The Holly Bush, Hampstead, NW3

Up a short, but steep, flight of steps, virtually opposite the former Horse and Groom on Heath Street, is The Holly Bush, one of the best known of all Hampstead’s pubs. It’s situated in an attractive part of Hampstead which is a conservation area Until recently a free house, it’s now succumbed to the Fullers juggernaut. The old Benskins branding outside has sadly disappeared, but internally the pub appears unchanged A traditional interior features matchboard panelling, bare boards and some original partitions and glasswork. It’s a warren of corridors and adjoining rooms and, although the large room at the back is not original ( formerly private living quarters ), the solid looking wooden furniture and decoration is largely in keeping with the overall look and feel of the front bar. It’s a Grade 2 listed building and has been a pub for over 200 years. The small curved original bar counter is in the front room where there’s an impressive large Benskins mirror and an unusual tiny alcove with one table called The Tavern Bar. A larger room on the left has window glass revealing that this was once a Coffee Room. Several Ind Coope mirrors remain, reflecting the demise of Benskins long ago. Principally a food pub, even on my recent Saturday lunchtime visit, a good number of tables in all areas were reserved for named pre-booked groups. The ubiquitous A4 size clipboarded menu reflects the aspirational, upmarket leanings of the pub and the area’s affluence – eg Hampshire lamb rump, slow braised shank, kidneys, carrots, kale - £ 16.95p. The usual clueless non English speaking waitresses hover round trying to look helpful and efficient in the usual unconvincing fashion. On the real ale front, perhaps predictably, the range has reduced and Fullers beers now dominate the pumps. On my visit, 5 beers were available, of which only Harveys Best was a non Fullers beer ( the other beers being Pride, Bengal Lancer, HSB and Seafarers ). Reflecting the strong food emphasis probably, the Harveys Best was a wallet busting £ 3.90p. The pub is, however, in the 2012 CAMRA Good Beer Guide. This is quite a well known Hampstead pub and, with a traditional characterful interior, it’s still worth a look in, out of curiosity if nothing else. However, even disregarding the high beer prices, it’s not the place for a long boozy session

Randomness Guide to London - Holly Bush entry

Randomness Guide to London - Holly Bush entry

This place has very recently been added to the Fullers portfolio so there were three of their ales on as well as Harveys Best and there was also an unused hand pump. There was also a selection of standard and premium draught, but unfortunately on my last visit the Pride was not at its best. I also had to wait at the bar for a while before one of the eight, yes eight, staff members standing behind it managed to pull themselves away from their conversation to serve me. The bar area is quite small for the size of the pub meaning that it can become quite crowded, but the pub is a maze of rooms and little tucked away areas. The upstairs area used to be a restaurant, but I’m not sure what the plans are for it now although Fullers are known for serving up food in their pubs so I’d imagine that it would stay the same. This is a highly rated pub and although it’s not my favourite in the area I can see the attraction and it is worth a look.

A veritable maze of small rooms, nooks and crannies. The LHS room on entering is marked "Coffee Room" on the etched windows. The interior is dimly lit, wooden floors and panelling, some painted exposed brickwork, old photos of the locality etc. The old Benskins signs and adverts survive and add character and historical interest, but I also like the Thomas Crapper ad next to the toilets which is rather quirky yet apt. One nice touch I noticed is the sign advising of the last tube train times from the nearby station, what a good idea. Food looks good and sandwiches are said to be made with home baked bread. Four handpumps, one unclipped today. Adnams Bitter, Hook Norton Hooky Gold and Harveys Sussex Bitter making a rare appearance this far north.

This is quite an atmospheric pub that doesn't look as if it has changed much over the years. Ales on were Purity Mad Goose; Adnam's Broadside; Old Hooky; and Harvey's Best. The Mad Goose was pretty good, and at a typical Hampstead price of £3.20 a pint. I settled in the Coffee Room, containing normal tables, settles and chairs. The front bar, as you enter, contains only a couple of tables. Its Allied Breweries heritage is proclaimed by the “Benskin's” pub sign. There's lots of dark varnished wood, and the walls have that yellow/brown patina that comes with age and smoke. It doesn't look as if it has been painted for many years – if it has, they've done a remarkable job of making it look old. I don't know if the hot food was any good (the oven was on the blink when I was in) but the ham and mustard sarny I had wasn't up to much. It did have a bit of rather nice salad garnish, but the bread wasn't fresh, and I couldn't taste the mustard. At £4.40 a throw they could have done better. But I won't condemn a pub on the basis of one sandwich! As a pub I really liked it – comfortable, attractive, full of character and with decent ale. There was no music playing – a plus in my book – in fact I didn't see any of the machines that seem to blight pubs these days. I found it a quiet, welcoming, pub, and definitely deserving a return visit.