The Spaniards Inn

Head up Spaniards Road and you'll find yourself in proper old London, where this 16th-century pub sits like it's always been there—because it has. The place has serious heritage: Dick Turpin allegedly drank here, and there's enough literary history soaked into these walls that you half expect Keats to walk through the door. But it's not some museum piece—this is where Hampstead locals actually come for a pint, wood-beamed ceilings, open fires, and proper gastropub food that doesn't try too hard. The garden's brilliant in summer, tucked away from the Heath madness but close enough that you can head straight into it for a walk. It's the kind of place that feels like stepping back in time without any of the pretension.