Uk Barblog

Monkey Chews (Chalk Farm - London)

Monkey Chews

With a name like this you would imagine Monkey Chews is an eccentric place indeed and you would be right. It would be right at home in the middle of camden but instead it is harboured in a residential part of Chalk farm. Finding the front door can be an issue and once inside you are met with deep red lighting and a central small bar with access down either side of it. The right side catches a couple of tables up front while the left side passes a few booths before descending on a hall of gothic looking chairs, another bar and food hall at the back. The music begins metally but becomes gradually more obscure with binding genres of music as the night wears on. Whats more is that its not over-crowded but it has a supreme charm of unsubtle weirdness.

Overall a traditional pub turned into what looks like the pit of hell but feels like the inside of a hippie van from the 60s, coming outside begins to feel abnormal. The problem is that the place is a little too small and just too weird to attract a crowd looking for a good night out, but worth a visit if you dont mind stepping off the nromal camden route - 6/10

The Dublin Castle (Camden - London)

The Dublin Castle

Dublin Castle is  clearly a well established rock venue for underground noises, leather dressed individuals and persons interested in the curious art of tie-dying. The venue is a small but airy room with a bar at the front end served by a busy bar woman with little taste for a smile. The drinks are around £3 a pint which is a little expensive for camden and there are just a few tables and seats across the wooden floor leading to the back. At the back is a larger room with stage for perfomances and the sound system is very loud although well confined to the second room. In the front room is commercial punk music and a little heavier metal and downstairs the toilets maze into one another- all the while poisoning your mind with red walls, band posters and a moderately busy audience.

Overall the pub is small but purpose-built for metal gigs and serves this rather well- a little further from the other camden venues but in good form - perhaps alittle expensive and with the attitude of the staff it can't really hope for better than a 5/10.

The Earl of Camden (Camden - London)

The Earl of Camden

Apparently this pub was a Hogs Head at one point and you can tell that the interior is that of a chain pub despite the fact that it may have broken away from that chain more recently. The pub is based on a large lower level with a platform up to the bar. The pub feels as though it should have another floor in its factory-like interior but it is not the case. The place is airy all the same and gives nice views of the surrounding roads and pedestrians. There is seating outside as well which remains busy while the bar stays relatively quiet. The bar staff are of moderate manner and a bottle of wine can be as cheap as £8. There are games, quiz machines and footabll displayed on the big screen.

Overall it remains a nice pub with little to offer the adventurer. Defintiely cheaper than others up this road but it lacks character- 5/10.

The Hope and Anchor (Camden - London)

The Hope and Anchor

Situated on the rounded stump that is the corner of mornington cresent, this traditional pub sits relatively unsupervised by other venues as most of the fame is stolen by the infamous KOKO or delightful Purple Turtle but this pub stands to merit in a bath of its own character and charm. With large front windows it is clear to see the community inside and the pleasure of the people.The bar is set down low since the floor basically climbs onto a couple of plateau's. Drinks are of average camden price and a "bacardi and red bull" retails at £4.50 - one of the more obscure offerings of this place. Although the place is somewhat friendly it feels like you are a caged animal in a zoo when more-often-than-not long queues are forming outside KoKo's leaving tens of thousands of people to peer in watching you drinking your pint. There are plenty more establishments for privacy.

Overall the pub is a friendly old fashioned watering hole in a good location and despite the zoo feature it still stands as a monument to traditional london drinking- 5/10.

[last visit: Jan '07]

Cobden Arms (Camden - London)

Cobden Arms

A small split-level pub serving cheap thai food and expensive bitters down in mornington cresent. This is one of the pubs in closest promiximity to the KOKO venue and its pretty good as a meeting place before a large gig or a place to chillout in front of a crossword as you slowly sink deeper into old age. And it seems thats what is happening here- with not a farm for 10 miles every man in here looks like he just took his wellies off to come for a pint. How this is possible I do not know but it makes for a wheezing if otherwise quiet venue. The place is literally a ground floor with toilets in the basement and a higher plateau with more seating at wobbley wooden tables. The bar sits to the right equipped with barman and professional stares all round.

