Colindale’s Independent High Street Guide

If you’re on the lookout for your next local pub, The Chandos Arms is the perfect spot. It’s a traditional English pub with Tudor-style black beams, a log fire and a garden, and has previously won Community Pub of the Year in the Great British Pub Awards. Open every day, and until midnight on Friday and Saturday nights, it's an eight-minute walk from Square Roots Hendon, and worth visiting for the live music nights and Sunday roasts.

Tuck into a delicious meal in a warming atmosphere at ITJL, a family-run cafe and restaurant serving breakfast through to dinner, with halal, vegetarian, vegan and gluten-free options. It's open 7 days a week, so it works just as well for an evening catching up with friends as it does for a leisurely Sunday brunch. Make sure to pop in on a WFH day to take full advantage of their unlimited filter coffee offer.  

Bang Bang Oriental Foodhall brings more than 25 restaurants under one roof, with menus spanning Asian cuisines from Mumbai to Tokyo. Open daily for lunch, dinner and dessert, it is a useful option for groups who want plenty of choice, including halal and vegetarian dishes.

Frankie's Cafe & Sandwich Bar is a local café that earns its regulars, with a breakfast menu designed for everything from a quick morning bite to a slower start to the day. The counter is also a handy stop for freshly made sandwiches and filling jacket potatoes, making it a useful option when you're grabbing lunch to take away. It’s a seven-minute walk from Square Roots Hendon, and a 15-minute walk from Colindale station. Plus, it’s open from 7 am every day, making it particularly convenient for early starts.

An Pho is a Vietnamese restaurant serving comforting bowls of pho alongside rice dishes, vermicelli, street-food favourites and Vietnamese coffee. It is open for lunch and dinner from Monday and Wednesday to Sunday, making it a welcoming choice for a quick meal or a relaxed catch-up.

Colindale Food Centre is an independent convenience store and off-licence, and one of the area's genuinely round-the-clock options, whether that's a late-night top-up shop or an early train-catching breakfast grab. It's open 24 hours a day, roughly 11 minutes on foot from Colindale station. 

For gone-out bulbs, spare keys and the kind of household bits you never remember to buy until you need them, Colindale DIY & House Wares Store, is 10 minutes on foot from Square Roots Hendon. It's open Monday to Sunday, 8.30am to 9pm.

Pick up prescriptions and everyday health essentials at Procare Pharmacy, a local independent option. It also runs a Colindale & Hendon travel clinic offering vaccinations for destinations ranging from Japanese encephalitis risk areas to yellow fever zones, as well as flu jabs and NHS repeat prescription services. It's a family-run pharmacy open Monday to Friday from 9am to 6:30pm and Saturday 9am to 2pm. 

Micheal’s sits within close proximity to The Scissors Edge Hair Salon and B.Bella Hair Salon, giving you a selection of spots within a short walk of each other. A straightforward, no-fuss cut is on offer here, and it’s open Monday to Saturday from 9am to 6pm.