A recent refurbishment has seen The Vine step firmly into gastropub territory, with an ambitious food menu and a spacious dining room.

The Venue
The Vine is situated between Kentish Town and Hampstead Heath. It’s a good ten-minute walk from Kentish Town underground and can also be reached on various bus links from central London. Since its refurbishment, a lot has changed – for the better. The venue now has a lovely Mediterranean-style front terrace, which is lovely in the summer and equally as appealing in the winter with its outdoor heaters. Upon entering, the bar is to the right with seating and cosy alcoves to the left. What once was a beer garden to the rear has now been transformed into an eighty-cover dining room with banquette booths overlooking an open kitchen. This is the perfect place to have a large dinner party with plenty of seats and room to manoeuvre. A chandelier, huge potted plants and tasteful photos complete what is a very pleasant setting.

The Atmosphere
Friday nights are not for the faint hearted; The Vine’s clientele are a noisy lot letting their hair down after a hard week’s work at offices in Highgate Studios and various surrounding offices. If you are looking for a quiet drink, it’s best to visit during the week when mainly locals are in attendance. However, if you want to have a serene candlelit meal, you can do so in the dining room, which is far enough away from the front of house to remain peaceful and intimate.

The Food
The menu is a combination of Italian small plates (cicchetti) and more typical gastropub grub. You can choose to have a few dishes of cicchetti to share as a main or choose one as a starter. Squid, salt cod, king prawns and meatballs are just a selection of the dishes on offer and are priced at £4-£5. From the main menu, the sea bass with pesto mash is a tasty option and it will set you back about £15. Beer-battered haddock is only a bit less at £14, but the portions are large and the quality is very good. Other dishes include braised pigs’ cheeks and lamb shank for around the same price. Desserts are priced around £5, which for a glass full of chocolate brownie glory is a small price to pay.

The Drink
The Vine has an extensive wine list and the choices are listed on a large blackboard above the open kitchen. Prices start from £15 for house wine and go up to £50 for champagne. The tempranillo is a delightfully fruity tipple that goes well with any dish. In addition, The Vine also carries a solid selection of beers with the occasional ale from the likes of Camden Town tapping into the capital’s current resurgence for brewing.

The Last Word
The Vine was an average pub before its refurbishment in summer; now it’s an upmarket food-focused pub with an interesting menu on offer. It is run by the same company as the nearby Oxford and there are many similarities in terms of its smart décor and the genuine quality of its food and drink.

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