Overall the place can be said to have a streak of character but again its in the wrong place to attract the farmers that its decor reflects the need for although the background soft rock is somewhat soothing - 3/10

The Devonshire Arms (Camden - London)

The Devonshire Arms

A vampiric abode indeed!! This is claimed to be THE Goth pub of London attracting the most outrageous characters from all over the world to indulge in an atmosphere of gothic delight. The place is infamous for its strict dress code but I entered without issue- Barry was probably to thank for that (with his menacing beard and goth stare!). Inside there is eccentric works of art even in the toilets and on the table surfaces. The bar is slow to serve however and the stock is pretty poor- furthermore drinks are expensive and only magners is available as a cider- i was very disappointed. The music is naturally very good if you like goth rock with metal and there is obviously plenty to look at once inside.

Overall there is no doubt that this place has a lot of character but only the punters make it what it is- other than that it is a small, badly stocked bar with a very strict dress code- only worth entry for the novelty and good music so i'd say its a 5/10.

The Old Eagle (Kentish Town - London)

The Old Eagle

With large bay windows and off a quiet side road in Camden is a very comfortable friendly pub. It almost feels trendy inside with a medium sized venue of couches candlelit tables and and conservatory towards the back. There is no music strangely but the place feels very much like middle ground in Camden without any hint of rock music or more trendy hip hop or jazz, it seems to stand proud and alone where you can get in some good conversation. The high ceiling makes the place feel quite open and  there is a complete lack of intimidating atmosphere for strangers. The seats however are a bit rickety and the toilets are in a bit of a labyrinth location. Drinks are £2.50 for a double and it is good to get here early on.

Overall a 7/10. It is pretty unique for Camden and thats saying something, worlds away yet in the heart of the action. Well worth a visit for a quiet double and a conversation.

The Hawley Arms (Camden - London)

The Hawley Arms

A very busy evening pub with pop-punk-rock anthems being pumped through the walls. When you enter you are faced directly with a bar which rounds off to the left and right feeling much like a posh hallway with quality decor, paintings (and star wars memorabilia) and large light fixtures but almost in an exotic darkness. The bar itself is well stocked and even serves sweets at 60p for a cup of their most tradional cola cubes, jelly beans, jelly babaies etc. The service is also fast and friendly. The crowd was very however and you get the feeling it is not a very strict place on ID but then it does have a young feel about it with Willy Wonka soundtrack being played in the toilets and mouthfuls of sweets between chugs of the £2.90 a pint lager. We are even convinced that the odd celebrity can be spotted in the surging crowds.

Overall I only wish this place was bigger but a pub with sweets and as inviting as this one was deserves no less than a 7/10.

The Camden Tup (Camden - London)

The Camden Tup

The Camden Tup sits in the shadow of the world's end. its a rather up-beat trendy bar / pub with quiet music, couches, and a good selection of bottles at the bar. Its a fairly big pub in itself and makes good use of the spaces with a few big tables and there are always some empty chairs. The pub congregates as a almost a low-celing hall with stairs up to another floor. There is also food available but its pretty expensive at £7 for a salad. A mate of mine heads to the toilets to find lit candles on the cistern!! Watch out for that hairspray ladies!! The place also has a few tv's and shows the footy which is quite rare for camden but really its not Camden, its much more like a Barnet/ north london trendy townie corwd.

If your into this sort of thing then yes this is your pub (aside from the prices - £3.50 a pint) but although I was impressed with the look of the place it was in the wrong place and i did have enough money to enjoy it- 5/10

The Good Mixer (Camden - London)

The Good Mixer

Set back from the rest of Camden this apparent cocktail bar turns out to be a rather rocky hangout for everyone interested in the more sociable side of metal. Inside it is revealed to be a double-sided bar with a pool table on one side and packed crowds congregated on the other. The air is pumped with classic rock tunes and the temperament of everyone is a little unfriendly and private since the majority of Camden has not happened on this place yet. Looking for cocktails I only find shooters at £2.50 each. The only down side to the place is that the interior feels like an old mans pub and yet it still feels like some kind of wooden youth hostel.

Overall this place gets 6/10. There is nothing false about this place its a very real hangout for some very real rock fans.

