The Blues Kitchen on Camden High Street: gigs, tickets, getting in
Live blues, soul and R&B seven nights a week at 111-113 Camden High Street, with free entry most nights and tickets for the late weekend sessions.
By Only Camden Editorial
The short version: The Blues Kitchen is at 111-113 Camden High Street, NW1 7JN, with live blues, soul and R&B seven nights a week. Entry is free every weeknight and before 21:00 on Fridays and Saturdays. After that, weekend tickets run from £5 to £10. Fridays sell out, so book ahead.
What it is
Time Out describes it as a lively bar-diner on the main Camden drag, celebrating American musical heritage with live shows, DJs and bottomless brunch. The food is American, with barbecue and burgers prominent, and there are around 50 bourbons, some used as cocktail bases. Time Out gave it three stars in a review dated September 2024 and puts it in the ££ price band. OpenTable lists it as £25 and under.
A bit of history
It opened in Camden Town in October 2009, and Wonderland magazine calls it the original Blues Kitchen. Licklist tells the origin story: a trip to Hamburg in December 2005 opened the eyes of bookings manager Liam Hart to R&B clubs, and the team then went looking for a London home and landed on Camden High Street. Shoreditch followed in 2014, and there are now other sites, including Brixton and Manchester. Acts who have played Camden include Seasick Steve, Mystery Jets, Little Barrie, Nine Below Zero and The Maccabees. Wikipedia also credits the venue with a 100-hour non-stop jam in June 2019 for its tenth birthday.
The week, night by night
- Tuesday: Tuesday Blues, live blues and rock ’n’ roll from 20:00, free entry on DICE. The bar page says the whole cocktail menu is £6 on Tuesdays and Wednesdays.
- Wednesday: live soul and £6 cocktails.
- Friday: Camden Got Soul, live music and DJs from 21:00. Tickets are £5 early (limited), £8 online or on the door, and free before 20:00. The venue warns that Fridays sell out. The venue’s pages differ on the finish time, so check before you plan a last train around it.
- Saturday: the house band and DJs from 21:00 until 03:00, playing soul, Motown, R&B and neo-soul in three sets. Tickets are £6 (limited, off sale 24 hours before) and £10 all night or on the door. The venue advises buying in advance to avoid queues.
Ticket prices change by night, so check the What’s On page or DICE before you go. Set times can shift too, and staff know the standard times on the night.
Getting in
Walk-ins are welcome, and larger groups should book. Evening events are 18+ on DICE, and anyone who looks under 25 needs ID: passport, national ID card or driving licence. For ticket problems, go back to the outlet you bought from.
Opening hours
- Monday and Tuesday: 12:00 to 00:00
- Wednesday and Thursday: 12:00 to 01:00
- Friday: 12:00 to 02:30
- Saturday: 11:00 to 03:00
- Sunday: 11:00 to 01:00
Brunch and booking
Bottomless brunch is £35 a head for 90 minutes of Prosecco, Noughty Prosecco, rum punch or mimosas. It runs any time before 15:45 every Saturday and Sunday. Book tables online, by phone on 020 7387 5277, or by email at bookings.camden@theblueskitchen.com. Full details are on the bookings page. For groups, the Playroom holds 20 to 50 people with karaoke, darts and an arcade machine, and the VIP Booth holds 15 to 30.
What to order
Go for the barbecue and the burgers, which are what Time Out singles out, and work through the bourbon list. On a Tuesday or Wednesday, the £6 cocktails are the cheap way in.
Getting there
Time Out lists Camden Town tube, and OpenTable gives it as a 4 minute walk. Mornington Crescent tube is 5 minutes on foot, and Camden Road rail station is also listed. Check the Time Out listing for the latest on the venue.
