I had an entire list of places that I wanted to try during my London trip. This was definitely not on that list and falls under the "I needed something real quick before going out" list. Seriously though, what Mexican food are to Americans, Turkish kebabs are to the English. Ordered a large lamb doner to go. It definitely gets the job done if you're looking for a quick and cheap bite. A lot of tasty meat and fresh salad, I'm not gonna complain whatsoever. Definitely worth it for the £7! Service is good here. They are quick and efficient with everything. Cash only. read more

I'm from the states and stayed at a nearby hotel. It was 9pm and I was looking for something still open nearby. I decided this place seemed local enough to try to eat. I even spoke to a local who had just purchased something. He informed me that this place was just grease and to go down the street to Joe's. Well I guess it is too local cause this was terrible. They take cash only and will direct you to the ATM outside. The employees claim it is a free ATM and after I tried it charged me 3£. I figured maybe it's free for locals, after talking about it to them they seemed surprised when i showed them my receipt and told me to contact the bank. I saw the "Wraps" written on the menu and thought maybe it would be good. The wrap tasted like it only had bland chicken and boiled cabbage with a flavorless sauce (I was told it is garlic sauce). The wrap was 7£ and was quite large. Took two bites of it and threw it away. So I spent 10£ for two bites of chicken and was upset enough to actually give people a heads up. read more

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You'll never be disappointed with a trip to Marathon. And I'm not just talking about the food. Believe it or not, this unassuming kebab shop in Chalk Farm is nothing short of a North London institution, one that I've become rather fond of. Beyond the counter, which serves tasty and rather reasonable offerings of kebab, chicken and burger meals, you'll find Marathon moonlighting at the weekend as a live Jazz venue serving beer until to the early hours. I like to make my way there around 2am at the weekend because the later the hour, the more rambunctious and raw this little cavern becomes, awash with every walk of life: the strange, the drunk, the dancing, the saxophone-playing old timers and of course the curious new-blood. Absolutely to be experienced if you're looking for an 'after hour' walk into the wild side. read more

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Am I reviewing the same place as all these other reviewers? I'm confused because I didn't see a bouncer at the door, no live music of any sort, nor were the kebabs delicious... ehhh did I come on the ONE bad night of the year? I'll admit that I was blown away when I saw the size and value of the kebab shop...not your average little fast food kebab type set up because revenue is keeping the lights on at this one. The staff was entirely friendly, kind, and even waited/served us. It is almost a more-than-fair bargain for the amount of food you get. I ordered their chicken donor kebab but was quite disappointed because there was no special sauces or spices in it. Very bland, dry, and flavorless. I tried to add their sauces but was only left a few strange options--minty toothpaste sauce and mushy red spice sauce. Wish I could've liked this place more but it didn't make the cut! If only I could write a review for or compare my favorite kebab shop thus far in Europe, but Yelp has yet to be established in Spain... read more

Marathon Kebabs - Turkish Near Me - London, XGL

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Wow i LOVE Marathon Kebabs. Not because i enjoy greasy burgers, kebabs and falafel wraps, nope (i mean there's a time and a place for them i agree...), nope the best thing about Marathon is that come the evening they open up the outdoor area for you to sit with your kebab on your plate, serve you a can of beer and pump some music out!!!! Can you imagine, a filthy kebab with a knife and fork! This also means you can smoke outside. Really famous with Camden residents, a good place to feed yourself up before a night out. A new kebab experience! read more

Marathon Kebabs - Turkish Near Me - London, XGL

Good food, not great but good, hits the spot and portions are huge. This is a fill up in a hurry kind of place, pay +leave. Reasonably priced. read more

This place is great. I have never been here completely sober, but I from what I can remember, each time I have been I have had an amazing time. I have been to some of the best parties (or after parties) here. If you are lucky, you might stumble on a fun party out back- every time have been there has been amazing music. I remember the first time I ever went to Marathon after going to a concert at the Roundhouse, and was completely amazed when I was taken through the kebab shop and into the back room. I can't describe how shocked I was to be eating a kebab next to Devendra Banhart. The food is good, the atmosphere is incredible and it is open very late. read more

