London Camden Town Restaurant Guide

2021 Review: “Still some of the best burgers around”, say fans of this French group, whose Gallic je ne sais quoi lends a certain superiority to the offering, while service is “friendly and speedy”. Its seventh outlet opened in Kingston early in 2019, at a time when rival mid-market operators were struggling.

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.

2021 Review: “So delicious and affordable every time!” – the Elliot brothers’ “speedy and cheerful” small chain put in a stellar performance in the last survey as London’s top pizza multiple, pipping rival Homeslice by tiny decimals. “You can see the dough being made on entering: everything is very fresh, and you get crisp, thin pizzas with quality toppings”.

2021 Review: Fish trade veteran Pat ‘Pops’ Newland started out cutting up newspapers to wrap portions at the age of 11, and has kitted out his three tourist-friendly chippies (in Soho, Spitalfields and Camden Town) in 1950s memorabilia to commemorate the era. The “no-frills” fish he serves is “excellent” and “consistently fresh” – but even fans can find it “overpriced by a long way”.

2021 Review: “My partner’s a die-hard meat eater, but still thinks this place is the bee’s knees!” – this extremely popular vegetarian chain has built on three decades of popularity for the “always-super-busy” (no bookings) Soho original, with branches in Camden Town, Dalston and King’s Cross all opened in the last few years. All outlets get a good rep in the survey, with their “great choice” of “very tasty, veggie, comfort food”.

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”.

2021 Review: Gordon Ramsay’s “beautiful” Regency tavern on the Camden Town corner of Regent’s Park, is a large venue incorporating both a big bar, plus a sizeable dining area and basement. It doesn’t receive a perfect scorecard from reporters, with some feedback describing it as “disappointing” or “overpriced”, but its ratings climbed more into the middle-ground this year.

2021 Review: There are “no frills at all” at this 21-year veteran pizza-joint in Goodge Street (founded in 1991), with a branch in Camden Town – “but the fact that you can sit down with a tasty thin-crust pizza in central London for these prices (£3.95 for a Marinara) is well worth the lack of ambience”.

2021 Review: “Fab creative Italian food” – “an ever-changing menu with great homemade pasta” – is “served with charm in the most unpretentious environment”, at this “tiny BYO café” in Kentish Town. With ratings improving every year, locals are smitten by this “lovely hidden gem”, so the only problem is the increasing difficulty of grabbing a seat – but then again “they’re expanding, so perhaps it’ll become a little easier to get a table”.

2021 Review: Vaguely Tyrolean, beamed decor is nobody’s idea of a Japanese restaurant at this slightly odd venture, near Mornington Crescent tube. No complaints about the outstanding value sushi and other fare though: “good and varied as ever, with many choices for Japanese drinks too, including sake”.

2021 Review: In a quiet location below Primrose Hill, this little Italian – specialising in Piedmontese cuisine – has long been a feature of the area, and has built a very loyal, local following. Reports were a little more hit-and-miss this year on the food front, but fans say that “the garden on a summer’s day more than makes up for any average dishes”.

2021 Review: “Vibrant”, “thoughtful” cuisine is very consistently produced at both Michael Nadra’s eponymous restaurants, in Chiswick and Camden Town. Both sites, though, are awkward in their way: the former “is a small space that’s a bit of a squeeze” (window tables are best); while the latter, right next to the Regent’s Canal, is a little stuck out-on-a-limb, and can seem “a little morgue-like” when it’s not busy. Both sites, though, are pepped up by their “friendly” staff.