BLOG: A Weekend in NW5
12 years ago, I moved to North London on a bit of a whim, not knowing anything about Kentish Town or the area of NW5, and I am lucky enough to still live here. I absolutely love the area and the community where I live; nowhere has ever felt more like home to me than here, and it is my absolute pleasure to talk to you about how to spend a weekend in the area – you’re in for a real treat!
For the purpose of this article, I’m going to pretend summer is actually playing ball and behaving as summer should, so it’s warm and sunny and it’s a Friday night - one tradition that still seems to stand strong post-Covid is the after-work pint on a Friday - and we’re heading straight for the cobbles on York Rise. York Rise is a back street in NW5, filled with independent businesses and all sorts of characters, and it’s where we are going to spend our Friday. The Cobbles, as it’s known to the locals, is a mews that sits between Truffles Deli and Dartmouth Arms, and we are starting our summer evening with a pint of Keller Pils from the Dartmouth and a seat outside on the mews – in summer, it really does feel like you could be somewhere in Europe.
A couple of drinks in and you’ll be getting hungry, so we’re off for dinner just next door at Truffles Deli. Yes, that’s right, we are having our Friday evening meal in an Italian delicatessen! Truffles is an independent Italian Deli run by Londoner Lee and his friends and family, but it is so much more than that; Lee is nothing short of a local hero and a linchpin of the local community. Friday night is pizza night - Lee has an Italian woodfired pizza oven in the backyard, makes his own dough and knocks out pizza after pizza until he sells out, which he does, every Friday. Relax, hang out, meet all the interesting locals and sip on a Venetian Spritz whipped up by their brilliant front of house, Bob. Or perhaps you’d prefer to sample all the Lost and Grounded core beers instead; Lee started buying from me in lockdown to help when all the pubs were shut and has stocked the full range ever since! Truffles Deli is where you can find me most Fridays, out the back in the yard, drinking coffee and eating platefuls of Tiramisu.
Saturday morning and there’s only one way to start the day; breakfast at Mario’s Café. Nestled in a beautiful side street off Kelly Street, right in the heart of Kentish Town, Mario’s has been in the family since 1958, and as Mario’s Café since 1989. Self-proclaimed as one of the last truly independent cafés left in North London, go for the reasonably priced great food and stay for the even greater conversation – Mario’s is usually full of musicians of all ages and is so popular Saint Etienne even wrote an album for them - Songs for Mario’s Café. And the best thing about Mario? For us die-hard North Londoners? He lives in Leyton (East London).
Although you’ll want to stay in Mario’s all day, remember it is actually summer and it is actually sunny, so we’re going to walk up Kentish Town Road onto Hampstead Heath. The Heath is nothing short of magical and oh, how we laugh when people say London isn’t green! I am so lucky to have this as my back garden. It’s beautiful all year round, spanning a massive 790 acres with outdoor swimming ponds and amazing views – Parliament Hill is the best. You could spend all day here, but we have the rest of NW5 to see, so, onwards!
North London is spoilt for choice with boozers. Proper pubs with so much history and character on every corner. One of the best things to do in London is a pub crawl and that’s exactly how we’re going to spend our Saturday afternoon! First up is Duke of St Albans, a new pub opened by Andreas & Anselm, who already run a handful of amazing venues across London that we work closely with. They’ve done an amazing job of re-opening the Duke of St Albans, turning it back into a proper pub on the corner of Swains Lane. After a swift pint of Helles it’s a short walk to the next pub, The Bull and Last, a long-standing North London watering hole with a brilliant food offering and another pint of Lost and Grounded Helles. An even shorter walk and you are at the Southampton Arms, a real spit and sawdust-type pub with an ever-changing beer selection and super cute garden, where we pitch up to catch the last of the evening sun. Our pub crawl continues to The Pineapple, a classic Kentish Town boozer where you can wash down delicious Thai food with a crisp Keller Pils, before winding up at Never For Ever for some friendly competition over the pool table.
North London is known for its live music venues, and there are so many, but staying super local we check out The Dome in Tufnell Park, with Downstairs at The Dome, well, downstairs… Two venues in one building, both always have live music on and have seen all kinds of famous bands over the years, it’s still the perfect place to discover new music. Afterwards, it’s onto Aces and Eights - run for over a decade by Tim, it’s a trustworthy late-night venue.
By the way, every venue I have mentioned above is independent! It’s one of the main things I love about the area; everyone cares, everywhere has real substance.
Then before you know it Sunday morning rolls around! Time to get up and out and into the Lido. Parliament Hill Fields is a 60-meter open air Lido you can swim in year-round, and on a morning from 7am – 10.30am you can rock up without booking. After your swim, it’s back to where you started on the mews at Truffles; Lee will be on hand with fresh hot coffee and sandwiches, and I guarantee you will bump into the new friends and locals you met on Friday evening.
Enjoy, Big Love,
Aimee x
Written by Aimee Allen, London Sales Manager
You can also find Lost and Grounded beer in these locations in NW5…