The Oxford (Kentish Town - London)

The Oxford

This "bar" feels rather trendy from the outside but within is a big room filled with soul music. the interior is decorated rather like the inside of a shoebox withe the ceiling and top of the walls painted a rich red colour. The room is full of small square tables with a long bar running down the middle and next to it an open kitchen. The drinks are a little expensive at £3.10 a pint but there is a variety of ciders on tap and the staff are friendly. The walls themselves are rather bare and there is little space to navigate around the pub. The place itself gets quite popular early on but it really does need a revamp even if there are chandeliers in some corners of the bar.

Overall I wasn't impressed, the place needs to be opened out and the prices dropped so its 4/10.

The Spread Eagle (Camden - London)

The Spread Eagle

A short trot from Camden tube station and a world away from it's likeness of bars sits the spread eagle with its crowds of well dressed persons heaving outside and a sight of empty tables within. The bar is a twisted emblem shape with the skeleton of a very commercial, cheesy, yet up market gastro-pub feel. The bar staff are fast and professional but not necessarily friendly and the drinks are quite pricey at about £3.20 a pint. If you can call after work drinks lively then that is about all this place can offer you and totally not the place to bring a crowd with toilet entry so cramped you feel like a hampster in a 10-year-old's telescope.

Overall 4/10. Unimpressed but it is still nice to be honest.

Fancyapint.com - Map, Directions, Contact Details & More Reviews on this pub

Aunt Annie's Porter House (Kentish Town - London)

Aunt Annie's Porter House

Down the camden road away from kentish town station you find yourself and there you see Aunt Annie's. A cool sounding name but it looks like a rustic badly painted yellow building laid clumsily at the side of the road. Within- a homely enclosed and dominantly male irish run pub. There is no music early on and it is quite dark but it does get busy without becoming rowdy. At the bar there is a very good variety on offer including over 30 special irish whiskey's although the staff themselves are rather rude and the prices aren't much to brag about at £3 a pint, definitely too expensive for what it is. Girls in particular aren't going to feel welcome in this pub and its also not for the young at heart with the average age being about 40.

Overall I enjoyed myself as a bloke but it really lets the girls down and thus gets an evened out mark of 5/10.

The Halfway House (Camden - London)

The Halfway House

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[UPDATE] :Sept 2006: The Halfway House in Camden has now closed. It has been replaced with a cocktail bar.

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You can't miss this scarecrow of a pub on the street-come out of Camden town station from the right direction and its standing right there yet its probably the last place anyone thinks of heading in to. On blustery evening we decided to brave it and heading inside realised it was a tad larger than a corner shop, perhaps a higher ceiling and a couple of tables but it was really a bar with a lot of windows. Drinks were also a bit on the expensive side and the barmen were not friendly at all. Expect a school of old men  twittering their thumbs in the silence which is shocking compared to how many people wander past outside. It requires a lively young atmosphere and fails.

Overall 3/10.

The Underworld (Camden - London)

The Underworld

I ahve passed by it many times and wondered just how underground this club could be. I attended Silver- the Saturday night Indie rock club which play at the venue, met a guy at the window to the place who seemed rather friendly and then went down the steps into the venue. The passage opens out to a circular bar with not particualrly friendly bar men serving pints at £3.10 a piece. The are games machine saround and then at the opposite end of the bar the place becomes a lowered dance floor which is accompanied by another upper level bar. Its larger than it looks from upstairs and its gets crowded but the music is surprisingly good and as goes the fable- have a couple of drinks and you wont notice how crap it is! How true! In all it felt an nuclear bunker dressed in red lighting.

I staggered out; giving this place a fairly decent 6/10 in the process.

Belushis (Camden - London)

Belushis

An extra hurdle from camden station- or more like closer to marnington cresent station is the sister bar of covent garden's infamous Belushis bar. A studently teenage kicks orck and pop bar with dance floor. We found ti to be rather empty at about 10pm one saturday evening although it quickly picked up and became full- in any case there wwere available seats and it was easy to get served quickly at the bar by the very friendly bar staff. The place serves cocktails byt the pitcher at about £10 a pop as well as by the glass and a good  mix of classic largers and cider as well. It was very seventies-style american/australian inside with mnuch reference to sport equipped witha pool table.

