A Victorian corner gastropub on the edge of Hampstead Heath, rated among the country's best, with a kitchen worth the trek north.
The Bull and Last holds a Victorian corner on Highgate Road in Kentish Town, near the south end of Hampstead Heath and a few minutes from Gospel Oak station. It has long been one of the most decorated gastropubs in the country, a regular on the Top 50 Gastropubs list.
This is a destination kitchen that still works as a pub. The ground floor pours cask ale and runs a serious wine list, while the food draws people across north London, with the Scotch egg and the Sunday roast as signatures. Come hungry and book ahead. Skip it as a casual drop-in on a Sunday, because the tables go fast.
The Bull and Last sits on Highgate Road near the south end of Hampstead Heath. Book ahead for a table, above all on Sundays, and walk in for a pint at the bar.
The ground floor keeps its Victorian pub bones, a proper bar with the buzz of a busy local, while the upstairs dining room handles the longer, calmer dinners.
Kentishtowner has called it the highest-rated gastropub in north London. The room reads as a pub that happens to run a restaurant-grade kitchen, which is the appeal.
The bar keeps cask ale and a well-built drinks range, but the list to study is the wine. The Bull and Last runs an extensive cellar pitched to match the kitchen, which sets it apart from a standard local.
Order a pint at the bar before your table, then move to the wine list for dinner. With a kitchen this serious, a bottle chosen to pair with the roast or the charcuterie is the move rather than sticking to beer all night.
What to order
- 01
The Scotch egg
- 02
A pint of cask ale
- 03
A bottle from the wine list
- 04
The Sunday roast
