please note - reviews on this site are purely the opinion of site visitors, so don't take them too seriously.
very flashy hampstead, but if you can get past that its a nice place, good food and resonably priced. a real gastro-pub but wait until the 'heath' crowds clear out and i would recommend.
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Along with 90 other people I attended an afternoon wedding reception here a couple of weeks ago and found the service to be fantastic and the buffet to be top draw. There were plenty of staff members to cope with the demands of the guests and everything went extremely smoothly. I was a little apprehensive about the day as I know from my own experience that the reputation this pub has is warranted, but thankfully my fears were misplaced.
I’m not a big fan of ‘gastro’ pubs but if the management could treat all paying punters as we were all treated this would be a great one.
I was informed that a new manager has now taken the pub over, so hopefully he is turning things around – We shall have to wait and see as he is going to have his work cut out!
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I too was at this pathetic excuse for a pub on Saturday night where I was appalled that after 25 mins of waiting in a reasonably busy but manageable queue I still had not been served.
After 30 my friends and I walked out.
To start with if you are going to run a pub that is 10-15 mins walk away from the closest tube or overland station - it should be worth the walk. I was eagerly anticipating my first lager and catching up with a good group of mates whom I had not seen for ages and would be well keen for a chat. Sadly I would taste no such lager, nor would my nice group of friends be in any mood for conversing for they too had been waiting in excess of 30 minutes to even secure eye contact from the bar staff.
As KEF mentions the staff were completely incompetent and had issues pouring a basic pint or even cranberry juice as one girl next to me discovered. At the point when they ran out of glasses, I discovered perhaps 90% of them scattered around their garden bar, smashed or fallen over (which in a place like this I was happy to accept from the patrons. What perplexed me most was how they got like that in the first place with Dumb and Dumber behind the bar)
The only good experience I had in this pub was leaving it.
Unless the manager of this farcical establishment is fired I will not be going back to Freemasons Arms again.
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Went for the first time Saturday 2 August (will be the last). The only good thing about this pub is the location and the beer garden.
Everything else is abissmal! The service is the worse. Bar staff are inexperienced with very little bar skills or personality which meant waiting an incredibly long time to get served. The pub ran out of wine and pint glasses (staff had to 'wash' glasses as they went which meant having a soapy beer!). The toliets were a disgrace - no soap, napkins had to be used as toilet paper. Atmosphere and character scores a big fat zero. The food was ok, but defintiely overpriced.
Not worth the trip....
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I suppose in order to get this review posted, one should say that the location of this pub is unbeatable. It has the kind of indoor and outdoor space which most pubs (and beach resorts) could aspire to in a fantasy carve up of the heath.
You can delete this paragraph but it would render the first paragraph nonsense. I stop off here on the odd meander to the Heath.... once every couple of months. Each time, I convince myself that the conceit of this place must be thanks to the misfortune of employing barstaff whose torpitude is some kind of redeeming feature over their inability to recognise the basic building blocks of customer service. Unfortunately it seems to be a pre-requisite requirement.
Patrons stand like straggling extras in Shaun of the Dead waiting for the barstaff to serve them. My will to wait had almost ebbed into the bottom of the glass, when I got a refill. Perhaps that is why so many people were ordering pitchers.
This is customer service at the bottom of a barrel. Please dispatch the beer police and have them all detained.
I tried to
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all the charm of an airport hotel. in spite of a great location and large beer garden this place gets it wrong on so many levels. you get the feeling that whoever owns this pub has never even set foot in it
gorky - 19 Jul 2008 23:08 |
School dinner food at gastropub prices. The spit roast chicken came served cold, the side-order of mixed vegetables consisted of a plate of burnt carrots. When we asked where the chips were we were told that they were still in the frier, however, this didn't stop them from serving the other dishes beforehand when they were already stone cold.
If you can put up with the boorish service and the crowds on a sunny day I guess this place is worth visiting for a drink as it is well located on the edge of Hampstead Heath. But don't come expecting fine dining.
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Without doubt this pub has the worst service in London.
I hadn't been here for 5 years becasuse the service had been so abysmal the last time. Surely it would have improved in 5 years? Wrong. If anything it is even worse.
