Swiss Cottage · Camden
The North Star
The last pub standing in Swiss Cottage.
- Address104 Finchley Road, London NW3 5JJ
- Phone020 7435 6287
- Websitefacebook.com/northstarpub
- OwnershipPart of Max Barney Pub Company
About The North Star
An imposing Victorian pub from 1850 on Finchley Road, now the only pub left in Swiss Cottage since Ye Olde Swiss Cottage closed.
Built in 1850 in a striking Victorian brick building with a wrought-iron balcony, the North Star stands right above the Jubilee line, which sends a rumble through the pub as trains pass. After Ye Olde Swiss Cottage closed for good in February 2025, it officially became the last pub standing in the neighbourhood, a fact noted by both the local press (the Camden New Journal) and London pub-heritage groups. It's owned by the Max Barney Pub Company, which holds the freehold, and runs as a free house with rotating cask ales. It has a heated raised back patio and three floors of interior space, with screens for the football. Recent reviews are mixed — some customers praise its down-to-earth neighbourhood character, others find it a bit worn round the edges — but it remains the required stop for a pint by Swiss Cottage station. It is, in short, a symbol of the traditional pub holding out in an area that has just lost its great historic institution.
On tap
A couple of rotating cask ales plus the resident Harvey's Sussex Best Bitter, alongside the usual lagers and ciders of a free house.
Food
Simple pub cooking and snacks served from midday to 10pm (midnight on Fridays and Saturdays), popular with workers from the area.