The Hill Bar & Brasserie

Food was okay...a little over-priced for what it was. Service, however, was awful. We had an early dinner...and with three people on the floor, they still couldn't manage to provide a good level of service for two tables. Place feels confused...half pub and half upmarket restaurant. ..unable to achieve the right mood for either.

With the amount of restaurants available in the nearby area, they really need to try harder. Wouldn't think of going back for a meal. Maybe for a quick drink at the bar.

Highlight of the meal was Tom Hiddlestone walking in whilst we were there..

I came here last night for a quick jar and a bite to eat. Although some claim it to be over the top, I quite liked the warm, Dickensian drawing room feel of the grouped antique sofas and distressed gold leaf. It felt like Mr Pickwick might spring from behind the bar at any moment. The staff are very laid back and friendly and the Primrose crowd weren't half as pretentious as I'd thought.

I knocked back a couple of large Merlots which were £4.75 a glass, and we ordered some tapas. Having lived in Spain for a number of years, I was surprised to find such an authentic assortment of the Spanish fare, from Montaditos (tapas mounted on bread) to Albondigas (Spanish meatballs), but then we are just down the road from a very Spanish Camden.

Although my 'bravas' and 'pan con tomate' had been bastardised to cater to a more discriminating audience, that didn't detract from how wonderfully tasty and large the portions were for us to share between 3. In fact, I would even say I enjoyed them more. The restaurant, I hear, it wonderful too, although I haven't had the pleasure to enjoy it yet.

The Beer garden outside is expansive, and is still a lovely place to sit in the winter (especially if you're a smoker) because of the huge umbrella and halogen lamps that you can turn on yourself with a press of a button.

On my way to the bathroom I noticed on the wall an article about how this place is in the Michelin Pub guide as one of the top 500 in London. It's definitely not without reason.

I came in on a Tuesday evening to use the loo* and get out of a little sprinkle that was starting and when I came out it was torrentially pouring down outside. Guess it's a sign to stay in and check out the place.

Ordered a pint and packet of crisps to go with my book. Slid onto a long cushiony side booth. Was feeling american and naughty and put my feet up on the chair across from my table. aaahhhhh.

The decor is old fashioned and lovely but very manufactured and i wish it was really in fact the original chandeliers and lamp shades and the gold trim wasn't "distressed". Oh well. It's still purty.

And big! There's a big main room, and a little side room and a specific dining area and even a garden in the back.

Menu looked fancy and you can smell the residual skin on chips from the fry machine that's ready to go whenever you're feeling saucy.



*The bathroom stall was so small that I had to use my rock climbing balancing skills to maneuver around the door and the toilet seat carrying my purse and book bag. no joke. that was tricky and I had to pee! not cool Hill.

Cute little gastro pub with all the essentials: long bar, cozy fireplace, private dining area and garden. Definitely one of the cleaner, tastefully decorated pubs in the area. A contrast to the neighbouring pub across the street. So plush - great place to take someone you're trying to impress!

The food is pretty good but nothing spectacular...although the £10 weekday special is pretty irresistible!

EDIT: The service here can be very spotty. Watch out.

Went back for lunch... Prawn Pad Thai... oysters... a little sample of mulled wine... yes yes yes.

What, you don't eat oysters for lunch?

Sad for you!

I've also popped in a few times for cocktails since my last review, they're all quite tasty. I'm a fan, ok?

Great space to lounge away a rainy afternoon :)

Quite like The Hill's laid-back atmosphere, though I wish we had tried the tapas selection that other reviewers have raved about. We found the Mushroom Wellington to be dry and decidedly unspecial, and the pumpkin risotto to be ok but missing an awesome opportunity to be veggielicious (load up those veggies please, and make this dish a little less "cheesy").

It is a cute pub in Belsize - the decor is done very nicely in Art Deco style and it has a great balance of classic pub and modern take.

It has a bar area as well as dinning area all in one level which I find quite nice. The food is good - better than the typical pub food although they offer a stable pub meals such as fish & chips, burgers, etc. Most of the menu is a good mixture of fish / meat.

We tried
-Tune Poki: Very nicely done with fresh tune
- Crispy calamari: Good - it is not a standard frozen one.
- Hill salad: Nicely large and filling - we got a topping of steak but not sure if it was worth extra £7... I may just get a plane salad and get some nice meaty dish / appetizer..
- Side orders of onion rings and mac& cheese: both excellent, espeically mac & cheese was surprisingly authentic.

Definitely recommend it if you happen to be in NW...

This is without a doubt my absolute favourite place in all of London.

A friend of mine took me here for dinner last year, and it was perfect on all accounts.

The staff were outstanding - I had tried to bribe the waiter into letting me pay while my friend was away from the table, not realising that my friend had beaten me to it. We all joked about it together.

The barman, again extremely friendly and joyful, mixed the most delicious espresso martinis - so much so I ended up drink 4 of them with dinner.

The food was mouthwatering and culinary fabulousness. I had ordered salmon and it was done to perfection. The flavours bounced along the taste buds and left you wanting more.

I cannot find a single fault with this place and recommend it to everyone I know travelling to London. Make the time to hop the Northern Line and find this London gem.

My local. Good quality food and drinks, and service with a smile.

A touch overpriced for what is basically pub food, but the setting is nice, and they give me extra cherries in my whiskey sour so all is forgiven. Service isn't super speedy, but it's friendly and feels genuine which makes up for it.

In the summer, love sitting outside in their garden area. Will keep coming back.

Don't bother coming to this place for the real ale. Yes, they do real ale, but it's the standard adnams stuff and it's more expensive than a pint of ale anywhere else in the area. Unless you particularly enjoy ale with your posh meal then it's just not worth it.


I'm not sure what the food is like, I wasn't here for that but John Culshaw from Dead Ringers seemed to be enjoying it, so I guess it has a celebrity endorsement. I doubt that I will be back mind you, there are plenty of gastropubs nearer where I live if I do decide to try one (I'm not really a fan of the trend, although there are some that are alright).