please note - reviews on this site are purely the opinion of site visitors, so don't take them too seriously.
One of my favourite pubs in London. It's got a great atmosphere, good food and great beer. Everything a Bear could want! In addition, it's very handy for the local ammenties and the Heath
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This is my favourite pub in London. I reguialrly go here with friends who also live a distance away. The beer is excellent and unusual and the food is reasonably priced pub grub fayre.
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Pretty much everything you'd hope for from a traditional local. Hopefully the new owners won't change a thing.
gorky - 28 Jul 2008 23:09 |
Nice enough pub for a drink outside but food is very poor and overpriced.
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Another pub in Hampstead up for sale, hope it stays as a drinking establishment although the food side already seems to be taking over especially at weekends.Get there early on Sundays as most of the tables are reserved for eaters, guess thats where the money is these days.
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What a Gem of a place!
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well again and again I keep walking past that place and glad to read that most of the customers are still enjoying it.
anyone seen a black cat there recently? and what's with another german barmaid there, thought that didn't exist anymore?
buffy - 20 May 2008 10:39 |
Went there for the first time this year on Tuesday, had Saltaire Amarillo Gold and Coach house Cheshire Gold , was impressed by the quality and the service . The young German barmaid was ace . I will be going there again in June .
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in answer to johns comment, we are glad you liked the selection. we actually sell 2 extra nines of ale since we stopped selling pride, youngs etc. in fact it is because we don't have a house ale that we actually get through the ales we have. we go down to 4 during the week and stpe it up to 6 at the weekend. haven't come across requests for lager instead as yet.we have tasting notes for all the beers on offer.
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Good pub. food is hit and miss but beer and company is good
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Another nice traditional welcoming Hampstead pub in a side street, not too far from The Duke of Hamilton.
Surprisingly, on my Saturday lunchtime visit, they had 6 real ales on - but not one of them was what I would call "mainstream" such as Pride or GK IPA.
My pint of Titanic Stout was very distinctive, but I'd be surprised if they had the beer trade to keep so many different beers in good nick consistently.
(The pub is to be commended on its ales, but I do wonder how many customers will switch to lager when there isn't a real ale that they recognise).
Not spoilt by musak or chavs ( they probably don't exist in Hampstead ?), this pub is well worth seeking out
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This pub is so small and simple, with nothing seemingly outstanding about it, and yet it is just so perfect!
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this is a great pub with a welcome feel and friendly staff. have popped in on and off for years and it feels like it's happily stuck in a time-warp. it aint broke so they're not fixing it.
ritaz - 20 Jan 2008 00:48 |
A lovely pub, one of the best places to sit outside in the summer, inside in winter in front of the fire (the cat may come and join you), when it feels like you're sipping a beer in some country house hotel - but with atmosphere.
Lively staff, decent beer selection, and a lovely weatherbeaten feel to it. Throw in the location and this is one of the best pubs in north London. But give it a 5 rating and we can keep it to those in the know, eh?
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I was a bit dissapointed with this pub after such impressive reviews. There was a large selection but all were similar types of ales and the first one I had was undrinkable. The next was passable. I was made to feel unwelcome as it was the night of the quiz and I was not a participent.
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Well presented and laid-out pub with aesthetic woody interior and… six changing handpumps with none of the usual suspects, also Addlestones cider in addition to strongbow. So impressed was I on Sunday that I trundled north and staggered up the hill again on Tuesday, when it was explained that the policy was to no longer stock ‘standard’ ales (Pride, Youngs, Courage, etc) in favour of a changing rota of less usual beers from around the country! The five that I tried over my 2 visits were all in good shape. Super pub with a few tables out front in good weather. Cannot understand its relatively low BITE rating; nearer a 9 in my book, and I look forward to sampling more beers here in future.
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Been here twice now and each of the six pumps have had different ales on each time. This is exactly what kind of selection most places should have. The beer is well kept and the atmosphere is relaxing. Definitely worthy of repeated visits.
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A pub that seems to be steadily improving. A better range of ales on now than in recent times, served by congenial staff that make an effort. Very busy on quiz night (Weds/Thurs?) and open a little later than some of the pubs locally Thursday-Sunday. Well woth a visit.
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Not sure why this pub's rating is so low. Old fashioned without being twee, decent pub quiz, friendly staff, decent range of ale and a lovely pub cat. Sounds alright to me. Food wasn't spectacular but wasn't too expensive so I don't mind that.
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Visited this pub recently and was disapointed with it. The beer that I had was undrinkable, although at first glance there is a good selection, it would seem that not enough iss sold so it goes off in the pipe. Also the special offer gin was of the cheapest available. Not impressed
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well again I Could see it's all still there after walking past from distance. lovely plants growing outside! I hope they are still doing well in there. keep it up!
buffy - 11 Jul 2007 17:38 |
Just to add to my post on 28 Feb 2007 - I have checked with the staff and the half hour extention is only for Thursday thru Sunday.
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Visited last night and was delighted to note that they have revamped the ale selection here. Whereas they used to have a rather tedious selection of three well known ales (Young's IPA, Pride etc.), which I always found surprising in such a good pub, last night there were six ales on tap, including four unusual guest ales: my pints of Sharp's Doom Bar and Titanic White Star were both well-served. The food was as good as ever and with one of the best pub quizzes in North London, this really is a top-dollar place. If they keep it up on the ales front I expect to see this in the beer guides before long.
