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rb-abroad · 6 years ago

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London

I went to London for the first time on this trip, and what an incredible city it is! I spent about a week and a half there, partly with my sis (the best!!) feat. an Else cameo (also the best!!), partly by myself. This was my first time ever traveling alone, and I really enjoyed it. Because I spoke the language and was very familiar with the culture, London was the perfect way for me to dip my toe into solo travels. Now with this under my belt, I’m itching to go somewhere solo EVEN MORE DIFFERENT, perhaps try out my Spanish? :O But now I’m getting ahead of myself... Anyway, since I spent quite a bit of time in London, I’m going to list out my highlights and favorite things to do instead of going day by day. Here it goes!

FOOD

Obviously I’m going to start with this category... ok the food in London is A.M.A.Z.I.N.G. You are really spoilt for choice here, but luckily I was armed with some fantastic recommendations from my pals (shoutout to Ari, Courtney, Rhys, Simon, and all the other cool people I’m forgetting to mention!). In no particular order, here are some of my absolute favorite places to eat in London:

Dishoom

If you’re a fan of Indian food, do yourself a favor and treat yo’self to a meal at Dishoom. The food is incredible and the decor is super cool (I went to the Shoreditch location). Try their signature House Black Daal and Dishoom IPA!

Flat Iron

BEST. STEAK. I’VE. EVER. HAD. And so affordable! I’d be lying if I said I didn’t go twice :X Get the flat iron steak with fries (duh) and live your damn life.

^drooling just looking @ this

Borough Market

A no-brainer! I got the scotch eggs from Scotchtails and a cream-filled donut from Bread Ahead. Sarah got some veggie Ethiopian food that was also amazing.

Breakfast Club

Tasty 24-7 breakfast spot with a fun diner vibe! I got the traditional English breakfast but they have lots of American-style bfast options (read: pancakes, avo toast, etc. etc.).

Monty’s Deli

Didn’t think I’d find incredible deli food in London, but I sure did! Monty’s has their own brick and mortar in Shoreditch (conveniently and dangerously located across the street from my Airbnb) and also a stand at Spitalfields market. I got the turkey sandwich and latkes and my mind was BLOWN.

Look at that gorgeous pickle tho

Still dreaming bout these beauties...

The Approach Tavern

Sunday roasts are a thing in England, and even though our Sunday weather was approx. 80F, we did the damn thing. If you’re in the Bethnal Green area, be sure to check out The Approach. Their roast (and salmon) was insanely delicious, they have a good beer selection, and the tavern was so cute and friendly! They had dogs, name that tune, outdoor seating... everything you could want!

TRADE

Your classic trendy, tasty, ‘Gram-able brunch spot, located in Shoreditch.

Granger and Co

Your classic trendy, tasty, ‘Gram-able brunch spot, located in Notting Hill. Make sure to stroll around the neighborhood after - it’s so cute!

Sonita’s at Camden Market

We know that London has some incredible Indian food, so I died and went to heaven at the Sonita’s stand at Camden market. I had 3 different curries in one lil box and I never wanted it to end. They use healthy and high-quality ingredients, so even though you are quite full afterwards, you don’t hate yourself!

CookDaily

Vegan asian fusion. The pad thai was off tha chain!

Beigel Bake

Last and most ratchet.... OMG BEIGEL BAKE. Open 24 hours and serving up pastrami bagel realness, this place is perfect for the post-pub drunchies or to bring you back to life the morning after a big night out. Cash only and cheap AF!

DRINK

It should be no surprise that booze culture in London is REAL. From craft beer to wine to one-of-a-kind cocktails, this city has it all.

Callooh Callay

An absolutely adorable cocktail bar in Shoreditch with incredible drinks and decor. Sit at the bar and befriend the bartender :) A must-do!

Satan’s Whiskers

Not only does this place have an awesome name, it’s also decorated with crazy taxidermy and has a super inventive cocktail menu. Great for a pre-dinner drink in Bethnal Green!

