London, Baby!

MOST RECENTLY updated on 16.09.2019

ORIGINAL POST (26.06.2017)

It is, of course, a somewhat weird timing because of BREXIT for this particular post to be ready, but here's my illustrated (work-in-progress) list of cool places to visit in the capital of Great Britain (or how it sometimes is addressed to now: "Little Britain" now?)
It's not so much a blog post, but rather a bullet list of stuff I liked personally or that was recommended to me by the locals. Any further additions are very welcome! In comments, SVP!

Restaurants (by AREA):

Shoreditch & Hackney:

• Meat Mission (15 Hoxton Market, London N1 6HG) - very sinful burgers...My vegetarian friends, look away :-P

Dark Sugars (41 Brick Ln, London E1 6SB) - a dangerously great chocolatier, if you order a hot chocolate, they'll actually shave chocolate chips off huge bricks of white, dark & milk chocolate into it - it's divine!

The Boundary Project (2-4 Redchurch St, London E2 7DD) - cool rooftop, as usual: book ahead!

Temple of Seitan (10 Morning Ln, London E9 6NA) - London's entirely vegan fried chicken shop - deliciously fast-foody :-) And don't be alarmed seitan is not what it sounds like, it's a meat substitute made from wheat gluten.

The Last Tuesday Society & The Viktor Wynd Museum of Curiosities (11 Mare St, Dalston, London E8 4RP)- if you want to have a drink surrounded by all kinds of natural history curious (unicorn skulls, snake skeletons & toads :) Beware, as it's more of a museum than a bar, it closes a bit early (22:3-23:00, depending on the day).

Covent Garden

• The Circus (27-29 Endell St, London WC2H 9BA) - an opulent cabaret-meets-restaurant-meets-bar, a great choice if you want more than just dinner: high-quality circus-like performances are keeping the crowd entertained. Reservation required and you MUST take either starter+main or main+dessert per person, so be prepared to leave at least £50 per person (with drinks). In a "typical" dinner sitting you'll see about 4-5 performances. Food is quite decent, but don't expect Michelin-star decent :-) Good value-for-money tip: take sharer cocktails: served in an oversized martini glass with a sparkler, they're fun & will not leave anyone thirsty. Tube: Holborn / Leicester Square

• Sticks N Sushi (11 Henrietta St, London WC2E 8PY) - Japanese restaurant based on a renowned Danish concept, offering sushi and grilled yakitori skewers; tube: Leicester Square / Covent Garden
• Dirty Martini bar (10C Hanover Square, 4:00 p.m. – 1:00 a.m. tube: Oxford Circus) – chain, but quirky & contemporary

• Abeno Too (17-18 Great Newport St, London WC2H 7JE) - if you like to watch your food being prepared in front of your eyes, try okonomiyaki at Abeno. If you're more peckish than just a pancake (but bear in mind that there're two sizes & even the smaller one is quite enough for two people to share if you're not starving), order spectacular gyoza with avocado & tofu - worth coming back to London just for another serving!

• Hawksmoor (Hawksmoor, 11 Langley St, London WC2H 9JG) - great steak place, tube: Covent Garden
• Cafe Pacifico (5 Langley St, London WC2H 9JA) - Mexican restaurant, open 12:00-23:45, tube: Covent Garden
• The Barbary (16 Neal's Yard, London WC2H 9DP) - 24-seat counter bar restaurant in Neal’s Yard, serving small plates with Berber-style flavours (try octopus slow-braised with oranges & bay leaves and knafeh, a sandwich of finely-shredded filo pastry filled with white mozzarella and goats’ cheese). The little sister of Palomar (34 Rupert St, London W1D 6DN). Online bookings for 12:00pm Mon-Sun and @ 17:00 Mon-Fri, for parties of up to 4 guests. At all other times: walk-in only.
• Henrietta Hotel (14-15 Henrietta St, Covent Garden, London WC2E 8QG) - a quaint bar/bistro - exposed brick and cute plush sofas.

