Best restaurants in Camden

This cosy pub has a woody frayed-at-the-edges interior but it’s often full of trendy drinkers and boasts Primrose Hill’s celebrity elite as many of its regulars. The blackboard menu changes seasonally but the food is inspired by Mediterranean and British cuisine. Think anchovies and sage tempura alongside gravlax with toast, capers and lemon and patatas bravas with aioli.

Full of chilled-out charm, this authentically British gastropub offers an excellent selection of cask ales, craft beers, fine wines and artisanal spirits. On the menu you’ll find pub staples like cod and chips or sausage and mash alongside innovative, modern dishes such as pan-fried seabass with chargrilled Provençale-style vegetables and a tomato tapenade. There’s a fantastic Sunday lunch menu too which is best enjoyed with a tumbler of spicy Bloody Mary.

This award-winning Indian restaurant offers contemporary twists on your curry-house favourites and dishes that are bursting with flavour. House specialities include the Goan sea bass, pan seared and served with a tomato, coconut, onion, mustard seed and curry leaf sauce, and the slow cooked lamb shank with baby potatoes, ginger, mint and spices. Service is friendly and efficient, and the drinks menu is very comprehensive.

One of four restaurants from the small Japanese chain, OKA Primrose Hill offers a delicious selection of sushi and a modern take on pan Asian and Robata Grill cuisine. Specialties include the spider roll filled with soft shell crab, kimchi, cucumber and wasabi mayo and the inside-out jalapeno salmon roll which is stuffed with spring onion, shichimi spices, avocado and cucumber and rolled in tempura crumbs.

If juicy burgers served in hand shaped soft brioche buns or crispy ciabatta sounds like your kind of heaven, get yourself down to Haché ASAP. There are daring options like the Steak Calabria which features a beef steak burger topped with nduja spicy sausage, confit garlic, cavolo nero, provolone cheese, beef tomato and red onion. Chicken, veggie and plant-based options are also available and there’s an excellent selection of sides, small plates and salads.

Expect comforting classics with a contemporary twist at this friendly, low-key Italian. The interior is relaxed and in warmer months sitting at the outdoor tables brings a real Mediterranean feel to the dining experience. Staff are helpful, attentive and work to deliver a homely atmosphere alongside great food. The menu features several homemade pastas, available in small or large portions, as well as meat and fish dishes such as the poppyseed-crusted salmon with peas and pancetta.

It takes just one step into Poppie’s for you to be filled with nostalgia and instantly craving a portion of salt and vinegar-laced chips. Pat ‘Pop’ Newland is the brains behind it all and has earned a somewhat legendary status with decades of experience on the scene. All of the fish is sustainably caught on day boats and is prepared by in-house fishmonger Salih Sadik. So, whether you’re after east end favourites like jellied eels or the chippie classics of battered fish or sausage, Poppie’s is comforting, familiar and a true fuss-free food champion.

The second of chef patron Michael Nadra’s London establishments, this intimate neighbourhood restaurant offers high quality contemporary food in a relaxed environment. There is an array of menus to choose from like the three-course set menu for £45 and a la carte options which include steamed sea bass with prawn and chive dumplings and butternut squash risotto with garlic and parsley banana blossom.

Sitting on the same corner for more than 30 years, Lemonia has a long list of loyal customers who keep returning for a taste of the Mediterranean on the streets of north west London. This restaurant is run by Greek-Cypriots and the cosy interior with booths and hanging baskets compliments the comforting menu that’s full of all the classics. Rich moussaka, grilled fish and charcoal-flamed meats are all present – if you’d prefer a taste of everything order the mezze for a selection of hot and cold starters, main dishes and Greek salad.

Chef Gordon Ramsay has transformed this former 1820s coaching station into a sophisticated and effortlessly chic dining destination with rooms. The food is typically British with international influences and this is reflected in the wine menu too. Expect hearty classics like the pie of the week or slow roasted pork belly alongside pumpkin tortellini and street pizza specials. There’s also a great Sunday lunch available and afternoon tea too.

Giant, stringy mozzarella sticks with a rich marinara dipping sauce, gooey five cheese macaroni and of course, a strong selection of trusty grilled cheese sandwiches – this is any turophile's dream. The food is as Instagrammable as the interior with a marble U-shaped countertop that’s suitable for groups of one to four to dine at. This ones comes with a warning that food envy is very, very likely to occur.

Be prepared to burn off the calories you’ve consumed at this Argentinian-eatery as staff actively encourage punters to take to the dance floor following their meal. Offering authentic food and wine at affordable prices, this welcoming restaurant often hosts energetic tango nights. An open grill and Patagonian clay oven take centre-stage offering theatre to the food and not just the atmosphere.