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13 further Camden Destinations worth a visit
So the final part of the Camden Quadrilogy does a final sweep of the key hotspots I hadn’t covered yet in the previous three. This is quite a broad sweet of various different types of establishment - but with a somewhat focus on famous Camden Pubs - also various Retail, Leisure and Dining Destinations - and one interesting place to stay.
With these 13 further destinations I have covered 44 in total - which I feel is as good a representation as any out there - in fact better than most and more up-to-date. I was promoted to to this exercise as so much of the information currently on line is way out of date and just overly simple in nature.
I was determined to mark out the key hotspots - map them out, and list with pertinent details - including likely costs - which I details I don’t think are recorded on any other info resource. It has of course involved several trips to Camden and lots of cross-referencing desk-based research.
Camden really has a wealth of history over the years - while the core Market was only properly established in 1974. I have been a regular visitor to Camden over the years, and while some gems have disappeared along the way, I feel that the current incarnation of Camden is the very best to-date.
Obviously the Pandemic had a significant impact - and you can see that the Market is still on the way to recovery as not every single stall is yet taken - including in the new Hawley Wharf and Buck Street developments - while there remain relatively few empty slots.
As mentioned previously the only incongruities for me as the massive Sports Direct at the centre of the Stables Market - which is funnily next door to ’Tomp Raider Liver’ which has replaced one of my favourite Lower Market spots. - where I particularly liked the Victorian style tea parlour with piano - which is not lost to posterity. I feel that both of those new residents are somewhat impostors and out of place.
This has been a significant journey of discovery and reminiscing for me - and I hope those that read these resources enjoyed the ride! And hopefully this will come in handy whenever you next find yourself in Camden Town!
Map - Click to Enlarge!
Babylon Park - Intergalactic Themed Subterranean Amusement Park and Gaming Arcade
WHAT? - New take on Funfair / Amusement Park / Gaming Arcade which takes place mostly underground - across 3 floors. Part of the new Hawley Wharf complex - I failed to find this on my first couple of excursions - but there is all manner of additional signage now and the location is much more easily reached - with the entrance actually just a couple of doors down from the Hawley Arms. You need to download and charge up an App - where you then scan QR codes to redeem the credits you have charged to the App. The Funfair attractions are mostly for kids and include a handful of rides, rollercoaster, bumper cars and a drop tower - while there are some decent arcade machines onsite too - and a cool snack / sweetshop on the ground floor.
WHERE? - 8 Castlehaven Rd, NW1 8QU (nearest Tube Camden Town)
HOW MUCH? - Minimum amount you can charge to the App is £10 - if you don't possess a phone there is also an armband system which works in a similar way
Buck Street Market - 3 Storey Container Retail Park and Food Court with Rooftop Bar & Dining
WHAT? - Buck Street Market used to be a ramshackle maze of scaffolding-like stalls, while the recent re-development sees the site evolve into a beautifully arranged 3 Storey Container Park consisting of 80 Retail, Food and Community stalls. The site has a sustainability and environmental focus, and 3 of the stalls are permanently reserved for Community projects. Around 1/3rd of the stalls are Food outlets - including a rooftop terrace. The Containers are artfully arranged with gangways joining up the various sections - just a really attractive open-plan mini mall in effect - but better. And so much improved over what used to be here before - looks very polished now. Not all the stalls fully occupied on my last visit and someone really needs to properly take over the top roof terrace!
WHERE? - 192 - 198 Camden High St, NW1 8QP (nearest Tube Camden Town)
HOW MUCH? - Plenty of stuff here for <£10, especially food
Belushi's - Tudor Style Camden High Street Sports Bar and Live Music Venue
belushis.com/bars/london/camden
WHAT? - Camden's original sports bar with several large viewing screens - also hosts DJ's, Game and Party Nights, and Live Music. Also do fairly decent burgers and bar food. Great venue for group-watching major sporting events. Probably still best known for its Tudor-style main building.
