Known as The Dev, a mock-Tudor Camden pub that is London's longest-surviving goth and alternative venue.
The Devonshire Arms sits on Kentish Town Road in Camden Town, a mock-Tudor pub known to everyone as The Dev. By Wikipedia's account it is the longest-surviving goth pub in London and a focus for the city's alternative scene.
It is a music pub first. The dark interior runs goth, punk, metal, indie, and rock, with live bands and DJs through the week. Come for a pint among the black-clad regulars and a loud night. Skip it if heavy music is not your thing, because the stereo sets the whole mood here.
Behind the mock-Tudor facade is a dark, buzzy room built for live bands and DJs. It was Camden's first goth pub and traded for years as the Hobgoblin before returning to the Devonshire Arms name.
The fit-out is plain and music-led rather than polished, which is the appeal. CAMRA lists the mock-Tudor frontage as a Camden landmark in its own right.
This is a pub range rather than a cocktail list, with beer the standard order and prices that stay reasonable for Camden, around six and a half pounds a pint.
Order a pint and let the playlist do the rest. The point is the music, not the menu, so a straightforward draught beer is the right call before a band comes on.
The Dev draws Camden's goth, punk, and metal regulars, gig-goers, and a younger alternative crowd that has kept the scene alive for decades.
What to order
- 01
A pint of draught beer
- 02
A cider or a spirit and mixer
- 03
Whatever the band crowd is drinking
- 04
A round before the DJ starts
