Here I have gathered a few of my favorite places in London. It is hard cause London has so many nice spots. One thing I noticed putting together this, is how scattered London is and I might have recommended a thing that is not close to anything else on the list. That said I think they are all worth checking out but in the end of the list I have tried putting together a couple of suggestion of how to combine things, which are in the same area (also things that I haven't given specific recommendations to) I will make some more of those in the new year.
CAFES
London has many great cafés and this is really just a small selection
from all the places that I like. If you want to find more places and maybe some
that are closer to where you live I suggest that you check out The LondonCoffee guide. They have a map of the greatest discovered coffee shops around
London and you can create an account for free.
120-122 Morning Lane
Hackney
Overground – Hackney Central
Closed on Mondays and Tuesdays
Railroad is one of those places I easily could get lost for a whole day.
They serve Brunch, Lunch and Dinner and have amazing coffee and a nice
atmosphere. I love their homemade
ceramic coffee mugs witch for me makes it an extra bit special from all the other
coffee shops. I would recommend trying the pistachio/rose cake.
They also have a little bookshop.
They also have a little bookshop.
145 Chatsworth Road
Clapton
Overground - Homerton
Closed on Mondays
They serve a Swedish menu and the food is really great. There is a very
nice atmosphere and it reminds me of many of the nice cafes around Berlin. On
weekends it get pretty crowded but should you go there anyway, on Sundays there
is the nice little Chatsworth’s Road Market nearby.
46B ESPRESSOHUT
46B Brooksby's walk
Homerton
Overground - Homerton
Bus from Central London - 242
Somehow Espressohut has a very homes feeling, perhaps do to its small size, but also because the two owners - who is there everyday - are very welcoming and chatty. Besides serving great coffee they make amazing sandwiches and toasties, among others their croissant, ham & cheese toast is worth trying.
On Sundays it can get crowded but this just ads to the hominess.
7 Roach Road
Hackney Wick
Overground - Hackney Wick
Bus from Central London - 30 or 26
Everyday until 17.00
Even though Counter Café is a bit outside of everything I have to say
the trip is worth making.
The place is combined with an artist studio so there is always an
exhibition on.
Both Coffee and Food is really great and afterwards you can always take
a walk along the canal or to the 2012 Olympic side.
3 Berwick Street
Soho
Tube: oxford circus
If you go to this place I have to say don’t leave without tasting their
French ham and cheese toast with maple syrup on top. Even though it might sounds
unappealing it is one of the best toasts I have tasted in my life. Everyday
they also serve a mixed vegetable lunch, which is 5 pounds and more than enough
to get full on for a long time. The coffee is great and the basement is a
really nice chill out place.
Old street Roundabout
Shoreditch
Tube - Old Street
Bus from Central London - 55
One of the nicest things about Shoreditch Grind besides the coffee is
the window space where you can sit and look out at the life around the
roundabout. They serve light meals
and recently started having open until 22.00 serving Coffee cocktail etc.
Only thing to remember is, there is no toilet, so pee from home.
18 Calvert Anenue
Shoreditch
Overground – Shoreditch High Street
Tube – Liverpool Street
Recently Paper and Cup opened and they combine two of the things I love
the most: Coffee and Books. Besides their coffee and cakes they sell a
selection of Vintage stuff and also books for between 1-3 pounds.
61 Amwell Street
Finsbury
Tube - Angel
I like Ground Control for the reason that it is small and quiet, so it
is a great place to sit and read a book and get some work done. They have their
own roasted coffee, which you can also buy by the pack and small selection of
cake.
Arch 395
Mentmore Tarrace
Hackney
Overground - Hackney Central
National Rail – London fields
Bus from Central London: 55
Great place to go for local and freshly baked goods. Located in one of
the old arches below London fields station you have visual access to the bakery
and it’s nice to see the bread get made. They have a variety of sourdough bread
and pastry as well, and you can sit there for a coffee or take it away.
VIOLET
47 Wilton Way
Hackney
Overground - Hackney Central
Bus from Central London - 38
Closed Monday
Going to Violet for coffee and cake is like going to your grandmothers house. The place is small and really homey, partly because the kitchen which is in the store is always busy producing new cakes. There is an upper floor even though it doesn't look like it outside and when the weather is nice you can sit in their little outside backyard and enjoy you cake. Also they have salted hot chocolate which is a hit with the sweet baked goods and on Saturdays you can find them on Broadway Market.
