The North Star — Restaurant in London

Lovely, local, family run pub with a brilliant atmosphere, friendly staff and a really helpful menu for dietary needs! Fantastic outdoors areas, which are mostly covered/coverable. Excellent selection of drinks at the cheapest prices I've seen locally (very reasonable for London) The menu's pretty brilliant with a wide selection of options. Most nights of the week they have deals for the day (Burger night etc) Added to that, the menu is fantastic for dietary needs (veggie/vegan/gf/dairy etc). Tash (the Landlady) has clearly spent time and effort coming up with tasty options which cater for everyone and has made everything really clear on the menu. If you have any questions about it she's really communicative and good at working through what you need, and the wider staff are also really aware and helpful. I'm GF and have always had really tasty, lovely food, without any problems. Try the halloumi fries. They're banging. They do quite a lot of seasonal stuff - like mulled wine and an advent calendar based giveaway at Christmas, and cocktails for different occasions. Food and drink are often served at the outside bar in the summer (though obvs the main bar stays open too). There are two real fires, which are really welcome in the winter and the leg heaters on the tables outside are a lovely touch if you're drinking with a smoker! Nice atmosphere, good food & good drink. What more could you want? Oh that's it. There's a dartboard. Oh and sports shown on tvs around the place (including outside) which are visible and audible for those who want to watch, without being overpowering for those who don't. On that note, you'll also find the music isn't deafeningly loud like in some places. Well worth a visit if you're looking for a pleasant...

The North Star Pub, 104 Finchley Rd, South Hampstead, London NW3 5JJ- Forever Young Pub: A Classic Comedy Spot

I recently revisited Forever Young Pub with some old friends, and I'm happy to report that it still holds up as one of the best places to catch up with friends or family with the feel of Cozy, traditional English Pub, with its original décor and ambiance still intact from almost 4 decades. Having frequented the pub in the past for its comedy shows, I was excited to return and see if it was still as good as I remembered. And it did not disappoint. The Cozy and inviting atmosphere of the pub immediately made us feel at home, although I’m not sure if the comedians still make us laugh as before. Since life has changed completely post-covid. Their material was fresh and relevant, with witty observations and hilarious punchlines by then 4 decades ago. The best part was how the comedians always interacted with the audience, making us feel like we were part of the show. It was great to share this experience with old friends and reminisce about our previous visits to this Forever Young Pub, called “The North Star”. It's a classic spot that continues to deliver on its promise of quality food and drinks. If you're looking for a night out that's sure to leave you in stitches (provided the Comedy Shows are still going on, after Covid), I highly recommend giving this place a visit. I fortunately met the owner, Mr. Martin Purdom, and his wife, Natasha, too for the first time, in 4 decades, just before we were leaving, and had the opportunity to quickly share my fond memoirs of yesteryears at this Great Pub, when we enjoyed the Comedy shows many a times. I wish...

Being new to the area, I was pleasantly surprised to learn of a local independent and family ran pub nearby. On first visit, I soon learnt that the North Star proudly boasts a spacious garden/smoking area, a selection of familiar beers, ales and ciders on tap and even distinguishes itself by carrying a fullly licensed sports package on its selection of widescreens.

I soon declared that this would be my new regular haunt! I found the staff very welcoming and accommodating of an older gentleman like me. I set about exploring the menu of pub classics: fish & chips, scampi & chips and cheeseburger and chips.

It was once such occasion, my third or fourth visit, that I was settling to enjoy my plate of bangers and mash, when I was disturbed by the crash of broken glass, the shreek of the barmaid and the slam of the door behind the bar! To my alarm, I saw a fully grown adult weasel shoot across the pub floor and to harass myself and the other punters! I saw one man have a pint glass ripped out of his hand by the feral shrew, I truly feared for my safety!

I am indebted to the off duty pest control officer who calmly dealt with the situation and managed to subdue and capture the weasel. Truly you are the fourth emergency service this country needs!

Much to my fury, I looked back at my plate after this episode and saw immediately that a sausage had gone! Feeling shaken up and despondent I commented to the barmaid what a shock this had all been!

To my surprise, she replied nonchalantly: "oh don't worry about the weasel! That's just the owner's son."

Safe to say I will not be returning to...