London neighbourhoods

I very roughly divided London into 25 parts and listed my favourite things to do, see and eat in each of them: Battersea, Brixton, Camden, Canary Wharf, Dalston, East Ham, Elephant and Castle, Finchley, Greenwich, Hackney, Hampstead Heath, Islington, Kensington, King’s Cross, Liverpool Street, London Bridge, Peckham, Richmond, Rotherhithe, Shoreditch, Soho, Stoke Newington, Walthamstow, Wembley, Westminster.

1. Battersea

  • One of the new neighbourhoods in London. See the Battersea Power Station that has been renovated into a shopping mall and flats, exciting architecture of the surrounding residential buildings, Battersea Park, etc.

2. Brixton

  • Brixton Windmill - an unexpected thing to see in London.

Pastries: Parissi.

3. Camden

  • Regent’s Park - Primrose Hill (a perfect spot for a picnic and/or sunset watching), Queen Mary’s Rose Gardens, etc.
  • Carreras Cigarette Factory - art-deco building with Egyptian cats guarding the entrance.

4. Canary Wharf

5. Dalston

  • Ridley Road Market (not Sundays) - nothing like the Broadway Market.
  • Dalston Eastern Curve Garden.

Food and drink:

  • Casa Fofó - sourdough-themed tasting menu focussed on being seasonal and local.
  • Berber & Q Grill House - Middle Eastern food.
  • Little Duck The Picklery - modern European.
  • Andu Ethiopian - vegan restaurant. Loads of vegan options.
  • MAP Maison - cocktails are not memorable, but their whiskey collection is impressive and they do tastings.

Pastries: The Dusty Knuckle Bakery.

6. East Ham

  • South Indian neighbourhood. Visit London Sri Mahalakshmi Temple, eat South Indian food, Indian grocery shopping.

7. Elephant and Castle

  • Newport Street Gallery - a large space with temporary art exhibitions. Free.

8. Finchley

  • Royal Air Force Museum London (not free).

9. Greenwich

  • Royal Observatory Greenwich (not free).
  • Greenwich Foot Tunnel is an exciting way to cross the Thames river.
  • The area around North Greenwich Station is architecturally exciting - Design District Canteen, The Tide, Olympian Way and many more architectural gems.

10. Hackney

  • Broadway Market (Saturdays) and Netil Market.
  • The area around Hackney Downs Studios is fun.
  • Victoria Park - great place for running (drinking fountains located just outside Bonner Gate, on the island with Victoria Park Chinese Pagoda, etc.) and pastries (Pavilion Cafe by the lake).

Food:

  • EDIT - hyper seasonal, low impact restaurant. Modern European.
  • Silo London - zero-waste restaurant with a great tasting menu. They mill their own flour and make their own butter. They aim to eliminate food waste, so expect ice cream made from leftover sourdough bread. Modern European.

Pastries: Pophams London Fields, Forno, E5 Bakehouse, The Snapery East, Pavilion Bakery, Yeast Bakery.

Cocktails: The Last Tuesday Society & Absinthe Parlour, The Natural Philosopher.

11. Hampstead Heath

Pastries: Karma Bread Bakehouse.

12. Islington

  • Regent’s Canal. From Angel station it goes East to Victoria Park. From there you can continue North to Olympic Park or South to Limehouse. From Olympic Park you can continue North along the River Lee or South to Royal Observatory Greenwich (crossing under the Thames via Greenwich Foot Tunnel). It is excellent for running and all-day walks.
  • Don’t miss the Antepavilion’s Sharks! visible from the Regent’s Canal, in the water or on the roof. They are a big deal.
  • Upper street is a delightful place for a strol. Islington Square is an exciting new area created around the renovated 1990s General Post Office sorting depo.
  • Union Chapel - a beautiful venue hosting different types of events.
  • Richmond Avenue - many of the houses on this residential street are guarded by mini sphinxes and obelisks that were installed in 1841 at the height of Egypt-mania.
  • New River Path - a narrow 1k long park with loads of interesting plants and birds. From (51.541842, -0.097758) to (51.547047, -0.092159). And from there it is a lovely walk to Clissold Park.
  • Exmouth Market - a wonderful place to hangout on a warm evening (Berber & Q Shawarma Bar, etc.) or in the morning (many coffee and pastries options).
  • Camden Passage - a charming bit of old London.
  • Farmers’ Market at Chapel Market (Sundays).
  • Neals Yard Dairy - an excellent shop of British and Irish cheeses.
  • Provisions Holloway - a Frech deli, good cheese.
  • Get Stuffed - taxidermy shop fun to explore from the outside.
  • Katsute 100 - a perfect place for a non-alcoholic drinks meeting in the evening.

