Camden is an area almost synonymous with pubs, alongside teenagers blowing their pocket money on tie-dyes and confused tourists at the tube station. But one of the pubs most missed by locals has been The Constitution, which has been somewhat controversially closed since 2020.
As the Camden New Journal said last year: “A beloved community pub that still stands empty three years after its abrupt closure has left former regulars and staff asking: “there was all this urgency – but for what?”. I suspect that, hyperbole aside, the pandemic did not aid the cause of immediately re-opening the pub. Brewery Young’s explained last year: “When we acquired The Constitution, the pub didn’t meet health and safety standards which resulted in the immediate closure of the premises. We look forward to restoring this iconic canal-side pub and re-opening it to the community in late 2023.”
And now Young’s has proved true to it’s word, albeit a few months late, as The Constitution is back serving pints after a four-year closure.
It also looks like the time spent has not been wasted, with a beautiful refurbishment across its three floors, and The Constitution definitely occupies a perfect spot perched over the canal. It now has a new extended rooftop terrace, complete with a retractable roof, plus a suntrap garden on the water’s edge. Should the rain ever stop this looks like a perfect place to celebrate some sunny days.
Young’s also aims to curate the vide of a proper pub, something the brewer does, to be fair, know quite a bit about doing. Central to this is putting proper pints at the heart of things, with an extensive selection of craft beers and ales from British breweries, including the likes of Camden Hells, Two Tribes and Deya. The commitment to beer does of course sit alongside offerings of wine, cocktails and food.
They has also revamped the food offering, promising seasonal menus championing British ingredients from Head Chef Jay Bond. Dishes include Lamb belly croquettes with pickled shallots; Wild Stone Bass with curried clams, samphire and sea beets; and Brown butter gnocchi, heritage beetroot, crispy cavolo nero and goat’s curd. There’s also a selection of large sharing plates including Day boat stew with fennel, n’duja, prawns, mussels and mackerel, alongside reworked pub classics – think Aspall cyder battered haddock with triple cooked chips and 8oz Ribeye with wild nettle butter. Have to say that all sounds pretty delicious to me, and if they do deliver a proper fish stew using whatever the boats bring in then that’s a serious three cheers from me.
Sundays are all about roasts and The Constitution is not going to let you down on that front, with sharing dishes including Whole roast Cornish red chicken or Confit lamb breast, plus (this is Camden after all) vegan and vegetarian options. Most importantly these will come with baskets of double-yolk Yorkies and boats full of gravy, because as any fool knows you can never, ever have too much gravy.
To reclaim it’s place as a Camden institution, The Constitution is also rolling out a roster of events for everyone to get involved in, from poetry readings and book clubs to beer tastings and supper clubs. An intriguing one is Paw-some Saturdays for Camden locals to head to the pub with their pooch for a 10am coffee before a walk along Regents Canal. On Tuesdays. There’s a Chess Club open to grand masters and rookies alike and from 3rd April a weekly pub quiz in the cellar bar every Wednesday evening.
So, is this a bang on return of a much loved community pub? We certainly hope so and will be popping in to find out.
The Constitution, 42 St.Pancras Way, Camden – www.theconstitutioncamden.co.uk
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