Dandelyan

Swanky AF cocktail bar along the Thames River Walk and inside the Mondrian Hotel. Would recommend if you’re in the area.

Gordon’s Wine Bar

An incredible 19th-century wine bar that makes you feel like you’re drinking in a cave. So cool!!

Veeno

I did an Airbnb experience for a food and wine pairing here, and it was really fun! I ended up being the only person who signed up (lol) so I got allll this food to myself!

Airbnb East London Pub Crawl

On my last night, I signed up for a pub crawl through Airbnb (link HERE) and had the best time! As a solo (female) traveler, it was a great opportunity to meet other people and feel comfortable and safe going out at night. We went to so many great craft beer spots, and I’d recommend them all - Mother Kelly’s, Redchurch Brewery, Old Street Brewery & Taproom, The King’s Arms, and Kill the Cat.

THINGS TO DO

Of course there is more to do than just eat and drink! Here are some of my favorite things I did in London:

Shakespeare’s Globe Theater

If you are into live theater, you GOTTA see a show at the Globe. I’d recommend getting the groundlings tickets online or by lining up at the theater the day of the show (90 mins before or something like that). They are only 8 pounds a piece and you get to stand right in front of the stage! Sarah and I saw Twelfth Night together and then I went back by myself for Hamlet. They switched a lot of gender roles in both productions and that was really, really cool (Hamlet has so many great male roles and they were pretty much all played by women... yaaaaaas!). Cannot recommend this enough!

Waitin’ in line!

The magnificent Globe

Second row standing for Twelfth Night!!!

The Ferryman on the West End

THE FERRYMAN WAS AMAZING. See it now. We were in the nosebleeds and still had a great time. Also, they serve ice cream in the theater during intermission - what else do you need?

Tate Modern

I LOVE the fact that the museums in London are free. They are pretty massive and intimidating and it’s not easy to get all the way through the big ones in one visit. I had a few spare hours and popped into the Tate Modern, which I loved. I saw a special exhibit about political art and then one of the permanent exhibitions. Absolutely worth a visit!

The British Museum

Another massively daunting museum, but the sheer variety of things to see is pretty incredible. Luckily the museum guide has some suggested self-guided tours based on how much time you have to spend inside. If you go to one museum in London, this should be it.

Thames River walk

If you want to get your steps in, take a walk along the Thames River. You can hit many iconic stops along the way, such as Big Ben, the Tate Modern, the Globe, London Bridge, Borough Market, which brings me to my next recommendation...

The Markets!

There are sooo many amazing open-air markets in London with delicious food and unique shopping. My favorites were Borough Market, Spitalfields Market, and Camden Market, but there are many more!

Brick Lane

A super cool street and market that has many shops & thrift stores, lots of food, street art, street musicians, and CURRYYYY! Very fun to stroll around on the weekends; it’ll be packed!

High Tea

OK technically this is a food thing, but it’s really more of an activity/experience. There are a lot of options out there for high tea, but we found a fun and cheap(ish) one at B Bakery near the West End. Super cute!

Harrods

It was so fun to wander around inside this famous, humungous department store! My favorite part of course was the food court area, but I’d also recommend the tea room for an afternoon pick-me-up.

Just strollin’

You can’t go wrong just walking around!!

Selfie as you stroll ;)

Day trip to Brighton

Brighton is super easy to get to by train for the day (just don’t be an idiot like me and try to use your Oyster Card to get there... buy a separate ticket!). Spend the day sitting on the beach, eating incredible seafood (get the mussels!!) at Regency Restaurant, strolling along the pier, getting chocolate-wasted at Choccywoccydoodah (the place is just as wild as its name suggests), and checking out the Asian-inspired architecture and garden at the Royal Pavillon. Brighton also has a really cool performance art scene with its own fringe festival, which I would love to check out next time.