Food:

  • Tofu Vegan Islington - vegan Chinese. They’ve now opened several other locations too.
  • Jam Delish - vegan Caribbean.
  • Berber & Q Shawarma Bar - Middle Eastern food, same people as Berber & Q Grill House.
  • Cafe Tiffin - North Indian.
  • Westerns Laundry - European.
  • Ottolenghi (Islington) - by Ottolenghi.
  • Towpath - awesome outdoor restaurant on the canal in Islington, perfect for lunch or a dinner on a warm summer evening.
  • Zia Lucia Islington - great pizzas, including their famous charcoal crust.
  • Udderlicious - gelato.

Pastries: Pophams, Jolene Colebrooke Row, Frequency Coffee Angel, Sourdough Sophia. Cocktails: Little Bat, The Rabbits Hole (worth it for the location - a renovated public bathroom, not the cocktails).

13. Kensington

14. King’s Cross

  • Known as the Knowledge Quarter - The British Library, The British Museum, The Wellcome Trust, The Alan Turing Institute, Francis Crick Institute, UCL, SOAS, Royal College of Physicians, Google, Springer Nature, The Guardian (and many more) are all located here.
  • King’s Cross Visitor Centre is a great place to start. The model of the neighbourhood gives you an overview of what there is to explore.
  • Explore Pancras Square, Granary Square, Lewis Cubitt Square, community garden (51.538009, -0.124362), Gasholder Park, Coal Drops Yard (read about its history here (51.535522, -0.126936) and definitely visit the Samsung store on the top floor - it is very architecturally exciting), St Pancras Station, etc. Follow Jack’s self-guided tour of the area. Use this (51.533144, -0.124917) metro entrance to discover a cool light tunnel.
  • Regent’s Canal. It goes west past Wembley, and you can follow it all the way to Slough or Kew Bridge. It is excellent for running and all-day walks.
  • Keystone Crescent (51.531825, -0.120135) - a charming bit of old London.
  • Wellcome Collection
  • Canopy market (Fri-Sun) and Real Food Market (Tue-Fri). Pastries and sourdough from Little Bread Pedlar are great.
  • Mestizo - awesome Mexican grocery shop near King’s Cross. Their restaurant next door has an authentic menu (in writing), but the food lacks flavour and quality.
  • The Rooftop at The Standard - overpriced drinks are totally worth it on a warm sunny evening, as this bar has a unique view of the beautiful St Pancras Station.
  • Crypt Gallery - an atmospheric gallery worth visiting, no matter what the exhibition is.

Food and drink:

  • Dishoom King’s Cross. I’m not sure why there is so much hype about this North Indian restaurant chain, but this specific location is truly special - a warehouse where goods and spices arrived from Bombay in the 1930s.
  • Merkato - Ethiopian. Loads of vegan options.
  • Indian Lounge - not the best food, but super convenient location and no booking required.

