From the booths by the pub’s front facing arched windows to the courtyard where parakeets visit, there are many attractive tables and cosy corners at The Roebuck.
The pub has an open fireplace in the main area, and another grander one downstairs in The Fawn Bar room which is often lively on Sundays with locals in need of a good roast. The pub was renovated a few years ago, but it maintains some features from when it was built in the 1860s as a hotel.
With licence to tailor the interior to suit the Belsize and Hampstead locals, manager Harry has created an authentic and Heath-like atmosphere and traditional craft beers, ales and wines are served. (One local urged me to mention the summertime cocktails!)
The middling priced menu has a variety of meat and fish mains, with the butcher cut picanha steak in a peppercorn sauce being the Brazilian chef’s speciality. It’s one of those menus where a couple of starters make for a meal too, and the Tavern Classics are the real pull. They include Aspall battered fish & chips with tartare or curry sauce and mushy peas, the meaty Buck or alternative plant burger, or sausage swirl with mash and crispy onion.
Every two weeks the Roebuck hosts the TNT Comedy night downstairs, with amateur stand-up comics getting five-minute spots. I must have had a good time when I went to one of these nights because afterwards I spent days toiling over a script, raring to perform, up until I bottled it!
What I’m yet to try is the Wednesday Roebuck Quiz Night. There’s a prize for the team with the best name, £50 bar tab for the winners and a rolling jackpot for whoever can give the exact answer to a golden question.
The Roebuck is at 15 Pond Street, NW3
www.roebuckhampstead.com
