Incomplete London Guide
Propaganda to keep my friends in one place.
I think London is the greatest city in the world. I was lucky enough to grow up here—and do my undergrad here—so, unsurprisingly, I have no small amount of pride in being a Londoner. But having lived an hour’s commute away since October, my visits have had to be a bit more intentional—meaning I’ve tried to pack in a lot more activities each time I go, to make the most of my time.
Unfortunately, the great thing about cities like London can also be a curse: when people ask me what I recommend they do when visiting, I’m often at a bit of a loss—because you can honestly do anything here! So, inspired by my enjoyment of other good city recommendation Substack posts (namely, Eliza’s LA & Audrey Horne’s DC) and in the hopes that my blog writing friends may follow suit and offer up more recommendations, I present my (incomplete) London guide. (I—admittedly—also have a more nefarious agenda: plagued by fears of several friends threatening to move away, I am hoping this serves as effective propaganda to keep everyone in one place!)
A couple of disclaimers—
My knowledge of West & South London is abysmal. This is mainly because I’ve lived/had friends live in North and East London, but I hope that when I move back after my MPhil I’ll be able to get a much better sense of these!
My taste in food is also quite specific: I avoid British food at all costs. I typically go to East Asian or Middle Eastern/Mediterranean restaurants. I have been trying more South American food, and hoping currently to branch a bit into Central Asian food also—but, as a result, my recommendations are quite skewed. Also, though I am more willing to spend money on food as a luxury than on (eg) drinks, the food list includes both more casual places (that I would rate less highly but find convenient & tasty enough for the price/ function well as unpretentious lunch date options) and more interesting places that I’d go for a nicer occasion.
For various reasons, my friends have all gone tee-total-adjacent. Consequently, because everyone is now old (23) and gets tired after 9pm, I have been to fewer bars/clubs/night events recently than I would like—so my recommendations here are unfortunately sparse. My activities related things generally tend to fall into the two buckets of artsy (eg film screenings, art exhibitions, strange zine launch parties) and careers-related (usually behavioural science, think-tanky, sometimes AI/tech networking and lectures) — I’ll probably stick to the former.
Search Strategies
I am an avid Googler. This is genuinely my biggest tip and it sounds so ridiculous but I strongly believe most people do not make the most of Google search. You have to be keywords-maxxing. You have to be trying multiple variations and clicking through at least three results pages. Basically, you need to find nicher newsletters & blogs where people are specialising in a particular topic and religiously posting all the events going on in that space. For example, if trying to find art events and exhibitions, aside from checking the classic gallery sites & Time Out (typically, I find it pretty unhelpful), Seb’s Art List lists every single exhibition opening in every corner of London every week. This has led to some bizarre experiences, like F. & I finding ourselves alone in what seemed to be someone’s flat(?) in Mayfair (we had to ring a doorbell) but containing a ton of rare pieces from really well-known artists? Usually, would recommend hitting a couple of these in a row as venues can be very small.
lu.ma has recently become a lot better in London: though it still trends very entrepreneury (in a way that isn’t personally appealing), it has some interesting tech/behavioural science events on. Obviously, some things are hit and miss—I recently went to a ‘democracy coworking’ event hoping to make some internship connections and, instead, I had an awkward chat with a woman representing a Quaker organisation, felt incredibly out of place because everyone was silently working, had a chocolate croissant to make the most of being there, and then promptly left. But I think that one of the things I love about London is the complete freedom with which you can attend totally random events—even, or especially, alone—and not at all know the outcome (nor have it matter in the slightest).
While Reddit seem to vary in quality of recommendations in US cities (I went to one really good Filipino place in LA from a Reddit recommendation and was converted), it’s honestly pretty awful for London. That said, I think there’s a lot of alpha in finding micro-influencers in spaces you find exciting—who might aggregate & post about a lot of events that you wouldn’t otherwise know about. Another good way of going about this is by joining groupchats (often run by these highly networked people) where events are posted. For example, I learnt about a ton of literary events (eg various signings & Southbank literary festival) that I would otherwise likely not have found from a ‘literary collective’ I joined and periodically lurk on. My other favourite recent example of this is going to a ‘cafe’ hosted at someone’s very nice flat in Moorgate because the event had randomly been advertised on a group-chat for London-based fans of a podcast.
