The Old White Bear

The Old White Bear sits on Well Road, deep in the residential lanes of old Hampstead and a short walk down from the village and the Heath. Its roots run to 1704, and for most of its life Londoners knew it as Ye Olde White Bear. After closing in 2014 the pub stood dark for years before reopening in December 2021, a return that Wikipedia and the London CAMRA branch both record.

What you get now is a proper neighborhood pub rather than a museum piece. There is cask ale on the pumps, a fire for the colder months, and a kitchen running pub plates and Sunday roasts. The setting does a lot of the work, since the corner location on Well Road and New End Square keeps it tucked away from the tourist drift around Hampstead tube.

This is a fireside local for a Heath walk or a long Sunday. For more in the area, see our cosy London winter pubs guide and the roundup of London hidden gems.

The pub keeps the bones of a Georgian backstreet house, low and snug, with a fireplace that anchors the main room through winter. It reads as a settled village local, the kind that fills with Heath walkers and dog owners rather than a destination crowd.

The kitchen leans traditional, with pub plates through the week and roasts on Sunday. The corner site gives it a couple of frontages and a calm position away from the main Hampstead foot traffic, which is part of why regulars treat it as a refuge.

• Wikipedia records the 1704 origins and the December 2021 reopening after years closed.
• The London CAMRA branch lists it as a cask ale pub back in service on Well Road.
• Beer in the Evening reviewers treat it as a classic Hampstead backstreet local.
• Regulars rate the fireplace and the quiet corner setting away from the village crowds.

• A fireside cask pint after a walk on Hampstead Heath.
• A traditional Sunday roast in a quiet village setting.
• Avoid if you want a buzzy late night room or a cocktail list.