please note - reviews on this site are purely the opinion of site visitors, so don't take them too seriously.
Popped in before a gig at the Underworld opposite as we'd arrived a bit early. Not much to say about the place really. Good selection of Laine beers plus Beavertown Gamma Ray on tap. Expensive and short measures given.
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I wasn't planning to try this place. But I was a little too early for my planned pub in Camden. The Camden Eye enjoys a strategic place on the corner of Kentish Town Road and Camden Road, directly across from the tube station. Sitting in here is a good place for people watching. All manners of life stroll past and some of them stroll into the pub itself. It certainly has a varied clientele. Ales on were Watney's Pale Ale, St Austell Tribute, Wadworth Horizon & Camden Ale, which is actually Caledonian Edinburgh Castle re-badged and far from local!
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My annual visit was a on a Sunday night for quick pint just before closing time
6 hand pumps, I had a pint of Watney’s Pale Ale @ 4.2%. A decent pint but spoilt by the music being too bloody loud….and I mean seriously loud.
Even though it’s opposite Camden Town tube station it’s really not worth a visit unless you want to burst your eardrums!
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Pictures from 2014 uploaded...
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Used to be the Halfway House during the Britpop wars.
Not a bad pub, really. Yes the service is... random but the beer is OK (I went for the Tribute but it *just* went off so settled for the local Camden Eye Ale, which was serviceable).
Downstairs was very popular but upstairs was almost empty - perfect for what my friends and I wanted this time as we were catching up after a long time apart.
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I popped in on a Sunday evening just before closing time for a quick pint after working locally.
6 cask ales on the hand pumps, my pint of Deuchars IPA wasn't the best and tasted a bit vinegary to be honest. In addition there were 2 Theakstons offerings on keg which were Barista Stout and Peculiar IPA, maybe I should of gone keg on this occasion.
Quite busy inside with a group of drunken Rugby fans making a fair amount of noise. I stayed for a pint then headed home, it’s very convenient for the tube station but there are better options for well kept ale in the area.
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Right by Camden Town Station so I popped in on Sunday night around 11.15pm only to be told they had stopped serving.
Not to be deterred I return the following night around 8pm when I knew they would be open.
Busy with the pizza’s going down a storm, they smelt and looked blinking good!
6 ales on the hand pumps with my choice being a couple of pints of Robinson’s Trooper. My first time on tap for this beer as have only ever drank it in bottles. Cracking pint and very well kept and poured.
Only stayed for 2 pints, the pub was very busy and a chap was just getting ready to play some live music…I hot footed it out of the pub before he started.
Perfect location for the station and a decent pub with a good beer range. I shall return.
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Generally considered the worst boozer in Camden.
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Ridiculous pub. Prices withstanding, the service you get is deplorable. When I was here, two of the bar staff were more interested in getting themselves drunk behind the bar than in serving their customers, and the South African girl who actually finally served us looked and smelt like she hadn't washed in weeks. She smelt heavily of marijuana. Any management who fail to control their staff to this extent need shooting!
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A little update for you - A friend came here the other night after I left them. Guinness is now up to �4.20. A rip off even for Camdens ever decreasing standards.....
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Went in here with a mate last night. One bloke doing Coke in the toilet cubicle, another pissing on the floor beside me.
At the bar a pint of Guinness was........................�3.85!!!!!!! Never again/
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This is the most expensive pub I have ever had the misfortune to go to - a pint of Fosters shandy cost me �3.70 today. The pub is nothing special, small, not that comfortable and I certainly won't be going back there as it's just a rip off. I drink in pubs all over London & have never paid so much!
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Seriously expensive average beer in very average pub surroundings. I won't be returning
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Started off in here in what turned out to be a mini pub crawl. This was the nicest of the 3 we tried. It was monday night at 6.30 Climbed up on a bar stool by the window facing all the traffic. fascinating place to observe being right on the corner of 4 roads. Also pleased with the beer choice. The choice was Youngs or Bombardier - better than the other places we tried. The Bombardier was absolutely fine - had two of those. Very expensive but whatr do you expect? It was on a par with the others we visited and by far the best. On our return to the station much later we noticed that the lights were very dim and the place had taken on a much more relaxed approach. Didn't have time to pop back in but would be happy to go back some other time.