Marathon Kebabs - Turkish Near Me - London, XGL

If you are ever stumbling through Camden looking for somewhere that will let you in after 12.30 this is the place to go. I thought the night was over after being turned away from club after club at 1.30am on a Friday night ...until we reached Marathon! A Kebab house by day, a place to eat drink and dance by night - I felt like I was going into a secret underground bar as we walked through the café to a back door manned by a bouncer. The entrance fee is a bottle of beer or a kebab, so as long as you've bought something - you're in. I didn't try the kebab (having vowed never to try one when I'm too drunk to see exactly what's in it), but my friends told me they were actually pretty good. So, drink in hand I was let in. Inside was packed with all sorts of people, all with one thing in common though - to carry on the party. The music was pretty good and everyone was dancing on the rather small dance floor. Lining the walls of the room are benches and tables, mostly rotating with people taking quick a pit stop before returning to shake their thing in this weird little place. The surrealism of chefs carrying plates of food through the party-goers (to be cooked in the kebab shop) added to the Marathon's crazy charm. However, one word of advice - it probably wouldn't have quite the same eccentric appeal if you turned up sober, but since as that's yet to happen for me, I'm a big fan. read more

5 Stars for being hands down the best, most entertaining, most original and strange little place that a trip for a kebab will afford you in our fair city. I don't know if I've ever seen a bouncer on a kebab house elsehwere?! It's brilliant in here! Not done with your night when the pubs close? Well then head on over to Marathon and get your fill! You can usually get drinks at a late hour too although I'm not sure this is entirely above board so you might find the availability of Red Stripe cans fluctuates with how regularly the local rozzers are passing by! They keep the music going, mostly crazy hillbilly rock and the odd bit of live music too. The food is surprisingly good - and there's a huge range too. I've been known to invest in a chicken shish kebab with a side or taramasalata! Lord knows why, but hey, I'm in Marathon and I wont be judged! For me a night out in Camden just isn't complete without a jaunt to Marathon.... bravo. read more

One of my favorite places in London...Possibly the world. Marathon is notable for its combination of idiosyncratic elements such as Middle Eastern food, cheap English beer and American Rockabilly. American rockabilly? Well actually it's a blend of old-time rock 'n roll stylings interpreted by an aging Frenchman, which only adds to the charm of this place. Every night or so he performs solo, running through raucous rock 'n roll standards with only the accompaniment of his electric guitar and the choir of drunkards he's playing to. These four elements, while unremarkable on their own, fuse together to form a truly unique dining / drinking / dancing experience. read more

There's nothing like a kebab after a long night of partying in Camden Town, and Marathon Kebas is the place. Across from the Roundhouse, this place starts getting packed at 2AM with hooligans, drunks, kids, and revelers. A bouncer keeps everyone in line, though, so it's great fun. The food is good- doner and kebabs are fresh and made as you watch. The staff is quick and gets you through the line and food in your hand before you pass out or hurl on your date. The night we were there, a rockabilly guitar player was on the mic. He was an amazing musician playing for tips to drunk college kids, but he seemed used to it. He had Johnny Cash hair, few teeth, and was cool as hell. He played a two hour set--from midnight to two. The people in the bar clearly loved him. A curly-haired freckly, sloshed student really wanted to play with the rockabilly genius. He kept whipping out his harmonica and attempting to get to the mic. That's dedication. Needless to say, the bouncer kept the peace, and kicked the ginger kid out via the back door. Hooligans, Johnny Cash rockabilly music, great food, and a helpful staff make this place the perfect dose of controlled chaos. Especially when you're starving late at night and are not quite ready to head home. read more

Really good kebabs, great prices, and fun employees. There are a ton of different kebab (and other stuff) options you can get. But for about 6 to 7 pounds you can get stuffed. My wife and I got the chicken shish and lamb Doner to split. Both servings were large, the meat was hot and fresh tasting, and the garlic sauce was yummy. Someone ordered the chips when I was waiting for my order, and you get a huge serving for £2 or 3. It's a great place, I'm glad I live nearby. I'm excited to try the mixed kebab next time I'm in. read more

I remember little of Marathon. But the evidence was all there to see the next day. Dry clean only. Damn. Must have enjoyed it though

When I was first taken to the Marathon I was deeply drunk and extremely suspicious that I was about to be force fed a kebab. The nice man at the counter took my money, gave me beer and ushered me into what - at the time - I was convinced was a Prohibition era speakeasy. Live music and lots of people in very cool hats. I proceeded to have a conversation with someone's saxophone. I named her Millie. I have only ever stumbled into this Mecca of the alcoholic Camden night owl when blind drunk and stupid. To my delight I have discovered (each and every time it is a fresh discovery) that I am allowed to smoke. Or perhaps I'm not allowed to smoke and nobody can be bothered to tell me that I'm an idiot. In summary, the Marathon Bar is a happy place. Go there. If you meet Millie, tell her I say hello. read more

