Where to eat, drink, stay and shop in London: the Esquire guide
There's a grit to the English capital that's kept it on the forefront of global trends, culture and the culinary scene. Here, we compiled a guide to the city's undeniable allure
LIKE THIERRY HENRY up front for Arsenal, London will forever be a leader of allure, charm and fast-paced creativity. It’s a capital that’s morphed through various periods and struggles – as good cities do – and has today landed, like many of its global contemporaries, at a crossroad largely signposted by gentrification and money.
Still, it’s a city that remains undeniable in its appeal – holding attraction like few others given it penned the liner notes on 70-plus years of contemporary culture. Come to London to breathe in what’s gone before and become inspired about what’s ahead – because it remains a driver of international trends and intangible cool (even if many writing the new script have had to move beyond the M25). London is about being enveloped by history, fun and possibility – an ultimate choose-your-own adventure. You just need to know where to look.
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Where to eat, drink, stay and shop in London
Where to eat and drink in London
London’s done drinking well since before Alfred The Great took the throne. But it’s only the last 15 or so years that have seen its food scene elevate to a place of excitement (or, as Australians may put things, acceptability). The new culinary wave is built on leaning into local produce and seasonality, so too a ‘middle’ tier that’s seen a proliferation of so-called gastro pubs (a term that still makes us clench), a slew of interesting new chefs and several recent openings that prove ‘Modern European’ no longer means overpriced disappointment.
Counter 71
Where: 71 Nile Street, London N1 7RD
Chef Joe Laker’s Counter 71 is a great start to any London adventure – 16 seats and 16 courses of faultless British imagination around a former pub’s converted marble countertop. It may sound stuffy – it’s not, it’s brilliant.
Agora
Where: Borough Market, 4 Bedale Street, London SE1 9AL
Agora – a sister venue beneath Borough Market beacon Oma – is Greek done damn well, where the breads are flat and the proteins perfectly grilled.
Tollington’s Fish Bar
Where: 172 Tollington Park, Finsbury Park, London N4 3AJ
If a side trip to Spain doesn’t inform the itinerary then steer for the unique charms of Tollington’s Fish Bar – a wonderful Spanish style seafood affair held within a traditional British chippy from the ‘80s.
Cafe Cecilia
Where: 32 Andrews Road, London E8 4FX
Cafe Cecilia is a worthy Hackney destination – for the pork and apricot terrine, with the deep-fried bread and butter pudding a must.
Noble Rot Mayfair
Where: 5 Trebeck Street, London W1J 7LT
Elsewhere, Noble Rot may have sprouted into a chain, though its mod-Brit menus remain impressive and the Georgian charms of the Mayfair outpost is best for louche lunching and people watching.
Lita
Where: 7-9 Paddington Street, London W1U 5QH
When in in Marylebone be sure to make it Lita – a welcoming and airy modern bistro that offers an inventive ‘Mod Euro’ menu thanks to standout chef Luke Ahearne.
Bistro Freddie
Where: 74 Luke Street, Greater, London EC2A 4PY
Keeping on the bistro bent, Shoreditch’s Bistro Freddie is superb in both atmosphere and delivery (though it’s tight – be sure to book).
French House
Where: 49 Dean Street, Soho, London, W1D 5BG
Soho’s historic French House is still a worthy journey into the classics and a downstairs bar that rightly frowns on phone use in favour of conversation and personal interaction.
Black Bear
Where: venues in Camden, Exmouth Market, Brixton, Victoria, Canary Wharf and Shoreditch
Need a burger? Head for Black Bear.
Bibi Mayfair
Where: 42 N Audley Street, London W1K 6ZP
Fancy some Indian? Beyond the old-school ways of Brick Lane, Bibi Mayfair is a contemporary, elevated and peerless take on a wide set of Indian flavours utilising the finest local ingredients.
The Hero
Where: 55 Shirland Road, London, W9 2JD
As for the pubs – because this is London and pubs are ace – Maida Vale’s The Hero is currently living up to its name as a magnetic destination melding interior beauty, drinks and decent menus.
