If there were a pub Olympics, The Washington would breeze to gold before facing accusations of steroid abuse. If there was a Miss World Pub contest, The Washington would be balling it’s eyes out pledging to do its bit for world peace. This pub is, quite simply, all you’d ever want in a watering hole and more.

The Venue
Once you’ve manoeuvred your way past the Primrose Hill set and slalomed through the Belsize Park pushchair marathon you’ll reach The Washington. The exterior is standard street corner pub fare – a few chairs and a smattering of tables alongside the clear and present danger of being squashed by an erratic double decker bus.

The pub sits just a brisk five-minute walk from both Belsize Park and Chalk Farm tube stations. Once inside, the pub screams comfort. Dark wood complements comfy sofas while a long, curvaceous bar hugs the middle of the room. A piano stands proudly waiting for anyone drunk or arrogant enough to start a singalong. Even the toilets are beautifully tiled and wallpapered, with only the oddly inevitable phallic sketching to keep things typically British.

The Atmosphere
The staff are warm and friendly; happy to keep a drink in your hand or point you towards a book to read from the small table library. Board games are at the ready to keep both kids and grown up kids enthralled.

A downstairs area is open for hire and plays host to comedy nights, whilst upstairs brings in a healthy Tuesday night crowd for its quiz night.

The Food
The Washington’s food menu is a non-daunting fusion of Mediterranean, classical English and Greek pub grub. The marinated, chargrilled halloumi and vegetable skewers make a sumptuous snack for £4 whilst for mains the braised lamb shank with cheddar mash and savoy cabbage perfectly fills a lamb shank-shaped hole and is well worth the £11.50 price tag.

For puds, the £3.50 chocolate brownie with vanilla ice-cream should finish you off nicely, if you’re that way inclined. There’s also a great £5 daily specials menu available all day Monday to Friday, which tends to have a burger and various choices such as handmade salmon fishcakes, macaroni cheese and cornbeef hash on it.

The Drink
The choice of drinks at The Washington is excellent. There’s a good spirits selection but it’s the draught options that amaze, consisting of Heineken, Staropramen, Peroni, Paulaner, London Pale Ale, Sierra Nevada, Becks, Fosters, Amstel, Grolsch, Guinness, Pilsner, Fruli, Maredsous Blonde, Schneider Wesse, Franziskoner, Timothy Taylor Landlord, Morrisey Fox Blonde, London Pride, Erdinger, Kuppers Kolsch and Hoegaarden. Phew. These tend to come in around the £3.20 mark. The range of bottled beer is also expansive for an average £3 a bottle.

The wine list is good for a casual wino with a decent list of reds, whites and roses from between £10-£19 a bottle. There’s also a great deal on Wednesdays after 5pm with all bottles of vino costing just £10.

The Last Word
The Washington isn’t just a pub, it’s a way of life. Go alone, take the family, set up home there if you can. Just get there to sample one of the finest pubs around.

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