Over the past decade, the top end of Camden Market has undergone a thoroughly cheesy makeover. We’re not just being purist: a stone’s throw from where Proud Gallery once hosted the great and good of indie sleaze, has become a temple to fromage. From 2017, it housed The Cheese Bar, which in summer 2025 was replaced by Pick & Cheese: an overtly Instagrammable conveyor belt restaurant trundling small plates of upmarket dairy around a centre table.
A particularly gouty peep show
For those of a certain vintage, there will always be something strange about plucking a small slice of Truffled Baron Bigod from its dainty pink plate whilst looking out at these most hallowed of mucky cobbles. But though the ever-present punk guy on Camden High Street’s bridge might still be mourning the glory days, it’s hard to begrudge a place that takes one of the nation’s most beloved foodstuffs and turns the eating of it into a bingo-esque game.
When Pick & Cheese opened its first outpost in Seven Dials Market back in 2022, the notion of a cheese conveyor belt predictably broke certain factions of the influencer internet. It still puts a smile on your face walking into the Stables’ narrow space and seeing an 18-metre long revolving parade of plates, each housed under a small glass cloche, flaunting their wares like a particularly gouty peep show. But away from the initial novelty, the produce actually has to be good - which it is.
There are 26 savoury plates to choose from, plus a selection of ‘off-belt’ grilled sandwiches and a cholesterol-raising whipped goat’s cheese doughnut that, we’re told, sells out early every day, and has already done so by the time we sit down at 7.30pm. You’re given a paper menu and pencil to tick off each plate you sample and write notes like a tasting session. They’re split into four price points, demarcated by plate colour, and each comes with a pairing that ranges from the traditional (a gooey Cenarth brie with tomato and chilli jam) to the downright outrageous (a crumbly slice of Dazel Ash log, sat atop a piece of shortbread and drizzled with honey, of which half a portion is more than enough). Plates of pickles and charcuterie break up the dairy onslaught but of course, it’s the cheese that’s the star.
The brightest diamond is a slice of Spenwood, which they describe as a ‘cousin of Pecorino’. Adorned with a dollop of nutty, smoky romesco, the combination is god tier, and does what truly excellent pairings should, elevating each ingredient to something greater than the sum of its parts. A Cornish gouda matched with a small sliver of clotted cream fudge also works surprisingly well, bringing out the caramel notes of the cheese. There’s a not unreasonably priced wine list including trendy piquepouls and pet nats to wash it all down with, plus a good selection of low and no alcohol options.
Come for the playful USP, leave satisfied and feeling like you’ll need to mainline vegetables for the next seven days. If only there was still somewhere to dance it all off next door.
The vibe: Casual bar stool seating in a bustling nook of Camden Market.
The food: Cheese, of course. And lots of it.
The drinks: Wine from £7.25 a glass, plus a solid port and sherry selection for those really committing to the bit.
Time Out tip: Pace yourself and make friends with the cheesemonger at the centre of the conveyor belt: they’re the ones responsible for deciding what gets plated next.