Where to drink in Camden Town, and what each place is good for

Camden Town has a pub for every kind of night, and the trick is matching the room to the plan. Want a gig and a pint? Parkway. Want a canal view? Camden Lock. Want a rooftop? Chalk Farm Road. Here is the shortlist, with what each is good for.

For a gig and a drink

The Dublin Castle, 94 Parkway, NW1

Madness played their first concert here in 1979, and the pub picked up a PRS Music Heritage Award in January 2017. VisitLondon says you can catch up-and-coming bands seven nights a week. There is a door charge for the music, and in the daytime it behaves like an ordinary pub. Go for the bands, stay for the Victorian pub room. Check the listing for the night before you turn up. Details via CAMRA.

The Jazz Cafe, 5 Parkway, NW1

Moments from Camden Town tube. Live shows run 19:00 to 22:30 and club nights 22:30 to 03:00, according to VisitLondon. The programme mixes hip hop, soul, electronica, reggae and blues, and the Nudge rates it ££. London x London picks it as the best late-night bar in Camden, with classics such as margaritas and old fashioneds, and food including chilli crab linguine and rib-eye. Capacity is 440, so book if there is a show you care about. More at the Jazz Cafe.

The Blues Kitchen, 111-113 Camden High Street, NW1

A bar-diner with live shows, DJs and bottomless brunch, plus American barbecue and burgers. Time Out suggests gumbo and buffalo wings, then a bourbon from a list of around 50, some of which end up in cocktails. It has been on the High Street since October 2009. Check hours before you go, as Time Out’s published times date from 2024. See Time Out.

For character and history

The Hawley Arms, 2 Castlehaven Road, NW1

Just beyond the lock by Camden Market. One large bar, ceiling fans, gilt mirrors and an eccentric interior, with real ale and food. Amy Winehouse is said to have drunk here most often, and there is a giant mural of her outside. Vice says it became an indie hub in the 2000s, having been a bikers’ bar in the 80s and 90s. The building dates to 1851 and survived a major fire in 2008. If you only do one pint with a story, do this one. Pub site: thehawleyarms.co.uk.

The Black Cap, Camden High Street, NW1

The LGBTQ+ cabaret pub reopens on 21 March 2026 after a ten year closure, per ianVisits, following a restoration reported at around £2 million. It has been a gay pub since the winter of 1965/66. Inside are three floors: a main stage and cabaret bar on the ground floor, a bar and terrace on the first, and a hotel above. The ground floor has a long bar leading to the stage and a retractable catwalk, and the DJ booth is a repurposed church pulpit. Upstairs, the Shufflewick Bar has handpumps. GayCities reports it opening from noon daily, with the downstairs cabaret bar open in the evenings. Expect demand in the first days. Read more at ianVisits.

For a canal view, a garden or a roof

Lockside, Camden Lock Place, NW1

Above the lock, next to the market’s street food yard, at 75-89 Upper Walkway. The terrace seats 80 and looks over the West Yard Market and Regent’s Canal. The Nudge mentions chicken schnitzel and mussels and fries made with Camden Lager, plus karaoke on Tuesdays and DJs on Fridays and Saturdays. It closes at 23:00 Sunday to Thursday, 01:00 on Friday and 02:00 on Saturday, per the Nudge.

The Lock Tavern, 35 Chalk Farm Road, NW1

Time Out calls it a DJ bar, music venue and kitchen, with a large garden, an upstairs space and a roof terrace overlooking Camden Market. The Nudge adds a heated beer garden with firepits and a fire indoors. Best in good weather, and best before the weekend crowd fills the roof. Listing: VisitLondon.

3 Locks Brewing Company, Water Lane, NW1

Arch S14/15, under the railway arches at Camden Market Hawley Wharf. Camden Market describes it as the market’s first on-site micro-brewery, with all brewing done on site, a canalside taproom and a terrace. Open 12:00 to 23:30 daily per the market. Go here for craft beer by the water. See Camden Market.

For a big pub or a cheap pint

The World’s End, 174 Camden High Street, NW1

Just south of Camden Town tube, with two bars, a mezzanine balcony and pizza, and the Underworld music venue underneath. It calls itself the UK’s largest and most rockin’ pub. Come for loud and roomy.

The Lyttelton Arms, 1 Camden High Street, NW1

Reopened by Mitchells & Butlers after a refit on 9 May 2024. It is card only, with keg beers including Camden Hells and Brooklyn Lager, and no cask ale when CAMRA visited. DesignMyNight calls it casual and affordable, with cheap pints and pub grub. A sensible first stop before a gig.

Before you go

Opening hours change, and some published times are a couple of years old, so check with the venue on the day. Camden Town tube is on the Northern line, Zone 2, and most of these are a short walk from it.