The Engineer
Where: 65 Gloucester Avenue, London, Greater London, NW1 8JH
Visit the The Engineer for the pan fried lamb rump with seasonal asparagus and discrete back garden.
The Devonshire
Where: 17 Denman St, London W1D 7HW
As for Soho’s The Devonshire, know it pulls the finest Guinness in the capital, washed down with upstairs dining that’s equally attractive.
The best cocktail bars: Paradise After Dark, 42, Happiness Forgets and The Painter’s Room
Where: (Paradise After Dark) 61 Rupert Street, London, W1D 7PW
(42) 42 Albemarle Street, Mayfair, London, W1S 4JH
(Happiness Forgets) In the basement, 8-9 Hoxton Square, London, N1 6NU
(The Painter’s Room) Claridge’s, Brook Street, Mayfair, London W1K 4HR
Keeping things liquid – with a garnish of class – and cocktails are best served at Paradise After Dark Soho, Mayfair’s 42 (say hi to the ceramic leopards), Happiness Forgets and the art deco-ness (it’s a word!) of The Painter’s Room at Claridge’s.
@paradisesoho; @jks_restaurants; @happiness_hoxton; @claridgeshotel
Bar Lina
Where: venues in Soho and Shoreditch
Elsewhere, Bar Lina means wandering through a Brewer Street deli to a green door before descending into a den of fun where time quickly become irrelevant.
Connaught Bar
Where: The Connaught, Carlos Place, Mayfair, London, W1K 2AL
As for whether the martinis at the Connaught Bar are worth it? Short answer: fuck yes!
Algerian Coffee Stores
Where: 52 Old Compton Street, Soho, London, W1D 4PB
To right an evening’s wrongs, coffee is best served at Algerian Coffee Stores and the traditional Bar Italia.
@algerian_coffee_stores; @baritaliasoho
Where to stay in London
Ham Yard Hotel
Where: 1 Ham Yard, London W1D 7DT
Soho is again swinging. As a London base in which to stay and play it cannot be surpassed, with Ham Yard Hotel a central beacon of brilliance. ‘The Yard’ doesn’t miss a beat – a stylish and proudly British property serving a side of seclusion and personality you won’t find elsewhere. The hotel is, in fact, but one piece of a U-shaped mini-village that includes the 91-bedroom property, apartments and a smattering of shops – some labels likely familiar to Australian travellers.
Space and colour abound within Ham Yard Hotel – the designer work of co-owner Kit Kemp and her notable ability to neatly blend texture, print, colour and culture. It may sound like a curious cocktail but it works – her output rightly acknowledged globally and a further layer of allure in staying here.
Communal areas abound at The Yard – and where The Library calls you to become lost to a book and some tea, all the while keeping an eye on which celebs may be checking in, it’s what rests upstairs and down below that cannot be surpassed.
The spacious rooftop garden is an ‘impossible’ concept in central London – yet here, the fourth-floor, guest-only terrace of plants, kitchen gardens, bee hives and serenity is pure escapism. So too the subterranean cinema and imported 1950s Croc Bowling Alley (yes, bowling alley).
Kemp’s designer approach means each room and suite is individually styled – Esquire’s one-bed terrace an elevated spread of light and colour; a lounge and dining room replete with kitchenette and separate king bedroom with spacious bathroom of deep marbling and even deeper bath.
Did we mention the terrace? This alone is worth the price of admission given the chance to take in some air and ease into a view that spills across the Soho’s ceramic chimneypots, the spire of Saint Anne and beyond.
Reservations for the Ham Yard Hotel can be made here.
Where to shop in London
Staying in Soho means a chance to explore many new(ish) boutiques worthy of some time and some spend.
