Kentish Canteen

One way to judge the service at a restaurant is to go by how they react when you keep THEM waiting, and that's exactly what happened last night at Kentish Canteen. I'd booked a table for 2 for a great set menu deal- 2 courses and a glass of Prosecco for £13.95- and turned up on time, telling the waitress that my mum was stuck on the tube (northern line, urgh), and asking if we could have some tap water for the table. After being seated on a table in a sunny spot just inside the restaurant and served my water with a smile, I was left alone to read my book, not once feeling hassled or uncomfortable, until my mum arrived and we were each served our glasses of fizz and left just the right amount of time to choose from the menu.

I chose the chorizo with sweet potato on a bed of spinach and mum went for pan fried haddock with skinny fries. The sweet potato was perfectly cooked and delicious, the spinach was fresh and tasty, but while the chorizo had a lovely deep meaty taste I felt it was missing some of the smokiness that chorizo usually has. Mum enjoyed her fish, but the fries were a little anemic and went cold very fast (one of the disadvantages of skinny fries and semi-alfresco dining). Service was fast and friendly, but I didn't really like getting served by a different person each time. It meant we got asked for things twice (have you had your Prosecco? etc) and felt a bit like we were being shuffled around.

Unfortunately, things fell down a little at dessert. My mum's lavender créme bruleé was creamy and had a perfect sugar crust, but it was hard to detect anything related to lavender. As for my affogato, here's a tip for servers- if a dessert involves one part that's melty and one part that's hot and you are serving both parts separately for whatever reason- serve the hot coffee first! My ice cream was left in front of me in the setting sun for more than 5 minutes getting steadily sadder as the waitress served someone else before returning with my coffee. I also felt that the affogato was a little too bitter (the coffee was perhaps burnt), not helped by the almonds, but the biscotti on top was delicate and sweet.

We finished off the meal with a pot of fresh mint tea each, which was served in a little teapot with colour coordinated, fabulously bohemian, glasses. Again, the staff did not make us feel rushed or pressure us to go for anything else- no one was parroting “would you like some coffee? A cocktail? Glass of wine?”. At £36 for 4 dishes, 2 pots of mint tea and service (12.5%), I felt it was very good value for money, although if I come back I'd like to try some of their cocktails and some of the food not on the set menu! I don't know if I would come back for an evening meal, but I'd be happy to return for a chat with a friend over tea.

I love this place more every time I visit.

In a relatively short time its become established as a local favourite and its hard to imagine it not being there!

Really great local restaurant/cafe – a lovely welcoming atmosphere that works with friends and the annual ‘Mother dinner’(!)
Such good food too, the menu is extensive enough to provide lots of choice (and I'm extremely fussy!) without being a chore to read through.

(Last night's dinner was a feast of Scallop, Chorizo & Cauliflower Starter, followed by an excellent Lemon Sole on Basil mash – portions are generous too, with enough constituents to not require side orders, unless you're really hungry!) The Chorizo with sweet potato was also a great success, though rather hearty for my taste – a little Chorizo goes a long way!)

Excellent wine list too, good quality and great price – great Viognier for c.£20.

Really recommend this highly.

People should support their local community by avoiding chain restaurants/coffee shops whenever I can. So having recently moved to Kentish Town I was keen to try out the Kentish Canteen. Nice space and the food looks good.

I proceeded to order a large glass of Fresh orange juice. When the waitress brought it over she mentioned briefly that she had given me a double portion. Imagine my surprise that when I asked for the bill I was being charged for 2 separate juices!!! Meaning the bill for my 1 glass of O.J came to £6.50. On top of that they didn't blink twice about charging a 12.5% service charge bringing the total to £7.31!

The manager did not budge and her advice to me was ‘Maybe you should order a small one next time!’ I hope she realizes that they have not only loose a future customer but I will never recommend the Canteen to any of my friends.

A last word of advice…if you don't serve large glasses tell you customer this before putting it on the table.

As a local I want these people to succeed where several others have tried and failed. Great room, as a good friend of mine observed, sat at the right table and facing the right direction you feel like you are in Manhatten not Kentish Town!
Thoughtlfully put together menu, emphasis on local and independent suppliers, nothing spectacular or different, more family favourites. Service is attentive and knowledgeable. Nice touches like they smoke their own fish, plays well round these parts. Execution of a couple of things slightly off, cheese souffle was a bit collapsed and soggy, salmon a little oily, and a red cabbage salad tasted too much of sesame oil. all of that said, mostly good, my youngest said fish, haddock, and chips were as good as Toffs, praise indeed.
We went for Sunday early supper and it was very busy which made for a great atmostphere.
Will be back

I really enjoyed my first taste of this friendly, light, unpretentious local restaurant. This is not haute cuisine, it is rather “honest cooking” with decent wine available. We asled our waitress about the wine choice to discover that her recommendation was spot-on which is not all that usual. Our waitress was friendly, enthusiastic and clearly loved to work there. The food was good, and matched expectations, though my sliced steak was not particularly memorable. I know my wife enjoyed her fish, but this was more of an overall experience than a foodie paradise. The lady who seemed to own the place took the trouble to come round and ask for views. suggestions and criticism. She engaged with us in a non-defensive and open-minded way, taking in all that we had to say. We wiill be returning soon. This is a valuable and welcome addition to the local dining choice and my wife and I left feeling appreciated as customers and really very happy with our evening and overall experience.

I have just discovered Kentish Canteen – what an addition to our neighbourhood it is! It is a lovely space, modern, warm and welcoming, delightful to be in. I have eaten 3 times in two weeks and it is such a treat! The food is well executed, best quality and top value – you can afford to use it instead of cooking for the evening. I am veggie and have found plenty of choice – Goat's cheese, pea and mint fritters, ricotta dumplings with charred aubergine and sage, loads of lovely cooked salads from the Larder section. My friends raved about their crispy fried chicken, steak, chorizo sausages and the most WOW! Fat Chips, home made of course! They make everything themselves, even the jams are home made!
It is such an addition to Kentish Town. I am a definite regular now!

Had dinner here with friend this Monday night. Really loved it. Everything a local restaurant should be:- warm friendly, good food and really reasonably priced. We started with a selection of the tapas dishes to share – exceptional were the black rice, like biting into in caviar and full of flavours, and the roasted onions and squash. We then had a selection of main dishes – all popular with everyone as we swopped forkfulls . My rump of lamb cooked just so. The tartare sauce was so perfect we ordered more chips and then more tartare sauce. I passed on the puddings, but tasted a creamy lemon curd ice cream and a OMG rhubarb crumble.
Service very friendly and competent.