Michael Nadra – 42 Gloucester Avenue, NW1 8JD
Best for Prix Fixe 3 courses lunch (£26) or dinner (£37) with staple favourites such as tempura of soft shell crab or steamed sea bass with prawn & chive dumplings and many seasonally changing dishes. The wine list is getting more interesting and a corkage of £20 per bottle is also offered. Ben and I love this place. It’s a short walk from Camden Town station but as it is tucked away behind the Camden Market and the Canal, it is favoured more by the locals. Be aware of their fresh bread rolls, made on the premise and so irresistible…
Greenberry Café – 101 Regent’s Park Road, NW1 8UR
If it is just a light healthy snack or breakfast, this little café is open everyday from 9am to 10pm most days. Best for blackboard lunch specials and a surprisingly good selection of grower champagnes (available when asked). A stones thrown away from Primrose Hill Park, this is the buzziest place along Regent’s Park Road. Fantastic flavoursome cooking reasonably priced despite the location.
The Little One Coffee Shop – 115 Regent’s Park Road, NW1 8UR
The best coffee locally within NW1, NW3 & NW5. Using Monmouth coffee beans, their flat white is consistently unbeatable. Well at £2.60 a cup it should be. Avoid the crepes if you can and be aware it closes at 4.30pm.
Bottle Apostle – 172 Regent’s Park Road, NW1 8XN
Bottle Apostle is much more than just a wine shop. It opened a month ago and is already attracting the local crowd thanks to its awesome worldwide wine selection and craft beers from independent UK breweries. I work here so the service is top notch, of course. We have Enomatic tasting machines so you can sip away while I refill your wine rack…
Marine Ices – 61 Chalk Farm Road, NW1 8AN
Camden’s iconic ice-cream parlour with proper Italian gelatos & fruit sorbets (£2.20 per scoop) and scrumptious sundaes.
The Gipsy Queen – 166 Malden Road, NW5 4BS
What a transformation! This pub used to be called The Bluebell and was a tired boozer stinking of bleach, sweat and garbage. In June, it was given a major facelift by the team behind The Grafton and has been transformed into a friendly gastro pub with a shiny open stainless steel kitchen and a stylish canopied garden. It has a great beer selection focussing on small independent breweries and now you can also buy refillable bottles and enjoy any of their brews at home. So far we have only tried their warm tasty sandwiches but the main menu looks equally delicious. Not cheap mind you, the classic beef burger will set you back £8.50 and Sunday roast £12-15.
The Stag – 67 Fleet Road, NW3 2QU
Our local pub prior to The Gipsy Queen re-opening. Ben and I have been coming here for years as this pub has truly versatile bottled beer selection from around the world and always has something thirst quenching and intriguing on draught. The food is honest if a bit rustic offering typical pub classics with an American twist. My favourite is their Freeman’s dip with warm flatbread and Jacobs Ladder beef rib with summer slaw for bigger appetite. Both the garden and bar get always busy so worth getting in earlier if you can.
Camden Town Brewery – 55-59 Wilkin Street, NW5 3NN
A crafty small brewery in the heart of Kentish Town and close to Camden Town, hence the name. Due to its growing success the brewery bar is now opened everyday except Mondays. The different street food stalls together with regular tours and events attract many locals. There is more to Camden Town Brewery than their most popular Hells lager and Pale Ale with regular limited releases.