Instagram—infuriatingly—also aggregates a lot of events; Tom Willis on God Save the Scene (which, btw, is also a great London-based recommendations Substack) gave a pretty exhaustive list:
GETTING INVOLVED IN THE LONDON LITERARY SCENE: Contrary to what everyone says, London has a live, open, exciting, free, youthful, anyone-can-come literary scene […]. Here are some you can go to: Deleted Scenes, New Work, New Papers, The Toe Rag, Adult Entertainment, Rivet Reads, Casual Encounters, and the Soho Reading Series.
Scremes Report, though focussed on NYC, also occasionally features London literary events. I also like spittle, which does the same for London arts/reading events.
Finding venues you like and subscribing to their newsletters is also a very good way to find things—Pushkin House has a lot of enjoyable events on for Russian-speakers (eg their recent zine fair!), and I’ve been increasingly enjoying Reference Point, which has weird (slightly pretentious) experimental art stuff on almost every day of the week. (This is also great for thinktanks e.g. RUSI NextGen for security policy).
The other classics worth mentioning are:
The DICE app (connect to your Spotify!), which lists a lot of evening/night-time events, including club nights at nicher venues, smaller artist performances, comedy nights, and occasionally concert streamings (going to the 1999 NYC Fiona Apple recording with A. healed me)
First Table - HUGE NEWS for people who like going out to eat but want to do it more cheaply. Lists a huge selection of restaurants across London where if you book slightly inconvenient times (either earlier or much later), you can get 50% off the meal. Have gained SO much pleasure from receiving the bill, then telling the waiter ‘actually, we booked via first table’ and seeing the gluttonous feast approaching ‘this feels like exploitation’ price levels…
Dusk App for free drinks (though it will be at bars like Simmonds)
Resident Advisor, also for finding nightlife events
Cheapskate London, weekly newsletter of upcoming events, quite random as there’s no specific theme other than being free/cheap, but worth a skim
I recently downloaded the Sappho app (not a lesbian dating app, as you might imagine), which has the cutest interface & is designed to help people find creative events/ art openings in London
Food (First Table marked with *)
Viet Eat, Holborn — Truly seen me through all my university highs and lows; warm & cosy break from the Holborn bustle; conveniently close to LSE/KCL library so you can pop in when your eyes glaze over; the lone family-run restaurant fighting on the Holborn frontlines against the surrounding globalised-fastcasual-slop.
Choppaluna, multiple locations — hypocritically, the fastcasual slop in question. Sometimes, you just really need a fresh, filling salad bowl! I’m recommending this because I strongly dislike its competitors, which brand themselves with names like ‘Pure’ but contain a disturbing list of preservatives (which have no place in a salad). Sorry.
Ngon Ngon, Clerkenwell — I’ve recommended this to people so many times they’ve started hosting their birthday dinners there…but know that I found it first! Unpretentious but incredibly tasty (& a good place to bring a vegan friend). Good portion sizes also.
Busaba, multiple locations — 25% student discount, good range of Thai dishes. Not authentic by any stretch of the imagination, but I would class it as a nice place for lunch with a friend you don’t know the tastes of super well. They do have a slightly weird thing going on with large square tables where you get seated next to strangers if it’s busy
Masigo, Angel — really really good Korean place (I’ve heard it be referred to as the best one in London!)
Bibimbab Cafe, Bloomsbury — right next to the British Museum, admittedly small portion sizes, but very cute lowkey place, tasty bibimbap, and lots of lovely green space to eat in nearby! Make sure to pop into the London Review of Books shop too.
Hiba Express, multiple locations — as affordable as you can find in Holborn, tasty shawarma & wraps.
Levant Kitchen, Clerkenwell — their lamb kofta with pistachios is to die for actually. Also, they give me free falafels if I have to wait a while, which never hurts.
Route, The Strand — a recent rec from L., I think they opened this year? Kind of an Ottolenghi lunch takeaway vibe. Not cheap :( BUT creative.