SOHO

Wine Bars:
• Antidote (12A Newburgh St, Soho, London W1F 7RR) - you'll find a lot of French wines you've never heard of on the wine list :) Tiny (reserve ahead!) and quirky. The only drawback (pardon the pun): stools with no back support, so if you or your date have back problems ... maybe look for an alternative ;-)
• The Piano Bar (16 Carlisle St, Soho, London W1D 3BT) - members only cocktail lounge with excellent live music.
• Barrafina (54 Frith St, London W1D 4SL, 12:00 – 3:00 p.m., 5:00 – 11:00 p.m.) - modern, Spanish tapas bar.
• Copita (27 D'Arblay St, London W1F 8EP) and Polpo (41 Beak St, London W1F 9SB) – both amazing for tapas & small plates. Polpo also has a little sister: Polpetto (1 Berwick St, Soho, London W1F 0PL) - Venetian-inspired, small & atmospheric.
• Nopi (21-22 Warwick St, Soho, W1B 5NE) - Ottolenghi's joint, good price-quality ratio, Middle Eastern / Mediterranean.
• Darjeeling Express (Kingly Court, Carnaby St, W1B 5PW) - award-winning Indian food
• Aqua Spirit (240 Regent St, Soho, London W1B 3BR) - lovely terrace with a view of London rooftops
• Cork & Bottle (44-46 Cranbourn Alley, London WC2H 7AN) – casual, cosy and rustic wine bar by Leicester Square.
• The Kensington Wine Rooms (127-129 Kensington Church St, London W8 7LP) – great food and wine, unpretentious.
• Refuel (The Soho Hotel, 4 Richmond Mews London W1D 3DH) / Tottenham Court Road tube

Club:
• The Arts Theatre Club (50 Frith St, Soho, London W1D 4SQ) - Prohibition era-style club, plush sofas and retro classics soundtrack.

Pubs:
• The Lyric (37 Great Windmill St) - wooden features, open fires, painted tiles, known for its selection of beers and ales on tap.
• The French House (49 Dean Street) - a Grade II listed pub and dining room, mobile phones are banned there, used to be frequented by a bohemian crowd a la Francis Bacon & Lucian Freud, etc.
• The Coach & Horses (29 Greek St) - London's first (and only?) vegetarian/vegan pub, cosy traditional, a haunt for journalists & intellectuals

Dinner:

• Sketch (9 conduit street, London W1S 2XG) – pretty cool outlandish interior, toilets are a must-see :-)

• Randall & Aubin (14- 16 Brewer St, Soho, London W1F 0SG) - a quaint little tiled dining room known for seafood, oysters, with some creative Modern British dishes. It's pretty small and you can't make reservations, so be prepared to queue outside during peak hours. But the staff make the wait pleasurable by taking your drinks order already while you wait and bringing it to you outside :)

• 100 Wardour St (Soho, London W1F 0TL) - great deals for fixed three-course dinner + free flowing wine!
• The Langham Hotel - Burnt (2015) with Bradley Cooper was filmed there; upscale, great bar & restaurant
• Ottolenghi (13 Motcomb St, London SW1X 8LB) - expensive, but amazing meat – in Knightsbridge
• Brasserie Zédel (20 Sherwood St, Soho, London W1F 7ED) - spectacular high-ceilinged Art Deco dining hall, European-style cooking at (surprisingly) reasonable prices.
• alto by San Carlo (Selfridges, Oxford St, London W1A 1AB) - rooftop restaurant, Italian tapas.

MAYFAIR

• Tibits (12-14 Heddon St, Mayfair, London W1B 4DA) - just like its Swiss counterpart, Tibit London in Mayfair follows the same concept: it's a (99% vegetarian) self-service buffet, where you pay per amount of food on your plate. According to the restaurant's own estimate, an average plate costs 10 pounds. I can confirm that it's a pretty full plate, definitely enough to satisfy an even pretty hungry belly.
• ROKA Mayfair (30 N Audley St, Mayfair, London W1K 6ZF) - Premium Japanese charcoal-grilled dining in a setting of concrete, wood and stainless steel.
• The Wolseley (160 Piccadilly, St. James's, London W1J 9EB) - opulent Viennese brasserie & another Art Deco gem in Mayfair. Widely known for their amazing breakfast and Afternoon Tea.

