London Camden Town Restaurant Guide

A “go-to place for top burgers”, this upmarket chain offers a chic Parisian polish that its rivals would struggle to match, and operates seven outlets in Shoreditch, Chelsea, Camden, Clapham, Balham, Holborn and Kingston. Ratings softened this year, however, and one or two reporters feel it’s “not as good as it once was”.

Tom Kerridge’s involvement (in partnership with Mark Emms) made it 100% likely this summer 2021 opening, on the top of Buck Street Market, would attract attention. It’s ‘bad’ in that many dishes (e.g. beef brisket ‘taternator’) are not vegan! – anything with red packaging is for meat- eaters (leaf-eaters, green of course). In an early August 2021 review, Kate Samuelson of The Week was upbeat, branding it “a mightly alternative” to KFC and McDs. Then again, she also noted that: “our meal, which included three portions of food, two milkshakes and two beers, came to about £50” – so you’d kind of hope for a pretty major step up…

2021 Review: “Truly amazing tastes recommended for both vegans and non-vegans!” help win high scores for this year-old, Camden Town offshoot of the UK’s first vegan pizzeria (which first hit Brighton in 2015). Bases include sourdough, hemp and gluten-free options: “it’s the best pizza I’ve had in a very long time!”. Top Tip – kids under 10 get a free pizza when eating with their parents.

2019 Review: “Creative and intelligent” cooking wins nothing but high praise for this contemporary update of the traditional curry house, in Camden Town. It has a sister venue, Salaam Namaste, in Bloomsbury.

“Quality pizzas served by nice people in a bustling, energetic atmosphere. What’s not to like?” It’s a formula that’s winning massive, post-pandemic expansion for the Elliot brothers’ chain, which is adding eight London sites this year. Perhaps inevitably with such fast growth, it no longer enjoys the stellar ratings of yesteryear, but to an impressive degree also evades criticism: “always decent…”, “I can’t speak for the authenticity, but they’re tasty as hell”. Top Tip: “their pizza home delivery kit is great fun”.

“Proper fish ’n’ chips” is the order of the day at this self-consciously old-school trio from Pat ‘Pops’ Newland, an 81-year-old East Ender with a lifetime in the trade behind him. The fish arrives daily from Peterhead in Aberdeenshire, and 1950s memorabilia adorns the walls. Sceptics say it’s “not bad, but expensive for what it is”.

“A Soho institution” after 34 years – and in very recent years with spin-offs in Dalston, Camden Town and King’s Cross – this slice of “veggie heaven (with great cocktails!)” is “just the best, even for a carnivore” and has done an impressive job of keeping up quality across the new group. The interiors of the new branches are clean cut and well-designed, and the food is “non-fussy and non-fake”; and will “stretch your mind but not your wallet”.

2021 Review: “Neapolitan influences are evident in the choice of ingredients, and the wood-burning oven makes for good, chewy, charred crusts, unlike most high-street pizzas” – so say fans of this global chain, whose HQ is indeed in Naples. Not everyone is impressed, though, and ratings are dragged down by those who feel it’s merely an “everyday” choice: “OK for a bog-standard group, but not great”.

This imposing Regency tavern where Camden Town meets Regent’s Park is part of Gordon Ramsay’s portfolio, and impresses some visitors with its cooking. Too many, though, reckon it makes a “poor choice” for a meal, and sleb-chef ownership may be its only real attraction.

2019 Review: “Cute and cheerful” pan-Indian street food and bar operation in a new development near Mornington Crescent. All reports are upbeat, if with a caution that you should “pick your way through the menu carefully to have a better-than-standard curry house experience”.

London’s first all-vegan diner serves up plant-based versions of classic American diner food, ‘from meat-free burgers and giant seitan hot dogs, to dairy-free milkshakes and ‘pastrami’-packed sandwiches’; and opened a second branch in Islington’s Upper Street in early 2021, next door to their vegan butcher’s shop. Feedback is relatively limited, but says the brand is “a good performer in this challenging segment”.

2018 Review: A new all-day chai and coffee house in Camden Market, owned by Mayhul Gondhea and Aruna Sellahewa, opened in July 2017. The food offering includes curry, stuffed pancakes and sweet buns.

2018 Review: On the first floor of Camden Stables, this new Camden Town brasserie, which includes a weatherproof roof terrace, opened in July 2017, complete with an ex-Chiltern Firehouse chef, and self-confessed ‘design swagger’.

“Not just cheap and cheerful but good, cheap and cheerful” – “you can’t fault the pizza, thin-crust, well made to order, and tasty” at this veteran Goodge Street pizzeria, est. 1999, where a basic marinara costs just £3.95. There’s now a branch in Camden, as well as delivery-only outlets in Wood Green, Wandsworth and Croydon.

Just a few years after leaving London (and his two Pâtisserie des Rêves stores) behind, Philippe Conticini is back, with this huge new Camden Market patisserie, traditionally tiled and where much of the seating is outside on a large sunny days terrace. (There’s also a smaller, less characterful outlet now nearby (since November 2020) in Buck Street Market).

On the former Camden Market site of Proud Cabaret, this April 2021 newcomer is the market’s first-ever pub (yes, really!) and occupies a Grade II listed space that once housed stables (lots of vaulted brick ceilings and bare brick walls). Not only does it have the handy feature of a hidden courtyard with fire pit, but also locally brewed beers and rustic British fare from Ash Finch (ex-The Langham and Wild Honey).

“All it’s cracked up to be” – Mustapha Mouflih’s tiny but dynamic Italian restaurant and gelato bar in Kentish Town delivers “exceptional value”. “The homemade pasta is a revelation, and is cooked with invention” alongside other “amazing” dishes. “It’s all a bit cramped and hectic in spite of the extension”.

Limited, but still enthusiastic feedback on this well-established Japanese fixture, near Mornington Crescent tube. It changed owners a couple of years ago, but on most indications its sushi and other traditional fare mean it is still worth a visit.

“One of London’s nicest garden restaurants for a warm summer evening” is to be found at this 10-year-old independent at the foot of Primrose Hill (hence the name), which serves a “well-presented menu” of Piedmontese dishes.