Best Restaurants, Must Try Places in Acton

"If a trip up to the stunning viewing gallery of one of London’s tallest buildings sounds like a pocket drainer, think again. Situated inside a glass oasis at the top of the “Walkie Talkie”, Sky Garden is London’s highest public garden, filled with greenery and boasting panoramic views of the capital. It’s totally free to head up there, but you’ll need to book in advance, with post-lockdown visits starting up again from July 29."

"Sky Garden is on top of one of the skyscrapers found in London. You can visit levels 35 through 37 of the "Walkie Talkie" for free—just make sure to book a ticket in advance."

"Sushisamba London offers a mix of Japanese, Brazilian and Peruvian cuisine on the 38th and 39th floor of Heron Tower, one of our favourite restaurants in the City. The menu features items from a Robata grill, along with a variety of ceviches and tiraditos, sushi rolls and numerous sharing plates. Sushisamba London has two large outdoor terraces, one of which has a stunning copper-coloured tree as a focus point above the bar."

"Situated in one of the city's tallest buildings you find this amazing London rooftop bar and restaurant. Magical views over virtually all of the city, delicious Asian / Peruvian / Brazilian food and a wide selection of creative cocktails and sake are some of the highlights at Sushisamba. Trendy venue where people are well-dressed and the prices quite high, but also offering an experience really out of the ordinary."

"Located on the 38th and 39th floor of the Heron Tower, SushiSamba is quite literally the top of the pops when it comes to sushi restaurants in London. Not only does this classy joint have killer views, but it also has a menu that’ll knock your socks off. Whether you decide to sit inside or out on the terrace, you’re in for a treat."

"At Duck & Waffle the fun begins in the lifts, which feel like you’re shooting up into the sky. One of London’s highest restaurants, it’s located on the 40th floor of the Heron Tower, and being open 24/7 means you can catch the stunning panoramic views whenever you fancy. It’s the kind of place people go to be seen – but it’s smaller and less showy than its sister SUSHISAMBA, which sits a few floors below."

"What: A savoury doughnut – yes it is a thing, and yes it is delicious. The spicy ox cheek doughnut at Duck & Waffle has been a firm fixture on its menu for quite some time and frankly we’re not surprised. This decadent starter is filled with slow-cooked spicy ox cheek, the crispy outer coating is dusted with paprika sugar and it comes served with a generous dollop of apricot jam for good measure."

"Restaurants Contemporary European Covent Garden. The team behind Mayfair’s Kitty Fisher’s have set up another restaurant named in honour of a notorious English courtesan. It’s low-lit and atmospheric: just the place for a midweek date."

"The latest BAO has arrived in Shoreditch and it's something of a departure for the team. This time the main focus is on noodle bowls, inspired by Taiwanese beef noodle shops (but there will be bao buns too)."

"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 Bishopsgate was formed originally of two medieval churches joined together. On the left is the nave of a Benedictine Nunnery, which, in the early 13th century was built onto the existing parish church. The two congregations were then separated by a solid screen (now columns)."

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

"Another of Sir Christopher Wren’s designs from the ashes of the 1666 Great Fire, St Bride’s is the tallest of Wren’s churches after St Paul’s, standing at 69m tall. Located in Fleet Street, it has a long association with newspapers and journalists. It was largely gutted by fire during the Blitz in 1940."

"He is thought to have been inspired by illustrations of the Tower of the Winds in Vitruvius. However, it is best known for its lasting influence on weddings. This originated when a Mr Rich, an 18th-century pastrycook of Fleet Street, modelled his famous wedding cakes on the spire."

"If this church were a computer program, it would be called St Bride’s 8.0. It’s the eighth building on the site just to the south of Fleet Street. It’s another beautiful Wren church in white stone."

"Designed in 1775 for government departments and royal societies – perhaps the world's first office block – Somerset House now contains galleries, restaurants and cafes that encircle a lovely open courtyard and extend to an elevated sun-trap terrace. The Embankment Galleries are devoted to temporary exhibitions (usually related to photography, design or fashion). In summer, the grand courtyard hosts open-air live performances, dancing fountains for kids to cool off in and the Film4 Summer Screen, plus an atmospheric ice-skating rink in winter."

"London is bursting at the seams with historic architecture, but the neo-classical Somerset House is a true standout. Built in the late 1770s, it’s home to art exhibitions, open-air concerts, and 55 sparking fountains. It’s worth a visit in the winter, too: the courtyard hosts one of the world’s best skating rinks."

"Take a day trip to Winchester, where you can visit Winchester Cathedral (the site of Jane Austen’s grave) and Winchester Castle. You can also tour the City Mill or one of the numerous museums and science centres. Return to London for the night."

"The gable and rose window is all that’s left of the medieval palace of the powerful Bishop of Winchester who once ruled south of the river 1"

"Just across from Westminster Abbey are the incredible Houses of Parliament Building, with that iconic clock tower, home to the giant bell – Big Ben. My favourite place to shoot the Houses of Parliament is from the other side of the river, or atop Westminster Bridge. Here you can get some excellent long-exposure shots of passing traffic (try and frame a passing bus if you can!), with the light lines leading your eye to the Houses of Parliament themselves."

"You’ll have to pay to take a tour of the Houses of Parliament, but there are other ways to get in if you just want to look around. Debates in the Commons or Lords have public viewing galleries, which you can queue up for on the day, and you can stay for as long as you like. You can also request tours or a free ticket from your MP but these are very limited."