The kosher street that never sleeps

ORE THAN a quarter of a century ago, scores of Jewish youngsters would mill about in a particular north-west London street after Shabbat had gone out. But the arrival of Motti Carmelli in July, 1987 brought a change to Golders Green Road. He opened a bakery and stayed open all Saturday night, baking bagels and more, to satisfy hungry youngsters returning from the West End or meeting friends locally.

“We saw the crowds and we felt there was a demand for it,” says Janice Carmelli. “In those days, there was no O Centre or anything else, so all the youngsters used to congregate outside the shop. The only other person catering for it as far as I can recall was a man called Ben Jacobs in Hendon.” Carmelli is still the essential late-night bakery destination but these days there is not so much standing around in the street and more sitting inside the cafés.

Many gravitate to White House Express, by the bridge, which serves beef (including hot salt beef), chicken and lamb, in or out of Middle Eastern breads, with salads, chips and drinks, until four o’clock in the morning, year round. Manager Leor Nissim says: “Whenever we open a restaurant, we never have a fixed time when we open or close. We see how it goes. If there’s work at three o’clock in the morning, we apply for a late licence and open then. It’s different in Hendon, as it’s pretty much dead after 11.30pm. There’s much more night life in Golders Green. Before, people were just hanging around on the streets. Now they are coming back from clubs in the West End at two or three o’clock in the morning and they’ve got the munchies. We serve people on their way back to Hendon and Edgware as well as Golders Green.”

Sami Gabay, owner of the meaty Sami’s restaurants, is dipping his toe into the milky side of the business with Caffeine, opposite Sami’s in Golders Green Road. Sami’s is open until three on Sunday morning and Caffeine will also keep late hours, though maybe not quite as late.

“Once Shabbat goes out, people want to do things,” says Yaniv Gabay, Sami’s son. “So they want to eat before they go to the cinema, for example, or afterwards. With us they can do either.”

He describes the area as “food hub” — a recognised stopping-off point, adding: “There’s a lot more variety now for people eating late. They have a choice of foods and either sit-down or takeaway.”

Caffeine offers foccacia, other bread and cakes, American-style pancakes, pasta dishes and — very important for late-night revellers — breakfast.