The best streetwear stores in London: LFDY, Ovo Clothing, Aimé Leon Dore, YMC, WRSTBHVR, The End, Percival
Where: (LFDY) 1D Poland Street, London, W1F 8PR
(Ovo Clothing) 1C Poland Street, London, W1F 8PR
(Aimé Leon Dore) 32 Broadwick Street, London W1F 8JB
(WRSTBHVR) 1A Poland Street, London W1F 8PR
(The End) 59 Broadwick Street, Carnaby, London W1F 9QS
(Percival) 7 Marshall Street, London W1F 7EH
On Poland Street you’ll find German streetwear label LFDY (Live Fast Die Young) and Canadian outfit Ovo Clothing, so too Aimé Leon Dore’s sumptuous London flagship and café. Here too are YMC, WRSTBHVR, and The End a nearby draw for some solid kicks and a chance to also peruse the Percival Menswear boutique that sits opposite.
The best department stores in London: Selfridge’s, Trunk Clothiers, Margaret Howell
Where: (Selfridge’s) 400 Oxford Street, London W1A 1AB
(Trunk Clothiers) 8 Chiltern Street, London W1U 7PU
(Margaret Howell) 63 Margaret Street, London W1W 8SW
Of the major department stores, Selfridge’s remains the standout for exclusive labels and broader selections, with Trunk Clothiers in Marylebone worth the short walk. So, too, the Margaret Howell outlet above Oxford Circus on Margaret Street.
Bonus: If you find yourself here – the nearby Charlotte Street Magazines is a must for print junkies, so too magCulture in EC1.
The best Savile Row tailors: Richard James and Casley Hayford
Where: (Richard James) 29 Savile Row, London W1S 2EY
(Casley Hayford) 3 Chiltern Street, London W1U 7PB
As for Saville Row? Make it modern with Richard James or Casley Hayford.
The best vintage: Nordic Poetry
Where: 141 Bethnal Grn Road, London E2 7DG
Superior vintage can be found at Nordic Poetry in Shoreditch.
Things to do in London
London offers a rather endless list of possibility in which to become lost. Of the many musts – grab a Lime bike and explore centrally from two-wheels. While we’d never suggest such in Paris, London’s crafted a noticeable (read: safe) downturn in traffic on the back of the congestion change and its expansion of the contentious Ultra Low Emission Zone. The parks are a must – St James’s forever a favourite – for some reprieve and downtime.
Grape & Fig
Where: 310-312 Regent Street, London W1B 3AU
If if the weather permits, head past Grape & Fig (Regent Street) for a cheesebox and charcuterie to take to a patch of grass for people (and squirrel) watching washed down with some Pimms (heavy on the fruit, thanks).
Spitalfields Markets
Where: 65 Brushfield Street, London E1 6AA
Out east, Spitalfields Markets and its environs are a worthy weekend detour, so too an amble along Regent’s Canal around Little Venice, emptying out into Camden.
The best modern and contemporary art galleries: Tate Modern, The Serpentine, Saatchi and Whitechapel
Where: (Tate Modern) Bankside, London SE1 9TG
(Serpentine South) Kensington Gardens, London W2 3XA
(Saatchi) Duke of York’s HQ, King’s Road, London SW3 4RY
(Whitechapel) 77-82 Whitechapel High Street, London E1 7QX
Elsewhere, Tate Modern remains unsurpassed in architectural standing and artistic collections. Though also check The Serpentine, Saatchi, and Whitechapel galleries.
The Barbican
Where: Silk Street, Barbican, London EC2Y 8DS
The Barbican is another worthy of seeing what’s on and a meander – to experience this Brutalist, post-war vision of modern living.
Drumsheds
Where: 6 Glover Drive, London N18 3HF
As for some late-night landmarks in which to move – Drumsheds is a cavernous, industrial space that points to the electronic scene of yesteryear.
The best nightclubs: Heaven, Fabric, FOLD and Phonox
Where: (Heaven) Under The Arches, Villiers Street, London, WC2N 6NG
(Fabric) 77a Charterhouse Street, London, EC1M 6HJ
(FOLD) Gillian House, Stephenson Street, London E16 4SA
(Phonox) 418 Brixton Road, London SW9 7AY
While Heaven and Fabric are still doing good things in this space – the latter celebrating 25 years this year. FOLD, meanwhile, is guaranteed to rattle the teeth. While Phonox is a decent night out in Brixton.
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Where to shop for menswear in Tokyo: the Esquire guide
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