Mentioned by A Complete Guide of London | The Shaftesbury Hotels Collection Blog
Best Breweries of London
"Discover a proud team of brewers at Camden Town Brewery, set under the railway arches in Camden. Tour the brew house to see where the magic happens, before you try all the other brews in the tasting room, including lager, pale ale, stout and limited-edition beers."
"Taking inspiration from Bavaria's beer halls, this is a taproom with 24 taps on the bar. They've teamed up with Theo Randall to prepare the kind of food that matches best with the beer."
"To call Mercato Metropolitano a food hall is really to do it a disservice – this is one of London’s best foodie spots, with an emphasis on urban farming and community. Featuring two huge halls of street food stalls, you can pretty much eat your way around the world just by meandering between Mercato Metropolitano’s food offerings.In particular, don’t miss the authentic Spanish tapas of Abel or the to-die-for ice cream at Badiani. Opening Hours: Monday to Friday between 8am and 11pm (12am on Fridays), 11am to 12am on Saturdays and 11am to 10pm on Sundays."
"Mercato Metrapolitano in Elephant & Castle is one of the biggest outdoor dining and drinking spaces in London, with over 500 seats and 40 food and drink vendors. Home to more than 40 vendors, a micro-brewery and a number of community projects. Discover flavours from Italy to Japan, Colombia to Germany, Vietnam to Argentina, and many more"
"Venture over to Mercato Metropolitano and you'll find a great atmosphere, craft drinks aplenty and a treasure trove of dining stalls to choose from. As one of the city's ultimate food halls, this Elephant & Castle beauty is guaranteed to be busy all-year-round with regulars and newcomers alike."
"Meantime was born & bred in a Greenwich flat over twenty years ago and they’re still crafting beer from alongside the River Thames but in a much swankier tap room. Their first brew, the Union Lager, hit the taps back in 2000 and us Londoners still can’t get enough of it. Since then they’ve introduced us to the likes of tropical IPAs; lively ales that fuse British and German malts; a modern lager straight from London’s back garden; and not forgetting the cheeky Chocolate Porter too, but you’ll always find us raising a bottle of the signature London Pale Ale."
"Located in Greenwich, the Meantime Brewing Company has the mission of demonstrating the full flavour potential that beer has to offer. The commercial brewing house was founded by world-class brewer Alastair Hook, who in 1999 started to invest in it from his flat. The first brew package was made in April 2000, and the first beer brand was called Union, a Vienna-style dark lager."
"The Meantime Brewery Company is one that knows how to keep time. With patiently brewed beers in the heart of the Greenwich Meridian, the Meantime Brewery has its own tasting rooms, serving beer from where the action really happens."
"A huge, horseshoe-shaped centrepiece dominates the revamped double-height taproom, with tables all around and a mezzanine level above. You can sit outdoors too, for industrial-estate vibes – it’s part of the Bermondsey Beer Mile. Team your brews (choose from Shapeshifter, Juicebox and the best-selling Basecamp) with something from resident street-food van Oh My Dog!"
"Completely unshowy and without any hint of pretention, Fourpure has been making top quality beer in the most seemingly simple of locations. It’s already gaining a wider audience and their taproom is well worth a visit. It’s also worth mentioning their excellent blog which is great reading for people who love beer and life in general."
"Another Bermondsey gem, this popular South London brewery has 16 taps to try, and an ever-changing collage f classics and new experiments to try. Again located under the railway arches of Bermondsey, the large taproom and bar give guests a chance to try some very unique flavours, ranging from the zesty to the chocolatey."
"24 taps mean a lot of diversity for this tap room-cum-blendery. With worldwide beers all lovingly crafted within the oak barrels behind the bar, the Barrel Project is one for those who want an almost overwhelming amount of choice when it comes to picking their drink of the evening. Guests at Hotels in Paddington Hyde Park won’t want to miss the amazing array of internationally brewed beers, giving everything from Big Milk Stouts to the Sour Solistice IPA."
