North London Food & Culture

Camden Brewery bar is back

The original north London craft beer bar is to reopen next week

How it used to look. Photo: Camden Brewery

It’s turning into a bumper month for positive pub news in NW5: first off was The Pineapple’s four-day bash to celebrate 15 years since its escape from the clutches of property developers; then, the new owner of the Dartmouth Arms told us he was to fling the doors open next week; and lastly, work on another local institution, the Camden Brewery bar, is finally finished.

It’s been closed for six months for a bit of a spruce-up and rethink. And, as we said a while back, even if they sorted out those toilets and nothing else we’d be, erm, relieved, especially the #awks too-close urinals in the minuscule men’s room. (Although we bet those walls could tell a few boozy tales.)

So what’s new? “We’ve shifted things around a bit,” says head honcho Jasper Cuppaidge, “so not only can we have lots of you along for beers throughout the week with more seating inside and out, you can now grab your take-out bottles, cans and cases from our walk-in cold room. Think more taps on the bar, more loos (yes!) and lots more room for fun beer stuff.”

The new beer on the block. Photo: Camden Brewery

Phew. And the former Camden HQ office above the bar (accessed by that little staircase at the back) is now set to be the beer tasting room, while artworks will be dotted around by artists including Crispin Finn, Marby & Elm and Anna Kövecses in rotating seasonal residencies.


LOCAL ADVERTISING


But at next Thursday’s launch it’s all about the brewery’s smoky new beer, Flue Faker. Plus there’ll be brewery tours, giveaways, live screen-printing at The Little Camden Print Shop, and tons of booze. Obvs.

Neil Rankin will be firing up the smoker. Photo: PR

As well as a chance to gawp at the renovated space, they’re also launching the Brewery Bar’s new outdoor pop-up kitchen with a fiesta of slow-smoked meat.

And guess who’s at the helm for one-night-only? None other than one of the capital’s BBQ dons, Neil Rankin, founder of Pitt Cue, Smokehouse and Temper in Soho (which we loved on a recent visit).

After that, when the bar opens properly the following week, they’ll be hosting a line-up of street food traders curated by Kerb, alongside charcuterie by the Ham and Cheese Co, and cheese by La Fromagerie.

See you on the cobbles.

The Brewery Bar relaunches next Thursday 20th April, 6-10pm. Find it on Wilkin Street Mews NW5 right next to Kentish Town West Overground. It reopens fully on Monday 24th April. More info @camdenbrewery

Leave a Comment

Leave a Comment

About Kentishtowner

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.