William Camden — Restaurant in London

AWFUL PUB - DO NOT GO!!

UPDATED JULY 24 Thought we'd give the pub one last go (but this time not ordering food!!) as they had bookings space for the euros semi final. Booked a table for 7pm and paid a deposit. My partner arrived in time to get the table and then the rest of the group arrived about half hour later, only to be told at the door that the pub was at capacity and they weren't allowed in, even though the table was reserved and empty. My partner spoke to the manager who was incredibly rude, as was the person on the door. Had to leave and watch at home.

First visited here in June 2022 with my visiting parents as we'd just moved nearby. We arrived quite late, but were told the kitchen was still open, so we ordered food. Long story short, we waited over an hour, were told repeatedly it was coming, staff who we first spoke to disappeared so we had to keep chasing, and eventually we were told over an hour and a half later by a different member of staff that the lights were off in the kitchen and the chef had gone home, so at no point was our food "on the way". We were obviously very frustrated by this as at this point we are starving, and if they'd just told us the kitchen was closed we would have had a drink and then ate elsewhere. This poor experience led to us deciding not to go back again and instead visit one of the many other lovely pubs in the area.

Cut to May 2023, almost a year later... and following a refurb (which admittedly looks great), we decided to give it another try given they have a big beer garden and we had a 1 year old and her parents staying with us who wanted to be outside where the child would be less disruptive if any issues arose.

Firstly, as we specifically wanted a beer garden table and you couldn't seem to book these online, I rang a week in advance to see if we could reserve one. I was told yes and that it had been booked. On the day, I rang to let them know we'd be half hour late, and discovered no booking was in the system. Thankfully they had space so rebooked.

We arrive mid afternoon and have a few drinks in the sun, deciding to order an early dinner at about quarter to 6 as we'd need to get back for half 7 to put 1yo to bed. The order actually goes through at 6, and we were told that there was about half hour wait. Weird given how early it was, but we were fine with this. 50 mins later and no food has arrived. We ask the staff and are told that the kitchen is so backed up they had to stop taking orders so there's a big delay but food is coming. Strangely not a single table that we could see has any food so there must have been a miraculous surge of orders specifically between half 5 and half 6... Or the kitchen staff went AWOL...who knows?

10 mins later and the food still hasn't arrived and unfortunately a very tired 1yo has started acting up. I go in again to ask if they can give us an estimated time, as if it's going to be another half hour we probably need to get a refund and leave. The bar member checks and says it'll be 5 mins. Great!

Except...only half the food turns up. Thankfully it was the parents so they could eat quickly and go back, but my husband and I spent the next 15/20 mins going back and to trying to find our order (including being given the wrong order) until we were eventually told there had been a mix up and the food had been given to the wrong people. They offered to get it on right away and for a free round of drinks, but at this point we'd given up and wanted to go back and spend time with our friends, so got a refund and went to the chippy down the road.

Such a shame as it's got such high potential, the place looks fab, and to be fair all the staff I spoke to were nice and tried to be helpful. But ultimately, I've been twice over a period of 1 year, and both times the experience has been AWFUL. Maybe I'm just incredibly unlucky, or maybe they've got some real management issues behind the scenes with their kitchen.

Maybe it would be fine for a few drinks, but I WOULD NOT recommend risking ordering any food if you actually...

We booked a meal to round off an enjoyable family day out. When we arrived we were told there may be a wait so we decided to order the children's meals straight away. We ordered our drinks then we were told that 2 of the options for the kids (pasta and burger) were not available so they had to opt for pizzas. When they ordered their desserts, we were later told that the chocolate brownies they ordered were also not available but we were told they could have "build your own " sundaes (which by the way wasn't on the menu) which the children looked forward to. After waiting for the desserts to arrive we were then informed that the ,"byo"sundaes were not actually available so the only choice was Ice cream which was a big disappointment to the kids. When it came to the adults ordering, my wife and my daughter wanted gammon and egg ( surprisingly not available) then asked for Hunter's chicken (also not available) then Lasagne (suprise, surprise) was again not available. Their choices were "chicken skewer with breaded chicken and chips" or chicken curry without the chicken pieces which they were obviously saving to stick on the skewers. My son-in-law and I opted for the safe choice of burger and chips. Unfortunately it wasn't a safe choice as the burgers were well over cooked. Although the pub was fairly empty, we had to wait for ages (apparently only 1 chef in the kitchen) and when the food arrived, we were given no cutlery or napkins with our meals. The whole awful experience began when we were given the menu without being told that over half the items on the menu were not available. Although we are sympathetic to the pubs that are suffering in these unprecedented times we felt that there was no effort made to ensure that we would return again and even the ladies toilets were almost in darkness and floor was soaking wet. I am not the type to moan but I feel that I was unable to find anything positive to say about the whole experience and was amazed that the manager never showed his face, leaving his staff to relay the problems to him and letting them return to deal with the issues. The pub has the potential to be successful but not if it performs as it did tonight. The whole experience has ensured that we will never have the desire to return to the Camden for any time...

I absolutely love coming to William Camden Pub every Sunday for their Sunday roast, and I’m completely over the moon about it! It's something I look forward to all week long, and I can’t wait for Sunday to roll around just so I can enjoy that wonderful experience again. The anticipation builds as the days go by, and honestly, I’m thrilled with how quickly Sunday seems to come.

The Sunday roast at William Camden is simply phenomenal – it’s the perfect comfort food. The roasted meat is always cooked to perfection, tender and juicy, served with golden roast potatoes that are crispy on the outside and soft on the inside. And let’s not forget the Yorkshire pudding, which is light, fluffy, and always just the right amount of crispy around the edges. The vegetables are fresh and flavorful, and the rich gravy ties everything together beautifully. It’s the kind of meal that feels both hearty and comforting, leaving you satisfied and yet always looking forward to the next time.

What makes the experience even better is the welcoming and warm atmosphere of the pub. Every Sunday, the place has such a cozy, homely feel – the perfect setting to relax and enjoy a long, leisurely meal. The staff is always friendly, making you feel like part of the family, which adds to the overall charm of the place.

Each week, as soon as I finish my Sunday roast, I’m already counting down the days until I can come back again. It's become a ritual I cherish – knowing that at the end of the week, I’ll have a delicious roast waiting for me at William Camden. There’s something so special about that anticipation, and the reward is always worth the wait.

For anyone who hasn’t had the pleasure of experiencing William Camden’s Sunday roast, I can’t recommend it enough. It’s become one of my favorite traditions, and I’m genuinely excited every week for the chance to return. Sundays have never been this...