Twelve Quid, One Slurp: The 2026 Camden Value Bowl Scorecard
A £12 note does not stretch the way it did a few years back. In 2026, a bowl of ramen in Zone 1 can easily nudge £16 before you have added a soft egg or a side of gyoza, and pho has followed the same upward curve. So we set ourselves a stubborn little test: find bowls across Camden, Mornington Crescent and Kentish Town that still feel like proper value at around £12, then score them honestly rather than getting misty-eyed about broth.
This is not a cheap-eats round-up in the traditional sense. We wanted bowls that could stand up on flavour, not just price. Every spot below was visited twice — once at lunch, once in the evening — and scored on four things: broth depth, portion size, noodle quality and extras. Each category is out of 10, giving a total out of 40. No free meals, no PR gloss, just a notebook full of stained pages.
How we scored
Broth depth is about more than salt. We looked for layers: a proper tare, a stock that tastes like it has had time to develop, and enough body to cling to the noodles. Portion size considered the bowl as a whole meal, not just a mountain of noodles swimming in thin liquid. Noodle quality covered texture, bite and how well they held up in the broth. Extras meant the included garnish — beansprouts, herbs, chilli, pickles, an egg if you are lucky — rather than paid add-ons.
Kettle & Co, Camden Lock — 34/40
Broth 9, portion 8, noodles 9, extras 8
Kettle & Co has the sort of tonkotsu that makes you put your phone down. The broth is cloudy and porky without tipping into greasy, and the noodles have a proper alkaline snap. At £11.80, it is the best all-rounder on this list. The included extras are modest — spring onion, nori, a sheet of chashu — but the bowl does not need rescuing. Lunch here is a brisk, counter-style affair; dinner is slower and more crowded, with a short queue that moves quickly. Go at lunch if you want the same bowl with less elbow room.
Bà Nội's Counter, Mornington Crescent — 32/40
Broth 9, portion 8, noodles 7, extras 8
The pho here is the real draw. The broth is clear but deeply beefy, with star anise and charred ginger sitting behind the meat rather than shouting over it. At £12 exactly, it is a generous bowl, and the herb plate is properly stocked with Thai basil, coriander and sliced chilli. The noodles were slightly softer than we would like on both visits, but not enough to derail things. It is a lunchtime favourite for local workers, and the evening crowd is calmer than in Camden proper. Best value at lunch, when the set bowl includes a few extra herbs without the evening supplement.
Slurp House, Kentish Town — 33/40
Broth 8, portion 8, noodles 9, extras 8
A shoyu bowl at £10.90 is almost suspicious in 2026, but Slurp House keeps the portion sensible and the quality high. The broth is clean and chicken-led, with a soy tare that tastes house-made rather than poured from a bottle. The noodles are excellent — thin, firm and reluctant to go soggy. Extras include bamboo shoots, a sheet of nori and a properly marinated egg, which is rare at this price. The room is small and the service is quick. Lunch is the move here; by 7pm the place is packed and the broth can lose a little of its edge.
Noodle Union, Camden — 31/40
Broth 8, portion 7, noodles 7, extras 9
The spicy miso ramen at £12.20 is the most generous bowl on the list in terms of extras: corn, beansprouts, spring onion, chilli oil, a sheet of nori and a soft egg. The broth has a decent fermented kick, though it is a touch thinner than the best here. Noodles are fine, if a little generic. Portion size is the weak point — it is a satisfying lunch but not quite enough after a long evening. Go at lunch and add a side of rice if you are hungry. Dinner service is louder and the queue can stretch onto the pavement.
Phở 74, Kentish Town — 30/40
Broth 9, portion 7, noodles 8, extras 6
A no-frills pho counter with a broth that punches well above its £11.50 price tag. Deep, savoury and gently spiced, it is the sort of bowl that feels restorative on a grey November afternoon. The portion is modest, and the extras are limited to the basics — spring onion, coriander, chilli — so it loses marks there. Noodles are reliable and hold their texture. Lunch is the smarter choice: the evening menu adds a small surcharge and the room gets steamy and cramped.
Lunch versus dinner: the practical verdict
If you want maximum value, lunch is almost always the answer. Four of the five spots above keep their prices lower or their portions more generous at midday, and the queues are shorter. Dinner is worth it at Kettle & Co and Slurp House, where the atmosphere improves and the kitchen seems to hit a steadier rhythm. Avoid Phở 74 after 7pm if you are watching the pennies, and treat Noodle Union as a lunchtime pit stop rather than a full evening meal.
The bottom line
The £12 bowl is not dead in North London — it has just become pickier about where it lives. Kettle & Co leads on consistency, Slurp House wins on noodles, and Bà Nội's Counter is the one to beat for pho. None of them are trying to be the cheapest; they are trying to be worth it. In 2026, that is the test that matters.