WHERE? - 48-50 Camden High Street, NW1 0LT (nearest Tube Mornington Crescent)
HOW MUCH? - Mostly free - Beer Pong is £25 per hour
The Camden Club & Bite Me Burgers - Camden's Newest Live Music Venue
WHAT? - Camden's newest live venue with a capacity of around 200 people. Live events every night of the week - mostly music, but show-style and comedy too. Most events currently seem to be free to enter, while some charge between £8 and £20. If you ever wondered have happened to Camden's Belgo branch - then this is it!
WHERE? - 72 Chalk Farm Rd, NW1 8AP (nearest Tube Chalk Farm)
HOW MUCH? - Mostly free - otherwise from around £8 to £20
The Camden Head / Camden Comedy Club - Camden's Main Live Comedy Venue
WHAT? - Best known as the home of the Camden Comedy Club this Pub does some pretty decent burgers and bar food too, and hosts DJ fuelled Late Nights on Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays.
WHERE? - 100 Camden High Street, NW1 0LU (nearest Tube Camden Town)
HOW MUCH? - Free entry for Pub, Comedy Club is typically £5 - £10
The Dublin Castle Pub - Legendary Irish Pub and Live Music Venue
WHAT? - Legendary Irish Pub Live Music Venue set up by London-based Irish Railway Workers / Navvies. It gained prominence as a venue in the late 70's after the band Madness established a live reputation there. Subsequently, it was an important venue in the early stages of several bands' careers and contributed to the Britpop musical genre. Amy Winehouse was a regular visitor to the pub.
WHERE? - 94 Parkway, Camden, NW1 7AN (nearest Tube Camden Town)
HOW MUCH? - Typically £10, but from as little as £5 to around £20
The Hawley Arms Pub - Amy's Local
WHAT? - Possibly the most famous local scene Rock 'n Roll Pub in Camden - used to be a little run down and seedy but was massively revamped as part of the Hawley Wharf project and is now very sleek and gentrified. Obviously most associated with Amy Winehouse - while several bands and celebrities made this their regular haunt during the Britpop years. Including Mark Ronson, Razorlight, Noel Fielding, Kate Moss, Kirsten Dunst and Kelly Osbourne. There's still lots of Rock 'n Roll memorabilia once - in particular signed photos, and while it was the seat of many an impromptu live gig - the modern incarnation looks to be a somewhat more conventional Pub - pretty spectacular interior now though!
WHERE? - 2 Castlehaven Rd, NW1 8QU (nearest Tube Camden Town)
HOW MUCH? - Free entry typically
Hawley Wharf - 4-Storey Canal-side Retail, Dining and Leisure Complex with forthcoming Rooftop Restaurants
WHAT? - Massive Camden Re-development Project also involving Castlehaven Road - and including Babylon Park and The Hawley Arms. This mixed-use canal-side destination will be home to 150 independent and branded stores, over 60 new places to eat, 195 apartments, and 60,000 square feet of Labs co-working space. It is artfully arrange across 4 floors with several criss-crossing gangways joining up the different main sections and food courts. Reminds me of a ship in some way - the food court floors have shutters all way around - which are fully opened up during the summer months and periods of warm sunny weather. You could send a whole day here alone.
WHERE? - 1 Dockray Place, NW1 8QH (nearest Tube Camden Town)
HOW MUCH? - Plenty of stuff, food in particular at <£10
The Lock Tavern - Celebrated Rooftop Terrace Pub
WHAT? - Well-loved local Chalk Farm Road Pub - with cool Roof Terrace, Beer Garden with Fire Pit, and Cocktail Bar Party Space above the Main Bar. Known for fairly raucous nights out - recently revamped and refined - always seems busy! Good for Food too - known for Burgers and Wings, and Sunday Roasts - pretty much an institution by now.