15. Liverpool Street

Architecture:

  • This area has a lot of remarkable modern buildings: Richard Rogers’ inside-out Lloyd’s building, The Broadgate Tower (a raft building above rail tracks), 120 Fenchurch street (see huge screens showing art videos), etc.
  • And a lot of remarkable old buildings: St Dunstan in the East Church Garden (beautiful old church with no roof), the Victorian Bath House, Leadenhall Market, etc.
  • The Barbican Estate - one of the largest examples of Brutalist style architecture. It represents an utopian ideal for inner-city living. Have fun exploring. For example, try to find St Giles Cripplegate.
  • Don’t miss the great view of Liverpool Street Station from the Exchange Square.
  • St Paul’s cathedral.
  • Paternoster Square, including Temple Bar London - a renovated (and relocated) City of London gateway from the 1600s. There used to be 10 of them (Aldgate, Moorgate, etc.), this is the only one that survived.

Food and drink:

  • Bubala Spitalfields - one of the tastiest tasting menus, Middle Eastern. Vegan or vegetarian. I left feeling that I should have paid more given how much I loved it.
  • Dosa World - authentic South Indian food.

Cocktails: The Gobpsy (Tue-Fri only; beneath a barber shop), City of London Distillery & Bar (gin-centric cocktails).

16. London Bridge

  • Tate Modern and their Lates. Worth a visit even if you don’t like modern art, as it is located in the former Bankside Power Station, which operated until 1981.
  • There are numerous small galleries in the area; my favourites include White Cube Bermondsey and London Glassblowing.
  • National Theatre Archive - here you can watch recordings of all London theater productions that are no longer showing on stage, for free. Booking required.
  • Hayward Gallery - temporary exhibitions, often good ones. Not free.
  • The Graffiti Tunnel - street art around the Waterloo station.

Food and drink:

  • Rambutan - incredible Sri Lankan food.
  • Tatale - contemporary Pan-African. Set menu with a vegan option.
  • Café Pedlar with pastries from Little Bread Pedlar.
  • Lyaness - cocktails.

17. Peckham

Food and drink:

  • Persepolis - Persian vegetarian restaurant. The Feast menu is packed with flavours.
  • Naifs - a cozy vegan restaurant.

18. Richmond

  • Kew Gardens - one of the best botanical gardens in the world. Arrive at the opening time, as one day is not enough to see everything. Download a free map (or pick up a free paper copy at the entrance) to orient yourself. Check the schedule of free walking tours at the information desk inside the main gift shop; there is usually a tour at 12:30 showcasing the most exciting seasonal stuff. Art galleries - Marianne North Gallery (permanent exhibition) and Shirley Sherwood Gallery (temporary exhibitions) - are a must. If the area is not rented out for an event, check out the Cambridge Cottage and Duke’s Garden in front of it. Keep an eye out for events happening after 19:00 - spending time at Kew in the dark is truly magical.
  • Isabella Plantation in Richmond Park - visit in late April/early May to catch rhododendrons in bloom (explore all 3 ponds). Also find the deer with huge antlers in Richmond Park.

Food and drink:

  • Petersham Nurseries Café - a wonderful place to stop for a tea and a cake in a plant-filled glasshouse.

19. Rotherhithe

20. Shoreditch

Food:

  • Nest - tasting menu that celebrates British vegetables. The menu is vegetarian during their vegetable season (usually in the summer), during their other seasons (chicken, lamb, game) asking to arrange a vegetarian option is just being a pain for them. But things might change. Modern European.

Pastries: Jack Garcia Coffee.

Cocktails: Lounge Bohemia, Nightjar, Happiness Forgets, Looking Glass Cocktail Club (the cool bar is behind the mirror).

