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Picture of The Holly Bush
Image posted by Delboy 20
Submitted on Thursday, 15th June 2023
With picture contributions to 2123 other pubs
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The Holly Bush, Hampstead, NW3

22 Holly Mount
NW3
NW3 6SG
Phone: 02074352892
Correct details

Served areas

Tweets by The Holly Bush
The Holly Bush The Holly Bush We're delighted to announce that we'll be back open for business from 17 May and tables can now be booked through o… https://t.co/BDBf5ZB1JC 3:39 PM May 6th 2021 from Falcon Social Media Management
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Reviews of The Holly Bush (Average Rating: of 10) Add Review see review guidelines

Bucking Fastard left this review about The Holly Bush

Utterly charming pub,almost mews like in a very upmarket area high above the busy shopping area that is Hampstead village.Fullers tied house and they have preserved the heritage,features abound and there is great wood panelling,etched glass and a traditional multi room layout.On entry there is a wait to be seated lecturn,ignore this and go right into the tap room with traditional furniture,notr large so expect to make room for incoming punters.This is the place to sup and there is an alcove area beyond a small skylight.
The left hand side,back rooms and first floor are all dedicated dining areas,also with features but difficult to clock if you are just drinking.
There is an external long old seating bench but outside drinking elsewhere is discouraged as local residents don't want punters drinking in their doorways.
Ale options on my trip were London Pride,Hophead and ESB (NBSS 3.5,£3.40 the half).CAMRA rate it 2* for heritage ,my feeling is that it is borderline 3* so very well worth the steep climb to enjoy when in the area.I will most certainly return .

On 17th March 2024 - rating: 8
[User has posted 2709 recommendations about 2709 pubs]


Delboy 20 left this review about The Holly Bush

A decent pub not far from the tube station. A Fullers pub with the full range on but I had a Dark Star Hophead which was fine. Seemed to be popular as it filled up during my short visit. Glad to have called in.

On 18th June 2023 - no rating submitted
[User has posted 1651 recommendations about 1553 pubs]


Please Note: This review is over a year old.


Tris C left this review about The Holly Bush

Tucked away in one of the most beautiful Queen Anne and Georgian enclaves and serving the community since 1643, is one of London's most famous and historic pubs: The Holly Bush. As a former local, born and bred, this has been one of my all-time favourite pubs which I've been visiting for the best part of 35 years, over which time I've seen changes major and minor.
The room to the rear wasn't originally part of the pub. In the '80s it was curtained off and used for poetry reading. It had t 'n' g panelling and an upright piano. Now it's pretty much used solely as a dining room which reduces much-needed drinking space. An anteroom is now home to an ancillary till for the dining area. A second and central anteroom now houses a stainless-steel sink with cleaning products; visible to all, it's a terrible eye sore.
The snug still has a real fire but it, along with the rest of the pub, has been painted magnolia. Where once there were original gas lights until around 1990 (which hissed!), there were hideous Japanned lamps which looked like they came from a dungeon, though at least the ugly wicker colonial-style ceiling fans have gone. Happily, the lamps have gone, replaced with ones which are altogether more fitting, looking like blown glass. The floor is new, untreated and bare boarded but is aging well. Furniture is fairly conventional, the pretentious oxblood armchairs which looked like the property of Sherlock Holmes have gone, as have most of the fake Victorian sitting room décor. As an added plus, the log fire in the main bar is now active for the first time in my memory, though the pub doesn’t benefit from the stupid names now applied to the various rooms: ‘Whitestone Room’?
Clients are a mix of locals, celebrities and many tourists/incomers. The bar staff seem to change on a weekly basis which doesn't make for good continuity and can be a bit clueless but they seem decent enough, though they are hardly burdened by working in a challenging environment.
Ales: the standard Fuller's line-up with a few guests (more likely Fuller's acquisitions such as Gale’s) with a pint of the hilariously named Castle Rock’s Crafty Flanker Pale Ale weighing in at a hefty £4.80 for a beer that’s around the 4.0% ABV mark.
I haven't painted a brilliant picture of the pub, but nothing's perfect - it can get rammed at peak times too. This place though is probably about as good as an urban pub is ever going to get, hence the high mark.

On 12th February 2018 - rating: 8
[User has posted 1956 recommendations about 1923 pubs]


View more reviews of The Holly Bush (14)
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Pub location see interactive map of local area
Map location corrected by Steve C
Finchley Road & Frognal, 0.74 miles, 14 min walk (show)
Hampstead Heath, 0.82 miles, 15 min walk (show)
West Hampstead Thameslink, 1.16 miles, 22 min walk (show)
Latest updates View all updates for The Holly Bush, NW3
17th Mar 2024, 10:04
Review submitted by Bucking Fastard
 
18th Jun 2023, 20:05
Review submitted by Delboy 20

Pub Details

Pub details supplied by members of this site to the best of their knowledge. Please check with pub directly before making a special trip.

  • Accommodation : No last updated 08 November 2013 by Tris C
  • Bar Billiards : No last updated 22 July 2013 by Tris C
  • Beer Festivals : No last updated 13 June 2015 by Tris C
  • Beer Garden : No last updated 22 July 2013 by Tris C
  • Car Park : No last updated 22 July 2013 by Tris C
  • Child Friendly : Yes - Crying babies at all hours - last updated 27 November 2013 by Tris C
  • Darts : No last updated 22 July 2013 by Tris C
  • Dog Friendly : No - Guide dogs only. - last updated 12 February 2018 by Tris C
  • Function Room : Yes - x2. - last updated 12 March 2016 by Tris C
  • Hot Food : Yes last updated 04 June 2014 by hondo .
  • Jukebox : No last updated 22 July 2013 by Tris C
  • Karaoke : No last updated 22 July 2013 by Tris C
  • Live Music : No last updated 22 July 2013 by Tris C
  • Live TV Sports : No last updated 08 November 2013 by Tris C
  • Micropub : No last updated 13 June 2015 by Tris C
  • Pinball : No last updated 22 July 2013 by Tris C
  • Pool Table : No last updated 22 July 2013 by Tris C
  • Quiz Night : No last updated 29 September 2017 by Tris C
  • Real Ale : Yes - Fuller's - last updated 04 June 2014 by hondo .
  • Real Cider : No last updated 16 September 2015 by Blackthorn _
  • Wheelchair Access : No last updated 08 November 2013 by Tris C
  • WiFi : Yes last updated 22 July 2013 by Tris C
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