"Situated along the popular Bermondsey Beer Mile, The Barrel Project is a cool taproom housed underneath an archway. Not only does it contain around 200 oak casks, but it's also got 24 taps of house-aged and international brews."
"The Farmer’s Boy is a family run tastefully refurbished bay-windowed pub with a passion for Live Music. We have an extensive range of Craft Beers, both on tap and in cans, with probably the best selection of cans in town."
"TwickenhamThe oldest of London’s indie microbreweries, Twickenham Fine Ales has many faces. Day to day it supplies pubs, including its own watering hole The Rifleman, which is a 10-minute walk away and has an outside patio with tables, umbrellas and heaters. But when the Harlequins are playing, the brewery opens for pre-match drinks and barbecues using organic meat from the neighbouring butcher."
"With four locations and a reputation for serving up some of the most authentic dumplings, buns and baos across the city, Ping Pong is a name that should already be on your 'best Chinese restaurants in London' list. But especially this Chinese New Year. That's because Ping Pong are giving you and your colleagues the chance to taste a special selection of handcrafted dumplings and innovative dishes all with subtle influences from the Year of the Pig."
"With locations across London, Ping Pong offers a lively stopover for a light bite during a busy day out in Covent Garden, Soho or South Bank and other locations. Specialising in dim sum, teas and cocktails, these contemporary restaurants offer some of the best Chinese in London for those on a budget."
"Dealing exclusively in dim sum dishes, cocktails and Chinese tea, these lively, modern venues – located across London – are great for either a snack or a full-scale meal."
"This Church of England church was built just outside the city wall, next to the Cripplegate, hence the name (without means outside). It was initially built in the 11th century before the current building was constructed in 1394, with the stone tower being added in 1682. While it survived the fire of 1666, it has been severely damaged on three other occasions, from fires in 1545 and 1897 and from an air raid during the Blitz in 1940."
"St Giles is the patron saint of lepers, the crippled and the handicapped, hence this unusual dedication. It’s another London medieval church, mostly built in the late Gothic Perpendicular style, and survived the Great Fire of London but not the Blitz. The whole of the surrounding area was destroyed, and on this ground, close to a section of the London Wall, the Barbican Estate was built."
"This 16th-century church is one of the few to have survived both the Great Fire of London and the Blitz. It is situated inside the Barbican"
"This is my nomination as the most beautiful of the churches in the City of London. It was also built bySir Christopher Wren, and I’d go so far as to say that it’s a London must see. It’s a beautifully proportioned Church, appearing quite small from outside but inside there’s a soaring, lofty central dome and wonderful sense of space."
"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."
"Wildly regarded as Wren’s best City church, this was damaged during the Blitz so they commissioned Henry Moore to design a new altar"
"Just a stone's throw away from Spitalfield’s, you’ll stumble across this quirky covered market on Brick Lane. Follow your sense of smell and work your way through the hipster hoodies and independent jewellers to a foodie’s heaven in the heart of Shoreditch. Food options from all over the world are crammed into the Old Truman Brewery every Sunday, from Indian street food to Middle Eastern falafels and Tibetan dumplings, whatever you fancy, you’re bound to find it here."
"Although the shops and restaurants along Brick Lane are open every day, this is one of the best Sunday markets in London. You never know exactly what you’ll find as you scour this traditional East End flea market for antiques, vintage clothes and unique art at bargain prices. It’s very much an authentic London market experience, remaining much the same over the years, with a definite hipster influence in recent times."
"The best day to visit Brick Lane market is Sunday when the streets fill with stalls selling second-hand goods. Popular with young Londoners on the lookout for a bargain this market has a lively artistic vibe. Whilst browsing you’ll also stumble upon various street performers to entertain you and discover good value places to eat."
"If you’re into flea markets, then Brick Lane Market will be your favorite destination in London. It is one of the largest markets of its type in the British capital and it sells all kinds of items, from bric-a-brac to clothes and antiques. Here, you can negotiate the prices and leave with a bargain."