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Circa 1585 and steeped in English history,The Spaniards Inn is one of the oldest and most infamous pubs in London.
As one of London's oldest pubs, The Spaniards has earned itself a place in the history books, quite literally. Dickens immortalised it in The Pickwick Papers, and it's said that Keats wrote Ode to a Nightingale here over a claret or two. Indeed, our characterful 16th century inn is a romantic idyll in itself, with a few tales of its own to tell (Dick Turpin was apparently born here, need we say more?). A country pub in the city, we boast a garden grand enough to rival the great Heath itself, roaring fires in the winter and plenty of intriguing nooks in which to muse over our superlative drinks menu.
The Spaniards Inn in Hampstead is a pub with vibrant atmosphere and vintage character in equal measure. The building may be trad, but our top-drawer drinks range is light-years ahead of the average alehouse offering. What's more, our satisfying pub food is available all day, whether you're settling in for an after-work session or a weekend well spent in our buzzing beer garden.
The Spaniards Inn is within easy reach of Golders Green, Kentish Town and Highgate. It's also a great place to eat, drink and take the weight of your feet while visiting Hampstead Heath and Kenwood House.
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I love this pub! Perfect location for a break after you've been trampling around Kenwood and Hampstead more generally. Wooden bar and tables, roaring fire, what a welcome! Although, the only reason why I gave them only 4 stars for 'atmosphere' is because where we were sat, it was bloody cold and the radiator didn't come on! This was partly my fault as we were offered different chairs but I chose a spot near the window, with wooden paneled seats. The staff were very friendly, chatty and knowledgeable when we asked questions about the menu, they even gave us blankets to keep us warm (maybe I should give them 5 stars after all?). The steak pie was delicious, obviously handmade, crusty pastry was yummy, as you can see in my pictures! Good to know we walked in without a reservation at 12 midday but I would always check if they have any spaces beforehand, if possible because they fill up very quickly! Overall. Warm, friendly service, delicious food, very cosy surroundings, top pub, but check for availability bettor hand.
I arrived to such a warm and friendly welcome and was shown to the perfect table for me, as a solo diner. My waitress had a wonderful sense of humour, which made me feel so comfortable. Service was prompt and attentive, without being intrusive….the perfect balance. The atmosphere in the inn was ‘buzzing’. A lovely mixture of laughter and conversation. The inn was decorated beautifully for Christmas….perfect for the style of an old, traditional inn. I loved the red bauble in the window. Onto the food….I had a delicious chickpea salad, with the most dreamy of salad dressings. The side of chips were perfection….that’s all I can say. I finished with the apple crumble, because I had to, and I’m so glad I did. It was truly scrumptious. Like grandma used to make. Proper like. I completed my visit, with a walk in the beautiful garden, that was all lit up with twinkling lights. It looked stunning. I walked away from The Spaniard Inn with a full belly and a full heart. It was like saying farewell to a old/new friend. What a wonderful experience from beginning to end. Thank you.
We came for Sunday roast at the last minute and it was one of the only places in Hampstead with a bit of availability the day we wanted and who seemed to provide the quality we wanted. We were lucky to get a reso because it was packed when we got there and the wait for walk-ins was hours. I chose it based on photos of the meat. There's nothing I dislike more with a roast than overcooked meat. Between the photos here and a review that mentioned even later in the day, the meat is still juicy and perfectly cooked had me hooked. And it lives up to it! It was a very traditional Sunday roast experience. When we arrived, we were told right away that due to the number of guests, mains may take a while to arrive. Which was fine. We ordered some starters and drinks, and while it was quite a long wait, it wasn't as long as they estimated. The food was good. The meat in the chateaubriand was absolutely cooked to perfection, exactly like we asked for. Don't worry about dry meat here. They are excellent meat cooks. All the veg were done exactly how I like my sunday roast veg done and really tasty. The Scotch eggs were very overcooked, almost hardboiled and not well seasoned meat. The scallops were slightly overcooked but nothing that took away from how tasty they were; I quite enjoyed them. It was nice to finally have a scallop dish that the pork doesn't overpower the delicate flavour of shellfish. My biggest disappointment was the Yorkshire pudding. It was really overbaked to the point of crunchy with nothing inside. I like a nice bit of dough inside as well, but this was basically just a shell of really crisp, heavily baked crust. Even the gravy couldn't quite soften it. It got really hot and humid inside which was a bit much, and they could have opened a window maybe. Quite stuffy so we ate quickly. We were going to get dessert, but it was so hot and we had already been there for 2.5 hours. It was dark by the time we left. So, if you are in no hurry, this inn is a great place to get legit quality roast.
Popped in for lunch, hadn’t booked but as it was earlier in the session we were able to get a table. Does get busy so will definitely book beforehand next time. Food was good and served fairly quickly considering how busy it became. Friendly and welcoming staff and good value for money.
So this being a historical pub we had high hopes for here, we were sadly disappointed. It's just in a good location rich in history but I could hear people call up complaining they have been issued a ticket for parking and not knowing they had to give their vehicle numbers. The food was way too expensive for what you got. They seemed unable to provide decent service. No table service even when we sat opposite the bar, we got a starter and a main with a half pint came to 38.58 pounds each which I found very pricey for the food. Our first course took a long time, the main took longer and I actually felt they forgot about us. The hamburger the patty didn't have a very meaty finish, it was soft and I felt it wasn't well cooked. I had to pay more for chips instead of fries 1.50 more. The chips were not triple cooked, but they were soft and soggy. I just had some and thought not worth going here for food. My partner's rack of lamb was very fatty. The calamari batter wasn't crispy and it didn't taste fresh. The soft shell crab didn't taste fresh and the sauce was not the same as the menu. We didn't bother with the desserts. Come here for a drink but food I wouldn't bother. With the reply go try them again for a different opinion I don't think so. With such a poor reply I reduced it from 2 stars to 1. I went to a pub in angel which charged me half the price for more food. The polar opposite from here which really thinking about it the food and service was really bad. Go for a drink at most. Shame as it is such a historic pub.
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Opening Times
Mon | 12:00 – 23:00 |
Tue | 12:00 – 23:00 |
Wed | 12:00 – 00:00 |
Thur | 12:00 – 00:00 |
Fri | 12:00 – 00:00 |
Sat | 12:00 – 00:00 |
Sun | 12:00 – 22:30 |
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