampstead. Thankfully it was in good nick and I was able to savour every last drop whilst propping up the bar and thumbing through the day's papers which were left out for customers to browse.
This is a very nice pub in a quaint location which, unlike most Youngs pubs, has been refitted in a relatively restrained manner and thereby retains the feel of a traditional pub, especially in the Public Bar. The pricing certainly precludes this place from any sort of extended session, but it's well worth a look in passing and is probably your best bet for a traditional pub in Hampstead.
On 13th May 2017
- rating: 7
[User has posted 3114 recommendations about 3114 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Ian Mapp left this review about The Flask
A return visit. No one playing scrabble tonight. Pub quiz not happening on this night.
Instead, I had the front room to myself and a very good pint of Youngs Bitter. Provided the chance to properly survey the victorian surroundings.
Fine pub. Worth a visit.
Photos at my blog - http://bit.ly/2cRaZHD
On 15th September 2016
- rating: 8
[User has posted 277 recommendations about 276 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Blackthorn _ left this review about The Flask
A pleasant and attractive pub in a similarly attractive lane just of Hampstead’s High Street, It consists of two bars at the front of the pub separated by some partitioning but sharing the bar counter and a more contemporary bar at the rear. There is also a very small courtyard.
Décor wise it mostly quite traditional, with the right hand bar perhaps being slightly cosier. There are dark wooden boards on the floor whilst the paintwork is a mixture of cream and sage green. There is some elaborate cornice work on the ceiling and the partitioning to the next bar has etched glass panels along the top and original Victorian artwork underneath. A fire-place was off to the right although this appeared unused, and there were a number of large mirrors on the wall up above as well as a photograph of the Queen Mother pulling a pint. Low hanging filament style lamps were hanging above the bar as well as a couple of old sherry casks behind it. As mentioned, the rear bar was a little more contemporary with paler paintwork, lighter wood strip on the floor and a glass atrium roof.
Beers on a recent visit were predominantly from Young’s with their Gold, Bitter and Special along with Bombardier and Sambrook’s Wandle. Being unfamiliar with the latter I asked the barman for his advice to which he rather unhelpfully replied “It’s a bitter. They all taste the same to me”. Perhaps even the offer of a sample would have helped, but this was not forthcoming either. There were also a few more keg options from Camden Brewery, whilst the solitary cider was Aspall’s Suffolk.
On 15th September 2015
- rating: 8
[User has posted 1948 recommendations about 1861 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Steve of N21 left this review about The Flask
A heritage pub that has been well described by previous reviewers and is worth searching out for the fact that it is one of the ever dwindling small number of pubs that maintains a definite difference between the public and saloon bars
Cannot really add anything to the previous descriptive reviews except to say that the pub takes its name from a time back in the 1700’s when there was a well on the land that adjoined the pub and the trustees of the land started bottling the well water and selling it to the local populace for three old pence a flask.
I too usually try to bag a spot in the smaller public bar to relive those days gone by, and although a Youngs pub nowadays as stated there is usually something decent besides the Bedford brews on the two banks of five handpumps and three Youngs beers were complemented by Sambrooke Wandel and Twickenham Grandstand for my recent visit. And the Grandstand was a well kept pint on decent form, which turned out to be a positive omen for what was to happen at the home of English Rugby later in the day..
On 20th March 2014
- rating: 8
[User has posted 2110 recommendations about 1992 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
John Bonser left this review about The Flask
Situated down an alleyway off the High Street, and just round the corner from the Tube Station is The Flask, still something of a local Hampstead institution.
The pub’s name comes from the wells when Hampstead was a spa town in the 18th century. Waters from these wells were bottled and sold to visitors in flasks in The Thatched House, the previous pub on the site of the current pub. The present building dates back to 1874.
Most notably, and sadly an increasing rarity nowadays – particularly down South – the pub retains two separate bars, separated by a tall timber screen featuring etched glass. On the saloon bar side of the screen are 5 old paintings by the appropriately named Van Beers – a Belgian painter.
