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Detail Pages
King William IV, Hampstead, NW3
NW3
NW3 1RE
Reviews (Current Rating Average: 6 of 10) see review guidelines
Bucking Fastard left this review about King William IV
This pub is a mixed bag.My heart sank when I saw a tricolour hanging from a first floor window but this isn't an Irish pub.The interior is quite interesting,the front door opens into the tap room,the side door into a rear lounge with it's own servery and connected to the front by a wide corridor space with candle lit tables creating some atmosphere.
The front tap room is square with the terrestrial TV screening the 6 Nations and two operational handpumps drawing "Courage" Directors and Fuller's London Pride (cheap for the area at £2.80 the half,NBSS 3)
The rear lounge has framed photos of many famous actors,has a door to the beer garden and is a calm area with mismatched furniture.Slightly worn but in a good way,there is also a tiny alcove and some bar stools.The eclectic food menu showed a median main around £16,much cheaper than elsewhere .In fact the vibe is more like a proper boozer and much less middle class than most of the other pubs in Hampstead.
If only the ale line up was more adventurous,I would have scored this pub higher and with some thought this could be a destination pub for the honest drinker.Sadly it come up a bit short ,but it has charm and some original features so worth popping in .
On 17th March 2024
- rating: 7
[User has posted 2737 recommendations about 2737 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Tris C left this review about King William IV
Despite living most of my life - from birth - under ten minutes' walk from here, the other night was precisely the fifth time I've ever visited. My first time was in October 1984, then Easter 1985, autumn 1987 with my last made around 2000 or a little earlier.
The King's Head coaching inn of some description has occupied this approximate site since at least the mid-17th century, the current establishment being renamed in 1835 after William IV and Queen Adelaide passed by on their way to Kenwood. Today, it's affectionately known as the Pink Willie due to it having been a noted gay pub since at least the 1930s and claims to be London's first though given that homosexuality was outlawed until recently, I doubt that such counterclaims were commonplace. This was certainly a much more obviously gay venue in the 1980s, however in recent times, intentionally or not, the pub seems to have become distanced from the gay scene, possibly to attract a wider customer base having recently been taken over by the people behind The Old Eagle in Camden (good) and North by Northwest in Islington (not so good). The usual accoutrements of rainbow flags and drag acts advertised are conspicuous by their absence though there’s a tiny rainbow insignia to the bottom of the hanging sign. The clientele certainly doesn’t look like extras from a Frankie Goes to Hollywood video - this isn’t the kind of gay pub that shoves its sexual orientation down your throat - Soho this isn’t. Suffice to say, you’d probably guess that this is a gay pub due to the friendly atmosphere generated by a mainly older male and now increasingly more mixed-gender crowd – a sports’ bar this isn’t. Food is served though it's a pot-pouri of world food more akin to posh school dinners - a gastro pub this isn't.
Internally it’s all quite traditional as mentioned, though is starting to look a bit shabby chic and most unlike a gentlemen’s club, more the last traditional boozer in NW3. There are still the sconce lights I remember, with their dated/charming orange glass shades – this is quite a gloomy pub. Furniture is highly conventional with some plain wood pews to the rear and Lincrusta ceiling. Also of note is the red upright piano, identical to the one on show in The Duke (of York) in Bloomsbury, though this is used for the occasional knees-up. One of the most striking additions is the more than 100 black and white portraits of famous residents past and present and being Hampsead [sic], the list is long including the likes of: John Keats, J. B. Priestley, D. H. Lawrence, Edith Sitwell, Dirk Bogarde, John Mortimer, Antonia Fraser, Harold Pinter, Jacqueline du Pré, Richard Wilson, Ridley Scott, Jamie Oliver, Ricky Gervais, Simon Amstell… Slash(!) and many more. There’s an attractive patio garden to the rear which is enjoyable in the summer and served up a barbecue on my last visit.
Now for the bad news – ales: Courage Directors’, Fuller’s London Pride and Theakston’s Grouse Beater at a pricey £2.30 a half and fine though not enough to compensate for the aforementioned.
With an abundance of charm, this is a very decent pub and should certainly constitute part of an NW3 crawl – I shall pay it more attention on my frequent returns to NW3, but it really needs to scrap the Directors/Pride and go for something better and if you’re reading Mr McGrath, Sharp’s Doom Bar is not preferable.
On 25th January 2018
- rating: 7
[User has posted 1994 recommendations about 1960 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Quinno _ left this review about King William IV
Hampstead pub that has retained a fair bit of internal character, with interconnected rooms surrounding an island bar which has two serving points. The road facing area is for boozing, the rear area is more for dining. Front area has original dark wood floorboards and bar, lincrusta ceiling, chandelier lighting, flock wallpaper, an attractive dark wood fireplace and a general vibe akin to a gentleman's club, almost. Read elsewhere that this a well-known gay pub but judging by what I saw, the only obvious signs were a few Hampstead ‘types’ of a similar sort to those you’d find at the French House in Soho. Three pumps but just one on, Courage Directors. What I was anticipating to be a fairly good visit was soured when, after being relieved of £2.40 for a half, the barman attempted to finish off the liquid with some leftovers from a glass underneath the bar. Cue me stating that if I've just paid a fair slab of good money I expect a fresh pint. After a half arsed attempt to justify it 'I poured it for someone else and they didn't want it' I was grudgingly poured a fresh one which was at least in good. Without that farrago I'd have probably dropped a 7 but unfortunately dubious bar practices are a massive no-no with this reviewer so 2 points off. Shame.
