Ye Olde White Bear, Hampstead

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]

21 Jan 2005 15:05

The Snooty Fox, Canonbury

Used to be a dump but under new management it's slowly turning into a decent bar - on a night when there's no open mic [cringey] the place makes a great pub for a few quiet ones - they seem to do something different to it all the time and to be fair it is getting better

I wouldn't bother with the food yet though - I tried the sausages out and they weren't great

21 Jan 2005 14:39

The Alma, Newington Green

Once a pub I used to frequent to watch the footie when I couldn't get to anywhere decent - this place was real spit and sawdust. How refreshing then that somebody's bought and done something half interesting with the place.
The food's quite good - my tip is to go on a weekday at lunchtime -- they usually do a small main and a large glass of red for �6 - and the place is really quiet then.
I agree that the staff can be slow and the beer's usually rubbish but it makes a great place to go for a fairly quiet chat [hopefully somebody will buy the Weaver up the road and turn that into something decent for competition]

21 Jan 2005 14:35

Centuria, Canonbury

In the mid late 90s this was a cracking bar. Something happened around 2002 though and it filled up with annoying "yummy mummies" who seemd to spawn annoying brats - I once went expecting a few scoops on a Saturday evening only to find around 15 snot-goblers running around the bar - the mums all sitting at a table drinking there Chablis and talking about baby-systems.
I didn't go back until November last year - the place seemed different - there were 3 or 4 obnoxious middle aged men f'ing and blinding [one of them turned out to be the landlord] - What a shame that a great bar has turned into a nothing bar - I blame the yummy mummies!

21 Jan 2005 14:31