Food & Drink
Flask Walk: The Street That Defines Hampstead
Beatrice Thornton
17 April 2026 · 5 min read
The pedestrianised lane running south from Hampstead High Street contains more character per metre than almost anywhere in London.
Flask Walk is Hampsteads best street. The narrow pedestrianised lane that runs south from the High Street between Georgian shopfronts and cottages contains in a few hundred metres more of what makes Hampstead distinctive than almost anywhere else in the village.
The Flask pub anchors the southern end, a 17th century coaching inn with a garden a long narrow bar and a clientele that mixes academics dog walkers and journalists with equanimity. On a Friday evening it is full; on a wet Tuesday morning it is nearly empty and the coffee is excellent.
Between the pub and the High Street the walk contains a wine merchant an antique map seller a butcher with outstanding free range poultry and a series of independent food shops that between them could provision a dinner party at short notice.
Written by
Beatrice Thornton
Beatrice is a food writer and former restaurant critic who moved to Hampstead after falling in love with its independent café culture. She writes about the best places to eat, drink, and linger in North London, with a particular weakness for a well-made flat white and a slab of Victoria sponge.
Comments
No comments yet. Be the first to share your thoughts.