When we arrived at 5:30 on a Friday evening, there were only 4 other people waiting at the bar and it took 15 minutes for the 2 bar staff to finish serving 2 of them. Then they both had to ask "Who's next?". One of them tried to serve a girl next to me and she kindly said that I'd been there first. I asked for a pint of Guinness and a pint of Aspall's cider. Of course, she poured the Aspall's first. And, without even asking she shovelled half a pint of ice to the glass. When I said I didn't want ice she tutted and then spent 5 minutes trying to decant the cider she'd put in with the ice into another pint glass. She then poured the Guinness in one go, and put it in front of my friend with over an inch head on it. "I'll need to wait for that to settle and be topped up," said my friend, as I paid. "No!" said the barmaid, "That IS a pint." She then again asked "Who's next?" completely ignoring the poor girl next to us who should have been served next. After waiting 5 minutes for the Guinness to settle, with the barmaid continually glaring at us for doing so, and obvioulsy working up for an argument when we asked it to be topped up, we gave up and went to the garden.
It is like this pub is willfully trying to fail. The "garden" is made as "ungardendlike" as possible, where it used to be patchy, at least it had a bit of grasss. Now it is covered in gravel with paving stone paths littered with gravel that numerous girls in heels continuously skid and twist their ankles on.
And they hadn't even turned the light on in the "outside" toilets. I assume some gent complained about this as eventually they solved the problem by locking the Gents, although the pitch black Ladies was left open.
Dire. Avoid like the plague. This is one pub that you wouldn't care if it was razed to the ground and turned into a block of yuppie flats. It would at least then be slightly less annoying.
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One of the less characterful pubs in Hampstead. Nice conservatory out back, and good location just off the Heath, but it is a pretty standard, place, if not a little sterile.
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Successive refurbishments have seen this poor old pub denigrate from its former already pretty woeful position to an unashamed nomination as the worst pub in Hampstead.
I recall this place in the early 2000s as a faux rustic place with abysmal service and awful food. An unsympathetic refurbishment (hotel lobby neutral colours ahoy!) just made things worse and its never endearing if a cruddy restaurant/gastro-pub has an unwarranted high self opinion. Terrible service and mediocre food still as standard.
Now, having shifted emphasis very slightly, it's still terrible here. It's obviously a cash cow being situated where it is, with the garden it has. Too many weekend walkers from the Heath jostle with locals who apparently left their taste (and tastebuds) at home. Surely the tourists who come here via the recommendation in their London guide book can’t be enjoying themselves?
The best thing about this place is it keeps some of the hoards away from the (relatively few) good pubs left in Hampstead.
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warm lager , no guinness on when we went.
a portion of chips with our food amounted to 18 , yes 18 chips, how much are potatoes for goodness sake.
service a bit slack.
won't rush back.
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One of my top five Hampstead pubs. I'm not sure what happened when cognomen visited, but I've never attracted this kind of experience. I've found the place quite charming, nice feel to it, mixed clientele (although I tend to visit in the afternoons rather than evenings). I'd agree it's not a drinker's pub, which for me is a good thing.
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Popped in last night. Well, tried to anyway. Hampstead's under 16s seemed to have taken over the place. Full of Tarquins and Esmereldas. Couldn't reach the door.............so left.
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I think this is a great pub, I feel from the reviews already written that they are by weekend visitors and day trippers, I normally only go on an afternoon during the week.
My girlfreind and I always try to visit this pub when we visit our freinds who live in the road opposite. It's child freindly and we can all sit in the garden either at the back or the front on a nice day.
Another bonus is one of my favourite drinks, Aspall's Suffolk Organic Cyder.
To those that don't like buggies, I do recommend elsewhere, what do you expect to find at this pub it's next to the Heath and a childs play area, of course the Hampstead mums are going to use this pub.
And 'Trustafarians' as someone put it will visit the pub, probably like they do any other pub in Hampstead.
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What a disaster ! Five minutes to wait for a barman - OK. He admitted he was brand new, and not trained - OK. Ten minutes to produce one beer and take one food order - NOT OK. 40 minutes for the food to appear, delivered by a surly argumentative waiter - NOT OK. I asked him for salt and pepper, he could only be bothered to produce pepper - NOT OK. The food was Spaghetti Carbonara - without a trace of meat - NOT OK. I took it back to the bar for a refund and waited a long time (not recorded) for attention and then another five minutes for the manager to appear to authorise a refund - without any hint of apology - NOT OK.