In all it felt rather small and not right for a camden bar so dont plan on staying all evening. Overall a 6/10.

The Liberties Bar (Camden - London)

The Liberties Bar

On entry one would expect a bar like atmosphere- perhaps rowdy and dowdy, bright lights and disco music but no, this place was only moderately busy for a saturday night, with soft candlelight and reggae and light chillout hits on in the background. you could easily hear yourself talk over the music which was wonderful and there were plenty of empty seats. The drinks are a little expensive at £2.80 a pint but if you ask for a bag of crisps they serve them up to you in a wooden bowl which I felt was quaint. The back of the bar was stacked with a massive array of minatures and the whole room is shaped around the bar before it trails off to the narrow narrow toilets (clean none-the-less). The staff were very friendly and it felt like a world away from the buzz of camden.

Overall a nice warm up to a big evening especially if there is romance in the air: 7/10.

The Edinboro Castle (Camden - London)

The Edinboro Castle

On the most tranquil of quiet afternoons away from the bustle of Camden and its markets you may be delighted to whisk yourself away to the Edinboro Castle and the fruits of its beer and its picnic tables. Guided by a colleague we found the place quite easily at the top of a hill and upon entering found beer at about £2.50. The place wasn't too busy so it was a nice place to relax even if it felt a little expensive. Unfortunately the bar staff are not at all friendly. The place itself was far more garden than pub and better presented itself for summer use but during the day there was clearly no waiting time at bar. A nice pub but I have my doubts abouts its quality during the night or during the winter.

Overall 5/10

Father Teds (Camden - London)

Father Teds

SHOCKINGLY BAD!! I went to this pub expecting to find a theme bar with Irish folk music and jolly punters instead I ventured into what can only be described as a well lit shack. Old mentally retarded gentlemen resided on the bar blocking any sale of alcohol and with only one member of staff it took ages to rid my thirst. At coke being £2 for 200ml I quickly changed my mind and sat down at one of the many empty tables. The room was full of TVs that demonstrated that this place had no licence to broadcast anything except Dance Hits of the 90s over the radio. Ash covered the walls and the underage chavs came in and out to shoot up every so often.

Truly 0/10. The worst pub in Camden!! I even saw the barman leave before I did. The only theme to the place was "Doogle" and "Mrs Doyle" written badly on the toilet doors. *shudders*

The Abbey (Kentish Town - London)

The Abbey

A very vibrant pub set in this relatively quiet area of London, and it almost seems out of place. Perhaps it is better suited to the like of Soho but this pub comes with character and style. Only down the road from peachykeen it clearly boasts the same clientele and with drinks to match. There is a selection of fine cocktails and beers although the crowd means there is a long waiting time at the bar and not often anywhere to sit. When you do finally get served the drinks are quite reasonably priced although the bar staff are unfriendly and rushed. I admit that I was expecting more but for a quick pint its straight off the mark.

Overall an average 5/10.

Shisha Bar (Stables Market - Camden)

Shisha Bar (Stables Market)

Hidden away in the stables market is a growing collection of Shisha or Huppah bars. This particular one sits among the food stalls in the center of the market and takes some navigating to find. Its a beautful and cosy morrocan bar serving up non-alcoholic beverages and well priced Shisha.(at about eight pounds a pop). The relaxed feel enticed you in and leaves you lying amongst the tiny tables with pipe end in hand enjoying the smoke. Noteably no toilets here, which is never a plus but certainly a welcome change from badly cooked chinese stalls which surround it.

Overall 6/10 - only because it is a little small and not as lavish as some others I have been to.

Quinns (Camden - London)

Quinns

Kudos to any bar that serves 'Sausage Beer' honestly this place has hundreds of European ales and lots of novelty fruity delights on tap. A nicely decorated old style pub but large and popular with a whole manner of punters but it clearly lies in secret undiscovered by the cosmopolitan world. The bar was always free to get served at and the drinks were about £2.50 a pint. and yes.. believe it or not we drank sausage beer- tasted the same as a pepporoni pizza and it was just the luck of the draw unless you can read the names of fifty german beers and know what they contain. Had a great time and found the variety a huge and welcome change, the bar staff were also very friendly and the music was great, in fact aside from some slightly dirty toilets very little to complain about, perfect for a night out for those that like that little something extra on their pallet.

