North London Food & Culture

Pinboard: Top 5 Places Open On Christmas Day


Kentish Town Canopy

These sunny mornings have been wonderful, right? Shame it’s torrential now.

And if the prospect of a damp Christmas – with its triumvirate of turkey, TV specials and extended family – is daunting, don’t fear as The Kentishtowner will be publishing as usual, other than on the BIg Day itself. I know, I know. Dedication, eh?


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Also worth considering, if you have a moment over the holidays, is that we’re looking for exciting local artists and designers who would like their work to be sold in our forthcoming online shop. Please email info@kentishtowner.co.uk for more details.

And if you’re still in NW5 next Tuesday, a handful of local pubs and restaurants will be open, should you need to slope off, either alone or in convoy. Here’s our pick:

1. lionunicornintFeast at The Lion and Unicorn. The attractive Gaisford Street corner pub is throwing open its festive doors at 12noon for a slap-up Christmas lunch: £30 per head gets you 3 courses with intriguing offerings like include Chicken and Champagne broth, Pot Roasted Rump of Lamb and a traditional Christmas pudding, brandy butter or whipped brandy cream. Plus, there’s a 3 course option for the veggies amongst you. If it’s sunny, you can sit in the back garden and pretend you’re in Tuscany. Sort of.

2. GuanabanaA Cheaper Option at Guanabana. For something less traditional stroll down a no doubt deserted KTR towards its lower slopes, where Guanabana will be serving their usual good value Caribbean-Latin cuisine (fajitas, jerk chicken) along with steaks and ‘gourmet’ burgers. Plus, don’t forget it’s BYOB – which will surely make the whole occasion way merrier. Hell yeah.

3. Grafton9Or Just Booze at The Grafton. The Prince of Wales Road hotspot is opening between 12 and 2pm for the perfect opportunity to have a pre- or post-prandial Dubonnet (or perhaps pint of Camden Pale Ale) after a leisurely stroll with grandparents and ankle-biters round charming Inkerman Conservation Area.

4. admiralOr Tapping the Admiral. Nearby, The Admiral is doing a similar thing, but with the added charms of a roaring fire. In fact is there a more festive boozer to crowd into on the big day? Open between 12 and 3pm, Spike and the gang will be serving up mince pies, cheese and of course plenty of fizz… much less yawnsome than watching the Queen’s speech, right?

5. G Wadley's Meat Room insideStride across the Heath to The Stag. Opening its doors from 12-5pm, Gospel Oak/Belsize borders pub The Stag is offering a traditional turkey feast with the usual range of drinks from cocktails to artisan beers. They also promise to ‘light the fire, hand out the crackers and, best of all, do the washing up’. They’re being cagey about the prices but still got a few tables left, so just shoot an email over to info@thestaghampstead.com for more info.

Finally, don’t forget our special seasonal reader offers at the moment. Our 2012 Awards Sponsors Kabbee are still giving readers a £5 discount on their first booking. Pane Vino’s cheeky Xmas deal is 3 courses plus prosecco at £28 a head. Bucolic garden centre Boma promise free delivery this weekend for Kentishtowner readers if you’ve yet to buy a tree. And Brecknock Road Vegan clothing store the Third Estate are splashing out with a free limited edition bag with any purchase in December. For more details and to access the deals just click on the ads on our sidebar.

Got a NYE event you want us to consider? Email info@kentishtowner.co.uk by tomorrow morning. Our next Pinboard is December 27.

Words: Conor Fisk and Stephen Emms

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The award-winning print and online title Kentishtowner was founded in 2010 and is part of London Belongs To Me, a citywide network of travel guides for locals. For more info on what we write about and why, see our About section.