THEIR ONLY SAVING GRACE IS THAT THEY APPEAR TO TREAT EVERYONE THE SAME! iF YOU WANT TO BE TREATED LIKE DIRT - VISIT THIS PUB ! The toilets are clean and well worth using.
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Do Not Bother.....Absolute Disaster!
Arrived at 5.45pm Sun afternoon and was confronted by a rabble of incompetent ill mannered staff and ludicruos service, nobody had a clue as to what or who ordered their food! waited 55 mins between main course and first course. Table beside us waited for 1 hour and left before it arrived.
Do Not Waste your time or money!
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The serving of alcohol takes the backburner to the serving of food. I’ve never felt comfortable in this ‘pub’, having to fight your way through buggies and demented families in the 'waiting to dine area' to get to an empty bar. There is a large beer garden that is nice in the summer, but I think that is the only redeeming feature.
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The location is superb and almost outweighs the fascist management, awful decor, jostling trustafarians, pretentious menu and futuristic pricing. Having booked a table in the restaurant for Sunday lunch, we were asked to wait "20 mins" while the staff desparately searched for a table for us - 35 mins later we walked away and found somewhere else to eat.
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As someone pointed out, not a pub for those people who like pubs. When will pub designers (is that an oxymoron?!) learn that SOFAS AND LOW SOFT EASY CHAIRS CHAIRS DON'T WORK IN PUBS. I went in here with a companion and was forced to lean forward constantly as I was so far away from my her and so low down that we could not hear each other. We were then in an absurd physical position for when the light snack arrived (£9 for some negligible anti-pasti for two). For the hour and a half I was there I had to be a contortionist - no other type of seating was available, unless you wanted a formal meal in the restuarant area.
This pub is designed by someone who thinks that looks are more important than practicality or comfort.
A charm and comfort free zone.
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Just simply dont go ! Its a pub with funny rules.
I was there on a pleasant Sunday afternoon and had
no problems to get some snacks on the front terrace. Two weeks later I was asked to suggest a pub with a garden. I did quiet like the big garden on the Sunday afternoon, so I suggested to meet at the Freemason Arms. My friends had arrived earlier and were sitting on that very same front terrace. As I had deliberately not eaten at lunchtime because I intended to feed myself for dinner at the Freemason Arms I ordered food at the bar and pointed to our little front terrace table. Much to my surprise I was told that they would not serve food out there. Well, so why was I allowed to eat Sunday afternoon ? Its company policy !!!! They apparently call the Sunday afternoon eating session "Alfresco Dining" and thats when you are allowed to eat anywhere. Wow ! So I ended
up eating "beers" , going home rather hungry and obviously slightly dizzy. The have just lost a potential customer as I will not risk taking anyone there and being embarrassed by some pubmanagers ridiculous rules. Sad, as I still like the outlay of the garden.
anonymous - 24 Jul 2006 14:27 |
Whoever thought having refurbishment to look like an Ikea catalogue would be appropriate for a 1930s building in Hampstead was badly wrong. Reminiscent of a nicer All Bar One and as someone else said, "a pub for people that don't like pubs". Saying that, its better than it used to be.
One for the tourists and NW3 visitors - and avoid the weekends. 3/10 (for the garden)
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A good pub if you're just nipping in for a drink on an evening or Sunday afternoon, but very, very disappointed with the food. Popped in last bank holiday Sunday and took our drinks outside into the very big garden (filled with children, so if that's not your thing, then steer clear!), before deciding that we'd very much like something to eat. The guy booking the lunches was very accommodating and told us that we could have a table as we were 'very polite', before informing us he'd turned someone away 'because they were very rude and inpolite' (not sure what the manager would say about that). Anyway, the menu looked fairly promising and we'd made our choice before being handed a 'specials' menu five minutes later, which listed the Sunday lunch choices. Bearing in mind we hadn't even been asked what we'd like to drink at this point, this was a little bit topsy turvey. We chose the roast lamb and for £12 we expected a plate piled high with rather luscious, juicy meat tons of roasties, summer seasonal veg, rich gravy… we were so very wrong! At our table arrived a plate of very (and I mean very) fatty lamb, with two soft potato wedges on top, with a watery 'bisto'-coloured gravy and a small bowl of wintery veg: roasted, withered parsnips, carrots and swede anyone? No, didn't think so. We then ordered some greens with summer peas, which wasn't even enough for a small child; the peas were withered (a theme), the greens consisted of the shredded inside of a very cheap cabbage and the bowl was finished in a mouthful (all for £3!). It was awful... and for £12!!!!! The Flask in Highgate serves an outstanding Sunday lunch for £9, which blows this 'effort' away. They almost redeemed themselves with a berry crumble and ginger ice cream, which we shared, not wanting to order two puds just incase they were awful. I have to say the pub itself is impressive, but for pity's sake, please sort out your chef... Risk it at your peril!