• Galvin at Windows - expensive Modern French haute cuisine with 28th-floor views over Hyde Park, for a special occasion, have Saturday brunch.

FITZROVIA / FARRINGDON

Pied a Terre (34 Charlotte St, Fitzrovia, London W1T 2NH) - French culinary art with a Michelin star. Tasting menu to die for - lovely for a special occasion!

La Petite Ferme (102 Farringdon Rd, London EC1R 3EA) - cosy unpretentious, good French food

Oriole Bar (E Poultry Ave, Farringdon, Smithfield Markets, London EC1A 9LH) - cool jazz club with experimental cocktails

Kin (22 Foley St, Fitzrovia, London W1W 6DT) - a lovely tiny cafe with a seasonal approach to breakfasts and lunches: their full vegan/vegetarian breakfast will leave you healthily satisfied, but if you're feeling naughty, their cakes menu will provide ample opportunity for some dessert sin.

The Lucky Pig (5 Clipstone St, Fitzrovia, London W1W 6BB) - retro decor and classic cocktails with a wicked twist. Live music Tue - Thu (free entry), DJs on Fr (£5 on the door after 10pm) and Sat (£10 on the door after 10pm); closed on Mon & Sun.

Pollock's Toy Museum (1 Scala St, Bloomsbury, London W1T 2HL) - a quirky small museum that started in 1956 in above Benjamin Pollock's Toy Shop.

• Berners Tavern (10 Berners St, Fitzrovia, London W1T 3NP) - expensive, rather special occasion for someone with a classical taste, Jason Atherton's upmarket Modern British restaurant in Ian Schrager's London Edition Hotel. 

Islington

Seviche (2 Baldwin St, EC1V 9NU) -  the best Peruvian restaurant in town according to Evening Standard & I would definitely echo that sentiment! Their creative interpretation o seviche (including a delicate vegetarian option). You WILL need a reservation (unless sitting at the bar is your thing) and note that kitchen at Seviche Old street is closed between 4-5pm. There's also a Seviche Soho (17 Frith St. W1D 4RG).

The Crown  (116 Cloudesley Rd, Islington, London N1 0EB) -  charming Victorian pub with great home-made food (squid rings are and smoked salmon on sourdough bread are both a must!), Between an extremely attentive service, delicious home-cooked food & a lovely selection of wines, I am torn which would be the main reason to come back again!

The Old Red Lion (418 St John St, Islington, EC1V 4NJ) - pub AND theatre - quirky plays, cosy ambience & cute decor, dog-friendly. 

Marylebone

28-50 Wine Workshop & Kitchen (15-17 Marylebone Ln, Marylebone, W1U 2NE) - an industrial-style wine bar with stacks of empty crates, a bistro menu, decent seafood & charcuterie.

Opso (10 Paddington St, Marylebone, W1U 5QL) – Warmly decorated bar/diner over 2 floors, serving Greek-inspired dishes until late.

Pachamama (18 Thayer St, Marylebone, W1U 3JY) - Peruvian dishes, made with British ingredients, served with cocktails in colonial-style surrounds.

Dinings (22 Harcourt Street, W1H 4HH) - probably as close as it'll ever get in London to authentic Japanese cuisine. Simple surroundings: sushi bar upstairs, low key dining room downstairs. 

Ohisama Sushi (39 Paddington St, W1U 4HH) - quite impressively delicious sushi, but hugely overpriced & staff aren't very well trained (but to be fair: they do their best in their own awkward way :-) ).

• Daisy Green of Portman Village (20 Seymour Street, W1H 7HX) - a cool place to get breakfast

Camden/Chalk Farm (& beyond)

Jazz Cafe (5 Parkway, Camden Town, NW1 7PG)

Purezza (43 Parkway, Camden Town, NW1 7PN) - an amazing vegan cheese pizza place 

Manna (4 Erskine Rd, Primrose Hill, NW3 3AJ) - mid-range vegan/vegetarian restaurant close to Chalk Farm. Among the 6 of us we tried most of the menu sharing & there was not a single dish that was anyhow not delicious. I want to come back. Like usually in London, reservation advisable (can be done on the website).

