The White Horse, Hampstead  

This place held out for a long time against the trend of pub refurbishments and modernisations which swept over North London (spool back to the early 1990s and this one was a venue for fledgling indie bands). A major renovation a few years back did for the mankier aspects of this place, without destroying some of its finer architectural features (most notably the ceiling). A feature of the pub's location - at a sharp road junction with large windows running the length of two almost parallel sides around an island bar - mean that much of the pub is rather too exposed for the comfort of some. (There are two rooms at the back that are the exception to this rule, however). On the plus side, there are a few real ales on hand pumps, a decent selection of (principally new world) wines and Thai food that can be eaten in or ordered as a takeaway. Best of all, it's a friendly pub, and it gives the impression that it goes that extra mile for its customers (who, on our visit, were a wide cross selection of NW3 life). If you wanted to be picky, you could say that this one feels too smart to be the pub opposite both George Orwell's former flat and Joe Orton's favourite pick-up-joint, but on our most recent visit it seemed a pub perfectly at ease with itself.

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