anonymous - 30 May 2006 12:51 |
Now converted into a Gastro Pub, the Freemasons Arms has, in the basement, one of the two remaining traditional London (or Old English) skittle alleys. For beer drinkers, there's a choice of Fuller's London Pride or Timothy Taylor's Landlord; they must be amongst the cheapest pints in Hampstead too.
Paul Robinson - 7 May 2006 22:07 |
I like this pub, the patio at the front is very nice, your not all on top of each other. The garden is charming and the booze is great. It really attracts people with young children and I have to say, this is a minus for me!
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Its a nice big pub but alas since its been done up its lost a bit of its charm. Its still a good place to visit but now there is something missing. Its a shame but go have a look for yourself as its still a top pub. It lacks a certain cosyiness now.
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Went there last night and thought it was a cracking pub despite what other people have posted on here. Big patio area out the front is ideal for summer drinking and although it was quite busy, I never had to queue for too long at the bar. Will definitely be back !
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A pub for people that don't like pubs. Haughty staff and anaesthetised decor make this chain pub as country as a mcdonalds.
anonymous - 4 Aug 2005 11:36 |
A complete disappointment.. Virtually a restaurant now, what was a traditional pub has been gutted and turned into a wine bar. Avoid at all costs.
TheGP - 27 Feb 2005 10:53 |
A once lovely traditional country pub, it has now been wine-barred, with huge comfy leather chairs and low tables. The kind of chairs you have trouble getting out of, especially after a few. The fireplaces are gone, replaced by fern bar and restaurant.
Too bad, really, but still a good pint.
anonymous - 4 Feb 2005 23:00 |
Lovely pub went for Sunday lunch. Lots of kids screaming there heads off but nice to relax in staff really nice as well.
wade - 13 Sep 2004 10:44 |
This pub has now been taken over by a new company with a completely new management team and staff. It's undergone a £500,000 refurb completely changing the interior and kitchens whilst maintaining the core niceties that existed previously (e.g the oldest skittle alley in the country).
It's just reopened (1st Sept) and now serves up a declicious food alongside some decent beers (Erdinger, Amstel and Stella on tap, Leffe and others in bottles)in a fantastically modern yet comfortable environment.
The piece de la resistance has to be the sunken beer garden complete with external bar at the rear - oh and the fact that it's right on the edge of the heath. All of which means it's a definite winner for the summer months (assuming we ever get any sun!).
All in all it has to be one of the nicest places I've been out to drink in in London (full stop), the food was superb too and the waiting staff were as knowledgeable as I have found in any of the vastly more expensive restaurants I've frequented in the past.
GO there now :)
Alastair Preacher - London - 3 Sep 2004 15:06 |
i think you should try the ne freemasons arms now and its opening on Friday the 3th, its the best place i have ever been
Ana - 2 Sep 2004 15:56 |
have heard that this is currently closed for re-furbishment .
dan - 26 Jul 2004 12:25 |
I went to the Freemasons last weekend and was sorely disappointed by the experience. The food was microwaved (badly) and it took over an hour from the time we joined the ordering queue to actually eating. The bar staff are slow to the point of being catatonic and they can't serve bitter to save their lives. Just don't bother going here.
John - 3 Jun 2004 14:14 |
We went there yesterday; the bar staff seemed polite. It’s a great building too, but my god if Gordon Ramsey went into this place he would hang them.
The beef and ale pie was dry, the cauliflower under cooked and not fresh.
However it was when I pulled out the longest hair from the luke warm mash that I returned the food. Quietly I might add - I didn’t cause a fuss and asked for the meal to be refunded on the bill.
Then all of a sudden the cook - I wouldn’t call him a chef - came out looking like he was going to kill me!! He said he didn’t know where it came from as no one in the kitchen apart from him worked there - no apology - he wanted to drag me to cash register for the refund - rather undermining - we waved the arrogant little s*** away.