Greenberry Cafe (101 Regent's Park Rd, Primrose Hill, London NW1 8UR) - weekend brunch until 15:00, but the cafe turns into a restaurant at dinnertime & the dishes are surprisingly creative & delicious! 

• Combine your visit with a quick stroll up the Primrose Hill for a view of London and check out the blue plaque for Friedrich Engels on the way :-)

Lemonia (89 Regent's Park Rd, Primrose Hill, London NW1 8UY) - awesome Greek restaurant, try to sit on the Ground floor (it's a bit brighter & the decor is cooler), but because they also have 

If it's summer, the weather is nice & you happen to find yourself open to venture a little bit further away from the centre, you'll be wise to come prepared & bring a picnic to Parliament Hill/Hampstead Heath (whichever name you prefer, the views of London skyline are pretty and the chilled out atmosphere (especially toward the end of the day) is a guaranteed hit!

Highgate Cemetery (Swain's Ln, Highgate, London N6 6PJ) - I do encourage anyone who's staying in London for a decent amount of time to spend a Gothic afternoon at the amazing Victorian Highgate Cemetery. Do take a guided tour of the Western Cemetery (the only way to see it), you'll visit the Circle of Lebanon & Egyptian Avenue alongside with other amazing sights. The East Cemetery you can roam around freely (as long as you buy the ticket, you can buy it separately, but it'll be included in your West Cemetery guided tour ticket) to pay respect to the communist comrade Karl Marx & lots of artists, poets & intellectuals of the 19-20th centuries.

Cooking classes at the London School of Cookery (296 Holloway Rd, London N7 6NJ) - a fun way to learn new culinary skills and get the satisfaction of making your own food. When we did it, there was quite a good deal on Groupon, which allowed to save over 50% on the initial price. 

Little Venice,  Warwick Avenue and Maida Vale

• Clifton Nurseries (5A Clifton Villas, London W9 2PH) - a place where you can get a new pet in form of a plant, cactus or succulent, or a spot where you can shop for stylish outdoor stuff or simply get yourself a solar powered light-bulb. Its QUINCE TREE CAFE is extremely well-visited (especially on the weekend), but that doesn't prevent me from thinking that it's my secret spot in the middle of Little Venice.

• Maguro (5 Lanark Place London W9 1BT) - great sushi, but do call to book ahead, it's London, even weeknights are quite busy :S +44 20 7289 4353
• Les Petits Gourmets (18 Formosa St, Little Venice, London W9 1EE) - a cool French restaurant with a creative twist (rather for dinner) 
• The Summerhouse (60 Blomfield Rd, Little Venice, London W9 2PA) - nice seafood restaurant on the canal, both lunch and dinner 
• The Waterway (54 Formosa St, London W9 2JU) - gastropub with a terrace overlooking the canal/focus on the European menu
• Boca Cha Cha (14 Formosa St, Little Venice, London W9 1EE) - cosy colonial interior design, great for a drink in the evening 
• Prince Alfred - a bright Victorian pub with an unusual design (the main bar is surrounded by multiple small rooms separated by wooden partitions & connected through a series of little doors). It has a dining room, too, serving modern British cuisine.

King's Cross

Plum + Spilt Milk (St Pancras Station, Pancras Road, London N1C 4TB) - great value weekend brunch, all-day British cuisine. 

Paddington

KuPP (53, 5 Merchant Square, London W2 1AS) - Scandinavian-style brunch place (bottomless on the weekend from 12:00.

