The Old Farm House – a landmark building in Kentish Town now run by a successful restaurant group

YOU can peel back the layers of history at a street corner on Kentish Town Road. Look up to the rooftop and you’ll spot a sign for “The Old Farm House”, a late-Victorian public house that vanished decades ago but has just been reincarnated with the same name.

To the left is E Mono, the fantastic kebab shop whose owners discovered the original 1920s shop sign, hand-painted in gold back in 2011, and kept the name ever since.

The handsome pub building is a local landmark. Set over three floors, it’s clad in Victorian red brick and has enjoyed many identities over the centuries, such as Star & Garter, The Old Farm House, O’Reilly’s, Dolly Fossett’s and Camden’s Daughter, an outpost of Camden Town Brewery.

Most recently, it was The Lady Hamilton, which ceased trading due to a double whammy of the pandemic and closure of Kentish Town tube station, which dented footfall.

The new owners are a successful restaurant group with around half a dozen venues in London, including Oak & Poppy up in Hampstead.

In the spirit of its old name, the design goes heavy on rustic farmhouse chic. The new team are renovating upstairs to create boutique bedrooms, which should be available from spring next year.

The ground floor is already open for business, serving decent pints and some excellent food – especially the pastas. The ceiling is divided by bare and chunky wooden beams; bunches of dried flowers and woven baskets dangle on one wall.

A thick slice of varnished tree trunk forms the counter for the open plan kitchen.

Beers include cask ale and drafts ranging from Pravha Pilsner to a Huckaback Neipa from a craft brewery in Yorkshire. The wine list includes around eight by the glass.

The food is the most surprising element of this new incarnation.

The pasta dishes are rather special. These are cooked by two young chefs called Shila and Elia, old school friends from Modena in Italy who launched a local business called Piena e Felice before joining the fold.

There’s an Amatriciana, made with paccheri pasta topped with pecorino, guanciale and black pepper (£16).

Their misshapen maltagliata pasta is cooked in a Borlotti bean broth (£14).

I tried their egg-free strozzapreti, hand-rolled twists served with rich and indulgent sauce of tomato, bechamel, Italian sausage, mushrooms and peas (£18). This was excellent.

A snacky bowl of pickled vegetables was also made with care and love: a crunchy and refreshing mix of florets of Rom­anesco cauliflower, tiny onions, carrots, and red pepper (£8).

Other options on the well-priced menu include arancini, focaccia, crostini and a selection of burgers served with fries.

For dessert, there’s a lemon crème brûlée, chocolate cake and a pistachio tiramisu.

It will be fascinating to see how The Old Farmhouse evolves.

The two chefs are terrific – a real asset; the floor staff are friendly and on the ball.

The next step is building a unique atmosphere, blending the old and the new.

The Old Farmhouse
291 Kentish Town Road,
London NW5 2BU
+44 204 603 8116 theoldfarmhousepub.com
info@theoldfarmhousepub.com