Joe's Southern Kitchen & Bar, Kentish Town ★★★★★

Joe's Southern Kitchen & Bar, Kentish Town: opens 30th March
Since 2013 Joe's Southern Kitchen Covent Garden has been nurturing a cult following (Nigella herself professed to be a fan), with Londoners flocking to get their fingers dirty and their faces sticky on Joe's lineup of classic American diner fare, including favourites such as the Beef Short Rib, 'Beer Can' Chicken with a bourbon glaze, and Blackened Catfish.
Now, North Londoners are getting their own slice of Southern action, as the Joe's team open up their second location, on the site of a former police station on up-and-coming Kentish Town Road.
Joe's Kentish Town: restaurant 
Having opened at the end of March, and set over two floors including an outside BBQ and dining area perfectly timed for the arrival of Spring, Joe's new joint channels classic American dining – think scarlet leather seating, parquet tables and vintage neon.
Joe's Southern Kitchen: review
Joe's is certainly tapping into the street-food and family style dining that's been making waves on the foodie scene. It's the simple things, it seems, that Joe's does best: a rich and crusty macaroni cheese is a good accompaniment to any of the mains, and chicken wings (for which they're famed) were pulled off with ease: perfectly cooked and incredibly moreish. If you like heat, the jalapeño poppers are also worth a try – just be prepared for some serious fire.
Yet where the menu came up trumps, it also fell short in equal measure. The shrimp grits, bastions of Southern culture, were sadly lacking in flavour, as was the blackened catfish on its bed of cabbage. Underseasoned mains made quite a contrast to the punchy small plates and sides – this is not to say it's not worth a visit: we'd just recommend being careful with what you order.
Joe's bar, Kentish Town
Downstairs, what used to be the police lock-up becomes Jailbird, a blues-and-rockabilly basement bar in which former cells have become cosy drinking booths, with the team serving up a cocktail menu steeped in bourbons and ryes, alongside Southern classics like Julep and Sazerac and a selection of the finest craft labels from both sides of the pond.
All in all, Joe's is a bit of fun, and for Southerners, it certainly shouts home. We'd recommend popping in for a snack and a drink – you can put your faith in anything battered or fried – but we'd suggest it's worth steering clear of Joe's more 'upmarket' dishes, and sticking with their street-food specialties.