Best & Cool Bars in St Albans

"Sky Garden pairs epic views with tasty cocktails and an indoors garden, how can you not love that?. Sky Garden has a 360° view all around London and a number of different bars and restaurants inside it. Access to Sky Garden is free but you have to book in advance if you want to skip the queues, don’t worry if you forget about booking, you can still access Sky Garden but you will have to wait a little longer before taking your perfect Instagram shots."

"Offering perhaps the best free vantage point in Central London, the indoor viewing decks and restaurants occupying the top three floors of 20 Fenchurch Street (known to locals as the "walkie-talkie") are a great place to hang out without spending a penny. It is open daily, just book your free visit in advance."

"If the convivial atmosphere of a bistro or elegance of a fine-dining French restaurant leaves you as cold as a steak tartare, Sketch: The Gallery might just be the answer. A feast for all the senses, this unique concept has an emphasis on bold, progressive ‘new French’ food from chef Pierre Gagnaire and even bolder design from Fourth Plinth commissioned artist David Shrigley. Book a table at a French restaurant now."

"There's few other places where celebrity spotting in London goes down to the extent it does at Sketch. Legend for its creative profile in the drinking and dining world, Sketch is somewhere you go for an experience that's wholly unique, scattered with luxury (and a few celebs) as well as some incredible food and drink."

"A real sought-after restaurant in Mayfair, Sketch initially grabs attention with its unique decor. Then the grub takes over. Is it an art gallery?"

"One of London's properly iconic restaurants, Sheeky's have been serving up seafood to Londoners for over 100 years. The setting, tucked in an unassuming passageway linking Charing Cross Road to St Martin's Lane, means it's always been popular with London's theatre folk, popping in here post-performance as well as other A-listers. Here's where you'll find local thespians enjoying the restaurant's classic fish pie and oyster platters."

"Restaurants British Covent Garden"

"Just a short walk from London’s West End theatres,L’Escargot offers a fantastic pre-theatre menu as well as their usual a la carte fare and Sunday lunch options. Choose a table in front of the roaring wood fire and enjoy a whole lobster, sample the liquorice beef or opt for the traditional snails. All of the dishes on offer are the usual French bistro classics with a L’Escargot twist, and can be accompanied by a bottle of fine French wine; just ask the waiter to hand-pair the wine with the dishes."

"Coco Chanel, Mick Jagger, and Princess Diana have all dined here, so you know it’s going to be good. A fixture in Soho since 1927, you can’t leave without trying the dish the restaurant is named after: the snails."

"The Churchill Arms is also known as the most photogenic pub in London. With a facade covered in plants and flags like that one, how could it not be?. The decorations aren’t limited to the outside, the pub is decorated with a number of Churchill memorabilia on the inside, while it might not be quite as Instagrammable the inside of the pub is also definitely worth a visit!"

"Probably the most decorated pub in London, this pub makes for an awesome photo (or drink). As it’s located close to Notting Hill Gate you could pop here before, or after, exploring the other areas. For an image such as below it’s best to visit in the warmer months when it has all the plants and flowers seen below."

"The Churchill Arms in Kensington is a traditional London pub, with a difference. Famed for its glorious flower displays, it is one of few pubs that is also a Chelsea Flower Show winner. Year-round, the Churchill Arms is decorated with spectacular real flower displays."

"From the line of massive steel tanks behind Howling Hops’ Hackney Wick bar, beers (both the brewery’s core and seasonal) are served unpasteurised straight from tank to tankard without touching a keg, can, or bottle on the way. Clearly, visitors don’t hold back — in the late evenings, the taproom erupts into a disco of sorts, with limb-throwing patrons all too willing to get involved. Until nightclubs start serving their own lemon goses and US-hopped pale ales, this is the next best thing."

"Howling Hops opened Hackney’s first brewpub, The Cock Tavern on Mare Street, back in 2011. And that’s a claim to fame if we ever heard one (the pub also went on to win an award for its pickled eggs). Their motto is ‘brew interesting beer’, and this is exactly what they do, with unfiltered, unpasteurised, vegan brews."

"Quench your thirst with bold beers from Hackney Wick's Howling Hops brewery, where the tanks are connected directly to the taps. Take your pick from the Tropical Deluxe Pale Ale or the strong Platform Contest, alongside more tank-tastic sour beers. And if a pint is not enough, order a flagon."

