The Holly Bush

oogywawa

Excellent homely local 3rd October 2009

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My visit to Hampstead was one of extreme contrasts and luckily I ended it on a high in The Holly Bush.

Having earlier visited The Flask, which was a massive disappointment (see review) I hoped that a slog up a steepish hill to what resembled the heart of picturesque country village would reward my toil.

The Holly Bush turned out to be everything that I had hoped for. A review once said the front bars had "a carefully cultivated air in its front rooms of having been left untouched since the days of sawdust" but I sensed no disingenuity in what was in front of me.

There was the gentle murmur of contented drinkers and diners and the purveying air of relaxation and enjoyment. The food was good without being spectacular and relatively good value for money. The beer was very well kept and several pints of Mad Goose by Purity Brewing surreptitiously found their way down the gullet. The wine choice was good as my work colleague found to his cost the next morning!

All in all this delightful old establishment justified its reputation on all counts and long may it continue to keep the well heeled of Hampstead contented.

AlexWoods

Too much fuss! 24th September 2009

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Thoroughly fussy, pretentious and all just too much! The Holly Bush is very symptomatic of the whole restaurant-masquerading-as-boozer nonsense that is the "gastro-pub" phenomenon. You know I don't like gastro-pubs and this typifies the whole thing.

It is, however, a lovely, lovely building. Very cosy, very comfortably and atmospheric, a veritable rabbit warren of nooks, crannies, back rooms, upstairses and the like.

The main bar room is obviously "where it's at". Busy, buzzy, vibrant and packed. There was a decent selection of beer (I mean Beer, Nancy Boy) though nothing particularly out of the ordinary, and I did spy a large jar of pretty scrummy looking pork scratchings and pickled onions tucked among the bird feed that seems to pervade every high end watering hole.

The menu is, as suggested, pretty decent, and I’ll admit, you wouldn’t get away with serving a sandwich in a restaurant for lunch. But nor, I’d hope, would you get away with the prices which seemed, to me, a trifle on the steep side. The specials menu was also very impressive but again not want I want to see in a pub.

I don't like reserved tables in pubs, it seems to me contrary to the whole ethos of pubs. Similarly I don't like restaurant menus in pubs. I DO like dogs in pubs! That seems thoroughly in tune with what a pub should be! I also like charming and pleasant staff. At the Holly Bush there appeared to be an abundance of the former and a dearth of the later. There was also an annoyingly large and annoyingly loud group of annoyingly American Americans. I know this is quite clearly xenophobic... well not xenophobic... I just didn't appreciate my quite, afternoon pint being interrupted by the epic story of Like, y’know, how Janey is just like, toadally, y’know, not like then and she, like, toadlly blew them oud and she’s just, like, waddever, aboud it…

So. That put me off my beer, and may have coloured my judgement. But everything else I have said still stands.

The thing that I dislike most about this pub is that, despite everything I’ve said, it’s actually very nice. It’s set back from the main road in Hampstead, it’s spacious but cosy, the beer was very nice, the clientele (our Colonial cousins accepted) generally more pleasant than others we’d encountered in Hampstead, and it’s a very cosy almost romantic building. So I shall be back. Against my principals, contrary to my opinions but with a length of 2x4 down the sleeve of my jacket, in case of interruptions….

And even if you can’t agree with my musings, I hope you’ve enjoyed them.

ksnash

The Holly Bush - a hidden treasure 3rd April 2009

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The food is outstanding, much more than gastropub food and a very interesting menu too. Service was also great. A real treasure.

kidsallright

The Holly Bush - my local pub 22nd January 2009

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This was my local pub when I lived in London. It also happens to be one of the best pubs in London from a neighborhood standpoint!

wreeve

4th January 2009

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Great pub tucked away above Hampstead tube, with rabbit-warren interconnecting rooms and a good one for drinkers and eaters alike.