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Not the greatest pub in London for sure, beer was OK but nothing special, if the quality was as high as the price I wouldn't feel so negative towards this hole which is trying to be aloof from what it really is.
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Went in here saturday night after dinner with the missus, the first thing that struck me is this pub is like a tardis in reverse, as previous posters have alluded to. The tables and chairs arent the only high thing in the pub, the prices are shocking, �9.20 for a pint of fosters top and a large dry white wine!!!! After asking the barman to repeat the cost and getting the same reply, i asked him how he slept at night, but i dont think he heard me as he neither laughed nor got angry, maybe he hears it quite alot! Needless to say had one drink and f***ed off, which was a shame because the music was good 80's rock classics!!
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pickedonthewrongperson, it is amazing how you literally pissed on almost 4 years of hard work in just 6 sentences. Well done to you!
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Went in there on weds night and one of the local scumbags nicked my bag. My bar staff couldn't give a sh*t, they just shrugged as if to say "so what?". That was two days ago and I have been trying to speak to the manager by phone. On Thursday the manager was a man ("he will be in later" - but the elusive 'he' wasn't). Today, the manager is apparentely a woman ("she will be in later" - I've been fobbed off with that 3 times so far. The next time the mysterious he/she manager is supposed to be around is 6 tonight, so we'll see). The pub is full of scumbags, skag heads, crack heads, Toms and bar staff who just don't care what happens to anyone who happens along at the hands of the regulars. Avoid it like the plague, its full of the lowest life forms you could possibly imagine.
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Just over from the World�s End lies what, from the exterior, looks like quite a large pub. Inside it�s actually rather smaller than the outside might suggest.
Noticed the Cask Marque sign on the way in and thought that maybe I was onto a good thing as I saw three ales (Deuchars IPA, Bomardier and Batemans � all sparklerised). I had a half of both the Batemans and Deuchars. Sadly they were both pretty poor and at �3.30 a pint pretty pitiful. AlbertoL, if you come here to drink English beer I think you�re going to be pleasantly shocked if you try the same beers elsewhere.
My annoyance was exacerbated by the ludicrously misleading signage to the bogs which points to a locked door. Ha ha ha, oh how I laughed.
Don�t bother - give it a couple of minutes slipper and you can be in at least three places a lot better than this one. If you have to find somewhere near the tube to wait for mates, try the Spread Eagle instead.
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A very good effort from the owners has turned this once deliberately avoided place to the deafult starting point for any Camden based drink for myself and my friends. Not necessarily somewhere you'd choose to drink in for a whole evening due to it tending to get a little claustrophobic at times, but definitely a good place for a couple of jars before heading off somewhere else.
Decor is cosy and a little bit of kitschy character can be found in places, the furniture is off the high stool and table variety but comfortable nonetheless. Bar staff are very polite and friendly and you rarely have to wait very long for service even when it fills up. Range of drinks is pretty good, prices are on a par with most of the pubs in the viscinity and quality faultless. The drinkers seem to come from many different walks of life and are friendly enough but generally keep themselves to themselves.
Background music is generally very good, a right mixture of odds and sods that often pricks the interest. They have TVs but they seem to be strictly background features and rarely have the sound on.
The view from the pub is great for people watching as well which is a bonus.
Well worth a visit and if you don't mind a crowd it might just become your Camden boozer of choice.
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Funky place, great staff. I like that it's so homely. Can get a bit busy on Friday nights, I prefer Sunday evenings that are lazy and jazzy. Also, serves good Sunay roast.
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Very nice espresso!
The staff is very nice, from Italy, Sweden and many other countries, and I come here often to talk to them and drink English beer. They make live music on Thursday and have DJ on weekends. Always nice!
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Camden eye is a cool bar. Recently it has had a face lift, it looks cosy inside, they got loads of books you can read and free wi-fi. I've there for lunch and picky as I am, I requested food that wasn't actually on the menu. The staff called the chef who came downstairs and took my order himself, the food was amazing! Really like this place.
