The Princess of Wales, Primrose Hill, NW1

Randomness Guide to London - Princess Of Wales entry

Randomness Guide to London - Princess Of Wales entry

Pride, Directors and Adnams were all available during my visit alongside some standard and premium lagers and Westons Organic Cider. The barman was nice enough, as were the other customers, and I will return when next in the area, if only to check out the cellar bar and “secret garden”.

This is a light, clean, refreshing sort of pub. It looks a bit like upmarket tea rooms in a funny sort of way. It has tall windows on two sides (it’s on a corner) providing a lot of light. In the main part of the pub seating is provided by metal framed wicker chairs and normal round tables, but in a raised area at the back on the right there is a more comfortable, but perhaps less minimalist, seating area. It has a central island bar with a floral display on the stillion in middle, and a pine clad bar counter. I suppose I would say that for a pub it’s a bit chintzy. But it has a rather nice fireplace, with a fire on the go, which gave it a much warmer feel than it would otherwise have had. I also liked the delft style pottery on display on a shelf above the windows, as well as all the photographs and other assorted clutter on the walls. Ales on were Adnam’s Broadside, London Pride and a guest of Darling Bud, plus Weston’s Vintage Organic Still Cider on pump. I had the Darling Bud of course, which I rather enjoyed, at the usual sort of price of £3.05 a pint. The food menu was to be found on separate chalkboards around the place, with a third chalkboard outside one of the doors displaying the sandwich menu. Personally I think they would do better to have a printed menu so that customers can be sure of seeing everything on offer in one hit, as it were. This is another pub in this area that was clearly a traditional backstreet boozer at some stage, but which has intentionally moved upmarket. But the longer I stayed the more I liked it. I would be happy to drop in for another pint or two if I was in the area.