Camden & Kentish Town
It’s where Amy Winehouse called home, 90s Britpoppers planted their flag, and tourists, punks and teens all find common ground in London’s largest market. Camden and Kentish Town are neighbourhoods with rich cultural histories, particularly as hubs for the city’s music scene, which had a sort of renaissance in the 90s with indie bands and Britpop dominating the charts. The areas have grown up a little bit since then, but they’re still full of popular hangouts, historic venues and beloved shopping districts.
You won’t be hard-pressed to find a good pub here, many in the area have gone for decades and keep a loyal customer base. One example is the Good Mixer, a slice of the city’s history and a ‘proper London boozer’ that became a popular destination for London bands in the 90s – it’s even cited as the site of the first stone thrown in the Blur vs Oasis feud.
Foodwise, take a trip to Camden Market to try one of their many street food stalls, or go for a reliable fave like Tonkotsu or Pizza Pilgrims. And for some more fun, catch a show at one of the area’s renowned and recently renovated venues, such as the Roundhouse (which was the site of iconic punk gigs in the 70s) or KOKO (which has hosted practically every band or musician to walk the earth). As buzzy and countercultural as it ever was, you’re never far from a good time in Camden and Kentish Town.
What was The Oxford Tavern on Kentish Town Road, has now been transformed into The Parakeet, a 60-cover dining room where a locally sourced, seasonally changing menu from ex-Brat chef Ben Allen and sous-chef Ed Jennings is served. The Victorian pub is bursting with character and is beautifully put together, with ornate antique furnishings set against a backdrop of wood panelling, dark green leather booths, white exposed brickwork, and an open kitchen. There’s lots to love on the blackboard menus, with dishes like spider crab croquettes with wild garlic aioli; lamb chop with confit Jerusalem artichoke and gremolata; charred asparagus served amongst almonds, nettles and confit lemon; ox cheek on pomme puree with crispy polenta; and Kossoff kouign-amann with brown butter custard. The Parakeet have something special here, it’s the kind of place we love; an unpretentious approach to modern seasonal food resulting an elevated menu of exciting dishes, housed in a familiar setting with a sophisticated edge. In short, a posh boozer with banging food.
KOKO is an iconic Camden destination that was recently reborn after a three-year and £70m renovation. The expansive venue is home to a range of spaces including the original theatre, the fly tower theatre, a merch shop and a late-night pizzeria and tap bar, Cafe KOKO. Guests can also become members of The House of KOKO (subject to approval by a committee) which gives them access to a roof terrace and conservatory, dome cocktail bar, penthouse and recording studio, piano room, library, a hidden speakeasy, stage kitchen and vinyl room.
No prizes for guessing where Camden Town Brewery makes its beer. Well, actually, if you want to get technical, it has a larger brewery in Enfield these days… But we digress. The Camden town site offers brewery tours, and it also hosts food pop-ups, complete with a sun-drenched terrace just designed for day drinking all the Camden classics: Helles, Pale, Off-Menu, Week Nite and the juicy Show Off lager. The location is home to Arch 55, too, the brewery’s selection of small batch, new idea beers. Basically, this is where you need to park yourself in summer. Fact.
The Pineapple is so beloved by Kentish Town locals that when the place was threatened with redevelopment, a community campaign not only got it saved but listed by English Heritage. The Grade-II listed bar is home to a changing selection of ales, the kitchen dishes up Thai food and it’s also got a gorge conservatory that’s perfect if you’re hosting a little party.
Bringing a slice of Paris to the London neighbourhoods it inhabits, this classic French restaurant can be found in Kentish Town. The menu emphasises French comfort food – think slow cooked duck confit, croustillant aux champignons (a kind of French pie) along with traditional French charcuterie and starters like countryside terrine, Burgundy snails and oysters. If you’re partial to French grapes they have a considerable selection of natural, biodynamic and fine wine on offer, so whether it’s Grenache or Gamay, Chardonnay or Sauvignon Patron Cave a Manger should have you covered. A true French bistro where dining is casual and the food offering holds up.
