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Nestled in the heart of bustling Kentish Town and the late-night joint of choice for club-goers, Kentish Delight has become an unlikely hotspot for Taylor Swift fans passing through London - because it’s her favourite kebab shop.
Open since 1976, the singer reportedly became a regular when was spending more time in the city during her relationship with Joe Alwyn (a theory backed up by selfies of the singer grabbing a bite hung around the venue), and she even used it as a location for the music video of ‘End Game’.
The 2017 video sees Swift partying in the capital before ending her night with a kebab at the family-run business. She really is one of us.
Owner of the store, Ahmed Khan, told us he was first introduced to her by Alwyn, who had been going there since his childhood, having grown up in the area.
The interior of Kentish Delight is relatively modest - nothing different to any other kebab shop you might stumble into at 2am - but it’s also a treasure trove of memorabilia from Taylor’s visits. Newspaper clippings and photos of her inside the shop line its walls among the deep fat fryer and cold cans of Mirinda.
As with any location that has one degree of separation from the 34-year-old global star, it’s now regularly surrounded by Swifties snapping selfies, and often has queues down the street, hungry for a taste of Taylor’s order.
One week before the Eras Tour came to London felt like the perfect time to go and try it out for ourselves - and in true Swift fashion, there was only one option - her signature chicken shish.
But, in order to be fully immersed in the experience, we brought along three Taylor Swift megafans, who would indulge us in the details.
Caitlin, 28, Sophia, 29, and a second Caitlin, 23, have all grown up around Taylor’s music and followed her around the world on her tours.
One of the Caitlins tells us she’s just paid £700 for a resale Eras Tour ticket for London, because she simply couldn’t bear to miss it - and that’s not the only date she’s going to.
“I did consider camping overnight until I realised we couldn’t so I’ve got a hotel in Wembley that I paid just as much as the ticket for”, she says.
“This has cost me over £1,000 pretty easily! I don’t know whether I just girl-math-ed my way through it but it doesn’t really matter to me because I would say you can’t put a price on happiness.”
Sophia shows us a video from her 22nd birthday, when her and friends recreated the music video for ‘22’ scene-for-scene, including crashing a house party and dancing with strangers (as seen in Taylor’s video).
She’s brought along one of the outfits she made to wear to the Eras Tour.
“I recreated the corset from Fearless’ Love Story”, she says. “I spent at least a full day building the corset, skirt, and the bit on top.”
The other Caitlin is currently about to publish a book dedicated to Taylor. It’s a thirteen-chapter exploration through the Eras for Swifties to enjoy, and non-Swifties to become converts, aptly named Taylor Swift: The Story Of Us.
“I’ve listened to her for so long - 16 years - it’s the longest relationship I’ve ever had!”, she tells us.
“[In the book] we talk about Kanye, we talk about Scooter… it’s just my love letter to her because she’s just amazing, she’s incredible.”
Caitlin Robson
She adds: “I only have tickets to two out of the eight shows but I’m probably going to go multiple times to sit outside of the stadium, see what the vibe is… I might get another ticket, who knows!”
But we were here for one reason: and that was to live vicariously through Taylor and replicate her post-night-out (or post-Eras Tour) diet - something they were all too up for.
“I think she’s an onion rings girly if I’m honest”, predicts one Caitlin, while Sophia chimes in: “I think she’s fun, I think she gets something messy. I think she’d get chips with cheese.”
Kentish Delight owner, Ahmed Khan
Store owner, Ahmed, lets us behind the counter to see how her £8 delicacy is made (it’s been given the informal name of the ‘Swift special’ because so many people come and ask for it).
He starts by toasting pitta bread on the grill, before shaving freshly-grilled chicken from a spit and adding a yoghurt-like sauce, along with red cabbage, onion, lettuce, and tomato. To say it was 3pm on Tuesday and everyone was sober, it looked surprisingly appetising.
It only took a matter of minutes before everyone had nearly finished the overflowing boxes of food, which was only a sign of the response to it.
“It’s super crunchy, super amazing”, noted one Caitlin.
Sophia added: “I love how there’s a lot of fresh veg, and the chicken’s just phenomenal, so crispy. 10/10.”
“Great choice Tay Tay!”, the other Caitlin joked, confirming that she’d order it again and loved how messy it was.
We’ve since learnt that Taylor has placed a £450 order with Kentish Delight for her team, ahead of the Eras Tour coming to London - so the shop’s popularity is only set to skyrocket further.
However, Ahmed has confirmed he’s still waiting for his free ticket to the tour. Just saying, Taylor.