Bull and Gate, Kentish Town: what to order and when to go

Bull and Gate, 389 Kentish Town Road, NW5 2TJ. Kentish Town station is about 0.1 mile away. Go for Sunday lunch, or for a pint and a plate before a gig at the O2 Forum. Phone 020 3437 0905 to check hours and book, because the listings we have seen disagree on closing times.

What it is

Visit London describes it as a former music venue that is now a dog-friendly community gastropub. Young’s runs it. The building dates from 1871, a Victorian gin palace, Grade II listed, and CAMRA lists the interior as being of special national historic interest. Look up above the entrance for the plaster bull-and-gate relief that illustrates the name, and inside for the original bar-back glass and carved wooden arches.

It replaced an 18th-century pub on the same site, the Boulogne Gate, which was a pick-up and set-down point for travellers heading in and out of London to the north.

The gig history, briefly

For years the back room was one of north London’s small-stage landmarks. Wikipedia lists Blur, Suede, The Pogues, Coldplay, Keane and Manic Street Preachers among acts who played early in their careers, and the Camden New Journal adds The Fall and the Sex Pistols. Margaret and Pat Lynskey took over in 1979 and ran the place for 34 years. The live venue stopped on 4 May 2013, after Young’s bought the building. Young’s bought it in 2013 and reopened it after a refurbishment in 2015. Coldplay told the Camden New Journal they would “always be grateful” to the venue.

Songkick still lists gigs under the Bull and Gate name, with dates in 2026, but it does not say which room, so check before you plan a night around one.

The rooms

• Main bar: Victorian grandeur, made lighter and airier by the June 2024 refurbishment, with polished original floorboards, according to Kentishtowner.
• The Lynskey Room: the dining room, named after the family who ran the pub.
• The Vinyl Room (upstairs): framed 7-inch records on the walls for bands who played here, including Blur, Madness, Libertines, Keane and Manic Street Preachers.
• Boulogne Bar (upstairs): a cocktail bar with a bohemian look and neon signs.

There is also a grand piano. The pub’s website lists a jazz night, but the day and time were not clear, so ask before you turn up for it.

What to order

Sunday roast. The pub’s website says it serves sharing roasts with bottomless Yorkshire puddings, plus a vegan roast, and suggests a Finca La Colonia Malbec alongside. The Infatuation called the roast solid, praising the seasoned potatoes, crisped pork fat and caramelised carrots. It was less kind about the pasta, so stay on the roast. Ring for the current roast price.

The rest of the menu. Prices on the pub’s website at the time of writing include:

• Sourdough with beef dripping, £5.50
• Nocellara olives, £4.25
• Pork, apple and cheddar sausage roll, £5
• Lamb and parsley Scotch egg, £6.75
• Padron peppers, £6.25
• Spiced cauliflower salad, £15
• Pie of the day with new potatoes and gravy, £18
• Sirloin steak with triple-cooked chips, £28

Kentishtowner noted that burgers, 28-day aged rump steak and fish and chips stayed on after the 2024 refurbishment, with small plates added: courgette bhajis, ham hock and cheddar croquettes, and pumpkin seed hummus.

To drink. The pub lists bespoke house cocktails and a Summer Spritz, and CAMRA says it serves real ale, with two beers on tap at its November 2025 visit. Upstairs in the Boulogne Bar is the place for a cocktail.

When to go and how to book

Sunday lunch is the obvious slot. Design My Night offers free online booking and Yelp lists reservations, so book for the roast rather than hope. Early evening works well before an O2 Forum gig, as the station is a short walk away.

Opening hours differ between listings, from noon to 22:30 on Sundays in CAMRA’s entry to later finishes elsewhere, so check on the day. Design My Night shows Christmas hours: 24 December 12:00 to 21:00, 25 and 26 December 12:00 to 18:00, 31 December 12:00 to 01:00 and 1 January 12:00 to 21:00.

Private hire is available from £20 per person, according to Tagvenue, for up to 70 seated or 90 standing.

For after

Assembly House, 292 Kentish Town Road, NW5 2TG. A Grade II listed 1890s pub with a French-château-style tower, just up the road at the same historic junction. CAMRA says it serves real ale and it takes bookings. It is a Greene King pub, and a handy second stop between the Bull and Gate and the station or the O2 Forum.

Sources: CAMRA, the pub’s own menu page and Kentishtowner.