Spaniards Inn, NW3

The 'in' place in the early 'seventies, I visited again recently after a gap of many years - while OK it isn't what it was. Staff seemed a bit disinterested and the beer wasn't particularly good. Now, unfortunately, below average.

Official site of the Spaniards - thespaniardshampstead.co.uk

Official site of the Spaniards - thespaniardshampstead.co.uk

Randomness Guide to London - Spaniards Inn entry

Randomness Guide to London - Spaniards Inn entry

In the past I've always felt an air of contempt from the bar staff in this pub, no matter how polite you were to them. I popped in early on Saturday afternoon to see if things had changed and thankfully the barman was nice enough. The pub is still very dark and a little depressing, but the Pride and Harveys Best were very good. There was another ale that was off, but Brains SA Gold and Adnams were also available alongside Westons Cider and a good selection of premium lagers. There is a good sized beer garden out the back, but it fills up very fast at the weekends if there is the slightest hint of any sun. Getting into the pub can be a little treacherous if walking from the Hampstead end as there is no path on the pub's side of the road and the road narrows to one lane as there is an old listed toll booth on the other side of the road. This place is OK, but it isn't worth going out of the way to visit.