"One of the top 50 brunches in London, Bashment Brunch is bringing Carnival vibes to secret locations across the city. Expect the party to be in full swing, with unlimited rum punch, Carribbean eats and a soundtrack of reggae, soca and dancehall hits."

"Built on an old railway line, this garden is yet another community endeavour—filled with trees, shrubs, butterfly bushes and raised beds for growing food!. COVID-19 UPDATE: Dalston Eastern Curve Garden is currently closed to the public. For the latest information, head to their website."

"Sky Garden pairs epic views with tasty cocktails and an indoors garden, how can you not love that?. Sky Garden has a 360° view all around London and a number of different bars and restaurants inside it. Access to Sky Garden is free but you have to book in advance if you want to skip the queues, don’t worry if you forget about booking, you can still access Sky Garden but you will have to wait a little longer before taking your perfect Instagram shots."

"Offering perhaps the best free vantage point in Central London, the indoor viewing decks and restaurants occupying the top three floors of 20 Fenchurch Street (known to locals as the "walkie-talkie") are a great place to hang out without spending a penny. It is open daily, just book your free visit in advance."

"He was the 5th century Bishop of Arras who converted Clovis. “Foster” is an English bastardisation of his name. This was Wren’s cheapest church, as he was able to re-use some of the earlier walls."

"St Stephen Walbrook has the most beautiful interior of all Wren’s churches reputedly. He was experimenting with his plans for St Paul’s Cathedral. St Stephen is a variation on the same theme – an un-English central dome married to a traditional English church plan of nave with aisles, chancel and crossing transepts."

"Sir Christopher Wren is best known for the design and construction of St Paul’s Cathedral. He also built many other churches around London after the Great Fire. He probably did more to shape the appearance of London than any other single person, all the way through to the 19th century."

"Wildly regarded as Wren’s best City church, this was damaged during the Blitz so they commissioned Henry Moore to design a new altar"

"Not only is St Helen’s one of the oldest surviving churches in the City of London, but it is also the largest, and contains more monuments than any other church in London (except Westminster Abbey of course). The church was designed with two parallel naves, which is why is it is so much wider than a usual church, and it was actually divided in two at one point, with half serving the nuns and the other half serving the parishioners (it is also the only nunnery still standing in the City of London). Among the more famous parishioners of this church was William Shakespeare who lived nearby in the 1590s."

"St Helen’s Church in Bishopsgate is another survivor of the Great Fire, and indeed the Blitz. However, an IRA bomb blew its roof off. It originally belonged to a nunnery which was dissolved in 1538."

"This church dates from the 12th-century and managed to survive both the Great Fire of London in 1666 and the Blitz"

"Another very famous location for photography is Millennium Bridge, but taking pictures from here isn’t as easy as you’d think. It gets very busy so make sure you come early before the crowds, or when taking photos at night with a tripod try increasing your ISO, as this will hopefully reduce the chance of camera shake from the flow of people on the bridge. Best time for pics: Sunrise and nightCost: FreeLocation: Millennium Bridge, Thames Embankment, London SE1"

"London has a bit of a thing for bridges, and another of my favourite photo spots is at the Millennium Bridge. Don’t worry about confusing it with the previously mentioned Tower Bridge – this one is a sleek steel suspension bridge. Not only does it create an interesting juxtaposition of old and new, but it has many interesting angles that create some unique perspectives."

"This is one of my personal favourite sunset spots in London. From here you can see the sun setting behind the Houses of Parliament, and flooding both the London Eye and River Thames with beautiful golden light. It might not be the most Instagrammable shot since if you want to get all elements in you will have to shoot landscape (and we all know portrait is better for Instagram) but it’s still going to be a breath taking photo."

"I have been photographing this second composition ever since I started photographing London. I love the way the London Eye is dominant in the frame and towers over the smaller buildings that surround it. As you can see from the image here, this is a cracking location to capture the London Eye as a long exposure which I cover in a previous post featuring my top 5 locations to capture long exposure photos in London."

"Quick Tip: If you have time, walk across the Hungerford Bridge which is also lovely at night and has a great view of the London Eye. Have more time to spend in London?"