On 25th October 2016
- rating: 5
[User has posted 5108 recommendations about 5091 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Blackthorn _ left this review about King William IV
An imposing brick built pub on a corner plot in the centre of Hampstead’s High Street, it consists of a single room wrapped around a central bar counter and a pleasant courtyard garden at the rear. Service at the bar was somewhat chaotic with the landlady running around all over the place without actually seeming to achieve very much and other staff members needing constant instruction on what to do.
Décor wise it’s quite traditional with dark wooden boards on the floor and fairly dark paint tones such as maroon and deep blue, as well as some flock wallpaper. A couple of fire-places housed wood burning stoves and there were a few pictures of old Hampstead dotted around the walls. A plasma was mounted up in one corner, although this was not in use on our visit.
The menu consisted of an extensive selection of “pub grub” dishes such as chilli con carne, fish & chips, burgers, salads and platters, although these were priced a bit above your normal pub prices with most dishes, even the salads, coming in at £11 or more and a burger costing as much as £21 (although this also included a sausage and chicken). A dish of linguine with meatballs at £11 was well over-priced with the meat balls on the verge of being incinerated and the ragu sauce tasting as though it had come out of a tin. It’s the sort of thing I’d expect to get in a Hungry Horse and pay about a fiver for. A goat’s cheese salad was perhaps marginally better, although it was not especially tasty and somewhat on the salty side.
Beers on this occasion were Flying Scotsman, London Pride and Directors. The solitary cider was Strongbow, unfortunately. Overall this isn’t a bad pub, but I certainly wouldn’t eat there again when there are far better places just a stone’s throw away. In fact going on the queues, I would suggest the creperie right outside would be a far better bet.
On 15th September 2015
- rating: 6
[User has posted 1951 recommendations about 1864 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
hondo . left this review about King William IV
Just down from Hampstead tube station. 3 real ales and food served from a central bar with 2 serving points.
On 13th March 2012
- no rating submitted
[User has posted 2883 recommendations about 2820 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
John Bonser left this review about King William IV
Situated on a street corner half way down Hampstead’s tree lined High Street is The King William IV, a pub with a long history as a famous gay pub. Externally the pub very much resembles a Georgian town house – a sturdy looking square building with shutters on the upper floor windows.
A central island bar serves two adjoining rooms. The front room is furnished with standard tables and chairs and has little of particular note. There’s a TV up in one corner, but this is not a pub with any apparent interest in televising sport. The back room is similar in style and décor, but there’s a pleasant wood panelled area with a mini alcove by the bar. There’s a fine moulded ceiling and an old wooden bar back with inscribed lettering –“King William IV Tavern” which looks original, but overall it’s a rather functional and unremarkable interior.
Formerly a pub with a strong gay emphasis, I detected something of a shift away from its roots and a definite desire to attract a much wider cross section of customers. For instance, there’s no longer any rainbow flag evident and, apart from a gay men’s health charity collecting box on the bar and some condoms high up on a shelf, based on my Sunday afternoon visit, there’s no obviously gay emphasis and the desire to broaden its customer base seems to be having some success.
Outside at the back, there is a new beer garden with a tapas bar which, according to the pub website has “plush furniture and a Mediterranean feel”. On a wet and windy Sunday lunchtime, I felt disinclined to venture outside to get a first hand look.
Beers on were London Pride, Greene King IPA and Courage Directors – not exactly a range to set the pulses racing. I didn’t sense any particular interest or focus on real ale and the London Pride – at a pricey £ 3.80p – was very average.
On the basis of my short visit, it was difficult to see where the pub is positioning itself now. There was no discernible local trade or feel and, although there’s a reasonable food menu, it’s not a food orientated gastro pub. There’s better pubs within easy walking distance
On 7th March 2012
- rating: 5
[User has posted 560 recommendations about 560 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Steve C left this review about King William IV
The King Willie, as the locals so aptly refer to it has been a gay pub since the 1930s. I’ve been in a few times over the years and always been made to feel at home because everyone is always welcome be they gay, straight or abstinent.
On my visit last Saturday afternoon one of the hand pumps was unused, but Pride and Directors were still available. I went for the Pride as the Guinness had run out and it was a worthy substitute. The usual array of standard draught products are also available alongside Amstel. Food is also served and, although it is not cheap in pub terms, it is supposed to be very good.
The main bar is in the front and this is where the plasma screen is located for watching the news and there is a bit of background music. The back bar is much quieter and I think is used more for diners than drinkers. There is a small paved beer garden out the back which is popular in the summer as it is a bit of a sun trap. There is also a very popular crepe van which is permanently parked next to the pub. People have been known to queue for over an hour to buy one of these pancakes, they must be good.
There are extended opening hours at the weekend a there are sometimes events on like cabaret nights and Eurovision parties.
I’d rather have a drink in the Flask, but it is ok in here for the odd pint after walking up the hill.
On 18th May 2010
- rating: 5
[User has posted 5268 recommendations about 5236 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Chris 87 left this review about King William IV
Called in here for a beer and some lunch and was quietly impressed, at least with the food which, although at the top end of what I'd be prepared to pay for in a boozer, was extremely tasty. Less encouraging was the beer which consisted of Courage Directors, London Pride and Deuchars IPA, the latter of which was adequate if not as good as it could have been. This place has been refurbished recently in typical London fashion but it is still a pleasant enough pub and as mentioned, the food was well above your average pub grub style fare.
On 7th March 2010
- rating: 6
[User has posted 179 recommendations about 179 pubs]