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Camden Eye has gone through a lot of changes and it has all been for the better. wwwcamden, if you werent so busy focusing on the faults in the toilets, you may have noticed what an improvement the pub has had the past year. Definitely the new place to be at the moment.
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This is a small boozer packed with lots of high tables and little standing room. In fact the only notable standing room is at the bar. Deuchars, Bombardier, Guinness, Strongbow and 3 lagers were available on my visit.
Unsurprisingly it was busy during my visit at 19:00 on Friday evening and the staff were overstretched. Someone had puked at the bar after downing a short and the barmaid sorted it out after a while by putting some blue paper over it. It was still like this 30 minutes later when I left � Nice!!!
It was my first time in here since the name change and I wasn�t very impressed.
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one of the worst pub i ever been... no water in the toilette, service take ages to serve you, they opening times are 12pm but sometimes is still close at 13pm when everybody want lunch. No soap in the toilette, either after 1 week reported to the manager who is a young girl and very cheeky... may she know the owner very good... not recommended at all.
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Handy for meeting people who can't follow directions to anywhere else as it is right by the tube. Not much good for anything else though.
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What a wonderful evening I spent ! Great handsome waiters .. especially the french one !
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amazing service! crazy french waiter! Pierrot
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much better than it was!
nice refurb inside and out , pleasant decor and atmosphere now .
nice selection of beers and wines too .
would definitely return should the opportunity arise .
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Just returned from enjoyable evening out that ended with a swift pint here at last orders. A fine pint of Deuchar�s IPA, friendly Swedish girl behind the bar and a pleasant atmosphere. Will return and spend longer here.
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bit pricey, but has free wi-fi access. service friendly. used to be the roughest pub in town, but now comfortably safe. good meeting point.
anonymous - 31 Oct 2007 10:45 |
the pub is a vast improvement on its halfway house days except for the fact they cant seem to look after the real ales,i was in a month back & the deuchars had gone sour so i had it changed for a bombardier which was ok-just.I then went in last night to find the deuchars rather tired tasting and when i went for a 2nd pint it had finished but the bombardier had turned sour.someone there needs lessons in how to look after real ale
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In March 2006 I wrote �If you could clear out the rabble, introduce some more sympathetic furnishings and insert a decent management team, this place could be a winner.� Someone seems to have taken note as the Eye is now a shadow of its former self and an excellent example of how to turn a total dive into something more respectable without destroying the character of the building. The dropouts and wierdo�s have been replaced with a smarter and more civilized crowd and the pub is far more hospitable than it ever was before. The basic interior is the same but the furnishings are slightly more trendy, the music more eclectic and a couple of Plasma Screens added. The Bombardier and Deuchers are enough to keep me happy and the staff have been top notch on the 2 or 3 occasions I have visited since the makeover. Still a great place to people watch with its panorama of the junction outside Camden Town tube station. Well done to whoever sorted this place out. Shame the rating reflects the old Halfway House rather than the Eye but it will hopefully adjust itself in due course.
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Hey it just seems to get better
They now have a new Manageress and and new vibrant team
Jet I did read you comment and I guess you either are a twit or have a personal axe to grind
As I have only ever had great service and a good time in here since the refurb
I agree with wellreadjay the spirit range is lacking but I had a chat with one of the Bar staff, James last night and he was telling me they are adding some more interesting stuff soon
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hey wellreaddjay [henry miller is the BEST - whats your fave?]. wonder where my previous post went - was v. tame, no swear words etc, thought this was a website supporting independent views, apparently not...
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Hey Jet. Did you go to the same pub I did last night? I only started drinking in the Eye recently as it was a complete hole before the paint job, but I certianly can't fault it now. Both the staff were attractive and helpful last night, although I couldn't vouch for the level of their education. The spirit selection was a bit lacking though. Definitely a step in the right direction for Camden.
