Guanabana on Kentish Town Road: the Island Roast and when to go
Oak-smoked jerk, a weekend Island Roast and a queue on the pavement: how to do Guanabana on Kentish Town Road, NW1.
By Only Camden Editorial
Saturday and Sunday from 12:30, book ahead on OpenTable, and budget around £30 or more all in. That is the short version of Guanabana, 85 Kentish Town Road, NW1 8NY, a Latin American and Caribbean restaurant on the Camden Town and Kentish Town border.
What it is
Guanabana is an independent restaurant that, per SquareMeal, has been serving since 2007. OpenTable calls it Camden’s much-loved Caribbean smokehouse, and the star is oak-smoked jerk chicken. London Unattached says the meat is halal-certified and the chicken is hand-seasoned and smoked over oak. First Table describes it as one of the first Latin American restaurants on the London dining scene, with a menu that runs across Jamaica, Colombia, Argentina and Mexico.
The Infatuation, reviewing in March 2023, called it a Kentish Town Road staple that had been around for more than a decade, and noted a fresh coat of paint and hanging plants. It gave the place 7.8 and called it relaxed and made for eating, so nobody is going to mind your trackies.
What to order
The Island Roast, Saturdays and Sundays. OpenTable describes oak-smoked jerk chicken or beef with sweet plantain, crispy roast potatoes, seasonal vegetables and spicy jerk gravy. London Unattached says fish and portobello mushroom versions are also offered, rated the roast 4.5 out of 5, found the gravy mildly spicy and picked the roast plantain as its favourite trimming. The Infatuation went further and called the jerked beef roast the star and the best halal roast in London. That is one reviewer’s big claim, but the beef is the one to try if you cannot decide.
Worth knowing: on OpenTable, Island Roast bookings are for one to six people. You can still order à la carte, but platters and the chicken burger are not available on the roast booking option.
Not roast day? Uber Eats lists these as popular:
- Boneless jerk chicken, £24
- Half jerk chicken on the bone, £24
- Jerk chicken alfredo, £20
- Jerk Caesar salad, £17
- Carlita’s vegetable trio, a vegan-style stew with plantain and rice and peas, £21.50
Curry lamb, mac and cheese and oxtail also feature among the popular items. Delivery menu prices may be higher than in the restaurant, so treat those as a ceiling. The Infatuation also notes the jerk chicken platter makes good leftovers.
Prices
OpenTable puts the price band at £26 to £40 a head. Older roast prices of £20 to £22 from 2022 are out of date, so check the current menu at guanabanarestaurant.com before you set your heart on a figure. BYO and a corkage fee are listed on OpenTable, so ask what the corkage is when you book.
When to go
Hours differ between listings, so check before you go. The pattern that OpenTable and TripAdvisor agree on:
- Monday: closed
- Tuesday and Wednesday: 17:00 to 20:30
- Thursday: 17:00 to 21:00
- Friday: 17:00 to 21:30
- Saturday: 12:30 to 21:00
- Sunday: 12:30 to 20:00
Some older listings show later closing times, which is another reason to confirm. The roast is the weekend draw, and London Unattached saw a queue forming on the pavement straight after Sunday opening, with tables mostly full of people in their twenties and thirties. Want it calmer? The weekday evening menu is the sensible bet.
Booking and the room
Book through OpenTable or ring 020 7485 1166. Walk-ins are possible but queues form. London Unattached says the front dining space is darker and more intimate, while the rear is more spacious with a glass roof. First Table lists wheelchair access, highchairs, vegan options, indoor and outdoor seating and private dining. Reviews on TripAdvisor are mixed, with some praising it and others complaining about prices and changed standards, so go in with sensible expectations.
Getting there
SquareMeal gives Camden Road Overground at about 300m and Camden Town Underground on the Northern line at about 451m, both straight-line distances. Street parking is listed by First Table.
For after: the Dublin Castle, Parkway
Walk it off at the Dublin Castle, 94 Parkway, NW1 7AN. It is a Victorian pub and long-time music venue with an Irish flavour, with live bands in a separate back room, according to CAMRA. Apple Maps says it was built for Irish navvies on the railways and became prominent as a venue in the late 1970s after Madness built a live reputation there. Gigs are listed for 2026 on Songkick. Tickets are separate and entry details vary by night, so check the listing for the date you want. Prefer something bigger? The Jazz Cafe, 5 Parkway, NW1 7PG, is a 350-capacity venue, so check what is on.
