London Primrose Hill Restaurant Guide

Not every café is opened by Helena Bonham Carter, but in other respects actor Sam Frears and Andrew O'Hagan's Primrose Hill newcomer has relatively ordinary aims (‘French corner bistro’ meets ‘traditional British café’), albeit tailored to suit the local luvvies of NW1 (it has a ‘legendary vintage jukebox’, for instance). A long-established business that moved from nearby Regent’s Park Road, it’s on the tricky split-level corner-site that was once L’Absinthe (long RIP) and has had a laundry list of former occupants. Perhaps as a neighbourhood hangout for consuming all-day breakfast it’s finally found its niche; early feedback hails it as “an excellent Primrose Hill greasy spoon… without the grease”.

“Top-quality cooking” at “very reasonable prices” is a consistent refrain from aficionados of Michael Nadra’s neighbourhood duo, in Chiswick and Camden Town. They are a slightly odd couple – the former tightly packed off the high street; the latter out-of-the-way, near the Regent’s Canal, and with a “nice little courtyard for warm evenings”. In both locales, the modern European menu uses “high-quality ingredients” and is “pleasantly served by charming staff who meet all demands”. Recent changes have been generally welcomed: “it’s more of a brasserie-style offering now (I preferred the old cooking, but I’m in a minority of people I know)”. Note – Chiswick remains ‘temporarily closed’ as of September 2021, but a relaunch is promised ‘as soon as possible’.

“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.

This Primrose Hill veteran of 40-plus years may not be “revolutionary”, but it is much more than a “reliable and friendly neighbourhood local” under acclaimed chef-patron Bryn Williams, the owner for almost 15 years. Strengths include the “reinstated tasting menu”, a list full of “intriguing wines”, and excellent ingredients that include produce from the Williams family farm in Wales. Service is “friendly and attentive”, and it offers “excellent value for money”.

2021 Review: This “excellent local” bistro in Primrose Hill – “there should be one on every high street” – has a “good buzz” and does “a nice line in deconstructed versions of French classics”. The original La Petite Ferme near Exmouth Market is a “lovely little” venue “offering brilliant value”.

This “fun” Greek taverna in Primrose Hill has become a major north London institution in its 40-plus years, loved for its “friendly staff”, “great service” and “homely comfort cooking”. Complaints about “very average” meals – particularly “so disappointing” food – get louder every year though, with a chorus of critics saying it’s “living on memories” – “not sure why it’s still so popular”.

“Probably the best brunch, and choices, for miles around” – this cute café on Primrose Hill’s main drag “isn’t going to wow” from a gourmet point of view, but its “wonderful and fresh-tasting” brunches and breakfasts win lots of praise, helped by “good prices” and “fabulous staff”. In recent times it has helped that “they have made a big effort with their outside eating pods” (“I love their shacks with heaters and blankets!”).

2021 Review: Now fully vegan, this 1968-vintage Primrose Hill outfit can claim to be Europe’s oldest veggie restaurant, and is still co-owned by musician Roger Swallow of the Albion Band, long-time resident in LA. The food has had its ups and downs over the decades and is nowadays mostly (if not uniformly) rated “enjoyable and tasty”, even by reporters “neither vegetarian nor vegan”. It closed for major refurbishments in summer 2019.

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”.

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’.

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).

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”.

A small, well-chosen array of Sardinian wine – including many “small growers” – is a highpoint (one of the backers is a wine distributor) at this informal Italian deli/wine shop, which opened in spring 2019. “The menu likewise is small, simple and well-executed”, including “good, fresh pasta as you’d expect”. Made more desirable by its cute neighbourhood location in ultra-desirable Primrose Hill – it received a big early thumbs-up for its cucina from someone with strong family ties to the area: Evening Standard (now Tatler) critic, Fay Maschler. “It’s a little pricey, but you pay for the postcode plus they only have about a dozen covers”.

“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”.

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.

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”.

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.