From classy gastropubs to full-on fast food, Kentish Town restaurants are making a name for themselves. This lovely north-west part of London is no longer simply known as a great place for cheap chippies and shouty boozers (though they're both still available, and thriving, too). Here’s where you can go to grab some lovely pub food, perfect pizzas, trad Turkish and so much more.
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Leonie Cooper is Time Out London’s Food and Drink Editor. For more about how we curate, see our editorial guidelines.
An intimate Filipino restaurant, that’s also one of the hottest restaurants in town. Come for the cured scallops in coconut cream, smoked trout kinilaw – a Filipino take on a ceviche – and smoked aubergine and tomatoes with bagong (shrimp paste). We also love the tempura cod pandesal, designed to be like a posh filet o’ fish with a slice of American cheese and salty cod’s roe, served in a slightly sweet Filipino bun that tastes like milk bread. All-round fabulous.
There’s a reason why this joint is so popular: in the kitchen are Brat alumni Ben Allen as head chef and sous chef Ed Jennings. Similar to Brat, Allen and Jennings’ food sits in the wheelhouse of modern British and European-inspired sharing plates. The eats here shouldn't be taken lightly – this is rich, interesting food, elegantly presented. Think braised leeks and mushrooms with a gut-punchingly good pecorino sauce, or a perfectly-balanced pollock crudo. Get stuck into sizable sharing plates such as a massive sea bream or hunk of ox cheek. Sublime.
You'll find Half Cut Market in that no man’s land between Holloway, Kentish Town and King’s Cross. It knows its target market; young and cool, with knowledgeable staff, good tunes, a wine rack labelled with multicoloured fridge magnet letters (‘zippy whites,’ ‘weird whites,’ oranges and more), as well as tables outside for that final glass of chilled red and a ciggie. Every small plates spot worth its dough in London will start you off with focaccia, but the focaccia here reigns supreme. The pasta dishes here are also always fresh and delicious and there are great salads and seriously meaty centrepieces, such as smokey szechuan lamb skewers. A gem.
A sweet little sourdough pizza joint bang in the middle of Kentish Town. Berberè have branches across Italy, so you're in good, knowledgeable hands here.
An historic Jewish bakery founded by Ukrainian refugee Wolf Kossoff in the 1920s, Kossoffs at one time owned several branches around east London, before being resurrected at this Kentish Town spot by Wolf’s great-grandson and fourth generation head baker Aaron in 2021. Inside you’ll find all the traditional baked goods plus loads of creative offerings ranging from Earl Grey swirls to zataar potato foccaccia.
Like Ciao Bella? You’ll love Rossella, a fun little Italian on Highgate Road (just down from the Southampton Arms), serving up a frankly huge menu of all the classics, from pasta to pizza and meaty Italian mains. It’s nothing posh or life changing, but it’s a (very) solid neighbourhood Italian with great staff and an Italian deli out front. In summer, book an outside table for dining al fresco with an Aperol Spritz, and always finish with an a limoncello, obvs.
A perfect destination for anyone unacquainted with the joys of Ethiopian cuisine, this bijou restaurant doesn’t dumb down its food for Kentish Town palates, although the heat setting is adjusted here and there. Smiley, chatty staff will happily talk you through the menu and, if necessary, offer tactical advice on eating with injera – the sour, spongy flatbread that comes with every meal.
The Kentish Town outpost of much-loved north London Turkish chain, Gökyüzü. Here you'll find exceptional grilled meat, and endless delicious hot and cold meze, including a heroic humus kavurman, which sees creamy humus topped with pan-fried lamb cutlets and pine nuts.
Set up by the couple who formerly ran Café Gourmand in Soho, this cosy little cave à manger has a properly Parisian feel. The tables are a bit small, and they’re closely packed – just like cafés on Le Rive Gauche. At its best, the food is wonderful bourgeois bistro stuff (steak tartare, moules marinière), and there’s a cheeringly inexpensive all-French wine list too.
This backstreet boozer dates back to the mid-nineteenth century, and you can feel the history in the weathered wood of the joyously unmodernised main bar. There’s also a conservatory at the back, and outdoor tables when the weather’s good. The Thai food here is cheap and good and the vibes outstanding.
From the outside, Anima e Cuore looks like a gelateria/café. But don’t be fooled, because the tiny restaurant at the back serves bargain-priced Italian food that can stand comparison with the best in the capital. There’s precious little decor, the menu is scrawled on paper and it’s strictly BYOB, but the sensational cooking guarantees packed houses. Tip: don’t miss the daily ravioli specials.
Taking its name from a classic book on Kentish Town local history, this cute little coffee bar’s genuine neighbourhood feel has made it an enduring hit with caffeine-loving K-Towners. TFB is totally vegan, so everything from the milk to the dhal and the cookies is plant-based. It’s also very handy for commuters spilling out from the rail station next door.
The food here is a cut above your average kebab shop. The salad fillings are varied and tasty and the portions are enormous. Come for the lamb shish and be wary of the chilli sauce; the stuff they use is lethal.
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