The Wells

From the outside, The Wells is the kind of pub that would make an American tourist’s heart flutter: sitting amid the pretty Hampstead backstreets & housed in a gorgeous, refurbished Georgian building. It looks just as good on the inside, where solid wood furnishings dominate a relaxed ground-floor bar serving classic cocktails & a decent selection of wines by the glass. Upstairs is a formal dining space with obliging staff (service seems to have picked up since last year). The brief menu charts the best of pub grub & it’s hearty, well-put-together stuff. Ranging from beetroot & Stilton salad to char-grilled rib-eye steak with chunky chips & perky homemade ketchup, only the burnt sugar lid to a creme brulee wasn’t up to scratch on our visit. There are a handful of outdoor tables for smokers & summer drinkers.