Homeslice Pizza, Covent Garden — I think the largest pizzas I have maybe ever seen. I really like the menu because I despise peppers & anchovies and don’t eat pork, so it’s always fun to have more exciting options than…margherita. I (very fondly) spent a Friday in first year eating these with A. & H., as a replacement for a real Shabbat meal
Arepa & Co*, multiple locations — Venezuelan; great for a brunch, super filling and delish. The Haggerston location is incredible on a sunny day—there’s a gorgeous canal view.
Carousel, Marylebone — okay, I admit it’s a bit gimmicky as a concept, but I think points for originality. It’s like a residency for chefs, where they have a new menu (and chef) every six-ish weeks? Consequently, can’t speak for consistent quality, but I think it’s novel enough to warrant a visit. (Went with my mum who got to have a very fangirly conversation with her favourite London chef.)
Breddos Tacos*, Clerkenwell — Good Mexican food in London is not so easy to come by—something I learnt after having last summer’s West Coast roadtrip as a comparison—but I think Breddos Tacos have nice fillings, some exciting ideas & a cosy atmosphere!
Sussex*, Soho — as I mentioned, I usually dislike British food (including ‘Modern British’) but after being dragged here (twice) by F., I have to grudgingly admit I did enjoy their creative spin on the classics. They did one dish with Marmite that went way too far though…
Chakana*, Broadway Market — I raved about this place for weeks!!!! Incredible Peruvian place. The ceviche was so good that F. felt a desperate urge to replicate it, before realising that doing so might inadvertently give us food poisoning. So go here instead!
The Counter*, Notting Hill — went here with L. before seeing Peter Cat Recording Co and the menu was very intriguing. I will say the white chocolate baba ghanoush concept did not hit like we wanted it to, but everything else was really, really good.
Geamos, St John’s Wood — my family is from Russia, so naturally we adore Georgian food. If you’ve never had it, you’re missing out on so many interesting spices, incredible (HUGE) broth-filled dumplings, sour green/red plum sauces, aubergine walnut rolls, etc. etc. There are a couple good Georgian places in London, but this is my favourite; aside from the quality, I love the decor, I love the walk there from Bloomsbury, & I love that, if you get obsessed, you can actually ask them to deliver their dumplings to keep in your freezer for whenever you get cravings. Also, several Georgian people I’ve met (and my dad) highly recommend Aba-Ra! on Brick Lane.
These are going to come together because there are too many brilliant (upscale) experimental Middle Eastern restaurants in London: Honey & Smoke (other locations e.g. Honey & Co. Daily are lovely too), The Palomar, The Barbary, Coal Office, Delamina (& Delamina EAST), Kapara (bizarrely, sex themed?), Bubala, Bala Baya…
Similar list for some Japanese places I’ve enjoyed: Doumo* (casual), Robata* (fancier), Hot Stone* (fanciest), OKA (old favourite but the prices are currently unjustifiable), Chotto Matte* (really fun & a must try if you’ve never had Nikkei i.e. japanese-peruvian cuisine), & my current OBSESSION: IMA on Exmouth Market. Even if you’re not veggie/vegan, this place is delicious and so, so creative (e.g. I loved the butternut squash ‘prawn’ toast and adored the caramelised aubergine unagi that had been marinated to taste almost exactly like eel). Also, the first time I went, I had a lovely conversation with the owner and she gave me a £10 discount for my next visit ^.^
BONUS! cafes & bakeries
Ta’amini, Bloomsbury. V good Lebanese bakery. If you’re here, you can’t miss all the bookshops nearby (e.g. skoob books, judd books, & gay’s the word)
Fidelio Cafe, Clerkenwell. The DECOR alone, inc. gorgeous piano downstairs...! pricey & only open on weekdays but the drinks are genuinely really good
One Hundred Shoreditch. Co-working goldmine. Decor is very fun + lots of space + it’s actually a hotel lobby so they don’t even really care if you buy anything. Also, Gecko Coffeehouse, 10 mins walk away, is also a really good spot for co-working (if you nab a downstairs table!) and has good brunch food, drinks & a student discount. Nice vibe.
Knoops, multiple locations. Custom hot chocolate chain. Has a student discount + discount if you bring your own cup. I recommend 54% hot chocolate w/ cardamom, star anise, cinnamon, and nutmeg—very cosy. If it’s summer, get the cold chocolate with sea salt!
