Where to drink in Chalk Farm, from the Lock Tavern to the Roundhouse

Short answer: for a roof terrace and a Sunday roast, go to the Lock Tavern on Chalk Farm Road. For a drink before a gig, use the bars at the Roundhouse. For a proper pub with a past, the Hawley Arms on Castlehaven Road. Here is what each is good for.

The Lock Tavern: roof, garden and the quiz

35 Chalk Farm Road, NW1 8AJ, roughly midway between Camden Town and Chalk Farm tubes and close to the Roundhouse. McMullen Brewing & Pubs, which runs it, describes a famous weekly pub quiz, a heated beer garden with a fire pit and a suntrap roof terrace. Visit London adds live music in an intimate setting, comfort food, Sunday roasts and a good run of beers on tap.

• Order: the roast, or a pint from the taps.
• Hours: Monday to Wednesday 12:00 to 23:00, Thursday 12:00 to 00:00, Friday and Saturday 12:00 to 01:00, Sunday 12:00 to 22:30. Listings also mention DJs upstairs.
• Best for: a long afternoon outside, or a night that is meant to run late.

Food is listed at £25 and under on OpenTable, so it works for dinner as well as a drink.

The Roundhouse bars: the pre-gig pint

Chalk Farm Road, NW1 8EH, 150m from Chalk Farm station. The Roundhouse is a Grade II-listed former railway turntable shed from 1846, and it has several places to drink. The Roundhouse Bar & Café sits on Level 0 and is open to all visitors. The Circle Bar in the Level 2 foyer gives you a higher view of Chalk Farm.

• Best for: a drink before a show without leaving the building.
• Know before you go: CAMRA lists no cask ale at the café. Evening opening depends on what is on, so check the gig calendar first.

Torquil’s Bar and Terrace, on the first level overlooking Camden, is named for Sir Torquil Norman, the local businessman who acquired the Roundhouse in 1996.

The Hawley Arms: Camden rock’n’roll, properly

2 Castlehaven Road, NW1 8QU, beside the market, on the Camden Town and Chalk Farm border. It dates to 1851 and was a haunt of Amy Winehouse, Pete Doherty, Kate Moss and Noel Fielding in the 2000s. It almost burned down in the 2008 market fire and recovered quickly.

Londonist describes a memorabilia-covered bar with sofas, a winter fire, three cask ales and a decent food menu. Layers of London says live music still happens here. Londonist has given hours of noon to midnight Sunday to Thursday and noon to 01:00 Friday and Saturday, so check before a late trip.

• Best for: cask ale on a sofa, and a dose of indie history.

The Enterprise: opposite the station

2 Haverstock Hill, NW3 2BL, opposite Chalk Farm station. CAMRA calls it a Victorian pub with front and back rooms, with comedy, live music and poetry readings upstairs, plus pavement seating and food. Tripadvisor says it has served the area since 1871.

• Best for: a pint the moment you come up from the Northern line.
• Check first: opening hours vary between listings, so confirm before you travel.

The Engineer: a short walk to Primrose Hill

65 Gloucester Avenue, NW1 8JH, about 0.3 miles from Chalk Farm station and near the Regent’s Canal. Londonist calls it a gastropub that does not skimp on beer, with a beer garden, dining, dog-friendly rules and live sport.

• Best for: dinner with a proper pint, and a canal stroll afterwards.

Which one tonight

• Gig at the Roundhouse: the Roundhouse bars, or the Lock Tavern a few minutes along Chalk Farm Road.
• Roof terrace or fire pit: the Lock Tavern.
• Cask ale and indie history: the Hawley Arms.
• Quick pint off the tube: the Enterprise.
• Slower dinner and a drink: the Engineer.

No pint prices are listed for any of these, so bring a card and expect Camden rates. Check the venue’s own page for late hours before you commit to the last train.

More detail: the Lock Tavern page, the Roundhouse food and drink page, the Hawley Arms site and CAMRA on the Enterprise.