Made In Camden

Made In Camden was a fantastic place to have a meal and some drinks with friends.

It is a relaxed venue which really suits Camden (great lighting & decor) with flavorsome food and smiley staff. It has a really interesting menu and some great beers to choose from.

If you are looking for a great place to share a meal with some mates in a lively setting with a twist I would check this place out

Tim

Had a fantastic meal at Made in Camden last week on the back of lot's of very positive online reviews. Four of us went at around 8pm. We assumed that it would be busy before the show at the Roundhouse so we went a bit later to miss the crowds (a good call!). We were warmly welcomed by the manager and found the staff very friendly and attentive throughout. The food was more than expected, a mix of lots of starters or small plates and large ones too. We mixed things up a bit and had a range of stuff. We'd recommend two to three of the small dishes (about £15?). Very very good food. Just a minor gripe… the water jugs are too big for the table and the glasses too small! Well worth going, would really recommend it!

Not sure if those who have reviewed this restaurant went when a show was on, but I did. Also not sure I've been to a worse restaurant! Horrible stuffy bouncer on the door that had that 'I'm in charge of the square foot of space in front of me, and take that responsibility way too seriously' jobs-worth attitude about him. Should have realised from the outside it would have been just as stuffy on the inside.

Getting a table in this restaurant is an art form which needs to be learned through careful practice. When we were accosted at the door we were immediately quizzed as to what we would like to use a table for. We were four people, two of whom had eaten before coming out to the concert so wanted a drink and possibly a snack, the other two wanted to eat. This was immediately a problem and seen as an inconvenience. The availability of a table was looking dicey even though there was a vacant table for four by the door, and pointing this out to the bouncer was earning us no brownie points.

Eventually we managed to get into the restaurant, and waited inside the doorway for a table (the one next to the door still vacant). The staff were dismissive at best, rude at worst. The manager (at least that is what I presumed the differently dressed member of staff was) was no different, and was badly presented (some shirts just don't work untucked!!), not at all inkeeping with the ‘stuffy’ style the venue was aiming at. He informed us that they were very busy and he would see what he could do about getting us a table (the one next to the door still vacant), and that he'd be right back. A couple of minutes passed and as we were stood near the bar, we decided we'd order a round of drinks whilst waiting for the manager to reappear.

Finally he did, and had managed to find us a table (you'll never guess which one, the one by the door). We sat down and read the menu, and quickly realised that the menu was just as pretentious as the venue. There were no ‘meals’ to speak of, more a list of starters that you were meant to order a selection of, rather like when in a tapas bar. The difference however between this snazzy modern eatery and a tapas bar was the price. Most dishes were priced only a fraction under main meal prices (Pork Belly for £9.90), only you'd need three of them to constitute a ‘meal’ – as suggested by the note on the menu. However this being the style of the venue, we adhered and placed our order. Also as per the note on the menu, the food came out of the kitchen when ready not at the same time; a clause taken full advantage of when dessert was the first plate to arrive at the table.

The food I have to say at this stage was nice, not outstanding but certainly some solid cooking going on back of house. It was just such a shame that the whole charade was made up to be such a pretentious dining experience, as the same pork belly dish as a proper main course at £12.95 would have been lovely.

Paying the bill was an arduous experience, as finding someone to pay it to was tricky, explaining the need for the nightclub like policy on the door. Eventually we left, exhausted by the experience, a lot lighter in the wallet, and hungry.

All in all a forgettable experience, one of those awful venues that would only ever survive in London. Wouldn't recommend or return.