chrisp

Decent old boozer 28th August 2008

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Ignore the "gastropub" tag that is sometimes attached to this place - the Holly Bush serves middling-to-good food and has a pretty limited wine list. But for a pint of nicely kept ale in some achingly pretty surroundings, there's probably nowhere better in Hampstead. A great place to take tourists or visiting friends for a taste of 18th century London quaintness.

sokratis

Super-pie in a Super-pub 29th April 2008

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Maybe I’m being influenced by having watched Superbad very recently, but the superlatives are justified in this case. The Holly Bush is one of those ‘they don’t make them like they used to’ kind of places you rarely encounter in London anymore (says I, the old-Londoner who grew up on the cobbled streets of Whitechapel!). It’s a pub in the proper sense on the word.
No music. No fruit machines. No shiny, ‘Slug & Lettuce’-type surfaces and silly prints on the wall.
Solid selection of beers and ales (unfortunately no Bombardier). No-nonsense, friendly staff. Unique ability to distort time and keep you there until closing.
It really is one of those places you can go with friends and spend hours getting merrier as the time passes by, setting the world to rights, recounting old stories and generally doing what friends do.
The pies that are mentioned in the title deserve a special mention. They are the specialty of the house and I’m confident the Organic Beef and Harvey’s served with Cheddar mash is one the best you’ve ever tried. At £9.50 it’s reasonably priced as well. The rest of the menu is excellent too, with the burger and roast chicken being a couple of my favourites and the bread and butter pudding an amazing dessert. The menu seems to have been set in stone there, but why mess with something that works so well? I’ve probably eaten or sampled every item in it and nothing was short of really good, going all the way to the superb. There is a cosy, beautiful dining room on the first floor and I recommend you book if you’d like to eat as the pub floor gets very busy.
You’ve probably worked out that this is probably my favourite pub in London. It’s also tucked away from public view so you really have to look for it to find it, but trust me it’s worth a detour or even a special trip.

smeadie

characterful historic pub 6th March 2008

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classic pub; cosy, great food, great beer, tucked away behind the hampstead village and steeped in history. Lovely diningroom upstairs, quality produce and excellent cooking.

sue

Hidden Hampstead Pub 7th October 2007

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A mild autumn Sunday saw us venturing out of our comfort zone and heading to Hampstead for the first time. A visit to a new area would not be complete without a beer and a meal at one of the local establishments. We opted for the Holly Bush after reading that it dated back to 1807 (in a building that was built in the 1640's!) - I do love those old, character-filled pubs.

I figured it had to be good before we'd even got there, as it is a little tricky to find, hidden a couple of streets back from the main drag, in a quiet cobbled lane. Enter through two sets of old wooden doors and you are in a cosy, friendly-feeling pub, which is a lot bigger than it first appears. The front bar area is the place to be, but if there is no seating there, head out the back, or upstairs for plenty more tables.

As we hadn't booked, we arrived early and were lucky (by the looks of all the 'reserved' signs) to get a small table in the front bar area. A refreshing beer whet our appetite for a tasty lunch. We shared a starter - the Smoked Duck and Fig Salad - it was a generous serving and pretty good. For main course we both opted for the Organic Beef & Harvey's Pie, with cheddar mash and salad. The pies were big and meaty, the pastry was delicious, but I found the filling a bit bland.

We didn't stick around for dessert...people were queuing for our table…and we wanted to head to Hampstead Heath and walk off the stodge so we could fit in some afternoon tea ; )

LuluMcC

Hampstead hide away 8th June 2007

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This pub is exactly what a British pub should be. This does make it a bit of a tourist trap in the high summer - full of people on Hampstead walking tours - but if you time it right it's an old school drinking hole.

In the winter the open fires are lit and the booths are cosy. There is a healthy choice of beers and the food is real comfort food - pies a house special. This pub is the kind of place you will want to come with the Sunday papers and stay all day. Equally it's full of dark corners for a romantic pint (is that possible?!) after a walk on the heath.

Plus, best of all in my book, its extremely dog friendly.