Getting to The Holly Bush takes a little effort - it sits at the top of a flight of steep steps on a quiet backstreet in Hampstead village - but the reward is one of London’s best-preserved pub interiors. The Grade II-listed building started out in the 1790s as the stables of Romney’s House, and in 1807 it was converted into the catering wing for the Hampstead Assembly Rooms next door. It has been run by Fuller’s since 2010.
Inside, the pub unfolds as a series of small, oak-panelled rooms with etched glass, window booths and an open fire in the room to the left of the entrance. Look out for the sign from former owners Benskins brewery, one of several details that earn the pub its place on CAMRA’s inventory of historic pub interiors. It’s dog-friendly, too.
Food runs from pub staples to more ambitious plates. The kitchen has a reputation for seafood and for its Sunday roast, and the menu takes in dishes such as pan-roasted quail with wild mushroom ragu, and roast cod loin with haricot bean cassoulet. Fish and chips comes with pea chutney and tartare sauce, with mains generally starting around the £20 mark.
On the bar, Fuller’s London Pride and ESB sit alongside Dark Star Hophead and rotating guest ales, and there’s a long wine list. The back room is laid for diners, and upstairs the Romney Room serves as an overflow dining room at busy times.
The building’s history includes art lectures by John Constable and the first public meeting to protect Hampstead Heath from development in 1829, so a post-Heath pint here comes with plenty of local heritage.