Overall 8/10

Peachykeen (Camden - London)

Peachykeen

Funky groovy peachykeens. Although we had trouble finding this place it turned out as classy as the reviews had suggested , if a little small. The bar was upstairs and the lounge area down. Unfortunately it is worth checking ahead before visiting as a private function downstairs left me and the punters upstairs residing on bean bags crammed in boxes? A little odd. The cocktails are about £6 each but tasted delicious and the lighting was noticably daring. After a tipple or two we moved on but agreed that we would be happy to spend a whole night in there under the stream of sweet jazz.

Great place except for the size, overall 7/10

The Elephants Head (Camden - London)

The Elephants Head

A very narrow pub with a long bar popular with folk of the alternative scene. The drinks are expensive and the bar staff unfriendly. The variety of drinks is rather poor and looking around the clocks on the wall are highly noticeable, so while drinking my £3 pint I watch the hands tick and think "I'll give it a nother 30 seconds then i'm off". The music is a good range of new and old classic rock although the toilets are vile and smelly.

Unimpressed to the brim we depart rating this one 3/10, carried up only by the fact that we were let in gone midnight at the weekend.

The Oxford Arms (Camden - London)

The Oxford Arms

This pub, set onto one of the busiest high streets in London stands out the most among all other pubs. The late night entry means entering on a saturday night at midnight means fast service at the bar and clean porcelin in the toilets. Crazy expectations I know but its there! Ok there are no seats at such an hour but the music is in good taste though the drinks are badly priced. The surprise in this pub is the room to manevour your pint. Even at a peak time there is free flowing of body movement and littl eor no interaction with beerly neighbours on usually offending tables. Little else to speak of.

Overall admist the expectations of this author at 5/10

KOKO (Mornington Cresent - London)

KoKO (Formerly the Camden Palace)

Camden Palace was ever the best club I ever did go to. Feet-First used to have a wonderful tuesday evening here for a mere £3 entry. You'd line up outside go in past the box office desk and past the cloakroom down a shaft into a huge theatre with amazing lightshows and a maze of overpasses, bars and dance areas. It has now been reduced to club NME- featuring live acts which do not follow the hardcore rock culture that was Feet first. Anyway, you pop out into this theatre, there are flights of stairs leading downward and behind you on either side and the sides of the galley trail off around the venue on the first floor taking you above and behind the stage, off into complex staircases running in the clubs walls and down to the dancefloor or up- to the seven or 8 storeys of seating and bars that flow into the main stage like a storm. The top floor is another bar completely- so far away from the main music that it is almost its own club. The drinks are well priced even now at about a pound for a bottle of beer. The queuing times are quite long but if you hunt you can find seating. Occasionally floors are shut off due to private parties and the music is awful. Tjose times are now. The bar is an amazing venue but the club nights are appauling.

I give it a 7/10. It is truely fantastic if you like exploring with pint in hand. Truely appauling if you wanna pull and dance the night away!

Bucks Head (Camden - London)

Bucks Head

The bucks head is one of those pubs you walk past on the high street but never venture inside. The flashing lights and pumping techno music coming from the shops surrounding it seems to turn one away from drinking and towards shopping. I recommend, however that you venture inside and partake of a warm and friendly urban vibe or chilled out music good food and cheap drinks. The cocktails are two for £5.50 and the beer is also inexpensive. The tables are a little packed together however and it seems a little too small to ammodate the crowds that can surge in at the weekend. The toilets are revolting though and really need some work.

Destroyed at the end as I left feeling like I had been in a crackhouse due to those bogs. Overall 6/10.

the Man in the Moon(Chalk Farm - London)

the man in the Moon

No sir, I dont like this place at all. It a horrible design of building with a short front that breaks off into an upstairs (very cramped) and a downstairs (full of tables and chairs and old men that give you the all forsaken 'eye'). The bar staff are very rude and inhospitable and it not your traditional wetherspoons- they have artifically high prices. So if you should happen to go too far down camden high street this is good for a cashpoint but bad for everything that makes a good pub.

