The Hollybush, Hampstead, London

Beautiful old pub with lots of crooks and crannies to hide in. The food is high standard and you will pay a premium price for it.
Better to visit in winter.

Awesome pub with amazing pies. Def recommend the fish pie. Very warm and welcoming atmosphere, good selection of wines too.

In a quiet little cul de sac in Hampstead lies a pub with real old fashioned charm.

The Holly Bush is located on Holly Mount near Hampstead Tube Station, accessed via a steep stone stairway just off Heath Street.

It was built in 1643 as a stables owned by painter George Romney. Shortly after Romney's death in 1802, the stables were converted into a tavern. Samuel Johnson and James Boswell are rumoured to have drunk here.

Now a Fuller's pub, it serves a wide range of beers and real ales on tap and has an extensive food menu (including Quail Pie and Baked Goats Cheese) which is perfect for sharing over a bottle of wine.

There are plenty of cosy little corners to snuggle up with a loved one or catching up with friends and there is a small seating area outside that is lovely for enjoying a pint in the sunshine.

All in all when you enter The Holly Bush, it is like taking a step back in time and you feel like you have discovered a piece of London's history that was meant just for you.

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I love this pub and have been an occasional visitor for a pint for many years. There is something about the area ( hampstead) that I have always loved and this pub is a great place to experience a trad english pub with the charm of an era long gone. Great food too!

This is a great pub. Have lived in Hampstead for more than 5 years now and it's great for a cozy pint. Feels like a country pub in the middle of the capital city. Wish they would quit reserving tables though in the snug area for diners and save those for the back room and upstairs.

I went back to this pub a second time as I was unsure about it after the first visit. It does the usual beers and has some food (the caramel toffee cake was yummy).

The second time I decided that while it is nice to be in a traditional pub with character what I don’t like about this pub is it has bad lighting and uncomfortable seating. It could use some updating to add some modern comfort.

The crowd is a good mix and the bar staff friendly though.

It’s popular, very popular. Perfect Sunday when free of hangover and weather is fair- walk across the Heath with the Hollybush as the destination in mind. There’s near no chance that after a certain hour there will be standing room only out on the street. The Hollybush is small- intimate, quaint and the best place to take your visiting American friends from some olde worlde English charm… and there is a great view of London from just round the corner. Serving up English Ales and high quality traditionally inspired oub grub, wholesome and generous. Not probably the best place to go hang out for more than one with a big crowd on a summers day purely 'cos there’s no outdoor space. But charming in the Autumn or Winter when you want to warm the cockles of your heart.

I love this traditional pub, spruced up enough to bring it into the 21st century but still retaining its history

Traditional pub in a side street off Hampstead town centre. The pub has an old fashioned feel and this, along with the setting on a quite side road is the main selling point. The decor is worn but fitting and makes a change from the plastic wannabe 'traditional’ bars that are common.

I have never eaten here but am told that the pies are really good.

The Hollybush is definately somewhere you could settle in for an evening and enjoy a really good night. Darts and Dominoes would be a great addition

Traditional pub in the heart of Hampstead - well, just up a small hill so you avoid the hustle and bustle of the high street. To use that americanism, this place is quaint. All wood and old and history and with a very English feel. It’s lovely, and is exactly the kind of place you expect to find in wealthy lovely Hampstead. The food is quite pricey and I would actually recommend not having the sunday roast. My boyfriend’s one cost well over a tenner and just wasn’t that impressive - small portion and over cooked vegetables. My pint of prawns (actually a load of chilled cooked prawns in their shells with a wedge of lemon and a bowl of mayo) was absolutely divine and oddly not very expensive at all - although the prawns were clearly very good quality. The decor could be improved a bit - I realise it all goes in with the comfy and worn look, but chairs and sofas with rips in should really be replaced.

Hidden away down the back lanes of Hampstead, this is a place worth making a trip across town for. Come on a winter evening, and the subdued lighting adds to the atmosphere. Come after a walk on the Heath on a bright summer’s day, and there is an airy room upstairs to eat and relax. The place is memorable, atmospheric and has a friendly feel. What’s not to like?

this place needs a serious makeover. ok you can argue its charm lies in the fact that it’s quite old and dark etc but in reality it’s just in need of a sprucing up. what you really want when you go to a pub is somewhere that brightens your day rather than makes you feel damp. the drinks on offer are fairly standard and the menu is pretty poor. the kitchen produces fairly standard fayre that was probably good value 10 years ago but is now just boring. dont even go near the desserts - theyre dire.