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I used to avoid this place as I thought it was very cliquey but it is a good pub now. It is true that the bar staff make or break a pub and Mel, Rob and Borak are very friendly and are a good laugh.
They have a quiz every thursday night which after all these years is still very popular.
The Stella and Strongbow are excellent and the pub food is pretty good. They definitely have a half hour extension on their license Thursday thru Sunday and this may also be for the rest of the week, but I’m not a 100% sure. Thankfully when it is not busy they no longer close the men’s toilet 15 minutes before time and make everyone use the Woman’s.
The pub is split down the middle for smoking and non-smoking which can be a little annoying as the men’s toilet is in the non-smoking part.
If you’re in Hampstead I would recommend popping in for a visit.
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well it all still seems to be there.as i could convince myself on a walking/passing by the place when visiting london a few weeks ago. i miss the place but i made the choice a few years ago i suppose.
hope everyone there is still well. take good care and someone ( whoever) keep me updated about latest developments.
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What a wicked little pub! An excellent range of well kept real ales, friendly staff and clientele and a cosy traditional atmosphere. I had a lovely few pints in here on Sunday night, sipping my beer and playing Connect 4. I didn't get to eat, but having seen the massive pile of nachos the people on the next table had, I would say the food is probably value for money too!
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Tried the Thursday night quiz. Should have gone earlier as it was packed. Had to sit in the none smoking room when loads of non smokers were in the smoking side. why?.However the quiz was of a good standard with 50 questions and 4 cash prizes.I missed out by one point!.Friendly black cat, sloppy dog and even on or two of the locals were quite chatty. Decent beer and the staff were efficient dipite the crowd.Can see why this pub is rated
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ok.. I'm getting a bit bored here now no one has been writing about the white bear for ages...can someone tell me how it is going there?
how is the place doing? still good staff? and what kind of cider do they serve these days?
is the quiz still thursday nights and is it still packed? and how is it on friday nights? still busy? wonder how they'll do with the world cup showing on tv whithout any german barmaids around to annoy too
:-) anyone with gossip please get back to me, as I can't really go there anymore for different reasons..
( long story..) but I hope they still do really well there!!!
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I'm striking the medal for you now buffy - it just needs a place to be sent. A 2 year working visa spent living above a pub, lol.
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to buffy...yes dave the chef still comes in, chris the owner does the quiz ( over 80 people 3 times this year),julia (the german) went back to germany in 2003, the dentist and moose are loved up and go to the hill in belsize, buffy the cat is still around. chris the owner married fiona in september. place is doing well but like most hampstead pubs has had a slower year than last.
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I do miss the white bear as i lived above it for 2 years. interesting locals (is dave the chef still coming in? is the dentist and his crew still coming in on fridays?) who is doing the quiz on thursday nights nowadays??does anyone miss the german girl and funny accent?brilliant pub to chill out and cosy fire place with lovely black cat around.can anyone get back to me and let me know how its all going...hows the landlord doing? anyone local might know who i am.:-)
buffy - 30 Sep 2005 11:44 |
Fantastic little pub for an ale or 6 before or after a walk in the Heath! Fireplace and warm cosy atmosphere, one of the things I truly miss about London. Worth a drink just to visit it.
anonymous - 17 Sep 2005 13:04 |
Visited last night for the quiz. A very nice pub; cosy and welcoming interior, good food, good service, decent (tho' fairly standard) range of real ales. Also, the quiz is well above average. I think it also has a beer garden out the back.
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Top pub...have had many a 'I'll leave the measure up to you'..evenings...flaming sambuka and talking complete cobblers...marvellous..
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Quiz night is on Thursday, 9pm. Has been for years! 50-question format, with rollover jackpot.
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Like the Holly Bush, Pilsner Urquell is no longer on draught.
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My favourite pub in London - very friendly local. The only pub in London I've ever given 10/10. Bustling, with great beer, great atmosphere, and usually the odd friendly dog. Good food, especially snacks like the Nachos topped with everything.
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Young's Bitter 3.7%
Green King Abbot Ale 5% Fuller's London Pride 4.2%
Traditional workmen's pub. Quite pleasant, expecially for the Green King
anonymous - 4 Feb 2005 23:10 |
Always seems to have been run by antipodeans [on a strange rotation basis] - that said, they've succeeding in making this pub one of north londons best kept secrets.
Infinately better than the irritating Holybush - the food's OK and the beer's good but if you go for a walk on the Heath in the Autumn, Winter or Spring, it's the only place to go and warm yourself up in afterwards
A gem of a place [and a good local if you're lucky enough to live in the vicinity]
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Cosy and relatively quiet, enough room for a few of you. Good beers too, winner
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Good boozer - both ale and fizz - not bad food either - no massive telly, so a good place to come and hide from the football if you just want a quiet pint.
a local - 24 Oct 2004 12:54 |
Pilsner Urquell on tap. Always a positive.
anonymous - 15 Jun 2004 19:06 |
Amazing location near the heath, very cosy and friendly
cp - 14 Jun 2004 09:32 |
