Our guide to Kentish Town: Technicolor townhouses, natural wine and nature in north London
Kentish Town has always been flanked by green pastures, but where there was once the meandering River Fleet (now an underground waterway), there are now dense patterns of residential streets punctuated by grassy corridors. In between the shift from rural medieval parish to leafy London neighbourhood, Kentish Town became a hotbed of creativity and a home for the countercultural squatting movement of the 1970s. After the destruction caused by the Blitz and with no funds to repair or rebuild, vacant houses began to crumble and struggling artists moved in. Despite these boarded-up and burned-out buildings having been made somewhat smarter, Kentish Town has held on to its community of free thinkers (former residents include Karl Marx and George Orwell), making it the vibrant pocket it is today.
Tucked between Hampstead, Camden, Holloway and Highgate, Kentish Town has just the right amount of ‘suburb’ to offset its ‘city’. The colourful Victorian houses sitting on tree-lined terraces are surrounded by greenery, yet here you’re just a short tube ride from the bustle. But with so many restaurants, pubs, coffee shops and independent stores nearby, there’s little reason to venture beyond this slice of north London day-to-day.
SEE
1. Technicolour townhouses
Pastel-hued homes aren’t just a Portobello Road phenomenon: you’ll find plenty in Kentish Town too. Take a self-guided tour starting at Kelly Street, which curves for a hundred metres or so from Kentish Town Road to Castlehaven Road, before making your way down the high street towards the equally cheery Leverton Street. There’s also Falkland Road, but the houses here haven’t always been painted so jovially: it’s a relatively new trend started by a long-term resident, which has had a domino effect on the rest of the street. In the spirit of community, the shades selected are almost always determined by a democratic vote.
2. Kentish Town City Farm
Kentish Town City Farm is the first of its kind: the farm that first opened in the 1970s and led to all other London farms. Founded by Inter-Action – an arts organisation devoted to alternative living – and brought to life by a group of agriculturalists, architects and volunteers, it has continued to play a major role in bringing the local community together, delivering a dose of rural life amid all the concrete and bricks. There are pigs, chickens, ducks, cows, goats (and their offspring), vegetable patches and fruit trees, as well as a programme of pottery, horse riding and other wholesome activities.
EAT
3. Half Cut Market
As the name suggests, Half Cut Market knows good booze – but it also knows good food. The venture is the brainchild of four north London friends with decades of hospitality experience between them, having collectively cut their teeth at Noble Rot, the Marksman and 40FT Brewery. At this particular wine bar, restaurant and bottle shop, however, you will find a strong selection of low-intervention wine and craft beers to drink in or take home, as well as a menu created by a rotating roster of guest chefs knocking out delicious dishes using seasonal produce.
4. The Parakeet
When two former Brat chefs revived this glorious old-world pub, they cemented Kentish Town’s place on the culinary map. Despite serving up precisely engineered small plates and impressive cuts of protein licked with flames, The Parakeet has maintained all the unstuffy, laid-back qualities of a British pub. The dark wood walls, open fireplaces and exposed brickwork nod to the building’s 1860s origins and make an ideal setting for devouring tasty food, well-poured pints and interesting wine. It also hosts live jazz on Mondays and a pub quiz on Tuesdays.
5. Kossoffs
Though relatively new to Kentish Town, the very first Kossoffs bakery was opened way back in the 1920s on Arnold Circus by Jewish refugee Wolf Kossoff. Four generations later, Aaron Kossoff launched the latest iteration, which has all the makings of a cult institution: Kossoffs nails the classics (a silence-inducing croissant) as well as the more creative (earl-grey swirls and miso buns). The chefs here have woven their own experience together – which includes stints at Pophams, Ottolenghi, Honey & Co and Little Bread Pedlar – to create a menu that feels fresh and exciting, while paying homage to the traditions that run deep. Go around midday to catch the salads and sarnies.
6. Panadera
As one of the only Filipino bakeries in London of its kind, there really is no place like Panadera. Pioneered by the team behind Mamasons Dirty Ice Cream and with a name that translates to “female baker” in Tagalog, this Kentish Town spot nods to the role of the mother in educating children on native traditions and heritage through food. Alongside sweet baked goods, such as croissants filled with custard, it serves sandwiches – think corned-beef hash packed between slices of pillowy bread – and regional cold drinks like Brown Sugar Taho. If you’re yet to experience the pure joy that is Filipino flavour, now is your chance.