Museums: 

• National Portrait Gallery – café with views over the city (tube: Westminster, Embankment, Piccadilly, Leicester Square, Charing Cross)

Occupying the Fourth Plinth in Trafalgar Square, this slender beauty is a skeleton of a horse by a German artist Hans Haacke with a London Stock Exchange ticker fixed to its leg. For those of you wondering: yes, it is a "contemporary comment on history, power & money" ;-)

Gordon's Wine Bar (47 Villiers Street, London WC2N 6NE) - quaint little wine bar just next to the Embankment station. London's oldest (est. 1890) it has a charming atmosphere (reminded me strongly of the cool cellars of Porto). Rich wine selection, cheese/snack platters & one can conveniently get 1/2 bottles! They've got charming outdoor sitting as well as an indoor "cave" - see what floats your boat!

• Saatchi gallery (Duke Of York's HQ, King's Rd, London SW3 4RY; tube: Sloane Square)

• Tanya’s cafe (35 Ixworth Pl, London SW3 3QX) - tasty raw food restaurant, tube: Sloane Square - nicely combinable with the Saatchi Gallery or the V&A.
• Wulf & Lamb (243 Pavilion Rd, Chelsea, London SW1X 0BP) - fiercely kind food - trendy vegetarian place, open for breakfast, lunch and dinner. 

• Farmacy (74 Westbourne Grove, London W2 5SH) - that was - without any doubt - best vegan brunch of my life. Interior is exactly what you'd expect from a place that has such a name. You'll get your healthy shots in a surgical syringe (we got a "firestarter" with ginger, turmeric, cayenne You & lemon & "Melt Away" with ginko, turmeric, gotu kola, gardenia, milk thistle & cucumber juice - both were delicious!)

• V&A- Victoria & Albert Museum (Cromwell Rd, London SW7 2RL tube: South Kensington).

• Science Museum (South Kensington, London, SW7 2DD) 
• Natural History Museums [NHM] (Cromwell Rd, London SW7 5BD; tube: South Kensington).
NHM is just a very cool museum per se, but once a month its coolness factor increases by 100 when it hosts the amazing Crime Scene Live event. Together with a team of forensic experts, you'll gather the evidence, analyse the facts and carry out experiments to bring the criminal to justice and solve a mystery of 2 murders and the disappearance of the priceless stone.

Design Museum (224-238 Kensington High St, Kensington, London W8 6AG) - a cool museum that despite its small size can keep you exploring for half a day. The permanent exhibition is FREE and small, but it's temporary exhibitions that are really awesome.

• Transport Museum (Covent Garden Piazza, London WC2E 7BB), Covent Garden area.

• Wellcome Collection - (183 Euston Rd, Kings Cross, London NW1 2BE) - Henry Wellcome's museum full of cool, weird & sometimes even morbid curios (Euston Square), usually hosts a permanent exhibition on Medicine & a temporary one on some unusual topic (when I was there, the spotlight was on "Bedlam" (from British Royal Hospital of Bethlehem) - an infamous asylum that was founded in the 13th century & has later on passed on its name to all mental institutions.

• Sherlock Holmes Museum (221b Baker Street, London) - a must for any detective buff

• Old Operating Theatre Museum and Herb Garret (9a St Thomas St, London SE1 9RY) -  - one of the oldest surviving operating theatres, it'll be a treat if you're anyhow interested in medicine or just like weird stuff.

Places to go / activities:

• Southbank – (tube: Westminster, Embankment or Waterloo) - get to Southbank, or St.Paul’s and walk along the Themes to Tate Modern. 

A quick dialogue I had with my friend in front of "Swinging" by Kandinsky in Tate Modern:

Me: "Wassily Kandinsky is known for his unique ability to convey music through his paintings..."

My friend: "Nah, I'm not hearing anything" :-)

• OXO Tower (Oxo Tower Wharf, Bargehouse Street, South Bank, London SE1 9PH; tube: Blackfriars) - for a drink, food is also great, but very expensive.

• “Climb the O2 arena” (tube: North Greenwich) - a fun experience that will leave you feeling accomplished (it's not a workout, but you've actually climbed something and seen the city from quite a unique perspective!). Be mindful of the weather (non-surprisingly, wind & rain can ruin this magical outdoor experience). The views are great and we were lucky with the timing and got to see the 'daylight', but it was also perfect timing for the 'dusk version' as the city has just turned on its lights as we were at the top. 

