The Camden Head

A Grade II listed Victorian gin palace on Camden Passage, kept intact and running free comedy most nights.

★ 4.3 $$ Islington, London A Camden Passage pint, a Victorian interior, a free comedy night

Published January 27, 2026 · by the barsforKings editorial team

The Pitch

The Camden Head stands on Camden Walk among the antique dealers of Camden Passage in Islington, not in Camden Town. It is a Grade II listed Victorian pub dated 1899 in the carved panels on its stacks, and it has kept the look of an old gin palace.

Etched glass partitions, ornate lamps, and an island bar with a Pond's of Clerkenwell clock survive inside. Come for a pint in a genuinely preserved Victorian room and a free comedy night upstairs. Skip it if you want a modern cocktail den, because the appeal here is the original 1899 fabric, not a reinvention.

At a Glance

Address2 Camden Walk, Islington, London N1 8DY

NeighbourhoodIslington, London

Nearest transitAngel (Northern line), about 4 minutes

Price Range$$

Typical spendabout £7 a pint

Drinks specialtyCask ale, gin, traditional pub food

ReservationsWalk in; book ahead for the comedy room

HoursOpen daily into the evening, with free comedy most nights. Check the venue listing for current times.

Best forA Camden Passage pint, a Victorian interior, a free comedy night

Plan Your Visit

The Camden Head is in Islington, London. Walk in; book ahead for the comedy room.

Get Directions Ask Our Team

2 Camden Walk, Islington, London N1 8DY

The Room

The interior is the reason to come. CAMRA's listing records etched glass screens, an island servery, and stained glass in the Aesthetic Movement style added during a 1969 restoration by Roderick Gradidge.

Outside, a terrace on Camden Walk faces the antique stalls of Camden Passage. The upstairs room hosts the comedy club, so the ground floor stays a drinking room.

The Drinks

This is a traditional pub range rather than a cocktail list. Expect two regular and two changing cask ales alongside the gin selection that suits the gin palace setting.

Order a cask ale or a gin and sit by the etched glass. The kitchen runs traditional pub fare, with pies and fish and chips, so a pint with a plate is the move here.

What to Order

A changing cask ale

Two rotating guest ales sit alongside two regulars. Ask what just came on.

A gin, neat or long

Fitting for a former gin palace. The back bar carries a proper range.

A homemade pie

The kitchen leans traditional. A pie holds up against a pint.

Fish and chips

Pub-classic territory, the right order before a comedy set upstairs.

The Crowd and Vibe

The Camden Head draws Camden Passage shoppers by day and a comedy crowd by night, with Islington locals filling the terrace in good weather.

It runs busiest before and after the free comedy shows. The mood is relaxed and local rather than a destination night out.

What Regulars Say

The preserved Victorian interior is the headline. Visit London and CAMRA both single out the etched glass and the 1899 gin palace fabric.
The free nightly comedy upstairs gets repeat mention as the reason regulars return midweek.
Londonist files it among Islington's characterful old pubs, with the Camden Passage terrace a draw in summer.