It just so happens that I am trying for the first time in my life to manage my anger and I did bloody well.
Normally I would have screamed at them and ended up having a fight.
I will not be returning to this place. I agree with Andy – the three Horse Shoes are a hell of a lot more friendly. Cheaper booze as well. Good is very average though.
the beef and ale pie was dry, the cauliflower under cooked and not fresh.
however it was when i pulled out the longest hair from the luke warm mash that i returned the food. queitley i might add - i didnt cause a fuss and asked for the meal to be refuned on the bill.
then all of a sudden the cook - i woudnt call him a chef - came out looking like he was going to kill me!! he said he didnt know where it came from as no one in the kitchen apart from him worked there - no opology - he wanted to drag me to cash register for the refund - rather undermining - we waved him away.
it just so happens that im trying for the first time to manage my anger and i did bloody well.
normally i would have screamed at them.
do not eat here!
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Seems like most of the complaints about the Freemasons came during the summer months when the place gets packed and the punters get restless.Working behind the bar on a hot day is relentless and there is the added annoyance of the prats who seem intent on abusing the hard working bar staff. Generally I find the place to be fantastic. Yes, sometimes I have to wait a little longer to get a drink, but that's not because the staff are slow it's because of the vast number of people who actually visit the Freemasons because they enjoy it. The Lutyens architecture,the beautiful Downshire Hill together with the wonderous Hampstead Heath, the amazing garden, the large roomy interior, the cheap, and for Hampstead, completely unpretentious food and last but not least the patient and effective landlady Sarah Webb who has run the place for five years (you can pay me later Sarah ! ! !)
Oh yes, and the London skittle alley .... a real gem.
Guy Tunnicliffe-London - 12 May 2004 10:36 |
i used to work there. the summer of 2003. the problem is the fact that its a restaurant. not a pub. hence the huge waiting times, rude staff etc. i think you will find that shirts are needed for most restaurants. the reason for the glasses with all drinks? the same as above. restaurant not pub. one thing of note, i was one of three english people who worked there. the rest foreign. made it one of the best experiences of my life. you got, greek, israeli, indian, polish, australian, french and italian. when no one speaks the same language, no one gets served food.
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Incredibly slow service, is not outweighed by the beer garden. Food OK but not worth the wait!
Amanda Huggenkiss - 29 Mar 2004 22:40 |
Very poor slow service. Probably because the bar staff are new, like many customers, and never return. Shame as the interior and beer garden are fine.
John - 24 Jan 2004 14:21 |
got to have the biggest beer garden, and the slowest and miserable bar staff.i was in there in the summer, i asked for four bottles of becks and i was told i will have to put them in glasses if we are sitting outside,how stupid is that, it was me and 3 girls from work, like we were gonna cause trouble.my advice like everyone else, dont go there, unless you like waiting half hour for a pint
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Endured cold food; was told it was "not company policy" to reheat food whether or not cooked properly - my advice will be to walk out and not bother paying unless you get served food fit for human consumption. All the comments people have made over the past 2 months ring true. Hampstead has some excellent pubs but this place is a shadow of its former self. Try the Three Horseshoes, even though its a wetherspoons pub. They are friendly by comparison.
anonymous - 8 Sep 2003 16:11 |
I live down the road from this pub and I avoid it like the plague. I'm sure the only reason they stay in business is because of people visiting the heath and it being the only nearby pub with a beer garden. I got told off for having my shirt off in the beer garden. The service is a joke. Mediocre food and rude staff complete the (bad) experience.
Dan Smith - 31 Aug 2003 12:37 |
if you want a warm freindly atmosphere- dont come here. The food is superb but the staff are rude and moody. I certainly wont be going again.
Angela - 8 Aug 2003 10:50 |
Never in my 25 years of boozing have I encountered such poor and surly bar staff. One "barmaid" even reprimanded one of the customers for laughing... unbelievable.
Stuart Downs - 8 Aug 2003 10:30 |
Only the most popular pub in Hampstead. Huge beer garden and ample Sunday lunch seating. A real institution in the area, so I'ms surprised it's not one your excellent site. I'd like it to be so that I can slag off the UNBELIEVEBLY SLOW AND HALF-HEARTED bar service that they are consistently able to deliver. Without fail, regardless of how busy or how slow, new staff or old staff, you will wait ages and ages to be fully served.
Rob - 26 Jun 2003 14:47 |