• Walk from St.Catherine's docks or Westminster to Greenwich -> Greenwich meridian. Optional extension: Canary Wharf.
• Visit the Greenwich Royal Observatory - but it's not just a perfect place to make sure your Swiss watch is working properly, it's also a great place for foodies - check out the Greenwich Market (est. 1737) not just food, but also arts & crafts staEnjoy Emirates Air Line (UK’s first urban cable car) - great views of the Thames and a cool way to cross from the O2 Arena to ExCeL at Royal Victoria Dock.
• Cable Road Greenwich - a cool way to get to Greenwich

• Shoreditch – graffiti, restaurants, clubs & bars

A really cool way to see it is by joining one of the countless guided tours that'll give you a bit more context & insight into the stories behind some pieces and their meaning. I did Strawberry Tours' Free Street Art & Graffiti Tour (with Jon, 29.04.2017) & absolutely loved it!

Another way to discover the city through more specialized and thematical walks is with Discover Medical London - but don't be alarmed by the name: one really doesn't need to be a doctor or a medical student to enjoy these are still offering a view of London, just through a medicine-related prism (dealing with topics like plague, medicine in the movies, alcohol, red lights districts, etc.). The walking tour I did was coordinated by the Royal College of Physicians (RCP) and connected to a special event Women in medicine: a celebration, which is a free exhibition of specially commissioned photographic portraits honoring contemporary and historical women in medicine. It showcases a number of today’s leading female clinicians, pictured with the women from the history of medicine who have inspired them.

• The Shard – tallest building in EU, cocktails for ca. 17-20 pounds.

• Roof Gardens London – alternative to Shard, by invite only (register for the guest list well in advance).

• Sky Garden (1 Sky Garden Walk, London EC3M 8AF) - if you want to dine in a tropical jungle on the rooftop in London with a breathtaking view of London's cityscape, consider making a reservation at one of the Sky Garden's restaurants. If you just want a sneak peak of the view, there's also an option of just buying a ticket (which gives you access to the garden) & having a drink at one of the "open" bars at the top or bottom decks of the garden. We chose "Darwin Brasserie" & had an amazing dining experience. Do consider mentioning, though that you'd like a window table while making a reservation & upon arrival. You might happen to "accidentally" get it anyway if they have a table available, but if it matters to you, try prepping in advance.

• Rosa's Thai Cafe Carnaby (23 Ganton St, Soho, London W1F 9BW)

Bars, Pubs / Cocktails:

• Nightjar (129 City Rd, London EC1V 1JB) - one of the most awesome (but also the most bizarre) cocktail experiences I've ever had! My drink of the night was The "Inca Cocktail": Jose Cuervo 1800 Silver, tomatillo, hazelnut oil, lime, chili wine, epazote, Fine Cherry & Agave, served with Buffalo worms on the side (yep, Buffalo worms are exactly what you think they are: huge worms!). Check out the menu online in advance in order to decide what bizarre work of alcoholic are you want to order!

• Experimental Cocktail Club Chinatown (3a Gerrard St, Chinatown, London W1D 5PS; 6pm-3am) - speakeasy-style cocktail bar, often with live music

• The Churchill Arms (119 Kensington Church St, London W8 7LN) - very nice gastropub.
• Bradley's Spanish Bar (42-44 Hanway St, London W1T 1UT) - Snug, upbeat, late-night spot with worn banquette, picture-laden walls and vinyl jukebox soundtrack
• Walk around Dean & Wardour Street – lots of cool places.

Markets: 

• Portobello Road – antiquities – tube: Notting Hill Gate, walk up to Portobello Rd
• Borough market (by London Bridge tube) – famous market, end of Southbank – probably a good idea for Saturday morning (get a glimpse of the Tower Bridge). Pop into the Southwark Cathedral (The Oldest Cathedral in London).

• Camden Market – cool hip designer stuff (depending on where you are, a great way to get there is by the “Little Venice” canal.

