The Three Hammers, Mill Hill, NW7

Visited 30/04/25 Five handpumps, two not functional, the other three offering Hophead, L Pride and TT LL. Keg offering was Camden Hells, Guinness, Stella, Coors, Madri, Wingman, Carling Peroni, Stowford Press and SB dark fruits. Quite a big roadside pub in a very affluent area of NW London. It is a long rectangle off the main road with ample parking for drivers in the front and side of the pub. Inside it has a pleasant feel with the bar counter a right-angled affair off the right-hand wall mid venue with a stone tiled skirt around both sides and a good quotient of leather stools for sitting at the bar. In front of the entrance is a light wood block flooring that transitions via a carpet square with a large round table thereon on to a regular boarded surface in the front left-hand side of the venue with regular tables and chairs and a banquette on one side. There was a small dining area off to the right of that area with regular tables and chairs. A fire grate was not obviously in use. On the right of the entrance is a mixture of seating options and the venue becomes carpeted on the side away from the bar counter, with two distinct area separated via a partition with a fire grate built into it and which looks like it is in use in appropriate parts of the year. These areas as with the very back of the venue have regular tables and chairs and another fire grate on the wall behind the bar counter. There is an extension at the back of the pub that provides a conservatory type seating experience with some nice natural light. That leads onto a rear beer garden that was a bit unkempt but a nice shape with regular picnic bench seating and obviously busy on my visit. Another perfectly pleasant venue in this part of the world but again lacking the wow factor for beer aficionados. Another small post code area mustering just five pubs in a nice part of North London. At least 60% of them have cask beer but those that do lack ambiance for me and none score above average. This one just shades it for me above the Adam & Eve, but it isn’t a great achievement for the winner or narrow runner-up in this weak contest!

A few yards on from the Adam & Eve and here’s the Three Hammers, a coaching inn dating from 1754, a large building no doubt rebuilt and in brewers’ Tudor style, with much nogging. The interior is totally made over, furnished with ‘zoned’ areas, the whole looking like a posh Harvester and every bit the Ember Inns country-style joint, the games machines adding an otherwise downmarket slant to proceedings. Customers at the time of my Friday 9.15pm visit were affluent locals, apart from the two hoodies, making a beeline for the games’ machines, their natural habitat. Aside from three unused pumps, there was London Pride and Hophead at a very agreeable £2.50 a half, served by a friendly barmaid. I preferred the Adam & Eve to this rather soulless place, but the presence of one decent cask ale gives it the edge.

Official site of The Three Hammers - www.emberinns.co.uk

Official site of The Three Hammers - www.emberinns.co.uk

There are three banks of handpumps – three on the left of the counter, five in the centre, and another three around to the right. But ales are all repeated, and represented a fairly unexciting selection. On closer examination, at least four of the pumpclips were revealed to be advertisements – Ale Monday at £2.49 a pint, and try before you buy. So, there were just three ales on; London Pride, Ember Ale (brewed by Black Sheep) and Adnam’s Ghost Ship (£2 a half). Being an Ember Inn glossy illustrated menus are on the tables. The type of food on offer is quite predictable (which is not necessarily a bad thing). They do set menus weekday lunchtime and early evening with one course (e.g. fish & chips, Steak & Ale Pie, etc) at £5.49, two courses at £7.49, and three at £9.49. This is clearly an old traditional pub that has been given the standard Ember Inns hotel lounge style makeover. It’s obviously completely opened up, with the usual Ember Inns bling – burnished copper etc around the place. There is also the usual mix of tall tables/tall stools, bucket armchairs, and normal tables and chairs. TVs and fruit machines are present of course. It’s carpeted throughout, of which I approve as it reduces the level of ambient noise. As others have said, this is a food led establishment, but at least it allows an old pub to survive.

Airport lounge meets chain hotel. Typical Ember Inn selling two bitters neither of which was well kept. Didn't try the food as it is standard Ember micro stuff. Difficult getting served.Like visiting a hushed doctors waiting room! Beautiful area. Not worth the visit.

I think that a large majority of people that plan an evening in here have gone to eat rather than drink as it is a soulless Ember Inns pub intent on flogging cheap food to the masses. London Pride, Landlord and Courage Best were all available alongside a standard draught selection. The Landlord was past its best and the guy next to me at the bar was served three pints of lager with the biggest heads I have ever seen. You could see he was disappointed, but he never asked for them to be topped up! Maybe he was just glad that one of the members off staff had stopped cleaning/stocking up and taken the time to serve him. I'll give this place a miss if I'm ever up in Mill Hill again.