Once the playground for all sorts of night dwellers like Amy Winehouse, Noel Fielding and Alexa Chung this Camden pub still offers up a night out to remember…all those impromptu and secret gigs mean you don’t know what you might stumble upon. There’s a tiny outside area you’ll struggle to manoeuvre around but the real gem is the upstairs terrace. The staff look younger than your newborn cousin and couldn’t give a shit what band you are in. Just don’t cause trouble and have a bloody good time.
Vegan fried chicken. Yep – it’s a thing. The “chicken” is actually made from seitan, which is wheat gluten deep-fried and seasoned just like the real thing. You can get it as a chicken burger, a wrap, wings and as a two-piece with fries, and they even do gluten-free nuggets too. Trust us, vegan or not, this meatless joint is worth the visit.
We’ll take a slice of Pizza Pilgrims N’Duja pizza any day, you can’t really go wrong. It’s basically heaven. Once just a pizza van and now a little cult, Pizza Pilgrims has got some loyal followers and their quick expansion has been impressive, damn good reason for that too. Their Neopolitan pizzas are pure satisfaction with simple generous toppings and soft doughy crusts. And anywhere that does a Nutella dough ring for dessert is alright by us.
Tonkotsu is the best of the ramen wave that swept London back in 2013 and testament to that, they’re still going strong and opening new sites all the time. The signature Tonkotsu ramen, with its thick creamy broth, fresh noodles (made in house), and slices of pork is a thing of beauty and has got us through many a day and night. One to come back to time and time again.
From creating a nitro ice cream parlour in Camden to collaborating with Cadbury to create a Creme Egg Sundae, Chin Chin know how to make weird and wacky ice creams. At both their Camden and Soho joints, they mix luxe chocolate and caramel flavour ice-creams with cakes, cookies and ice-cream sandwiches. There’s always a bunch of toppings and sauces to pick from, and with a wide variety of vegan options as well, there’s something for everyone here.
Looking for authentic Hong Kong siu mei aka Cantonese roast meats? Three Uncles are doing it in the City and at Camden’s Hawley Wharf. The Three Uncles, friends and chefs Cheong Yew (Uncle Lim), Pui Sing Tsang (Uncle Sidney) and Mo Kwok (Uncle Mo), serve up their signature chopped-to-order Cantonese roast duck, crispy pork belly and char siu pork at this spot, as well as their Hainan chicken rice, lo mein noodles, dumplings and buns. They have two exclusive Hong Kong dishes in Camden too – curry fish balls served with Uncle Lim’s secret sauce, and Auntie Jun’s char siu sou, baked sweet BBQ pork pastries handmade by Uncle Sidney’s cousin.
Roundhouse is a historic performing art and concert venue that’s been the location of many iconic gigs and revolutionary theatre movements. Now it hosts a mix of events across the arts, from circus and cabaret to spoken word and live music. The Roundhouse is also a registered charity that runs creative schemes for 11-25 year olds through the Roundhouse Trust.
The Good Mixer has a well-earned rep as being ‘a proper London boozer’. It became known as a Britpop hub in the 90s, especially as it was where the first stone was thrown in the Oasis vs Blur feud. Although it briefly closed down in early 2018, it reopened later the same year and remains the same laid back, authentic pub and hangout for musicians, locals and visitors alike.
Established back in the 1920s by Jewish refugee Wolf Kossoff, this independent artisanal bakery is now located in the heart of Kentish Town and run by great-grandson Aaron. These pastries are probably the butteriest you’ll find in London (bold but true) and feature the likes of miso and chive swirl; twice-baked hazelnut croissant; kimcheese claw; and Earl Grey swirl amongst others. There’s also a lovely line-up of sarnies, salads and sourdough to tuck into too.
Cafe by day, bar and restaurant by night, Cafe KOKO is the food and drink counterpart to Camden’s legendary and recently renovated music venue KOKO. The design-forward bohemian space is lined with original works by artists including David Shrigley and Joachim Lambrechts alongside photographs of the likes of Grace Jones and Anderson .Paak – from KOKO’s private collection – which nod to the theatre’s rich music history. Music is, of course, key to KOKO, and it’s no different in the cafe which welcomes a variety of live performers in the evenings. It’s an ideal spot for anyone after a chill hangout with friends (particularly if you’re in Camden and you’re not feeling a pub vibe), complete with a list of classic cocktails like Espresso Martinis and Bloody Marys – it may not be molecular mixology but the drinks are decent.
