Where to drink in Mornington Crescent, from Guinness to metal
Six pubs around Mornington Crescent, and what each one is actually good for, from a pre-gig pint to a Sunday roast in a garden.
By Only Camden Editorial
Mornington Crescent is a pub corner, not a cocktail corner. Start at the tube station at the top of Camden High Street, pick your mood, and walk. Here is what each place is good for. Check hours with the pub before you set off, because they change.
The Lyttelton Arms: the easy pre-gig pint
1 Camden High Street, NW1 7JE, directly opposite the tube. It is a large, modern lounge bar run by Mitchells & Butlers, and CAMRA records that it reopened after a refurbishment on 9 May 2024. There is no cask ale. Expect rotating keg beers including Brixton, Gipsy Hill and Beavertown, plus Camden Hells and Brooklyn Lager, and bottles such as Sierra Nevada, Chimay and Duvel.
It is the one for football on the screens and a drink before a gig, since it sits almost within earshot of Koko. One reviewer on Pubs Galore called it “more bar than pub”, which is fair. The Camden New Journal notes that this pub was a haunt of London and Birmingham gangsters in the 1920s and 30s, the era of Peaky Blinders. Phone 020 7387 2749.
The Edinboro Castle: garden and Sunday roast
57 Mornington Terrace, NW1 7RU, beside the Euston rail line. CAMRA calls it wonderfully situated, with a large garden and terrace with fairy lights and heating. DesignMyNight describes sheltered tables, booths, heating and an outside bar, plus roasts and a bookable event space. It is an Asset of Community Value.
Food listed on DesignMyNight includes cider-battered cod and chips at £10.75 and a pork and chorizo burger at £11, though that listing is undated, so expect prices to have moved. A Tripadvisor reviewer singles out the pizza. CAMRA gives hours of noon to 23:00 Monday to Saturday and noon to 22:30 on Sunday. Book on 020 7255 9651.
The Sheephaven Bay: Guinness and sport
2 Mornington Street, NW1 7QD, a back-street Irish pub about 350m from the tube. The Infatuation says it suits cosy Irish stews and loud Friday nights with some of the city’s finest pints, and includes it in its guide to the best Guinness in London. So order a pint of Guinness, or the Irish stew.
Tripadvisor’s description says it shows sport on 14 screens. CAMRA says it was formerly the Mornington Arms, with a function room, a garden and patio, and a landlord from Donegal, though that entry dates from a 2016 survey. Yelp shows Monday to Saturday 11:00 to 23:00. Phone 020 7380 1323.
The Black Heart: metal and gigs
2 to 3 Greenland Place, NW1 0AP, about ten minutes’ walk towards Camden Town tube. Time Out says it opened in 2009, plays heavy metal constantly, has a gig venue upstairs with nightly bands, and stays open until 02:00 on Friday and Saturday with DJs. Time Out also lists LD’s Kitchen, a vegan residency doing Saturday brunch, Sunday roasts, dirty fries and mac and “cheeze”. Check the kitchen is still running before you go hungry.
The Dublin Castle: live bands and late hours
94 Parkway, NW1 7AN, about ten minutes from Mornington Crescent. CAMRA describes a Victorian pub and long-time music venue with an Irish flavour and live bands in the back room. Wikipedia says it regularly hosts live music Wednesday to Sunday. CAMRA lists hours of 13:00 to midnight Monday to Wednesday, 13:00 to 02:00 Thursday and noon to 02:00 Friday to Sunday. It is an Asset of Community Value.
The Hawley Arms: indie history, saved by its community
2 Castlehaven Road, NW1 8QU, about 15 minutes’ walk, by Camden Market and Dingwalls. CAMRA describes a large single-bar pub with an eccentric interior, ceiling fans and gilt mirrors, serving real ale and food. Wikipedia says the pub dates to 1851 and was badly damaged in the 2008 Camden Market fire. CAMRA says the community and operators bought it in 2019 after the landlords announced a sale.
Vice says Ruth Mottram and Doug Charles-Ridler bought it in 2002 and installed a jukebox of soul, R&B, funk and rock, and that it became an indie hub in the 2000s. Phone 020 7428 5979.
Which one tonight
- Pre-gig or football: the Lyttelton Arms.
- Garden and roast: the Edinboro Castle.
- Guinness: the Sheephaven Bay.
- Loud: the Black Heart.
- Live bands, late: the Dublin Castle.
- A pub with a past: the Hawley Arms.
Sources for the detail above include CAMRA on the Lyttelton Arms, The Infatuation on the Sheephaven Bay and Time Out on the Black Heart.