Katsute 100, multiple locations. When it’s warm, Angel location is especially lovely; they have a delightful downstairs garden. Tea is really good.
Miel Bakery & Arôme Bakery, both have lovely pastries. The latter tends to have a long queue—but worth it!
Buns from Home—if you’re looking for dessert in Soho, their cardamom buns are v enjoyable
Lanka, Finchley Rd. Station—hidden gem. I don’t understand how they are open as few days as they are (make sure you check before going) but I will count my blessings that they open at all. Hilariously, my mum found out that the main chef doesn’t even like dessert and prefers to eat steak, but you’d never know it. GET THE GREEN TEA TIRAMISU AND DIE HAPPY! Also, if you’re here, you can swing by Natural Natural and get a £1.80 onigiri for lunch. Close walk to Hampstead (stop by the adorable Well Walk Puppet Theatre — for M.’s madeleines, if nothing else), Belsize Park, Primrose Hill, go to the ponds/lido etc. etc.
Kova, multiple locations—recent discovery that is sure to bankrupt me but they have so, so many incredible (matcha-based) desserts.
Evening/Nightlife/Other
Live Music — Obviously, Blues Kitchen (Weds cocktails deal! Though you won’t be able to chat as it’s quite loud), Ronnie Scott’s, Jazz Cafe (went to the Nujabes experience with M. which was brilliant, heard good things about the Radiohead nights too). Some great jazz bars/speakeasies that are perhaps less well-known—Nightjar (prohibition-style, live music from 9pm onwards), Ninety One Living Room (more of a casual, house-party vibe, get there earlier so you can be closer to the front—also nice, cause there’s benches outside to chat when you want a break from the music). My personal favourite is Night Tales Loft, specifically for their PATTERNS Weekly Live Jazz improv night; it’s really nice to watch musicians find a rhythm together. My perhaps most strange pick is Jamboree, in King’s Cross, which features live music on the niche side e.g. Scandinavian folk, Celtic, Klezmer etc. I especially love going because there’s a man in his 70s who comes regularly and just freestyle swing dances to the music—aspirational! In the next few months, I’d like to go to some listening bars e.g. Jumbi, Bambi, mu, Brilliant Corners, Doña.
Theatre — One new habit I am trying to build with some friends is to try and go to the theatre together once a month; as a result, I recently fulfilled a dream of mine, which I’ve held since watching (and falling in love with) Dominic Dromgoole’s production of the Duchess of Malfi on DVD—going to the Sam Wanamaker Playhouse. This theatre is a real thing of beauty. As it’s so old, there is no overhead lighting, and the candle-lit chandeliers move up and down for different scenes. Also live music! It’s very small and intimate (and admittedly gets very warm), but the standing seats are not as bad as you would expect (there’s a railing) and tickets are £5-10. Other recommendations for more rogue contemporary stuff include Camden People’s Theatre (I’ve written about this before but the avant-garde drag-adjacent Eastern European stripper-based one-woman-show I attended here twoish years ago plays on my mind too frequently. It was a difficult watch and I struggled to contain myself, especially because I was experiencing the immense embarrassment of having convinced two friends to get tickets with me; thoughtful meditation on feminism, it was not). If you’ve never watched live dance, check out what’s going on at the Lilian Baylis, which has usually cheaper (and sometimes stranger…) shows than Sadler’s Wells and The Peacock. Per some recommendations on a groupchat, I’m hoping to make it to: Omnibus, Bush Theatre, Kiln Theatre, Stone Nest, and The Royal Court at some point in future. On a somewhat related note, not enough people are aware of the BFI’s £3 cinema tickets!
Pubs — My all-time favourite is undoubtedly Ye Olde Cheshire Cheese, a real stalwart on a pub crawl (and favourite of Samuel Johnson, Yeats, Twain, Dickens, etc., if you don’t want to take my word for it). It’s so cosy and has what seem like unlimited nooks and crannies (though also very low ceilings). One time, I had an absurd conversation with a drunk policewoman who was there with her colleagues to celebrate quitting…the place has much to offer. The Lamb, in Bloomsbury, has similarly enjoyable historical/literary associations (Dickens again, but also Plath/Hughes) and the architecture is lovely. I will never not recommend the very comfy Lexington, which stays open much later than most pubs (as the upstairs doubles as a club). Be aware that the locale is predominantly moustachioed 30 year old Oasis listeners, however.