SHOP
7. Kentish Town Stores
A shoppable iteration of the community spirit cultivated in the 1970s, Kentish Town Stores is an independent coffee spot, lifestyle store and wine bar. In fact, you could spend the entire day here: start with coffee (Allpress) and cake (made in-house), settle into a quiet corner upstairs for an afternoon of emails, drop into a workshop or event and linger into the evening for small plates and a glass of something natural. The shop itself is filled with beautiful things made by artisans who the founder counts as friends – even the honey is made by her stepfather.
8. Salvino
Every good neighbourhood needs an Italian deli – and Kentish Town has one of the best. Founded by brothers Antonio and Stefano a few decades ago, Salvino is a slice of Sicily in the borough of Camden. The shelves are lined with hand-selected produce from all over Italy and there’s a counter from which to make your own sandwich in true Italian style. Saturdays at Salvino are special: home-cooked classics, such as handmade ravioli and arancini filled with ragù are on offer to take away and there are Sicilian sweet and savoury pastries to snack on while you choose.
9. Boma Garden Centre
Green-fingered or botanical-curious, wandering around the Boma Garden Centre is the best way to fill a slow Sunday afternoon. Boma delivers everything you want from a family-run garden centre – impressive plants, horticulturalists on hand to help you keep them alive and a resident cat aptly called Bluebell. Go for an asparagus fern, stay for the friendly staff who willingly impart all their plant-related knowledge (which you can later claim as your own!).
10. Owl Bookshop
Independent bookshops are a rare and dwindling breed, but Owl Bookshop on Kentish Town Road is alive and thriving, having provided locals with good reads and the joy and tactility that online stores can’t since 1974. The shelves are stocked with everything from local walking guides to photobooks and Booker Prize-winning titles – and the store itself is brimming with enough nostalgia to convert even the most devoted Kindle user. The staff are keen to help but never overbearing, leaving you to browse in peace – and if you can’t find what you’re looking for, they’ll order it in.
DO
11. Social Pottery
Pottery has become an exercise in mindfulness – and what’s more relaxing than painting a pot that someone else has already made? Describing itself as “where creativity gathers”, Social Pottery cultivates both conversation and artistry by doing the hardest part for you: simply pick a pot, get playful with paints, let it dry before leaving it to cook in the kiln and then pick it up 10 days later. The Kentish Town studio has something for everyone, with daytime, late-night and booze-while-potting sessions. There’s also a children’s class for little beginners.
12. Bull & Last
An oak-panelled pub with six plush guest rooms on the fringes of Hampstead Heath, the Bull & Last temporarily transports you to the countryside while being a short walk from Gospel Oak overground station. The pub is charming and tasty in equal measure: food is sourced meticulously and seasonally, the wine list leans towards minimal intervention and beers are mostly British. In summer, order a picnic hamper via the website to take with you to the heath and, in winter, dive into a roast with all the trimmings.
13. Parliament Hill and Hampstead Heath
London has no shortage of royal parks and rolling meadows, but the vast green stretches of Hampstead Heath and Parliament Hill is the gem on top of the crown. A much-loved icon of north London, sprawling more than 800 acres, the heath has wild woodland, swimming ponds and undulating hills, all topped off with panoramic views of the city. Karl Marx once wandered through the woods, Keats moved there to write and CS Lewis thought up The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe on a snowy afternoon amble here. Come rain or shine, you’ll find locals swimming in the ponds or, alternatively, Parliament Hill has one of London’s most impressive lidos, at 60m long.
BUY
14. Vabel Kentisston, Kentish Town Road, London NW1
This collection of design-led apartments that now forms Vabel Kentisston is something of a local landmark, showcasing the very best of early modernism. Having opened in 1929 as a polytechnic, the structure has been revived through a contemporary lens by London-based developer Vabel. Its dedication to the pre-existing architectural fabric means a beautifully restored façade and subtle influences from European modernism throughout, while its commitment to both function and form materialises as exceptionally well-designed and incredibly aesthetically pleasing homes. The building sits at the heart of Kentish Town, a short walk from some of London’s most sought-after dinner spots, pastries, pubs and cultural spaces.
Words Darcie Imbert
Photography Elliot Sheppard
Production Harry Cave
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