The smallish public bar has a dark lino floor and is furnished with basic wooden furniture, several banquettes against the walls and bar stools. The walls are decorated with some framed retro Underground posters and, on the wooden dividing screen, a series of evocative black and white photos of old Hampstead. Note on the left, a disused door with etched glass denoting “Private Bar”, indicating that previously there was a further subdivision of the drinking area. On my recent Sunday lunchtime visit, a small TV high up on the wall was showing Sky News without sound. There’s a games machine, but it was not switched on and I guessed that it had been taken out of service. There’s no dartboard any more. Pleasingly, this bar still retains something of a local drinkers bar with something of a “lived in” feel and with a few regulars evidently well known to the staff. In particular, one elderly gentleman, who looked as though he’d been drinking here for years, was receiving prompt and attentive table service, although the young barmaid serving him looked as though she might have come from the recently disbanded St Pauls protest camp.
The larger saloon bar has banquettes, wooden tables and stools and some attractive mirrors. There’s a rather dark feel to the place with the subdued lighting that Youngs seem quite keen on nowadays and something of an upmarket atmosphere, but with the original wooden bar back and bar counter, there’s still a relatively traditional feel. A more modern, much lighter conservatory at the rear acts as a dedicated dining room and, on my visit, was gradually filling up with the typical Sunday lunch ( family / kids / pushchairs etc ) crowd.
The pub features in CAMRA’s book of London Heritage Pubs.
It’s a Young’s pub offering, on my visit, 5 beers – Bombardier, Youngs Ordinary, Special, Sambrooks Wandle and Youngs London Porter ( which I suppose really ought to be called Bedford Porter ). This was a rather moreish and tasty pint at £ 3.30p.
With the gentrification of the area over the years, overall The Flask has lost something of that local pubby feel that it had in the 70’s / 80’s , but it’s still a good place for a pint and, when in Hampstead, it’s worth calling in
On 7th March 2012
- rating: 7
[User has posted 560 recommendations about 560 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Just a quick pint, then I'm off left this review about The Flask
Managed to get a seat in the small public bar - a very fine spot for a pint, with decent beer and many historic features remaining in this Grade II listed building. The front and back parts of the saloon bar haven't survived the various refurbishments so well, but a perch on the outside seating at the front is also pleasant enough in decent weather without any traffic on the side lane. Dining area to the rear. A total of 10 handpumps are scattered around the three bar counters, offering a good selection of Ordinary, Special, London Gold, Bombardier, Wandle as as a guest and a seasonal (e.g. Waggle Dance). Overall, well worth seeking out.
On 16th July 2011
- rating: 8
[User has posted 8117 recommendations about 8117 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Malden man left this review about The Flask
Unusually for nowadays this pub still retains the separate saloon and public bars, with individual entrances unless of course you pass through the gents. The bars are separated by a wood and etched glass partition which has paintings of Victorian family scenes on the saloon side and B&W photos of the local area on the public bar side. The saloon extends back through an arched opening into an area with a tartan patterned carpet which has a number of differently sized tables, one of which being easily large enough to seat twenty or so. Decor includes many old framed London Transport advertisements for travel to the Hampstead area, champagne bottles on shelves and framed labels. Beyond is a dining room, bare boarded with rugs, complete with a food servery counter, pots of flowers on the tables and a large lantern rooflight.
The public bar is how such bars always used to be, basic and functional, lino floor, now with a TV and games machine but no dartboard or pool table.
Youngs beers, there are a number of handpumps distributed around the bar in the different areas, I noted Ordinary, Special, London Gold, Waggledance plus Sambrooks Wandle yesterday afternoon. London Gold was £3.45.
There are a few outdoor tables to Flask Walk at the front which are a good spot for watching the locals go about their business.
To me, despite some refurbishment, the pub retains plenty of character and thankfully many original features. For those who can, no visit should be complete without a look inside the gents where there are numerous framed cartoon prints and also a publication from the temperence movement called "The Moral and Physical Thermometer" which gradually lists the terrible things that will happen to a person depending upon their tipple of choice!
On 12th June 2011
- rating: 7
[User has posted 1708 recommendations about 1681 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Chris 87 left this review about The Flask
Rather typical refurbished Youngs Pub in Hampstead, just off the main high street. On a saturday afternoon it was pretty busy with families and couples eating but there was space for non-drinkers and we perched on a spare table. The multi-room layout is fine and the original features are impressive, although I've had better pints of Youngs Bitter. This place was reasonable and I'd think about returning if in the area.
On 7th March 2010
- rating: 6
[User has posted 179 recommendations about 179 pubs]