Flask NW3

London’s Best Beer, Pubs and Bars updates
North London — Hampstead

Traditional pub, Regional heritage pub
14 Flask Walk NW3 1HG
T (020) 7435 4580 W www.theflaskhampstead.co.uk
Open 1100-2330 (0030 Fri-Sat, 2300 Sun). Children welcome until 2000.
Cask beer 5 (Wells & Young’s, Sambrook’s, occasional guest), Other beer 3 keg, 3 bottles (Wells & Young’s), Also wines
Food Upmarket pub grub menu, Outdoor Tables at front, small rear terrace
Tue quiz

The Flask, London NW3

This famous Hampstead pub, a Young’s house down a characteristically picturesque alley lined with second hand bookshops round the corner from the Tube, has offered an expanded beer range since a sympathetic refurbishment in 2007. Besides Young’s Bitter, Special and London Gold, Sambrook’s Wandle is regularly available alongside a guest that might be a Wells & Young’s seasonal or even another Sambrook’s beer. Pilsner Urquell and Erdinger on keg and bottled Young’s Special London are also worthy of consideration. Manager Claudia McCarthy-Milcher notes delightedly that this is in response to growing demand, with the cask beers now appealing to a discriminating younger audience. They compliment a classic British pub menu that includes pies, lamb shank, goats cheese and beetroot salad, crispy duck and Cockney-style shellfish, though at prices you’d expect for the area.

While you’re there there take a good look at the pub itself, the history of which can be traced at least to Hampstead’s first flourishing as a spa resort in the early 18^th century when a thatched building stood on the site. The name recalls the flasks in which spa waters were packaged, and there were originally three pubs in the village with the same name, of which this is the Lower Flask. An old pub sign in the conservatory interprets the name differently as a flask of gunpowder, featuring a grenadier. The current building dates from 1874, and the front retains its public and saloon bars, divided by an impressive panelled screen that displays the pubs own art treasures: five original chromolithographs of sentimental paintings by Flemish artist Jan van Beers (1852-1927). Famous regulars have included comedy duo Peter Cook and Dudley Moore.

Insider tip. Arrive early on quieter evenings and there may be delicious complimentary roast potatoes on the bar.

Underground Hampstead Cycling Links to Hampstead Heath paths Walking Links to Hampstead Heath paths, Belsize Walk