Overall then I'm sorry to give this wetherspoons a 1/10 . Hated it!

The Electric Ballroom (Camden - London)

The Electric Ballroom
Think Friday night. Think dim lighting on the streets of camden outside, the furious rain and the costumes. Then after a £5 toll with your NUS card its into the electric ballroom and the infamous night of 'full tilt' transformed to 'sin city' , A dark and simingly large party of fetish wear and gothic outfits awaits with strange electronic gadgetry at the bar to tell you how much your drink is over the enormous thudding of pumping industrial. And gliding up the stairs- pick a staircase first. Ascend to darkened corridors and into a room of powerful rock metal and hardcore. And up further still to a liquid bar of models and settees with light wisps of emo in the air. And down again to the first floor and pool tables and a balcony overlooking the wriggling bodies below, the cage dancers, the excited DJs and the power of the music.

Can you tell i like this place? Yes i do and if they varied their music a bit more week to week I would never leave. so overall 9/10.

Henry J Beans (Camden - London)

Henry J Beans

[UPDATE: Nov 2006] Henry J Beans in Camden has now Closed Permanently

A very fine establishment- located on the high street and super on a Friday evening. We went into this watering hole looking for adventure. What we found was nice big cocktail bar with cocktails at 2 for £4. A very good deal if you should ask me. The toilets were up the stairs and rancid but the place is very spacious and doesn't get too busy. Definitely a thumbs up if your into cocktails and good music.

Overall 8/10 probably just because of the drinks deal (which ends after 11pm every night)

the Lockside Lounge(Camden - London)

the Lockside Lounge

A charming Bar with accompanying restuarant located next to Camden Lock. It has a very relaxed and gothic feel about the place and is set on almost three floors. The food is amazing there and there is always seating and candlelight. The drinks are too expensive though and I had to resort to red wine, in fact that was the last time I ever drank the stuff. My partner ended up bringing the lot back up on the tube later on but none-the-less it was a beautiful bar and get for a romantic drink.

Overall 7/10

The Bull and Gate (Kentish Town - London)

The Bull and Gate

An old classic. Everyones been here at some point in their teenage years. And if you havent you should check it out. A lot, and I mean a Lot of artists began life in this odd venue where is a small pub with a small hall attatched to the back with a stage and sound system which serves to house small bands for night of audio entertainment of all genres, infamous for battle-of-the-bands events and a good place to start any music career. The actual pub out front is pretty old-hat with old timers sitting in the corners claiming to have been sitting in the same spot for centuries. The alcohol is not too expensive either.

Overall 6/10 because paying £3 to get into a pub has its limits.

The Purple Turtle (Mornington Cresent - London)

The Purple Turtle

I always did like this place, in fact it was the first place i ever had a multiple screaming orgasm in but i think they've retracted many of there cocktails now rendering it just a two storey bar with the occasional dancer strutting there stuff above you as you order your drinks. Theres purple lights everywhere and the music is brilliant. Lots of seats and a pretty cheery crowd. Although perhaps there should be more space to dance in.

Overall 6/10 because there prices have gone up a lot with its popularity over the years.

The Ice Wharf (Camden - London)

The Ice Wharf

This place was far better when you could actually get a seat. Nowdays its very busy and although its huge you can have trouble getting in. Its dead cheap being a lloyds bar and has a wonderful view of the river. The food is also pretty good and the music is modern and jazzy, lots of RnB. Strangethat this place should be in camden because its not very alternative but its a good place to stop at on a night out.

Overall 7/10, although it can get awful dirty and messy in there because the staff never bother to clear up.

The World's End (Camden - London)

The World's End

Now a lot of people i know like this pub a lot because of the music but i feel that the drinks are extortionate and the although the atmosphere is very friendly there is no where to sit. I've also heard it called one of the largest pubs in  europe but I cant see the truth in that. In fact i dont really like it, i think the lighting is terrible, its bright and boozey and it does seem to take forever to get served for such a large bar.

Overall this one gets a 6/10 cos although i'm not a fan the music is pretty great.