Review

The Halfway House promotes itself as "The Place to Meet in Camden" which isn't a bad shout for anyone arriving by tube as it's located just across the road from the station. The nearest alternative meeting place is the World's End, but people who arrange to meet there tend to spend the first 10 minutes wandering around the crowded cavernous interior wishing that their chosen meeting place covered slightly less acreage. No such problems arise in The Halfway House; one quick glance allows you to take in the entire interior.

Being built on the land that tapers to a point between Camden Road and Kentish Town Road gives the pub a semi-circular layout, with windows on both sides facing onto the street. This has the dual benefit of letting a lot of light in, so no dark dingy interior here, and more interestingly providing an excellent location for those who enjoy a spot of people watching. And of course, people watching in Camden is likely to yield a greater variety of sights than anywhere else in London. Situated elsewhere this would be a great totty spotting venue, but Camden is seldom referred to as a hangout for the beautiful people. Perhaps with this in mind, the opportunity isn't capitalised on, there seems to be more of an inward focus to the pub, benches line the semi-circular wall rather than tables facing out onto the outside world. Where this layout is used to good effect is in maximising the potential for watching the football; four TV's are strategically placed around the walls to allow a view from anywhere in the pub.

And that's pretty much all there is to say about The Halfway House, the management don't even bother to add anything more than you can take in with your first glance - the blackboards that hang above the bar, usually for the purpose of promoting the pubs supposedly fine cuisine or special offers on drinks, are blank. Their one piece of promotion says it all, it's a place to meet, not a place to stay for the evening.

Review by AJS