Probably a great place to go at the end of a night out, but don't go if you're sober. The food is pretty sketchy, and the atmosphere can be pretty tense, at least in the sense that everyone everyone is having a good time until someone isn't have a good time. If you're just looking for a place to hang out after everything else closes, it's good to have the option. But there's a reason you never see anyone in there during daylight hours. read more

Looking for dinner past 10pm after a long day of sight seeing on Thurs night and thank goodness this place was open and serving up delicious food! I got the falafel on a pita with hummus and salad and my boyfriend got the chicken shish wrap with white and hot sauce and salad. Both sandwiches were HUGE and delicious!! The salad was so fresh and gave the perfect amount of crunch to compliment the sandwiches! Counter service is quick and fast and we got food for take away, in and out in under 10 minutes. This would definitely be a great place for some late night drunk munchies, check it out! read more

Most of these reviews will state how amazingly drunken this place and it is exactly that. Finish at one of the haunts in the locality of Camden and live several million miles away? (or what seems it). You just want to carry on in a loud and lairy kebab shop, or at the back of it. What i can remember they had beer (stella) and the queue of people at the front of house were ordering styrofoam plates of indescribable meats. The music was great and the people in a similar frame of mind, namely drunk. read more

Life's not a sprint, it's a marathon and if you happen to be having a marathon night of burning up the dance floor, this place will hit the spot. The guys in Marathon Kebab churn out a hot and spicy kebab at top speeds. A personal favourite is the large mixed, but get your eating shoes on because this is a serious feast. The meat is always top quality and the salad is very fresh. They serve alcohol for indoor consumption only and often have live tunes. When's the last time your local kebaby re-fuelled your tank and kept you liquored up, thankfully mine does! On nights of Camden chaos, they even employ a doorman to keep out the slobbering riff-raff. If you're keen for kebabs, Marathon is a must-eat. read more

Unfortunately the police took a dislike to Marathon Kebab and they got raided. The report on the street was that their late licence had been stripped. I have been by a 1am and the same old Marathon with the same old fake Elvis singing inside, is still doing their thing. Love it. Best kebab shop in the area. read more

Decent lamb shish and the guys there are friendly! Nothing special but given the paucity of nice fast food places in Chalk Farm, definitely worth a punt. read more

Let me begin by saying this diabolical establishment does not even deserve the 1 star, infact it deserves to be shut down after having paid over £30 for an order to be delivered I have now waited 1 hour 50 mins and counting. The food is STILL not here and no phone call has been made to update me on what is going on. The order was placed at 8pm and it is now 9:50pm. I was advised of a delivery time within the hour. At 9:15pm i called to find out and after ringing out for so long the incompetent individual on the other end told me that the "driver left ten minutes ago". Somebody PLEASE explain how the hell it takes over 1 hour to fry some food?? His excuses began and made no sense I told him to contact the driver and find out how long it will take because I do not want to call again. NO CALL RECEIVED. I have tried to call now twice and the phone is now ringing out and NOBODY IS ANSWERING. I have been robbed of my money and furthermore have been without food for almost 2 hours. This is DISGUSTING and I have never felt so infuriated in my life! Should the food not arrrive within the next ten minutes the Police will be informed of these thieving animals. AVOID THIS PLACE LIKE A PLAGUE!!! read more

