Freemasons Arms Hampstead — Restaurant in London

Oh heavens, I nearly forgot to mention—we’re in the midst of an absolute scorcher! A proper hot spell in June, the likes of which we haven’t seen in years. You know it’s serious when even the pigeons look bothered, and the postman turns up in shorts. I half expected to see the Queen’s Guard with fans instead of bayonets.

It was precisely this oppressive heat that made our lunch at The Freemason’s Arms all the more remarkable. Truly, stepping through their doors felt like entering a calm oasis, one blessedly free of the stickiness and frizz waiting just beyond the threshold. I was already a bit flustered when I arrived—my hat had wilted in the sun, and my handbag, which usually behaves, decided to turn itself inside out. But no sooner had I entered than a gentle wave of cool air met my face and Leo, our wonderful server, appeared with all the grace of an angel in linen shirtsleeves.

He must have seen my cheeks glowing like boiled beetroot because without a word, he brought over a tall glass of ice water with cucumber slices. “You looked like you might need this first, Mrs. Weatherby,” he said, with that kind smile of his. What a blessed relief! I don’t know where they keep their air conditioning unit, but it deserves an OBE.

The pub was buzzing with others escaping the heat—young couples in linen trousers, families with flushed toddlers, even a few very smart dogs under tables, their tongues hanging out like doilies. And yet, it didn’t feel crowded. It felt alive. The garden was open too, but Leo advised us gently that it might be a bit too warm for “delicate constitutions,” which I took to mean ladies of a certain age. Quite right too—poor Mavis melts like a snowman above 23 degrees.

Inside, it was blissfully cool, and the light streaming through the windows had that soft, golden haze that makes even an old lady like me feel a bit romantic. I ordered the elderflower spritz, which Leo cleverly suggested with a bit of soda rather than tonic—he said it would feel “lighter on the tongue in the heat.” The man could work for Fortnum’s, I tell you.

And when the roast came—hot, yes, but never heavy—it somehow suited the weather. Perhaps it was the brightness of the minted peas or the zing in the jus, but I felt revived rather than overstuffed. The vegetables weren’t steamed into oblivion either, which is a sin in some kitchens. These had life! Character! A bite! Leo even brought me a tiny ramekin of horseradish “just in case the heat didn’t wake you up enough,” and we had a good chuckle over that.

Dessert was… well, frankly, a spiritual experience. The sticky toffee pudding was served with cold pouring cream this time instead of custard (Leo’s suggestion again—“a cooler finish, ma’am”), and it was utterly decadent. Just the kind of comfort one needs when the weather turns one’s body into a human radiator.

And lest you think Leo’s attention dipped as the restaurant filled up—not a chance. Even in the June heat, with a full house and what must have been a thousand tiny requests to remember, he never once flagged. I watched him carry a tray of drinks across the terrace in 29-degree sun without a single bead of sweat. Remarkable. Absolutely remarkable.

When it was time to go, Leo bid us farewell with a little fan he’d somehow found and gifted to me with a bow. “Keep cool, Mrs. Weatherby,” he said, as I shuffled to the taxi with Edith holding my elbow and June asking where we were. “See you when the sun goes down.” A fan! He didn’t have to. But he did.

So yes, it may have been sweltering outside, but inside The Freemason’s Arms, thanks to good air circulation and even better service, it was a perfect little summer haven. And Leo? A cool breeze in human form.

If this heat carries on, you’ll find me there every Sunday until September. I shall need to write my will soon, and I may just leave Leo the good tea set

Yours, Mrs....

I visited with friends for Sunday lunch and had checked the vegan options on the menu ahead of time to make sure there would be something that I could eat. However on looking through the menu when we were at our table, I noticed that the one vegan roast option (butternut squash and celeriac wellington) was listed as vegan on the Christmas menu but vegetarian on the Sunday menu. On clarification with the kitchen, our server confirmed that it was vegetarian, and not vegan, and didn't seem concerned at all that it was incorrectly listed on the Christmas menu (which is especially a concern for any allergy sufferers). I ordered the banana blossom stew instead, but the portion was so small (barely starter sized, yet listed and priced as a main) that I was left starving. I would have appreciated even some bread or something on the side to bulk out the meal, if not more of the stew. And not even the chips are vegan here, somehow, despite being vegetarian.

My friends (both meat eaters) had roast dinners and were very satisfied with their meals, and I would say the selection of sodas was nice. The staff also seemed very friendly and happy to advise. I just would not recommend anyone who is vegan to visit here, no matter what it may say on the menu.

EDIT: as to the reply from the Freemasons' Arms regarding having two different items on the overall menu with the same name but one being vegan, the other vegetarian, I'm baffled as to why a) the Sunday menu version cannot also be vegan, and b) why they have the same name as that can lead to so much confusion both for the customer and surely also a risk of confusion for the kitchen. I have no issues with the information given to me, but when I'm handed both menus as options to order from as a customer and I have to personally ask for clarification because even the waitress is confused as to why they're listed differently, this seems like a truly bizarre choice of management in putting together the menus.

I would also like to note that our waitress simply said that the roast was overall vegetarian and not vegan, and mentioned nothing about the Christmas menu version being vegan. She seemed to believe that both options were vegetarian, which is what she was told by the kitchen. If this was a case of not being able to order from the Christmas menu, why were...

Firstly, the atmosphere is great, the location is great and if it wasn’t for the below, I would highly recommend.

The starters we ordered to share between the table arrived, Padron peppers and sticky chicken, both sprinkled with seeds and pine nuts. No mention of pine nuts on the menu, so as someone with a nut allergy I was disappointed to not be able to dig in. Neither dish typically is made with nuts so I hadn’t thought to ask and was glad for spotting them!

Then my salad came out and again I straight away see the pine nuts and explained to the waiter, ‘I’m so sorry I can’t have nuts, it hadn’t mentioned nuts on the menu so I hadn’t thought to say’, he nodded and went away with the dish. Shortly returning, with THE EXACT SAME plate of food and said ‘the chef said there are no nuts in the dish’. I was baffled, starting at the plate full of nuts. I said ‘what are these then?!’ He shrugged and went back to the kitchen…. He returned again and said ‘they’re sunflower seeds.’ Again I was baffled, as I was certain there were both sunflower seeds AND pine nuts clearly scattered all over the dish. I picked out 1 sunflower seed and 1 pine nut, and asked him to look and compare for himself. This time my partner joined the waiter with the plate back to the kitchen to speak with the chef, when the penny finally dropped and he admitted ‘oh yes they’re are pine nuts’. WOW. No apology from the waiter or the chef, just a casual OOPS!!! I have never in my life had to insist 3 times that a chef checks a dish for nuts. Not even traces, WHOLE nuts. Honestly I was completely insulted and gobsmacked it took one of us to go to the kitchen and physically point out the difference between a sunflower seed and a pine nut. 🤯🤯

luckily I’m not anaphylactic - if this was one of my family members who are… it would have been a very different story.

Not so much as an apology from the chef, management or the waiter, nothing - Appalling!!

This was a close call, being so over booked and under staffed with careless attitude towards a common severe allergy is going to get you in some trouble one day. I hope this is read by management and changes are made...