Peter Wallace, Committee member writes:
Opening soon, a very old Belsize Park pub with a new identity: the Haverstock Arms at the lower end of Haverstock Hill is about to reopen as the Belsize Bar & Brasserie.
The current Grade Two listed building, built in 1863, originally a coaching inn on the main road up to Hampstead, was then known as the Cart and Horses.
It was a welcome watering hole for man and beast on the weary climb to Hampstead.
That name has changed many times over the years but new owner Turkish businessman Esref Ergis promises the welcome at the brasserie will be just as warm.
Mr Ergis runs a string of other businesses both in Belsize Park and in central London.
“We want to make it a destination brasserie for the Belsize community and beyond”, said Lynn Whiting, chair of the Steele’s Village Business Association. “We’ve got an excellent chef who will produce a fantastic menu of both British and French dishes.
“It was in a pretty bad state and needed a complete refit both inside and outside the building. The garden will be completely redesigned with an extended seating area and new wheelchair access”.
It’s another sign of the revival of the hospitality sector in Belsize Park following the reopening of the Stag Pub and Fleet Tavern.
Opening date of the brasserie is expected around mid-August with discount offers for all, including Belsize Society members !
