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Best restaurants in Camden: where to eat and drink

Published: May 10, 2026 at 3:19 PM

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Try Filipino dishes, vegan pizzas and molten cheese fondues in this fun north London borough

Looking for Camden restaurants? Here are some of our favourite restaurants in north London’s creative borough around Camden Market and Chalk Farm Road. Check out our ideas for eating and drinking in Camden Market and Kentish Town, or read about nearby King's Cross here.

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Best places to eat and drink in Camden

Bintang, Kentish Town Road

Open since 1987, Bintang (meaning star) lays claim to being London’s oldest Filipino restaurant, an easy-to-walk-past gem at the quiet end of Kentish Town Road. Locals already worship it, evidenced by 70 bookings on a Tuesday night – it should be on your radar.

The terrace at the back is its special secret: a tropical vibe, greenery strung with lights, a great go-to for a gang. Of course, a restaurant doesn’t achieve a fanbase on vibes alone and at Bintang, owned by Omar Shah who is staying true to the traditions of his founding parents, home cooking is the draw: sour, salty, fermented, hot in a comforting way.

Portions are generous enough that, tempting as it was to work through the whole menu, we settled on two starters, two mains and a bagoong (fermented shrimp) fried rice I'd happily order on its own. The pandesal slider was a mini smash burger: a beef patty pressed into a toasted pandesal bun. Calamansi hot honey king prawns followed in a batter so crisp and light it seemed to float, the prawns inside just heavy enough to keep it grounded, the hot honey sauce sticky-sweet with a citrus kick behind it.

Then oxtail kare kare with bone marrow: oxtail braised until it gave way at a touch, sitting in a peanut stew rich enough to coat a spoon, into which we scraped wobbly marrow. It re-defined rich. Oak-smoked inasal, sticky and sweet, the Filipino comfort food classic, sat alongside it.

If you’re in the mood there's a karaoke room in the back – a fitting end for an experience well worth singing about. bintangrestaurant.co.uk

Med Salleh – for Malaysian claypot cuisine

This cosy but vibrant 30-seat Malaysian restaurant has got Kentish Town buzzing about the food co-owner Med Pang grew up eating in Kampar, Ipoh and Penang.

The name is a play on mat salleh, the Malay term for Westerners, but the food is entirely of the East: roti canai, laksa and claypot chicken rice.

Roti canai is the essential opener – as fluffy as a duvet, flaky and hot. Tear it apart, dunk it into the curry sauce, then use the rest to mop your mouth. The stuffed tofu that followed was the revelation: triangular slabs, like toasted bookends, crisp on the outside and packed with peppery minced pork. Proof that tofu can be the most interesting thing on the table.

The signature claypot chicken rice is the anchor. Lift the lid to reveal a sticky concoction of aromatic, slightly caramelised rice with hunks of tender thigh. Then laksa, the dish that makes the room go wow: huge colourful bowls filled with broth heavy with coconut, brimming with prawns, clams, cuttlefish and egg. The cliché soul in a bowl was made for this.

Dessert was intriguing: Durian fruit cheesecake, a pleasing contradiction to its smelly reputation. medsalleh.co.uk

Belly Bistro – for modern Filipino fare

Bistro vibes meet Filipino flavours in this charming neighbourhood spot. The room is cosy and warm with white tablecloths, soft lighting and gentle acoustics – remarkably for somewhere so compact, you won’t be listening in on your neighbours’ conversation.

Scallops were prettily presented in half-shell bowls – thin slices, cured and bathed in a light creamy coconut sauce with tiny flavour pops of basil oil and fiery chilli. Our early table meant we could try the famous tempura cod pandesal (which regularly sells out). A chunky tranche of cod in a crisp, light batter served in a bun with American cheese and salmon roe tartar, it was a textural delight, like a posh Filet-O-Fish.

There’s a selection of wagyu steaks (priced by weight and cut) – we chose the rib eye and it came medium-rare, perfectly seared but buttery soft in a deep, savoury soy and citrus sauce (and do get the crunchy beef fat fries to mop up the sauce).

Wine is from mostly small low-intervention vineyards with plenty by the glass: we tried a delicious crisp German riesling and a juicy chilled red from Lebanon.

Don’t miss the frozen custard profiterole with patis (Filipino fish sauce) caramel – we were a bit dubious about the combination but the balance of sweet and salty was perfect, and we kept going back until there was nothing left. bellylondon.com

Pick & Cheese – for cheese served on a conveyer belt

Pick & Cheese has found a new home in the beating heart of Camden Market, where Matthew Carver has replicated his ingenious sushi-style cheese conveyor belt concept from Seven Dials. Formerly known as The Cheese Bar, this latest incarnation is a perfect quirky stop for one of London’s busiest tourist hubs – equal parts playful and serious cheese celebration.

Plates trundle past laden with creative, sometimes eccentric, pairings: Cornish gouda paired with clotted cream fudge (it really works); Cropwell Bishop stilton with kimchi (creamy tang meets pickly tang); pecorino-style Spenwood with romesco, which tricks the senses into thinking it has tandoori vibes. And a favourite of the P&C team – whipped Rosary goat’s cheese doughnut, fresh and zesty, complemented by apricot and vanilla jam. It’s the kind of line-up that encourages you to be adventurous, grazing your way through Britain’s best cheesemakers while sipping natural wine or a crisp craft beer.

