The London thread

Ive spent a good while this week trying to book a pub near me, for after the match on Saturday, and I’d say round my way 70%+ of the pubs (and I looked at a lot because I left it so late!) are opening on Monday. Dunno if that’s different in other parts of the city.
One of my locals is fully booked on Monday and on Saturday.

Im heading up to the office on Monday so might see what is open in the Blackfriars area. I guess the Blackfriar, the Doggets and the Founders arms have decent outside space if it is worth them opening up.
 


I've tried to keep these recommendations to places in fairly central locations or places easy to get to on the tube. If you're ever looking to visit Hackney or Islington I could write you a list twice the length, but I figure you'll not be arsed if you're living out west! Let me know the things you're into and I can chuck out more specific stuff if you're interested.

My girlfriend drags us to the cultural stuff, and then I find us somewhere for a few beers. It seems to work quite well to fill the weekends. Man I miss life before this virus.

Things to do:

Late night events at the Science and History Museums. They're free entry, there's no kids there and the bars are open so you can walk around with a pint. They're great.

Hire a Santander bike and cycle from Hyde Park via Buckingham Palace, Green Park, St James' Park, Houses of Parliament, along the Thames to Tower of London. It's entirely on segregated cycle lanes or in the parks and it's one of the best ways to see the city on a nice warm day. Love it.

Have a walk around Woodberry Wetlands for a bit of nature. You'll feel like you've left London for an hour, but you're only 5 mins from the tube and good pubs.

Get the train out to Kew and walk back toward Central London along the Thames, popping into pubs along the way.

There's a few urban farms around if you want to see some goats or sheep! Hackney City Farm is good and has a nice cafe. Clissold Park has deers and goats. There's also Vauxhall City Farm and one just up from Highbury and Islington. They're all free, nice way to kill half hour and to explore a new area.

Go up the Skygarden. It's free entry but you'll need to book well in advance. You can get an expensive beer up there and enjoy the views. Don't bother going if you've booked a cloudy day as you'll see nothing. Winter is best for it. Go at sunset if you can.

Thames clipper from Greenwich back into the city is another great way to see the sights. Pick a day day and have a walk around Greenwich Park and the Maritime Museum.

Sir John Soane's Museum at Holborn. It's just a mad house you can walk around where some old eclectic hoarded stuff. Worth half hour of your time.

Get out to the Olympic Park and whizz around on the escooters there. Hackney Wick also has a couple of excellent pubs/breweries to enjoy.

The Museum of London is good and worth visiting. Have a walk around the Barbican while you're there too. They often have free events on and sitting outside in the sun with a beer is quite a good vibe in the summer.

Pubs:

Ye Olde Cheshire Cheese. Yes it's a Sam Smiths but it's also like going back in time hundreds of years.

The Lamb on Holloway Road. Old school pub, great selection of beers.

Proeflookal Rembrandt. Upstairs in the Bolton pub by Earls Court. It sells brilliant Dutch and Belgian beers you can't get anywhere else in the country. Dutch food as well if you want something deep fried with mustard.

The Eagle W12. Mostly because its close enough to you and you can bounce around a few pubs near Ravenscourt Park. The pub itself is generic gastropub but it has one of the best beer gardens around.

Ye Olde Mitre by Holborn to also go back in time and enjoy a pint of cask.

The Angel in Bermondsey overlooking the Thames is excellent on a summers day. I'd also recommend going around Wapping for similar. It's an interesting place architecturally too as its all old warehouses, quite unique streets.

The Harp at Covent Garden is probably the best pub in that area. Great selection of beers.

Breweries or tap rooms :

Bermondsey beer mile. Start at the far end with the Kernel and work back to London Bridge.

Get the Victoria line out to Tottenham Hale and do the new 'beer mile' there. Walk to Pressure Drop first, Beavertown then stroll between the reservoirs to Wild Card, Exale, Signature Brew, Trumans, Hackney Brewery then back on the Viccy line at Blackhorse Road to bed.

Hammerton Brewery at Cally Road is easy to get to from anywhere as its ten mins away from King's Cross. Two Tribes are also opening a tap room around the corner.

Mikkeller brewpub on Exmouth Market. EM is a gem of London and a great place to start exploring Clerkenwell, which is also a cool place for a few beers.

London Beer Lab just outside Brixton Station is a tiny little bar /taproom serving their own beers and guests. Hidden gem. There's also Ghost Whale down the road from there if you're into that stuff.

There's a few breweries in Hackney which are easy to get to. The Hackney Tap (new spin off from Euston Tap), The Experiment which is a Pressure Drop/Verdant taproom, then Hackney Church Brewery, Deviant and Dandy and Brew Club. They're all on the same backstreet under the railway arches.
If greenwich is on the agenda get the dlr there through canary wharf and boat back. The trafalgar tavern is a lovely spot for a beer on the river.
 
One of the best days out I've ever had in London was a boat trip from Westminster Pier to Greenwich for lunch and a smooch around, DLR back to Bank, random hopping between pubs to Covent Garden then dinner in Chinatown.
Cracking day that.
 
sounds canny, that

She was a canny lass too. We had a few good days out but unfortunately it never worked out.

Really looking forward to getting back to London once normality has been restored. I imagine the first few weeks of reopening will be carnage but hopefully things will have settled down but the summer.
 
With the city (finally) opening again. Can anyone recommend some ‘must visit’ boozers, and also maybe some decent places to visit/ things to do? Obviously I know the obvious places/ can read the various blogs and internet lists - but anywhere a bit less known would be fantastic.

Ever the optimist (football aside) I’m starting to believe this summer, without tourists; might be pretty special to be honest.
Why will there be no tourists?
 
Fair point. It will be quieter without foreign tourists.

And with everyone else heading down to Devon and Cornwall, this summer could be a good time to visit London.

Just been looking at some hotel prices for a few days in July. Prices are still quite high now so I think I will leave it until the last minute. London always has loads of late availability especially if you aren't too fussy and just want somewhere to crash.
 
And with everyone else heading down to Devon and Cornwall, this summer could be a good time to visit London.

Just been looking at some hotel prices for a few days in July. Prices are still quite high now so I think I will leave it until the last minute. London always has loads of late availability especially if you aren't too fussy and just want somewhere to crash.


I think a busy London with people from all over the world adds to it's atmosphere but I would really like to experience it when it's nowhere near as busy. My mates wife was in London the other week and the tube stations were really empty which looked weird
 

Back
Top