With the Jubilee and Olympics fast approaching, the eyes of the world are on London this summer – but the things that make the city really special are often hidden from view. Here, our local experts give their pick of London’s lesser-known gems, from a hip roof-top bar in Peckham to a long-lost Roman amphitheatre.
1. Frank’s Campari Bar
Until recently, the suggestion of a night out in Peckham would have been treated as a joke. However, the much-maligned south London borough has had a renaissance of late, thanks in no small part to this open air bar and restaurant at the top of a multi-story car park. Great drinks and food, a view to die for and buckets of that elusive cool factor have even lured over the hard-to-please east London hipsters.
2. Wilton’s Music Hall
Dominated by high-rises and traffic-choked roads, the area east of Tower Hill is not obviously appealing, but look closer and you’ll find some of London’s most evocative historic buildings. Most magical is this wildly atmospheric, unrestored 19th century music hall, the world’s oldest and still in operation, for which the term ‘faded grandeur’ could have been invented. Visit its bar or, better, catch a show.
3. Postman’s Park
A peaceful leafy enclave in the frenetic, dense City of London is a rarity in itself, but this park near St Paul’s has something really unusual – and affecting: a wall of Victorian plaques commemorating ordinary people who performed heroic deeds, such as Alice Ayers who, in 1884, ‘by intrepid conduct saved 3 children from a burning house in Union Street, Borough – at the cost of her own young life.’
4. Maltby Street Market
Borough Market is one of London’s great spectacles but, boy, can it get crowded. Rather than fighting through the throng to get their groceries, in-the-know locals slip down the road to a small, off-shoot market at Maltby Street, where some of Borough’s best loved food suppliers, such as Monmouth Coffee and Brindisa, have opened up their warehouses to the public.
5. Roman Amphitheatre
A Roman amphitheatre in London – who knew? Well, even we didn’t until recently. The ruins were unearthed during excavations beneath the Guildhall Art Gallery and, since 2002, a visit to see them has been included in the gallery’s entrance ticket. Don’t expect the Coliseum, but enough has been preserved for the site to be evocative, including the gate the animals rushed through to face the gladiators.
6. Drummond Street
Yes, we know that someone said you ‘must’ go to Brick Lane for a curry but honestly, it’s a tourist trap. There’s are far better curry destinations in the capital, such as Southall or, more centrally, Drummond Street near Euston Station, which is lined with cheap, delicious, mostly vegetarian Indian restaurants.
7. Dennis Severs’ House
Part museum, part theatrical experience, this extraordinary labour-of-love from the late, eccentric Dennis Severs invites visitors into the Georgian home of a fictional family. Interiors are painstakingly recreated – including a half eaten breakfast and opened letters to read – and accompanied by the smells and sounds of the era.
8. Rochelle Canteen
Boosted by the recent trend for supper clubs, London has more under-the-radar restaurants than branches of McDonalds (well, almost) but they can be hit and miss. This place, in a converted school in the historic Arnold Circus in Shoreditch, is one of the goodies, an exercise in chic understatement both in décor and its English, seasonal food.
9. Chatsworth Road Market
Having only reopened in 2010 after 20 years in hibernation, most Londoners aren’t even aware of this food market in the east London neighbourhood of Clapton, only a javelin’s throw from the Olympics site. Although only in its infancy, Chatsworth Road already has lots of great gastro stalls – gourmet Scotch eggs, anyone? – and a friendly, village fete vibe.
10. Ruby’s Bar
Dalston remains the place to head for a night on the lash, but the area can be intimidating for the uninitiated, with teenagers in day-glo and ironic moustaches swarming into grim-looking snooker halls and kebab shops. But behind those inauspicious-looking facades are some real gems, such as this new, fun and friendly basement bar at 76 Stoke Newington Street.
For more insider tips, check out our London city guide, available on our webpage and in all app stores.