Mentioned by A Complete Guide of London | The Shaftesbury Hotels Collection Blog
Best Breweries of London
"Though the bar only opens Thursday to Saturday The Camden Town Brewery has already established a strong standing with London beer connoisseurs, boasting some of the most advanced brewing equipment of any UK micro-brewing company. The impressive range is guaranteed to satisfy any pallet, from their hoppy pale ale to the deeper and stronger stouts. The Camden Town Brewery also offers tours and Beer tasting for the true beer enthusiasts."
"A post shared by Camden Town Brewery (@camdentownbrewery) on Feb 13, 2019 at 4:09am PST. One of the trendier parts of London, Camden is home to plenty of hip bars that serve traditional British booze. Camden Town Brewery (the “Home of Hell’s Lagers”) is where you can see how they’re made."
"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."
"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"
"Located in Elephant and Castle, Mercato Metropolitano is one of the original food halls in London. Enjoy a craft brew outside on their terrace, tuck into a freshly-made pizza on one of the communal tables in the main hall or sneak into the more secluded den and nibble on cured meat and melted raclette whilst sipping on wine."
"A hub of all things eating and drinking, Mercato Metropolitano is an epic food hall in Elephant & Castle. Not only does it have a wealth of vendors catering to all your cravings, but it also has a gorgeous and expansive selection of outdoor spots to choose from."
"It is known as the location of the prime meridian and gave its name to Greenwich Mean Time (GMT) and sits first on the meridian line. The observatory is now maintained as a museum and visitors can learn about the history and discoveries at the observatory, stand on the famous Meridian line, visit Flamsteed House, see a camera obscura, and see the great equatorial telescope. Admission includes an audioguide to make the most of your self-guided visit."
"One of the pioneers of London's craft beer scene, the Meantime Brewing Company was set up in 2000 and the brewery's core beers, including London Lager and London Pale Ale are stocked in hundreds of pubs across the capital. The brewery tours at their sizable site in Greenwich start or finish with a tutored tasting and there's a shop and a bar on site."
"One of the best breweries in London, Meantime Brewing Company are sharing some of their beer knowledge with fellow pint-loving folk during their tours and tastings. Along with a show around of the factory and a look at all the processes needed to make the drinks, you'll also get to enjoy four delicious sips."
"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."
"The brew house offers beers and pale ales as well as ageing sours and dark ales – all in colourful tins aimed at having a lower environmental impact."
"A post shared by Hackney Church Brew Co. (@hackneychurchbrewco). It’s worth heading down to Hackney Church Brew Co. just for the beauty of the industrial building. But while you’re there, sample the range of beers made by its expert brewing team and sit in the beautiful courtyard to enjoy your tipple alfresco."
"Part of the Bermondsey Beer Mile, Anspach & Hobday stands out from the many other breweries just off of Bermondsey Street with its vintage designs and quirky beer flavours. From smoky experiments to your classic stouts and porters, Anspach & Hobday really know how to build a brew."
"Alight at Angel tube station and follow the faint scent of hops towards this hidden gem of a brewery pub. Offering up a relaxed atmosphere and a delicious spread of fresh food, the Brewhouse is probably best known for its extensive array of beer. Settle in, grab a bite to eat and plot a way through an international menu that won't fail to impress."
"Shaws Booksellers might not be the first place that springs to mind when it comes to lunch, but it's time to reassess. While you won't find many hardback books here, this charming St Paul's Pub still has plenty of eccentricities, from Star Wars figurines through to a sturdy British menu."
"Clapton , Hackney"
"Uncomplicated French food in an unpretentious setting is what Luc’s is all about. Think roast hake, entrecôte steak, Toulouse sausages with lentils or a niçoise. An all-French wine-list adds a certain je ne sais quoi."
"Dinner and a show is a classic way to impress a date – but at Otto’s, dinner is the show. The Holborn restaurant is something of a hidden gem favoured by food critics, and its famous dish of canard à la presse – or pressed duck – is a theatrical performance like few others in the capital’s restaurants. The bird is prepared tableside, often by the charmingly eccentric Otto himself, using a silver press to extract the blood (possibly not one for the squeamish)."
"Properly old-school French, Otto's has carved out a niche for itself because of a serious bit of kit called the duck press. This dish sees the breast sliced, then the rest of the duck (bar the legs) pressed in the special screw press giving a juice to which Cognac and duck liver are added before it's poured over the rare slices which finish cooking in the sauce. Both very rich and very pricey but, by all accounts, like nothing else in town."
"Otto’s is somewhat of an institution when it comes to the best French restaurants in London. They do classic French cuisine which is old-school, traditional and deliciously hearty. Dine here if you’re after lobster bisque, foie gras terrine, French rabbit and veal sweetbreads."
"Summer is the best time of year to stop by the Waterlily House, a small, square glasshouse by the Palm House, to see the amazing Santa Cruz waterlilies, lotus flowers and other aquatic plants. The lily pads of the Santa Cruz waterlilies grow up to two metres wide!. Fun fact: the circular pond spans over 10 metres and is dyed black (using a harmless food dye) weekly to stop algae growth"
"The Waterlily House is the hottest and most humid of the houses at Kew and contains a large pond with varieties of water lily, surrounded by a display of economically important heat-loving plants. It closes during the winter months. It was built to house Victoria amazonica, the largest of the water lily family Nymphaeaceae."
"Some highlights include the Palm House, Temperate House, Waterlily House, and Treetop walkway. A trip here offers more than just plants, as you can also visit art galleries, the Great Pagoda, and tour Kew Palace, a former royal residence located within the gardens."
"If you’re familiar with a Monopoly board then you’ll know that Regent Street is a slightly more upmarket area than Oxford Street in which you can spend some money. Tourists to London in particular will appreciate the upscale high street designers and labels that you’ll find here, including Banana Republic and Liberty. This area is also where London’s main Apple Store is and where people queue for hours anytime there is an updated product set for launch."
"The best that the West End has to offer, in terms of shopping, is located on Regent Street. Brands like Anthropologie, Liberty, Hamleys and Apple are available, as well as many other internationally-renowned shops. You can also find second-to-none restaurants, hotels, art galleries and even spas."
"If you like the idea of Indian food, consider Dishoom Carnaby, located on Kingly Street, one block off of Regent Street."
"Built for Michelin between 1905 and 1911 by François Espinasse, and completely restored in 1985, the building blurs the stylish line between art nouveau and art deco. The iconic roly-poly Michelin Man (Bibendum) appears in the exquisite modern stained glass (the originals were removed at the outbreak of WWII and stored in the Michelin factory in Stoke-on-Trent, but subsequently vanished), while the lobby is decorated with tiles showing early-20th-century cars."