The Devonshire Arms

Known as The Dev, a mock-Tudor Camden pub that is London's longest-surviving goth and alternative venue.

★ 4.6 $$ Camden, London An alternative Camden pint, live rock and metal, a late goth night

Published February 21, 2026 · by the barsforKings editorial team

The Pitch

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.

At a Glance

Address33 Kentish Town Road, Camden, London NW1 8NL

NeighbourhoodCamden, London

Nearest transitCamden Town (Northern line), about 3 minutes

Price Range$$

Typical spendabout £6.50 a pint

Drinks specialtyBeer, rock and metal on the stereo, live bands

ReservationsWalk in

HoursOpen daily into the night, with live bands and DJs through the week. Check the venue listing for current times.

Best forAn alternative Camden pint, live rock and metal, a late goth night

Plan Your Visit

The Devonshire Arms is in Camden, London. Walk in.

Get Directions Ask Our Team

33 Kentish Town Road, Camden, London NW1 8NL

The Room

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.

The Drinks

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.

What to Order

A pint of draught beer

The standard order. Reasonable for Camden at around six-fifty.

A cider or a spirit and mixer

Simple pub range to suit the room.

Whatever the band crowd is drinking

On a gig night the bar moves fast. Keep it simple.

A round before the DJ starts

The music is the reason to be here. Stock up early.

The Crowd and Vibe

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.

It runs busiest on band and DJ nights and at weekends, when the room fills and gets loud. The Pogues' Shane MacGowan and Spider Stacy drank here in the 1980s, and the alternative pull has held since.

What Regulars Say

Its status as London's leading goth and alternative pub is the headline, repeated by Wikipedia and the regulars who call it The Dev.
The live rock and metal nights are the draw, with bands and DJs cited as the reason it stays full.
A 4.6 rating on Pubs Around Me reflects a loyal, scene-driven crowd rather than a passing one.