• Btw, if you're already in Camden, check out the Cyberdog store (Stables Market, Chalk Farm Rd, London NW1 8AH) for futuristic fashion & bizzare souvenirs.

• Mildred's Camden (9 Jamestown Rd, Camden Town, London NW1 7BW) - great for lunch

Hammersmith / Shepherd's Bush

• Esarn Kheaw (314 Uxbridge Rd, Shepherd's Bush, London W12 7LJ) - family-run authentic North-Eastern Thai cuisine, unusual flavours (spicy is SPICY here!) 
• The Gate (51A, Queen Caroline St, Hammersmith, London W6 9QL) - have you heard of it? it's one of London's few fine-dining vegetarian places :) mix of Mediterranean and Asian.
• Shilpa (206 King St, Hammersmith, London W6 0RA) - Family-run Indian, freshly cooked authentic Keralan food. Great value food & deliciously healthy simple deserts

Comedy:

• The Comedy Store (1a Oxendon St, London SW1Y 4EE) - a guaranteed night of fun & great improv. they usually have a couple of shorter newbie comedy acts, all pretty high quality. Students and NHS professionals get a discount. If you want to eat, it would make sense to get the meal & drinks packages.
• Canal Theatre Cafe (2 Delamere Terrace, London W2 6ND) - adorable quaint cafe, which hosts intimate comedy shows (improv, NewsRevue, etc.) throughout the week. With the Bridge House restaurant downstairs - Canal Theatre Cafe is the setting for my fave chilled comedy evenings when I didn't feel like venturing into the city centre & just want to stay in Little Venice.

Souvenirs:
• We Built This City (56 Carnaby St, London W1F 9QF) – creative approach towards British souvenirs

Tours:

• Free London walking tours with Strawberry Tours (street art, fleet street, white chapel, graffiti), I did several tour with that company: the graffiti tour (see above) & the Ghost Tour (runs on Tue, Thu & Sat at 20.00 from M&M's World in Leicester Square). The ghost tour is pretty fun & informative, it provides a new perspective on the well-known spots in the city & leaves an eerie feeling that maybe (just maybe) ghosts 

Multiple companies organize thematical seasonal tours (e.g. The Secret London Christmas Tour), organized in cooperation with Funzing, because it's pretty cold around that time of year, they'd combine the walking tour with 3-4 stops in historical pubs like Ye Olde Watling (29 Watling St, London EC4M 9BR) or The Blackfriar (174 Queen Victoria St, London EC4V 4EG)

Taking Ghost Tours as such to the next level, The Ghost Bus is definitely worth a mention (departure: just off Trafalgar Square on on Northumberland Avenue, in front of The Grand Hotel opposite to The Sherlock Holm Pub; tube: Charing Cross or Embankment) - another great way to see London if you're a fan of all things "beyond the grave" :) It's an informative (mostly fact-based, but - naturally - with some fictional elements thrown in) comedy tour, which takes you around the city and bombards you with all kinds of geeky and humorous facts about ghosts, violent deaths, murders, executions, and other tragic events like The Great Fire of London.

It's not just "lecture", there's also an interactive part of the performance and I can tell you that the kids sitting next to us were squeaking with delight :)

Skip the tourist bus & get on “normal” city bus: # 9, 14 & 15 – they take you around central London & those are the best ways to see the city!

Plays:

• "The Mousetrap" by Agatha Christie

Musicals:
• Book of Mormon @ Prince of Wales Theatre (31 Coventry Street, London W1D 6AS) - an extremely entertaining musical evening guaranteed

• Phantom of the Opera @ Her Majesty’s Theatre, Haymarket

• Lion King @ Lyceum Theatre (21 Wellington St, London WC2E 7RQ)

• Whenever I'm in doubt about specific seats, I check SeatPlan - they've got reviews of seats (criteria: comfort/legroom/view) in various theatres, usually also with pictures - so that you can get an informed idea of which tickets are worth the money.

• Wicked @ Apollo Victoria Theatre (17 Wilton Rd, Pimlico, London SW1V 1LG)