Bars — Exmouth Market has a ton of great bars, especially The Street Easy and Cafe Kick. Stay away from Coin Laundry because suspicious things of a swinger nature appear to be happening there. I also recently went to Bobby Fitzpatrick in West Hampstead and adored the ‘70s interior! The Mayor Of Scaredy Cat Town and Discount Suit Company are both great fun too, with v. enjoyable cocktails. At some point M. and I are hoping to go to La Camionera (sapphic wine bar, opened semi-recently)! Also, given that it’s unlikely I will be living on a canalboat at any point in the near future, I would love to go to Bruno’s asap…
Clubs — not my forte, I fear. But I can strongly recommend White Heat Club (Fridays at The Lexington) for anyone who has ever wanted to dance to The Smiths. Indie nights at the Victoria Dalston are also fun and on the more chill side because you can move between the pub/dancing area quite easily. I’ve had mixed nights at Corsica (the bass is inescapable) but it comes generally highly recommended. I also badly need to return to Dalston Superstore; last time, I got talking to a curly hair stylist who told me I should get a shag and made my whole evening. Heard good things about MOTH Club also!
Other — D. gave me excellent recommendations the other day, especially for female young professionals trying to make more friends (!) inc. The Feminist Lecture Program, the It’s Hardback Out Here book club, and ‘generally hanging around the Vagina Museum’ if you want to find a girlfriend.
bonus recs solicited from replies to my instagram story
meghana: bon vino 35 & dan’s (wine bars; the latter, ‘good date spot’), morocco bound for ‘random activities—poetry readings, zine making, pub quizzes’, re-recced judd’s books & tamini bakery. past caring (‘random knickknacks’), the jago (‘funky music and nights out’), bar lotus (‘exciting cocktails’). galleries—saachi yates, stephen friedman galleries.
nina: urumchi, ‘so good!’, uyghur restaurant in bloomsbury. she also +1ed hiba.
luca: esoterick collection, ‘not fave but just came to mind’, emideli (italian restaurant in pimlico)
auhona: panicked about ‘where [her] third spaces are’, then recommended compton arms, ‘quiet, understated tavern, good for mates, dates and occasional checkmates (there is one singular chess board people can fight over1)’ and tate lates, ‘a fun way for corporates to feel creatives and a fun way for creatives to feel like london somewhat cares about the arts’
lily: recs specific to east dulwich— viet flavours, ‘unassuming but really good, especially the veggie pancakes’, eric’s (bakery on lordship lane), kartuli (georgian restaurant)
sudha: art play, spitalfields, ‘lovely painting & crafts sessions, well-priced solo/group sessions’
lara: golders green branch of tofu vegan, and dalston curve garden
abia: ember locke hotel, near earl’s court - there’s a cafe that turns into a bar, ‘happy hour, pretty decent pizzas, very chill, quiet, and hidden’
lucia: cafe at the garden museum (‘great for a central place to meet’), teta’s lebanese in belsize, & (an absolute classic) hampstead heath pergola
trevor: kahani, indian small plates in sloane square, ‘love the food there!’
eugene: +1ed morocco bound, white cube gallery, presse books (independent publisher/coffeeshop), el marsem (moroccan bakery), amigos (colombian/spanish restaurant), dulwich picture gallery, & a handy list he has collated of theatre/opera house/other cultural discounts in london
alan: thought very hard and very long, re-recced ngon ngon & ‘canal no 5 cafe near angel on regent’s canal’
anya: st john’s lodge in regent’s park — ‘secret meditation garden with beautiful sculptures’
we can all shame
for the response, ‘i literally have to gatekeep i’m sorry’ & khalil for his plan to ‘leech and contribute nothing’.
p.s. if you are a chess player, every weds is chess night at reference point
you ate this....I flopped but literally how could I even add anything to this vibe
Sonja! What a perfect read for my morning commute! Routine makes me take this city for granted. There is certainly something for everyone, as long as you know to look in the right places and are surrounded by the right people. As the ancient proverb goes, "...was what she loved; life; London; this moment in June."