The Blues Kitchen Camden

The Blues Kitchen.

It might sound like a depressing place to eat…

…until you hear they specialise in classic American BBQ (Buffalo chicken wings, buttermilk fried chicken, jumbo short rib, and more); house London’s largest Bourbon collection; and offer live Motown, funk, and soul seven days a week.

See, Blues Kitchen Camden isn’t just a restaurant. Instead, like all of the Blues Kitchen sites – Brixton and Shoreditch included – it masterfully combines eating, drinking, and dancing under one roof.

Photo: Justin de Souza

At the other sites this is broken up over a number of floors, but at Camden it all happens in one big open space, meaning that as you’re tucking into your smoked ox-cheek nuggets and corn bread you can tap your feet to the bluesy strains of the UK and US’s best live musicians.

Standing out from many of the other pubs and bars in Camden, it’s a unique spot. The Blues Kitchen takes up an imposing corner plot, covered in mustard subway tiling, and with flickering neon signs in the windows. Inside, the decor is moody jazz club meets American diner meets old school Western. There’s a lot of dark wood and brown leather, offset by vintage gig posters, potted plants, and huge chandeliers made out of vintage gramophone horns…

Justin de Souza

Programming on the other hand is as follows:

• On Mondays it’s rib night, and you’ll frequently find resident frontman Oli Darling playing blues – a little bit of Big Bill Broonzy and The Rolling Stones.
• Tuesdays see Barrelhouse Blues – upbeat Blues and Soul: Ray Charles and Johnny Cash for a little light toe-tapping.
• Wednesday’s acts vary, although a £5 cocktail deal – including Burnt Pear Old Fashioneds and Lychee Martinis – make dancing likely.
• On Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays the pace picks up with back-to-back sets from the house band, followed by DJs playing what they describe as ‘party classics’. In other words, it’s upbeat and you’re likely to know the lyrics, which, a couple of Bourbons down…

…you’ll be making sure everyone around you knows about.

NOTE: The Blues Kitchen Camden is open Monday-Tuesday, 12pm-12am; Wednesday-Thursday 12pm-1am; Friday, 12pm-2.30am; Saturday, 10am-3am; and Sunday, 10am-1am. For more information or to make a reservation, visit their website here. 

The Blues Kitchen Camden | 111-113 Camden High Street, Camden, London, NW1 7JN

Last updated: 19th August 2019

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