Absolutely adore this pub and wish I lived much nearer! It has such a wonderfully old English vibe.. log fires, low ceilings, lovely dark wood, nooks and crannies to chill out in, tasty ciders, but most of all incrediblely yummy pies!! It’s heaven for a veggie on the pie front… you can choose from the onion, leek, wild mushroom, cheddar and breadcrumbs pie mmmm (which comes with mash, broccoli and carrots) and if you’re a pescetarian you can opt for the organic salmon and smoked haddock pie mmmmmm (which comes with lovely creamed spinach and other veg). Just superb.

This place has something magical about it, tucked away off a little winding path and it would have got 5 stars, but it’s cursed somehow because it always seems to be the setting for something drastic happening in people’s lives, like breaking up with people mostly! Other than that, it’s perfect. Although always very busy so expect a wait for a table (i.e eat before you go so by the time you sit down you’re hungry again!)

If you want hideaway pub where you have to go up windingly narrow old London streets this is the pub for you. Armed with a really good map you might just find the place. Adds to the charm I think cos it’s well worth the effort. The pace has hardly changed and only recently got rid of the gas lighting! It does get crowded on a Saturday night so turn up early!

This pub is in a great location in Hampstead, very sweet. We went for the Sunday roast (picture attached) which was excellent - huge size and good quality meat and goose fat potatoes. See my full review here: www.gourmet-chick.blogspot.com

This place was a real find for me after watching cricket all afternoon in Hampstead. I tucked into several tasty ales followed by perhaps the best lamb roast dinner I have had in a long time - I couldn’t find fault with any of it and the price was good too. My friend had a pint of prawns with aioli which was cracking as well. All in all I think this place has a lot going for it in terms of atmosphere and friendly staff. i would recommend the Hollybush to anyone visiting the area but would advise you to get in early as I think it gets quite busy.

This is a gorgeous, quaint little family friendly, but sophisticated and adult orientated country style pub in a quiet backstreet just off Heath Street. I lived in Hampstead for 22 years and this was always my favourite pub, and the food was of a brilliant standard. In fact, when Jamie Oliver used to live next door, he came in so it can’t be bad!! The clientele are smart but friendly and there is never any trouble, at least not that I have witnessed. They have a good choice of drinks, and some interesting changes from the usual generic, predictable brands. Another lovely thing is enjoying a drink outside in the summer as the sun sets, with the cute hanging baskets making you forget the hustle and bustle of city life.

I spent 10 hours here yesterday for a birthday gathering. We booked a table for 12 people from midday onwards and stayed until 10pm.

It was fantastic. We were in the back room downstairs, which has no natural light, but still feels quite spacious and full of character. It did get a little warm during the busiest part of lunch (around 2pm) but the ceiling fans helped.

I was worried the place would get ridiculously busy and cramped but it wasn’t too bad at all. There was a great atmosphere, and even when rushed off their feet, the staff were very pleasant and friendly. They had some great real ales (although their guest ale had run out), a good wine list and plenty of non-alcoholic options for the drivers among us. (Try the apple and mango juice).

The food was pretty damn good too. The Sunday roasts were average but nothing to complain about. But I also had a baked brie with toast soldiers and cranberry jelly (delicious) and a highly recommended chocolate dessert with lovely ice cream. Perfect.

I recommend booking a table. We took along some playing cards, trivial pursuit cards and the board game ‘Articulate’ and had a great time. You don’t need to book too far in advance either. I booked on Friday afternoon and there was no problem fitting us in (around a huge oval table).

This pub is really good. Old world feel with distinctly gastro menu. Friendly service and some cracking ales. I might have given it 5 stars if it were not for the intensely loud man sat next to us who insisted on droning on about property prices for an hour. In the end we had to leave! But, if he hadn’t been there, this may have been a 5 star experience.

This is one of my favourite pubs in London. It is so cosy and cute, with lots of little wooden tables and chairs, almost like a pub out of lord of the rings or something. the staff are so friendly and always want a chat even if your not a local. unlike a lot of hamstead pubs, its not overly pretentious or snobby. i havent tried the food but it does like really good, and if its as good as everything else in the pub then it will be wonderful!