One Night Out In Camden Town
Camden Town has been visited by pretty much all of London’s tourists and the same goes for its inhabitants. When visiting for the first time it’s inevitably a mess in your head – turn your eyes to any direction and something curious that might be nice to try out; can’t make up your mind; leave with the same amount of curiosity and the burning desire to come back tomorrow. To tie down this feeling as much as possible, I would say a great option is to do your research before heading to London’s Camden. And as a part of this research I’d be glad to help you with the story of my night walking Camden’s streets, I hope it will make thing a tiny bit clearer.
Our plan, me and two of my girlfriends, initially was just to stop by Electric Ballroom and check out whether it’s our cup of tea so that next time the club is hosting an event we don’t hesitate. Of course then someone came with the brilliant idea that it’s best to grab a bite before heading to a club and we decided to try the Lockside Lounge – one of the chilliest venues in Camden according to my friend with the food idea. So our itinerary had Camden Lock for its first stop. Unfortunately our eyes and stomachs made us take a little detour.
Destination 1: Honest Burgers & Cookies and Scream
Cookies and Scream
We all were aware of the BBQ at Lockside Lounge, but…come on, you can’t blame us – stand before the sight of huge, freshly made burgers and chocolate cookies and cakes just beside them and then tell me if you have the strength of walking away calmly…Our other friends – appetite and visual sight – obviously did not agree with us on the later BBQ idea and we stopped to have some burgers from Honest Burgers at the Camden Market. Everyone knows that Camden Lock is one of the best places to shop when on a vacation – you family and friends will be quite happy with what you manage to get them from the market. Don’t get too busy shopping, though, sit for a minute and try the market’s street food to gain some energy for more shopping! Honest Burgers are honestly some of the most high quality food you can find at such a venue; inspired by the sole idea of serving quality food the burger restaurant opened 4 years ago following a sort-of-catering business operated by the same owners and ever since it has been loved not only by event guests. These honest burgers are made of rare breed, aged beef from Yorkshire’s farm Ginger Pig; combined with the rosemary-salted chips the meat is just perfect and every month there is a different special at the restaurant.
Check out Honest Burgers’ Menu: Burgers&Drinks
But to be even more honest than the pork, we were more excited about the cookies next door! Cookies and Scream is a small, family-run bakery offering a wide range of great cookies, cakes, brownies, pies, donuts and more. I highly doubt you’d need my persuasion if only you’d see the bakery but in case you don’t – seriously, just go, find and try. Most importantly, for vegans, Cookies and Scream’s products contain no dairy, eggs, wheat or gluten – only nuts and soya. And the service is great, the cutest little bakery.
Destination 2: Lockside Lounge
Lockside Lounge
As we already were at Camden Lock and after wreaking our plates for around 10 minutes we had plenty of time before it was acceptable to go to a club, we decided to visit Lockside Lounge after all.
It turned out that our decision to eat somewhere else was not that bad. Getting your Belgian beer on the bar while chatting and relaxing with the chill music is a pretty pleasant experience but from what I could see this was not the case for everyone. Even though the bartender was very friendly, attentive and quick at his job, the waitresses were not so thorough – I saw at least 4 tables trying very hard to attract attention because they cannot order food on the bar. Aside from that (and the toilets) Lockside managed to loosen us up just as we expected and not for a high price. I think the venue would be even nicer a few hours later on a weekend night since it’s famous for its events – DJs and other performers regularly play at the Lockside Lounge attracting a crowd.
Check out Lockside Lounge’s Menus: Food and Drinks
Destination 3: Electric Ballroom
Electric Ballroom
After finally the clock hit 11p.m. we paid our bill at Lockside Lounge and headed to Electric Ballroom; I’m a fan of oxymorons and the name has always allured me. Frankly, I don’t know why I’ve hesitated about attending a night event there; maybe because all of the bad choices for clubs you could easily make in London. After all, Electric Ballroom has an impressive history of being host to names like U2, Red Hot Chili Peppers, The Smiths, The Clash and many more with the exceptional amount of time operating as some kind of venue – seventy years! Every Friday and Saturday you can assure of the parties hosted. Most often the performances are rock, there are two large dance floors and four bars for the visitors so as not to make them wait too long. And my experience there was indeed satisfying – nice drinks, nice enough service, the interior could have benefitted from a bit more rebellious kind of look but after all it was chill yet lively. Since it is a rock venue, the people who go to Electric Ballroom are somewhat picked and you wouldn’t have problems with drunk youngsters, at least I didn’t. I can say I’d definitely return for some gig and probably so will my friends. If you happen to be in town for one of the club’s concerts – do not hesitate to visit, won’t be a mistake.
Have a look at Electric Ballroom’s programme: Events
I hope my description of a night out in Camden Town was at least a tad helpful. I know it is difficult to get the most of it, especially if you don’t have enough time but isn’t it the same with all of London’s parts? If Honest Burgers, Cookies and Scream, Lockside Lounge or Electric Ballroom are under consideration – write a tick and take the time to meet with these places; if there are not a part of your ‘to be or not to be’ list…well, they are now – sorry for causing your decision making process more trouble…