WHERE? - 35 Chalk Farm Road, NW1 8AJ (nearest Tube Chalk Farm)
HOW MUCH? - Happy Hour Monday-Thursday 5-7PM, places can be reserved, but generally free to enter
Mega City Comics - Legendary Camden Comic Book Store - since 1987
WHAT? - Award-winning Comic Books Shop set up by Martin Kravetz in 1981 as a mail-order catalogue which then morphed into the 18 Inverness Street institution we know and love today. I used to trek between the central London comic book shops golden triangle of Gosh!, Orbital and Forbidden Planet - while Orbital is no more and Mega City is now my third apex of the triangle albeit somewhat distant. If I hit up Mega City I don't need to trawl through the other central ones - so I always drop in when in Camden. The shop is still run in the old-fashioned way where every sale is hand-written in a ledger by owner / founder Martin Kravetz - who has now been doing this sort of thing for over 40 years. Mega City is one of my 4 favourite London stores of this type alongside Gosh, Forbidden Planet, and Croydon's Place in Space.
WHERE? - 18 Inverness Street, NW1 7HJ (nearest Tube Camden Town)
HOW MUCH? - Fair and standard comic and comic book prices, from around £3.50 for Single Issues and up - £10 to £20+ for Graphic Novels
Near & Far - 4-Storey California Themed Restaurant and Cocktail Bar with Rooftop Terrace
WHAT? - California inspired wholly Gluten-Free Restaurant and Cocktail Bar over 4 floors and including a cool Rooftop Terrace - gets pretty lively at night! Lots of Vegan and Vegetarian choices on the menu too - and a decent brunch venue.
WHERE? - 48 Chalk Farm Road, NW1 8AJ (nearest Tube Chalk Farm)
HOW MUCH? - Food from as little as £4.50 (Fries) to around £15
Selina Local Base Hotel with Powerplant Plant-based Restaurant
WHAT? - Modern Flexible Concept Hotel Chain anchored to a Plant-Based Vegetarian and Vegan Restaurant. I've called this a 'Local Base' style of hotel where it's one right at the centre of things on Chalk Farm Road - just across from the Roundhouse and up the street from the Markets and various venues. What's unique here is that you can book 4 different types of room - Standard Private (2-person en-suite bathroom), Private+ (2-person expanded / suite w/ en-suite bathroom), Private Shared (Up to 4 Rooms sharing One Bathroom), and Shared (8-bed / 4-bunk Community Room). So depending on your circumstances - including a group of friends / students on a night out - you can find the most suitable and reasonable accommodation. Hotel has decent Wi-Fi and plenty of charge points for Digital Nomads. And when you're hungry you pop downstairs to the Powerplant Vegetarian and Vegan Restaurant. Really clever concept in lots of cool places now - including Brighton also and Birmingham, Liverpool, Manchester and Margate even. Really great venue for weekend city breaks!
WHERE? - 89 Chalk Farm Rd, NW1 8AR (nearest Tube Chalk Farm)
HOW MUCH? - Based on one night stay - 17th September 2022 - 1 Bed in Community Room of 8 was c£200, Micro Room @ c£400, Standard Private @ £500, and Private+ Suite @ up to £800 - so relatively pricey overall!
Powerplant Plates / Dishes range from £5 to £12 typically
Shaka Zulu - Spectacular Ornate South-African Themed Restaurant, Bar and Club
WHAT? - Spectacular and beautifully appointed South-African Themed Restaurant, Bar and Club with all manner of Cultural Objet d'Art and beautiful carved sculptures and furnishings, Menu is kind of Global Fusion Cuisine - with some signature African dishes and ingredients. Easily one of the most impressive looking dining experience in London - and certainly the cream of Camden! This glorious venue also has an exceptional Cocktail Bar and lively Friday / Saturday King's Club.
WHERE? - The Stables Market, Chalk Farm Rd, NW1 8AB (nearest Tube Camden Town)
HOW MUCH? - Starters : £10.50 - £23 (Half Lobster), Mains : £19 - £49.50 (Whole Lobster), Steaks : £37.50 - £85 (Tomahawk Steak), Desserts : £10 - £15
Club entry is typically £10 before 23:30, £15 before 01:00 with 'King' or 'Queen' tables costing up to £350 - but with free drinks
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