21. Soho

  • Sir John Soane’s Museum - the house of one of the greatest English architects, kept as it was at the time of his death in 1837. It displays his collection of antiquities, furniture, sculptures, architectural models and paintings. Free.
  • Hunterian Museum - the extraordinary specimen collection of the 18th century surgeon anatomist John Hunter. Free, booking required.
  • Grant Museum of Zoology - a small space densely packed with skeletons.
  • The British Museum and their Lates.
  • Fitzrovia Chapel - once the chapel of the Middlesex Hospital and now beautifully preserved and restored, is a stunning hidden gem. Open on Wednesdays. Don’t miss “The one and the many” sculpture by Peter Randall-Page just outside the chapel.
  • Stroll past numerous private art galleries.
  • The campus of London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE) - The Marshall Building (a gem of forward-thinking architecture), Square the Block sculpture (51.51508, -0.118539), etc.
  • Gerrard Street - the heart of London’s Chinatown.
  • Follow Jack’s self-guided tour along the Thames. And don’t miss the Cleopatra’s Needle.
  • Twinings - The Strand tea shop in a historic building. Get any of their teas (even the most expensive one) in a takeaway cup for cheap.
  • Shopping: Ellis Brigham (the best outdoor clothing shop ever with super knowledgeable stuff), VIVOBAREFOOT (barefoot shoes), The Ordinary DECIEM (magical moisturizer), etc.
  • The Spaces In-Between - huge screens showing art, just outside Tottenham Court Road station.

Food and drink:

  • Outcrop x AngloThai popup at 180 Strand - this is likely short-term, so it’s now or never.
  • Kricket Soho - modern Indian.
  • Gauthier - French tasting menu with steak, meat stews, cheesy pasta, etc. 100% vegan. Their 3D printed plant-protein steak is disturbingly animal-like.
  • Akoko - West African. Tasting menu with a vegan option.
  • NOPI - by Ottolenghi.
  • Tendril - a naughty vegan restaurant (with a bit of cheese). Both tasting menu and à la carte.
  • Masala Zone Piccadilly Circus - North Indian food in the breathtakingly beautiful dining room of the historic Criterion building.
  • Udderlicious - gelato.
  • La Gelatiera - gelato.
  • Below Stone Nest - not what you’d expect in Soho. Go for a drink, go early and prepare to be surprised.
  • Attendant Coffee Roasters - an awesome underground-restroom-turned-coffee-bar at Victorian-era urinals.
  • Mercato Mayfair - a food court in an old church. Totally worth it for the architecture, not the food.
  • Chettinad Restaurant - ok South Indian food.

Cocktails: Bar Termini (a place to get a properly Italian negroni).

22. Stoke Newington

  • Clissold Park is lovely.
  • Abney Park Cemetery Trust - a beautiful cemetery, especially wonderful for a stroll on a hot summer day as it stays cool.
  • La Fromagerie - an awesome cheese shop.
  • Parkland Walk that connects Finsbury Park and Highgate Wood is a lovely running route.

Food and drink:

  • Laza Eritrean Ethiopian Restaurant - daily homemade injera, wonderful owner. Loads of vegan options.
  • Romeo & Giulietta Artisan Gelateria - gelato.
  • Plant Club - gluten free, vegan friendly Italian restaurant and pizzeria (I’ve not tried it myself).

23. Walthamstow

  • God’s Own Junkyard - a paradise of neon signs. Around it there are several breweries and Mother’s Ruin Gin Palace (gin-centric cocktail bar).
  • Markfield Beam Engine and Museum - the engine is a great thing to see, especially if you can catch it in operation.
  • The Walthamstow Pumphouse Museum - featuring two Marshall engines.

Food and drink:

  • Chuku’s (Nigerian Tapas) - loads of vegan options.
  • supperclub.tube - Latin American inspired tasting menu. A unique experience of dining on a 1967 Victoria Line tube carriage.

24. Wembley

  • BAPS Shri Swaminarayan Mandir London - Hindu temple made from marble and wood.
  • Shri Sanatan Hindu Mandir - Hindu temple made from limestone.
  • Shops with all sorts of items from India.

Food and drink:

  • Vasanta Bhavan Wembley - authentic South Indian.

25. Westminster

  • Parliament Square Garden from which Big Ben, Palace of Westminster and Westminster Abbey can be observed.
  • Westminster Cathedral - an architectural gem that should be much more famous.
  • Churchill War Rooms (not free).
  • The National Gallery.
  • Mall galleries - exciting temporary painting and photo exhibitions.
  • 55 Broadway - a magnificent building housing St. James’ Park station.
  • Onion Garden - an unlikely place.