HOXTON BAKERY
238 Hoxton Street
Shoreditch
Tube - Old Street
Overground - Haggeston
Bus from Central London - 55
A great place to go to buy artisan bread or sit down for a coffee and one of their delicious treats. When Owner Matt is behind the counter you can get served overnight infused cold coffee, both in house or bottled to take home. And should you wish to hear more about the art of coffee making then merely ask and he'll gladly tell you all he knows.
27 Clerkenwell Road
Clerkenwell
Tube – Old Street, Barbican or Farringdon
In the weekends this place is buzzing with life, probably because their
brunch is really good. They have their own roasted coffee and the place has a
nice feeling to it.
DINING
287 Upper Street
Islington
Tube - Angel or Highbury & Islington
Bus from Central London - 30 or 38
Ottolenghi has a couple of other places around London, but I have only
been to this. The food is amazing there is possibility of vegetarian and I
would never go in there without having eaten a cake before leaving. They serve
Brunch, Lunch and Dinner, but keep in mind that if you want to have dinner
there you will have to make a reservation well in advance. Alternatively you
can get the food to go, as they also offer a deli service.
102 Old Street
Shoreditch
Tube - Old Street
Good Malaysian food served at fair prices and enough to get full. It is
not one of those places you would sit all night and enjoy but because it is
tiny it has a nice atmosphere despite the sparsely interior.
2 Broadway Market
Hackney
Overground – Hackney Central
National Rail – London Fields
Bus from Central London - 55
Monday Closed
A great new alternative to all the other restaurants located on Broadway
Market. Making a reservation for eating is probably a good idea doing weekend
evenings, however they are often prepared to serve you in the pub area when
they are fully booked, as long as there is a free table there. Great food but
if you are not hungry you can always go for a coffee or a beer. They serve beer
from the local “Camden Brewery”
10 Greek Street
Soho
Tube – Tottenham Court Road or Leicester Square
Here you get very delicious food in a nice cosy environment. There are
no reservations in evenings so it is just about showing up and hope that a
table is available or wait. You can however reserve for lunch.
EXMOUTH COFFEE CO.
83 White Chapel High Street
White Chapel
Tube - Aldgate East
Since this little place doesn't even have thier own website I want to give them a bit of attention here. Thier coffee is roasted in the shop and they offer sweet and savory French patisseries. It is right at the end of Brick Lane and a nice alternative to overcrowded Nude espresso or Brick Lane Coffee.
FAST FOOD
50 Frith Street
Soho
Tube – Tottenham Court Road or Leicester Square
At mooli’s you can get delicious wraps both for meat eaters and
vegetarians.
FRYERS DELIGHT
19 Theobalds Road
Clerkenwell
Tube – Holborn or Chancery Lane
Fryers Delight has that old American Diner feeling to it, except they
serve mostly Fish & Chips. I have to say so far this is the place where I
liked the Fish & Chips best in London and the sizes are not too big, which
is otherwise often the case.
GEORGES FISH BAR
356 Essex Road
Islington
Tube - Angel or Highbury & Islington
Bus from Central London - 38
The place is run by an elderly married couple and you can’t help but
feel at home when you enter the place, maybe also because you can sense that
customers keeps coming back again and again and have a bit of a chat with
George while waiting for their food. It also has a very great yellow interior.
PUBS
137 Mare Street
Hackney
Overground – Hackney Central
National Rail - London Fields
Bus from Central London: 55
Nice pub that does their own home made wood fired pizzas and in the winter
they have a great Mulled wine. The place has a nice relax and dark cosy
atmosphere.
365-366 Warburton Street
Hackney
National Rail – London Fields
Bus from Central London - 55
The Brewery is placed in one of the old Arches beneath London Fields
railways. It has very reasonable prices for local brewed beer and a great
variety of draft and bottled beers. At weekend evenings there is often live
music and they recently started doing dinners as well.
38 Kenton Road
Hackney
Overground Hackney Central or Homerton
Bus from Central London - 26 or 30
Kenton is a pub like many other British pubs except it is Norwegian Run
and even though I would not say it is worth going just for this then if you are
in the area I would definitely say you should pay them a visit if you are
thirsty for a beer. Mostly because the place is small and has a really nice
vibe plus a garden, that might be sunny if you are lucky to be in London that
time a year.
34 Redchurch Street
Shoreditch
Tube - Livepool Street Overground - Shoreditch High Street
There are always many people at the Owl and The Pussycat, but it is also
a very nice spot. If you are around Brick Lane it is definitely one of the nicer.
