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aand before you complain... I live in North East London. No recommendations in the Wild West.
CHESHAM ARMS near Hackney Central : amazing beer garden, piano on Sundays, boardgames to entertain yourself with, lovely staff
SEBRIGHTS ARMS near Hoxton/Bethnal Green : very crowded on Fridays and Saturdays, hit or miss gigs downstairs, indoor seating is quite spacious though, and if you're not packed in like sardines it can be quite enjoyable, the playlist is always great
SHACKLEWELL ARMS in Dalston : the smoking area is a quintessential East London experience, I can't reveal much more, it needs to be experienced
THE PRINCE GEORGE in Dalston : quite a nice pool table area if you're into that, quite a good sized outdoor seating area
THE VICTORIA in Dalston : I saw Lennon Gallagher there once, so, that's why it's on my list
SPURSTOWE ARMS in Dalston : when I say intimate lighting I mean you can barely see a thing... I would say a perfect date spot but it's quite a small space so you will be pushing through crowds to get a drink
MIKKELER in Shoreditch and Exmouth Market : both locations are great, Exmouth is a larger space and usually is more popular, I would also recommend going to Exmouth Market on a warm evening for a Parisian experience
THE DOVE in Broadway Market : They have great mulled wine around Christmas time. Great selection of beers on tap. Go on the weekend, when it's a sunny day.
PUB ON THE PARK in London Fields : MASSSIVE beer garden
THE FALTERING FULLBACK in Finsbury Park : deceiving beer garden split across several levels, making it seem very large, but it's still quite cute
AULD SHILLELAGH in Stoke Newington : one word: GUINNESS. The only good pint of Guinness I've had in London. Stokey is terribly connected though, so be prepared to walk from the overground or take a bus.
.... and when in doubt, look on Yard Sale Pizza's website for their pub partners. Order yourself the best pizza in London and have a pint to go with it.
London Pub Etiquette: Stare at someone for the whole night, never make a move, find them on Hinge later, match, never message, see them at another pub and pretend like you don't know who they are. You will be judged if you order wine, do not order a cocktail unless it's very simple to make. If more than one person in your party is ordering a Guinness, let the barperson know so they can pour them at the same time.
Highly recommend: bringing your own snacks as the beer will make you hungry, the kitchen will have closed, the crisps will be overpriced. Buying a pack of cigarettes to heavily breathe in and out in the smoking area and pose as a new wave actrice.
FYI: pubs are not clubs, they're not bars. They serve hearty food when the kitchen is open, and they serve good beer. The bathroom will be filthy, the air will feel sticky and stuffy. Drinks outside won't be allowed after 10-11 pm and it will close the latest around 1-2am. Honestly, why are you out past 2 am as a 20-something year old anyway. The overground and most tube lines shut before then and you probably need to sleep.
Love ya xx
Related Recs
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I'm going to info dump sorry but I have lived here for 10+ years so I think I'm qualified to say that this is a good list for avoiding high traffic areas and to see more of what actual locals do (mostly south london because it's where I live)
Eat:
-Kudu Grill (Nunhead) also there's a Little Kudu in peckham although I've yet to eat there so cannot say whether its as good
-Theo's Pizza (Camberwell / Elephant & Castle)
-The Camberwell Arms (Camberwell)
-Artusi (Peckham)
-Brutto (Farringdon)
-Max's Sandwich shop (Finsbury Park)
-Jai Krishna (Finsbury Park) (rogue recommendation but you have to try a good Indian when you're in London I'd say)
-Casse-Croute (London Bridge)
-Manze's Pie & Mash (Peckham)(try the jellied eels if you're feeling brave)
-Speedboat Bar (Soho)
Books:
-BOOKS PECKHAM (my fav 2nd hand bookstore and the owner is nice)
-Bookmongers (Brixton)
-Tenderbooks (Near Leicester Square station)(really cooool art books, the whole street it's on is known for having lots of book shops, worth a visit and very central so it's easy to find!)
Pubs (London essential, sorry about the pint prices though):
-Skehan's (Nunhead)
-Faltering Fullback (Finsbury Park)(try find a seat in the beer garden if poss)
-The Camberwell Arms (Camberwell)
-The Grapes (East London-ish)(fun fact: it's co-owned by Ian McKellan of Gandalf fame)
Also the parks are great to visit in summer:
-Kew Gardens (the general area is nice to be in - lots of expensive homes and english quaint-ness)
-Hampstead Heath (it's is a good place to walk around in for a day, the 'village' part is cute too like with Richmond/ Kew Gardens, lots to do here)
-Crystal Palace Park (for the cursed dinosaur sculptures mainly)
-Greenwich Park (a tourist classic but I've included it because it's just a nice park and a good alternative to Hyde Park)
-Highgate Cemetery (technically not a park but you can visit Karl Marx's grave which is cool!)
Jun 9, 2024
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-arancina (notting hill) - casual pizza and arancini etc.
-mayfair mercato - food hall in a former church
-spitafields market - another great food hall! I recommend you combine this activity with some vintage shopping on brick lane!
-regency cafe - can get a great full english
-walk along the South Bank - fun energy lots of bars right along the Thames
-Holland Park - there are peacocks in the Kyoto Garden!
-SoHo to go out if you want really crazy going out vibes in the center of things
-Heaven (night club)
-The Social - go see local bands, London has a good music scene
- Borough Market
-Good neighborhoods for going out: Shoreditch, Camden, Hackney
-Tate Modern
-Victoria and Albert museum (free and in a good area)
3d ago
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Lime bike around Hyde Park on a sunny day
Go for a swim in Hampstead Heath Ponds (if ur brave) or London fields Lido (heated)
Dalston Eastern Curve garden for coffee
Brick lane on the weekend (crowd hell but the vintage market has some of the best clothes - deceptively huge and gets better the further back u go)
Kew Gardens (further out but iconic)
Take the cloud cable car at sunset / after dark
Stoke newington has super cute cafes and great charity shops
Notting Hill at the weekend is mad crowded but very iconic & postcard London vibes
Pride of Spitalfields pub - cheap pints & great chat
Design Museum and V&A museum
the Windmill in Brixton for live music and South London pubs in general
Soho / Covent Garden area is fun to explore
The clink prison museum - weirdest museum I’ve ever been to
Borough market is highly rated
Broadway market is over rated (imo)
Dalston Superstore for late nights
Peckham car boot
Deptford market
Check up sebs art list for up to date exhibitions and happenings
(will add more if I think of more!)
Oct 5, 2024
Top Recs from @deniz
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Anybody else having a quarter life crisis?
I used to break up the year in my head as school time and summer time. I really can’t register that it’s summer because I still have to go to work. 28 days of annual leave is a shock to the system.
Joining the workforce will make you want to join a commune. What do you mean I have to ask my manager for 2 days off a month in advance and have to do extra work before and after.
In short, I need good quarter life crisis movie recs. Frances Ha type.Thanks.
Jun 12, 2024
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the ability to focus on a single activity (i.e. not scrolling on my phone when watching a movie)
buying fresh produce and actually cooking with them. cooking new dishes.
the perfectly packed handbag with all the bits and bobs that make me feel fancy but it’s not heavy so I can carry it around all day
using less internet vernacular (hiding my tiktok addiction)
reaching out to people when i think of them
buying an ipod - being able to listen to music without draining my phone battery
new hi-fi setup
tabi ballet flats
Jul 7, 2024