Tapping the Admiral: pies, cask ale and a heated garden

Tapping the Admiral, 77 Castle Road, NW1 8SU. Open from noon daily, later at the end of the week. Check hours before you go. Book Sunday roasts by phone on 020 7267 6118.

This is a cask ale pub with a pie habit, tucked under the railway arches near Kentish Town West. The Camden New Journal has noted that people often struggle to find it, and it called the spot a back street in Chalk Farm. The postal address says Camden Town. Whatever you call it, it is a short walk from the market crowds and a good deal calmer for it.

What to order

The pies. The pub says they are hand-made to order with locally brewed ale and artisan ciders. Its site lists four: steak and ale, chicken and bacon, pork and scrumpy, and goat’s cheese and butternut squash (vegetarian, with a suet and ale pastry). Go steak and ale if you want the benchmark, pork and scrumpy if you want to pick a side.

The beer. CAMRA says eight cask real ales are regularly on, with a focus on London brewers (LocAle), plus kegs, bottles and up to four ciders on handpump. Ask what is new on the pumps and let the bar steer you. The pub also lists perry, wine and artisan spirits.

On price, the pub’s site lists a Pie and a Pint deal at £12 on Monday and Tuesday, and mini lunchtime pies at £6 from 12:00 to 15:00 on weekdays. The page is undated, so ask when you walk in. Kitchen hours on the site are 12:00 to 15:00 and 18:00 to 22:00 on weekdays.

The room and the garden

CAMRA describes an L-shaped bar with stools, tables and seating. A Beer in the Evening reviewer found Navy memorabilia on one side and a more traditional look on the other. Out the side there is a heated, covered garden, which CAMRA calls well designed, so it works in February as well as August.

There is a resident black-and-white cat called Nelson. Dogs are welcome but need to be on a lead because of him.

When to go

• Wednesday evening: CAMRA lists a quiz.
• Thursday evening: live traditional music. The Session lists an Irish traditional music session.
• Weekday lunch: the cheap mini pies.
• After the market: the London Beer Guide calls it a good place to wait out the madness of the market.
• Evenings: it gets busy. A reviewer found it fairly busy at 19:30 on a Tuesday, so arrive early if you want a table.

CAMRA also lists tap takeovers every two months, so it is worth a look at what is on before you set off.

The history, and the name

CAMRA describes a mid-19th-century pub on the corner of Castle Road and Hadley Street, an important landmark in the Victorian streetscape. Layers of London lists earlier names: Tavern Inn the Town, Fuzzock and Firkin and Trafalgar Tavern. It became Tapping the Admiral in 2011, and CAMRA says it reopened after four years shut.

The name comes from a tall tale. Sailors supposedly tapped the rum barrel carrying Nelson’s body home after Trafalgar in 1805, and the pub’s own wording admits the story is not historically accurate. To tap the admiral is to sneak a drink.

It has won CAMRA North London Branch Pub of the Year four times (2013, 2015, 2018 and 2023), and Camden Council lists it as an Asset of Community Value.

Getting there and booking

Kentish Town West station is about two minutes’ walk. Chalk Farm is 0.3 miles, and Kentish Town tube is around nine minutes on foot, according to Pubs Galore. For the Sunday roast, the pub says to pre-book: ring 020 7267 6118 or email tappingtheadmiral@gmail.com. Sunday times differ between pages, so confirm when you call.

For after: Camden Beer Hall

The Camden Town Brewery taproom, Camden Beer Hall, is at 55 to 59 Wilkin Street Mews, NW5, under the same railway arches. The London Beer Guide puts it about a minute from the Admiral. It is a roughly 200-seat taproom with fresh beer, pizza and brewery tours (£25), and The Nudge recommends reserving a table. Check the current menu and hours before you commit to dinner there.

Details on the pub itself are at CAMRA and the pub’s own site.