A few months ago the Deep South-inspired restaurant Joe's Southern Kitchen in Covent Garden opened a
second branch in Kentish Town. I went for dinner to sample some of the nicest, naughtiest American food (slow-cooked
ribs, pulled pork, fried chicken and hot dogs: the works) I’ve had in London. The
new outpost is spread over two floors of a former police station with a 90-cover
restaurant on the ground floor and a basement bar for pre/post-dinner cocktails.
The décor is cool and industrial (exposed bricks, leather seating and neon
signs), the service friendly and - as you’d expect from a place serving hearty comfort
food and strong drinks - the atmosphere casual.
The plates (loved the mismatching crockery) are good for digging in and getting your hands dirty so we shared everything. My favourite starter was the devilled eggs with chicken skin mayonnaise and bacon crumbs (of which I ate too much – I was already pretty much full after this and we had another 8 plates to get through). The crispy, succulent southern fried chicken is a free range bird from Church Hill Farm in Yorkshire, brined in sweet tea for 24 hours and covered with lemon and hot sauce honey. Another good main was the deep fried short rib meat loaf with red onion jam, poached egg and dijonnaise. Then there was the mac'n'cheese in a rich four cheese sauce with a biscuit crust, served with collard greens. Next up, a plate of stoneground cheese grits with shrimps, red onion and shredded cured bacon. My favourite side was the delicious watermelon and feta salad served with pickled green tomatoes, rocket, mint and pumpkin seeds. Despite feeling I was about to pop, we moved onto buckwheat waffles drizzled with bourbon maple syrup and tried a few of the desserts including the awesome pecan pie with Jim Beam honey cream, before I rolled myself home. I plan on returning to for brunch to try out the breakfast menu - might need to skip dinner the night before though...
300 Kentish Town Rd, London NW5 2TG
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