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WOW what a turn around great looks good and the food is really good as well really good breakfast I will be back
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must be limitations with what you can do with a place this small - a definate improvment with the revamp, Deuchars/Bombardier no hand pump the former sadly dispensed through a cask breather? (sorry i'm just picky) The kitchen was knocking out some very appetising frie ups - i'll be back for one of those if not the ales. Opens 9.30am !
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Had lunch here for the first time since the change of management. Excellent chicken �-la-king very well prepared with quality ingredients in a good-sized hunger-busting portion! The Deuchar�s IPA was also very well kept and was in top condition.
Pub is well worth visiting for a lunchtime special and a swift pint, but it can get very smoky inside.
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A fantastic change to this pub it was nasty and now is light and you can see everything going on in the street cracking new name fits the spot
I had a cracking pint of Deuchers the other night wicked now have a spot close to the tube for a swifty before home
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Pub has been cleaned up as patr of a general "cleansing" of the area which is good.It's all helpin to give Camden a better name. Spent a few months in Camden a few years back and the Half Way House as it were then along with the World's End weren't my ideal drinking venues. Now with two real ales includin Deuchars IPA, and later opening hours, that, in my book, is a lot better than it was prior. Feels like a more welcoming place that anyone can go in.
7/10
andyW
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Yep, gone from the newly refurbished Camden Eye are the drunks, druggies, drop-outs and weirdos that frequented The Halfway House. Gone are the old rickety tables and chairs, the filthy toilets and the scabby 80s decor. Gone is all the character!!!
Well done folks. Yet another bland modern bar to add to the collection. Aren't we spoiled for choice!
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Visited last night, a few minutes before the new closing time of 12 midnight. Staff friendly, the music was not too loud to spoil conversation, and Charles Wells Bombardier was rather good (for Charles Wells Bombardier). Will visit again when the Deuchars IPA is back on.
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Well - what can I say..a fantastic change of decor, which makes for a totally different Pub. A light and airy feeling, with plenty of room to sit down. You can actually see inside the pub now,which is a bonus!
Went there last week with a group of friends (all female), and had a great time. The staff are knowledgeable and friendly. A great turnaround.
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Popped in a week ago. First time i been in since the refurn.Deuchars was off so settled 4 an average pint of Wells Bombardier.
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In addition to the redecoration this pub now has at least one real ale. I recall recently popping my head through the door just after closing time and seeing Deuchar's IPA on hand pump. I will shortly visit the pub to create a more comprehensive review of it.
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It's re-opened... As "The Camden Eye" I only saw the outside, from a passing bus. The black paint seems to have been replaced with an off white / light grey colour.
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By all accounts it will reopen as the "Camden Eye"
why must old pubs be renamed?
We want to see what happens to it...
(But I'm not going to hold my breath)
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Closed. Being heavily refurbed.
anonymous - 20 Sep 2006 21:41 |
A small pub that is quite dindgy with little atmosphere. There is little to say about this pub. Ok if you want a quite drink. Beer was ok but i generally use it to meet and move on - an advantage of being small i suppose, you can't miss anyone.
Ditinctly average 5/10
wocca - 24 Aug 2006 15:50 |
someone should get hold of this place and make an effort, remember going to the bar one night and standing next to Winston Silcott, which was a little strange
anonymous - 2 Apr 2006 18:43 |
The previous 2 comments are pretty close to the mark.The place was surprisingly empty when the pavements are choc a bloc outside.And it was wierd how long it took the barmaid to acknowledge your presence-seeing that I was the only one who needed a drink-She eventually managed to drag her arse away from her friend....This pub has always had its fair share of middle aged drunks-but years ago,you could at least sit at a decent set of tables,and sit comfotably with your discomfort.