STORES
As always I find it a bit hard to recommend any stores because it is so
independent what people like to look at so here are just a few of the places
that I visit frequently.
Old Street Station
Shoreditch
Tube – Old Street
What I like most about this shop is that it is small and located in the
tube station. It is a great independent bookshop with a very friendly and
helpful staff.
5 Caledonian Road
Kings Cross
Tube – Kings Cross
This bookshop offers mostly books about Philosophy, Religion, politics
and other non-fiction stuff, they do have a small section with selected
fictions, and in their basement there is a one-pound 2nd hand store.
The staff is very helpful and knows what they are talking about, so if you are
looking for something specific within non-fiction this is a good option.
135 Curtain Road
Shoreditch
Tube – Old Street
Great furniture store with things in modern design. Are you not on the
look for a new couch it is still worth a visit as they sell many of the smaller
things a home needs as well. Personally I like to go there and dream of all the
things I could put into my home if I had the room.
15 camden Passage
Islington
Tube - Angel
Great yarn store in two floors with lots of inspiration and their own
line of specially dyed yarn. They also offer knitting classes and SOS help on
Sunday a month. But be careful a visit to Loop can be an expensive affair.
13-25 Mount Pleasant
Clerkenwell
Tube - Farringdon
Everything you need to put inside your analogue camera or to develop.
They sell every film you could dream of at engross prices. However going in
there it is a good idea to know what you are going for, as the store is just a
counter where you order what you need.
15 Camden High Street
Camden Town
Tube - Mornington Creasent
Are you in need for a spare part or just a new analogue camera this is
the place to go. At Nicholas they sell all different kinds of used goods, which
has been services before resold.
35mm medium format, super 8 cameras lighting etc. The store is amazing
in itself with row after row of old optics.
MARKETS
One of the nicer things about London is its many markets, which pops up
every day at different locations. Here are some of my favourites. On Sunday you
could make the trip, Brick Lane – Columbia Road –Goldsmith Row and end up
getting a drink in one of the many places on Broadway Market.
Saturdays
National Rail- London Fields or Cambridge Heath
Bus from Central London – 55
Market with Food (Prepared or raw ingredients) Coffee, Crafts, Clothes
Live music and a nice vibe.
Sundays
Tube – Old Street
Besides the flower market on Sunday the small independent shops are only
open on weekends. It is always quite busy but it is nice to visit just to
experience the vibe and the screaming flower salesmen.
Sundays
National Rail – Cambridge Heath
Bus from Central London – 55, 26
This is a newly great added addition to the flower market on Columbia
Road as they are located next to each other it is easy to visit both. There is
both new and 2nd hand books on display.
Sundays
Great little market with crafts, clothes, food and drinks. I prefer it
to Broadway Market because it is far less crowded.
NICE SPOTS
Putting together this guide I realized how difficult it was compared to
the one of Berlin because everything in London is so scattered. I might have
added things that are completely out of your way. Therefore I thought I would
make an addition to the guide. Nice spots/areas outside central London where you could easily go and
spend a couple of hours or more.
ANGEL
This is one of my favorite areas in
London. Coming of the tube of Angel I would go up Upper Street, Cross street
and Essex Road and check out the many nice stores. I would go to Camden PassageMarket (On Wednesdays and Saturdays) and I would try a coffee at Kipfler and
look into the many antique shops. I would go to Ottolenghi for lunch or get
some easy take away from M&S simple food to have at the canalside.
Have a drink at The Four Sisters or
a Beer on The New Rose. And then Maybe end the day by going to Screen On TheGreen to watch a movie.
OLD STREET
Get a nice Brunch at Ozone and check out the many independent stores
around Hoxton Square, Curtain Road, Rivington Street and Shoreditch High
Street. If you are not in the shopping mood, you can always visit The White Cube or The Parasol Unit and Victoria Miro, two last are located right next to
each other. You can get a great light lunch at Food Hall or go to the White Cross Market to get some street food. If you are up for a late night'er start
of by visiting Shoreditch Grind and go to The Old Blue Last where they have
live band and DJ's every Thursday - Saturday.
SUNDAY = MARKET DAY EAST END
On Sunday you could make the trip, Brick Lane – Columbia Road –Goldsmith
Row.
Start your trip of by having a morning coffee by the little rostery Exmouth Coffee Co. and then visit The White Chapel Gallery, which is the neighbor of the cafe. You could end it by
having a drink or some lunch at one of the many pubs or bars at Broadway
Market.