Beyond the belt the menu also offers more substantial comforts: gooey five-cheese toasties, truffle-laden mac ’n’ cheese and seasonal small plates. Service is breezy and informal, perfectly suited to the market’s energy, yet the quality of the cheese is treated with the reverence it deserves. thecheesebar.com

Epicurus – for a twist on an American diner

Tucked in Camden Market’s The North Yard, Epicurus reinvents the American diner with bold Levantine flavours. Chef duo Shiri Kraus and Amir Batito craft a menu that’s rich, playful and perfect for sharing.

Start with corn wedges in an oozing raclette, a refreshing slaw with yogurt dressing, orange and nigella seeds, or crispy onion rings with a spiced aioli. The Epicurus Single Decker is a standout burger – dry-aged smash patty, bone marrow aïoli, taleggio, rocket and sweet harissa bacon jam.

For something different, the Sloppy Yossef blends sloppy beef in burik pastry with Tel Aviv style sloppy joe and smoky cheese – messy, indulgent and best ripped apart by hand. Then there’s the Dakdakim pancakes, an unexpected mixture of chicken shawarma laced pancakes topped with spiced quince and harissa bacon jam: sweet, savoury and utterly moreish.

Drinks are just as fun – shakes for the diner experience or cocktails with a twist. The Fez Fizz, served in a teapot, infuses Moroccan gin with tea for a fragrant, refreshing hit.

Epicurus isn’t just a place for a meal, it’s a flavour-packed adventure that shakes up tradition in all the right ways. epicuruscamden.co.uk

Camden Market – for street food

Open since 1974, Camden Market combines creative sellers with street-food traders and independent shops, open every day from 10am-late. There are more than 75 food and drink options, so whether you want fluffy Dutch pancakes, fresh sea bass ceviche or bowls of pho, you’ll be catered for.

Only Jerkin’ dishes up chicken nuggets in ginger beer batter along with signature jerk gravy, or, if you’re after something fresher, head to Lords of Poké for bowls of fluffy rice topped with zingy pickled veg. It’s not just food on the go – you can stock up on sweet snacks to take away, from blocks of halva from SesamMe, to salted caramel truffles at Lili’s Chocolates. camdenmarket.com

Head to Lords of Poké for bowls of fluffy rice topped with zingy pickled veg

Purezza – for vegan pizza

The UK’s first 100% vegan pizzeria, Purezza specialises in plant-based pizzas that respect the Neapolitan heritage. Where possible, this means using alternative versions of animal products, such as a plant-based mozzarella, which took more than two years to develop – this organic cheese (that’s dairy-free, low in fat and allergen-free) is made with brown rice milk and is unique to Purezza. In 2018, the restaurant secured investment to begin producing the cheese from a factory for retail. The original Brighton restaurant opened in 2015 and was followed three years later by a Camden branch and plans for more later this year. In 2018, Purezza won National Pizza of the Year for its Parmigiana Party pizza, despite being the only plant-based entrant. purezza.co.uk

The UK’s first 100% vegan pizzeria, Purezza specialises in plant-based pizzas that respect the Neapolitan heritage

Poppies Fish and Chips – for fish and chips

With a 1940s vibe and retro memorabilia in each shop, Poppies Fish and Chips is the place to go for old-school classics in a fun environment. Super-fresh fish is delivered each morning via Billingsgate Fish Market, with an in-house fishmonger, Salih, preparing the daily catch. Tuck into hand-peeled prawn cocktails and calamari rings, and, for mains, choose between lemon sole, plaice, mackerel or classic cod and haddock, all served with a side of chips. Still hungry? Stock up on extra sides, be it homemade mushy peas, bread and butter or pickled onions. poppiesfishandchips.co.uk

Poppies Fish and Chips is the place to go for old-school classics in a fun environment

The Fields Beneath– for coffee and vegan breakfast

The Fields Beneath in Kentish Town has three aims – to make great coffee and great food, and to make veganism normal. The colourful spot mixes exposed brickwork with mosaic tiles and blackboards with the menu written in vibrant chalk. For breakfast tuck into glossy baps filled with tofu, mushroom bacon and smoky tomato sauce, or cinnamon waffles with nut butter if you fancy something sweet. All day the counter is covered in tempting baked goods (a few of which are gluten-free, too), from peanut butter bars and chewy cookies to slices of quinoa and berry cake. thefieldsbeneath.com

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Check out more London restaurant guides here:

Best restaurants in Marylebone
Best restaurants in Mayfair
Best restaurants in Fitzrovia
Best restaurants near Oxford Street
Best restaurants in Brixton
Best restaurants in Notting Hill
Best restaurants in Battersea
Best restaurants in Shoreditch
Best restaurants in Kings Cross
Best restaurants in Covent Garden
Best restaurants in Soho
Best restaurants in London Bridge
Best restaurants in Hackney
Best restaurants in Paddington
Best restaurants in Chelsea

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