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If ever they need to do a remake of Night of the Zombies, they could do far worse than cast the regulars of the Halfway House. When a pub in Camden is empty, you know it must be bad. On the face of it, this could be a decent enough boozer with its ideal location in the middle of Camden next to the Tube Station, handy for the market, the High Street and the various music venues. Its single bare floored bar offers no thrills and the beer was surprisingly well kept albeit not too adventurous (the Bombardier was in far better shape than the Worlds End opposite). The big downside is the customer base. Camden has its fair share of dropouts, down and outs, druggies and weirdos and they all seem to use the Halfway House as their local. Pretty much everyone I have encountered in here has either been stoned out of their minds, compulsive gamblers, plain drunk or all three. Even the barmaid didn�t seem to be all there although she was pleasant enough. I didn�t encounter any violence or particular nastiness but the atmosphere is quite intimidating, even when there are only a handful of punters present. If you could clear out the rabble, introduce some more sympathetic furnishings and insert a decent management team, this place could be a winner. As things stands, it is definitely one to pass by for the time being.
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The bar beholds a mess of booze that can normally be quite charming given the right location. Unfortunately a lack of decent seating, overly large windows and a general air of violence amount to any modicum of atmosphere going straight down the drain. Two huge video screen's peer down at you adding to the strangely alienating feel of this place. A traditional boozer that actually feels more like a bar - that's no mean feat.
Good for: Nothing - avoid.
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i do occasionally take a walk on the wild side and plunge into new pubs when i'm out and about - and what a mistake ! Camden is rather bereft of decent pubs and this one has to be one of the worst, was actually enticed through the door by the Batemans beer - which turned out to be flat and uninspiring (just like the pub) avoid... Go to Wetherspoons by the lock hardly a reccomendation but still heaps better than this place.
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You know how every pub has one bloke who's just a complete shambles? You know the one; he wanders in smelling of wee, bumps into tables, barks at the barstaff and generally makes a nuisance of himself.
Every single person in The Halfway House is that person. If you are even remotely sane you just will not fit in.
It's an uncompromising freak show and it smells like someone died in there. They probably did.
Avoid.
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This used to be a great (real) Irish boozer back in Camden's eighties heyday, and revisiting it last night I was sad to see how much it's declined.
The boxing memorabilia, Motown music, and characters of those days have long disappeared. Now it just feels like an empty shell with a few old drunks. The only cask ale was unavailable, so I made do with a pint of Fosters, while witnessing a burly drunk brickie doing his best to intimidate a couple of foreigners, and with only one barman on duty the situation didn't feel particularly safe.
anonymous - 8 Mar 2005 18:29 |
Really dodgy boozer.
Normally one for a back street boozer I keep an eye out for rough diamonds - but this is just rough.
The benefits and skag trades keep this slightly strange smelling establishment open, but they arent doing us any favours in doing so.
Its a simple lesson - the first pub you see from the tube station is ALWAYS rubbish. And in this case full of skag heads and cheap kings x whores.
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Advertises as having the cheapest prices in Camden, and I believe it probably does. �2.20 for a double vodka and coke isn't bad by London standards. Bit small though and has no air, but still, a good place to start the evening.
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Yeah, not the best of places. I've got stuck talking to too many annoying drunken soaks in here and I tend to avoid it. The Halfway House is more than an apt name - maybe it's not a pub at all.
I think it's just been done up, although can happily stand corrected if that's not the case. Based on what normally happens to Camden pubs though, a refurb will make it infinitely worse.
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Strange pub, poorly set out with a fruit machine in the middle of the room. Beer is ok and it is handy for looking out at the chaos of Camden. Considering the pubs history though, there is very little atmosphere in this pub.
Owen - 21 Jun 2004 09:19 |
one of the smallest pubs ive visited,full of old blokes and the beer and service is poor.
baz tav - 17 Oct 2003 12:52 |
Very interesting pub for that quicky after work. Interesting location too as you are able to see all the local Smackheads/Drunks/Losers doing their bit outside Camden Station and feel quite safe doing so. You always get an interesting mix of people in here and due to it's central location be prepared to expect anything. The beer is better than I though.
Doofer - 6 Aug 2003 16:21 |
Not a bad pub but it's pretty tiny so can be hard to get a seat (and get served!) at busy times. Handy for getting home as it's right opposite Camden Town tube station.
Chris - 5 May 2003 14:45 |
Pretty standard boozer - a better place to meet your mates than the World's End opposite.
Darryl - 27 Apr 2003 23:34 |
