The Railway, West Hampstead  

This can be a decent stop if you need a pint before heading into town, or to wet the whistle after a sweaty commute to faux Hampstead. With a great big bar and plenty of seating space, it's better than standard fare from a pub that was a Rat & Parrot previously and there's a good selection of pub food, reasonably priced. The bar itself is impressive, the service fine, with at least one real ale on hand pumps. On midweek nights and Sunday pm, although it's quite quiet, it has a happy if self contained atmosphere - the "watch the world go by" windows were wide open on a warm summers day and the piped music was not too loud, some appreciated belters thrown in. A Friday night sees less inhibition from a more up-for-it crowd, which might be your bag, depending on your stance on the hair gel question and whether you can find a seat, as it's not easy to feel comfortable without one or the other.

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