To badly (and incorrectly) paraphrase Samuel Johnson, when a man is tired of kebab, he is tired of life. Marathon Kebab House is a local fucked foodie legend. It's a real institution. And there could be two definitions of that. Somewhere that's been in situ serving local kebabhounds so long that it's passed into popular mythology; or somewhere you get dragged screaming towards when you've lost your faculties and are desperately in need of an intervention. For the ever smug Chalk Farm locals, it's both. A hot bed of dirty Doner kebabbery guaranteed at the end of a long boozy night and the last place you remember walking into as you wake up with the whiff of chilli scented shame on a 'too old for that, my god what did we do' Sunday morning. Generation Y have no doubt expunged it from their moral compass, too poefaced or rich with uni debt to have fond remembrance of the joys of the late night elephant on a stick. For the barefaced bechilded Bacchanalians it's a blast from the past. A dirty hot grill upfront and a groovy cliche of sticky tabled late night embuggerance out the back. I'm not going to try describing the food. If you have to ask, or really want to know, you shouldn't be here in the first place. I've never walked in sober, but I've never walked out hungry. I can't deny I've never lost it down the u-bend, but it was almost certainly the fault of that second-to-last Sambuca. Deal with the crowds on a weekend. If you haven't had enough they do lukewarm cans of lager. In the day you could get ten Bensons with your kebab roll, ideal if you'd stumbled out of a nearby gig desperate for a smoke. There's a guy dressed as Elvis doing karaoke out the back. He's a regular, a member of staff or a fevered dream, but you won't know till you go there properly steaming drunk. read more

You know those times when it's late, there's no where left to go but you want to carry on drinking with people who are just as trashed as you? Then head to Marathon kebab in Camden! This very unique kebab shop is open till 4am and it is special because you can slip to the backroom where a 'secret' society of early morning hedonists are sat, eating their chips, drinking the cans of beer you can buy behind the counter, and listening to live music (Yes, live, in a kebab shop!). The quality of the music is variable, favourites include the Elvis impersonator Jimmy the Snake! But at that time of the morning, in that state of mind, it's the best, everyone is happy, everyone is enjoying the ride, be it old, young, punk or posh, this post pub party is a whole lot of fun. read more

definitely the place to go for a kebab on the way home after a night out drinking in Camden. they must have had some licencing issues in the past year or so as they are no longer late night - believe they now close around 11.30pm / midnight. Kind of sad but still a great kebab if you can grab it before they shut for the evening. read more

i'm not going home, i'm not paying to get into no sodding place.. i don;t care if your band is playing i'm taking my prizzle to marathon and hangin' out with other drunk folk who seem to be wearing over-sized novelty eyelids AND THAT'S THAT!! is usually how my night in marathon begins... with a few my indecipherable mumblings out of my wet lips. stumbling into a bin..... hee hee Jimmy the Snake is pretty spectacular! read more

I was assured by the proprietor that the humous here was of 'premium quality'. To be fair, I decided against eating, as any friend and kebab shop conoisseur will advice in the early hours of the morning. However, unlike many a kebab shop, this place will sell you beer post-watershed hours, and what's more, they'll let you drink it in their dingy tavern of a back room which is actually, remarkably high-spirited for 3am. Perfect for those who want to hang out for a final drink or two after a night out. If you're lucky, there'll be the blues singer that sounds like Johnny Cash in the corner for you to raise a can of Fosters to. This place ain't classy, but the sheer surreality of drinking and listening to blues in a Kebab joint gives this place a well-deserved place in my Camden guide. read more

this is the best kebab shop in Camden, I've lived in Camden all my life so I know that if you eat out of a kebab shop in Camden the next day your gonna be in the toilet for most of the day, but this place has been going for years. It also has a bar so when you get kicked out of everywhere else you can go have another beer and something to eat. They also have live music if you can call it that (an old fella with a guitar) and it's open till late. years ago everyone knew that marathons was the best kebab around but it changed owners and went down the pan. But now it's back it's former glory. next time your in camden give a go it's a nice way to round off a good night out. read more

Great after hours drinking and music. Don't bother with the food unless your starving. Alot of places in Camden can close early so its great to be able to come here, walk through the kebab shop into the back area and drink until the early hours in a great atmosphere. read more

I have been visiting the marathon for over 20 years, and it has not changed. The main attraction has always been late night beer, not as relevant now as it once was. There is a seating area to the rear where the staff will bring you cans of beer, often warm, at inflated prices. Good place to have a late beer with mates and a kebab. I've never been in there sober nor eaten there in the day. The food counter offers your usual choice of chip shop goodies and kebabs. Not pricey for the food, just those tepid cans of Stella! read more

The cod and chips here is BRILLIANT!!!!! Wish I still lived in chalk farm this chippy is awesome!!

Marathon restaurant is possibly the world's only live venue and late night drinking hangout in the back room of Turkish kebab house.The Marathon has earned a well deserved place in Camden Town's history as means to an end for many a musician,bartender or thirsty reveller. read more

Got food poisoning after eating sausage and chips here. Have reported to the local council to investigate.