The Ultimate Guide To Living It Up In London
Whether you’re in a revitalized corner of the East End or slap-bang in central Soho, where it’s louche one second and chi chi the next, London celebrates its heritage with couldn’t-give-a-damn street cred.
A multi-ethnic English eccentric, the British capital invites you to eat and shop your way around the globe, sending you home sated and educated. Amid gloriously groomed parks and gritty secret side streets, England’s capital effortlessly edifies with monuments and museums galore, galleries both soothing and surprising, and a food and drink scene as popular for its classics as its contemporary stars.
Check out a few of our favorite suggestions for where to get the complete experience and really live it up, London-style.
SIP
East London
It’s not just New York that loves a speakeasy. The Mayor of Scaredy Cat Town in Spitalfields promises the usual wacky doorway trick; here it’s a Smeg fridge that lets you know you’re not far from quirky infusions. The only pity here is that the Basil No-Faulty (vodka, elderflower liqueur, fresh basil, and lime) doesn’t come served by John Cleese. If you whiz over to Worship Street Whistling Shop in Shoreditch, sister to Marylebone’s Purl, the mixologists here will wow you with their liquid wizardry.
The Mayor of Scaredy Cat Town, 12-16 Artillery Lane (near Sandy's Lane); 020 7078 9639.
Worship Street Whistling Shop, 63 Worship Street (near Paul Street); 020 7247 0015.
West London
Love whisky? The Connaught Hotel’s Coburg Bar in Mayfair has the wood-panelled charm of a gentlemen’s club, along with the thrill that you might be sitting next to one of the members of Kings of Leon. The Experimental Cocktail Club in Chinatown promises some seriously inventive concoctions, as does Hawksmoor Air Street where their Full-Fat Old Fashioned has won us over thanks to the homemade-butter-infused bourbon. A cult joint for beef lovers, this is the brand-new outpost of the steakhouse and cocktail lounge, just off Piccadilly Street.
Coburg Bar, Carlos Place (near Adam's Row), Mayfair; 020 7499 7070.
Experimental Cocktail Club, 13A Gerrard Street (near Dean Street); 020 7434 3559.
Hawksmoor, 5A Air Street (near Regent Street); 020 7406 3980.
Photo: Courtesy of Worship Street Whistling Shop; Courtesy of The Hawksmoor; Courtesy of Coburg Bar; Courtesy of The Mayor of Scaredy Cat Town
Juliet Kinsman is the editor-in-chief of Mr & Mrs Smith. For more recommendations for London hotels, or to book your trip, call Mr & Mrs Smith’s Travel Team on 800-464-2040.
A multi-ethnic English eccentric, the British capital invites you to eat and shop your way around the globe, sending you home sated and educated. Amid gloriously groomed parks and gritty secret side streets, England’s capital effortlessly edifies with monuments and museums galore, galleries both soothing and surprising, and a food and drink scene as popular for its classics as its contemporary stars.
Check out a few of our favorite suggestions for where to get the complete experience and really live it up, London-style.
SIP
East London
It’s not just New York that loves a speakeasy. The Mayor of Scaredy Cat Town in Spitalfields promises the usual wacky doorway trick; here it’s a Smeg fridge that lets you know you’re not far from quirky infusions. The only pity here is that the Basil No-Faulty (vodka, elderflower liqueur, fresh basil, and lime) doesn’t come served by John Cleese. If you whiz over to Worship Street Whistling Shop in Shoreditch, sister to Marylebone’s Purl, the mixologists here will wow you with their liquid wizardry.
The Mayor of Scaredy Cat Town, 12-16 Artillery Lane (near Sandy's Lane); 020 7078 9639.
Worship Street Whistling Shop, 63 Worship Street (near Paul Street); 020 7247 0015.
West London
Love whisky? The Connaught Hotel’s Coburg Bar in Mayfair has the wood-panelled charm of a gentlemen’s club, along with the thrill that you might be sitting next to one of the members of Kings of Leon. The Experimental Cocktail Club in Chinatown promises some seriously inventive concoctions, as does Hawksmoor Air Street where their Full-Fat Old Fashioned has won us over thanks to the homemade-butter-infused bourbon. A cult joint for beef lovers, this is the brand-new outpost of the steakhouse and cocktail lounge, just off Piccadilly Street.
Coburg Bar, Carlos Place (near Adam's Row), Mayfair; 020 7499 7070.
Experimental Cocktail Club, 13A Gerrard Street (near Dean Street); 020 7434 3559.
Hawksmoor, 5A Air Street (near Regent Street); 020 7406 3980.
Photo: Courtesy of Worship Street Whistling Shop; Courtesy of The Hawksmoor; Courtesy of Coburg Bar; Courtesy of The Mayor of Scaredy Cat Town
Juliet Kinsman is the editor-in-chief of Mr & Mrs Smith. For more recommendations for London hotels, or to book your trip, call Mr & Mrs Smith’s Travel Team on 800-464-2040.
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