Best Restaurants, Must Try Places in Penn Street

"Located on floor 36 of the iconic Walkie Talkie, the views from the Darwin Brasserie are pretty striking. Although Fenchurch Restaurant – one of Sky Garden’s other offerings – is higher, the Darwin Brasserie has better views thanks to its position further back from the Sky Garden’s atrium roof. A good option if you want to enjoy the sights without the flocks of camera totting tourists."

"Sky Garden is one of the modern but still equally famous attractions in London. Since its opening in 2015 on the 43rd floor of the "Walkie Talkie" building, the Sky Garden has gained a lot of popularity and has become one of London's best gardens to visit. This attraction serves as a public park for visitors on top of a commercial building."

"With its hanging plants, hanging lights, monochrome floors and navy velvet chairs, it’s every millennial’s dream, right?. Behold SUSHISAMBA, the place where Peruvian, Brazilian and Japanese cuisine align to create a unique blend that shouldn’t work, but so effortlessly does. If the food wasn’t enough of a reason to visit, the interiors will draw you in."

"The second venture following the City site, this West End restaurant offers a unique mix of Brazilian, Peruvian and Japanese cuisine. When it's not hosting a swanky celeb-filled party, head to Sushisamba for leafy decor and beautifully plated cooking."

"They say: ‘Celebrating the culture and cuisine of Japan, Brazil and Peru.’. The sweet stuff: A chocolate banana cake (which contains rum and serves four), as well as a hard cake, consisting of yuzu ganache, lychee and cherry mousse."

"A sour, hesitant welcome by a pompous ground-floor doorman made for a bad start to my visit to Duck & Waffle on the 40th floor of the Heron Tower. Once in situ service is still somewhat inconsistent - I found it slow at times, over-attentive at others - but overall the vibe here is relaxed and informal. The destination is more moderately priced than Sushisamba below, the clientele more diverse and the offering more accessible."

"Prior to London being plunged into lockdown, Duck & Waffle was serving its popular brunch menu seven days a week. The menu’s back, but is currently only available between 7am and 5pm on Saturday and Sundays. Which gives you plenty of time to sample some of the destination restaurant’s signature dishes."

"Cracking vistas of the capital's skyline from this 40th-floor restaurant makes it a great place to grab breakfast while you watch the sun come up. Open through ‘till midnight, late night dining is also available."

"Hours:Mon to Fri 1200 – 1500, 1730 – 2300; Sat 1230 – 1530, 1730 – 2300; Sun 1230 – 1530, 1730 – 2230"

"The Book Club & Stories in Shoreditch and Broadway Market respectively serve a special Pancake Day menu, ranging from the wildly sinful sounding ‘Deep Fried Banoffee inspired Pancakes with Salted Caramel Rum Sauce’ to the healthier option of ‘Gluten Free Buckwheat Pancakes’ with coconut yoghurt, berries and pistachios. There are savoury pancakes on the menu too, and Beer and Bacon ‘Mancakes’, whatever they may be. The Book Club, 100-106 Leonard Street, London EC2A 4RH, +44 20 7684 8618"

"Shoreditch’s shabby-chic aura is captured well by The Book Club. On a side street splattered with art murals, its daytime cafe culture gives way to a mob of partygoers as the sun goes down. Framed by whitewashed brick walls and anchored with table tennis, the main lounge is a social spot that’s amplified by a playlist from buzzy new bands."

"Save any face stuffing for The Book Club in Shoreditch this Pancake Day and you'll be greeted by a must-try menu of espresso martini stacks and fluffy pina colada towers. You'll be able to load up on these cocktail-inspired dishes for breakfast, lunch or dinner, with a few treats too."

"El Consteñito tends towards costeña food, the cooking of Ecuador’s Pacific coast. On weekends it’s possible to find acidic bowls of encebollado, a tuna and onion soup often eaten for breakfast, creamy sopa marinera with mixed seafood and peanut sauce, or tsunami — a whole fisherman’s catch of squid, mussels, prawns and fish in thick broth. The more adventurous can try bandita — a hot and cold, surf and turf mix of guatita — honeycomb tripe in peanut cream — served with a ceviche of prawns and swordfish."

"This farm is little further out of London, but a whole day of adventure and fun can be enjoyed here, thanks to a huge array of facilities, besides the friendly animals. There’s indoor soft play at the Bundle Barn, an alpine toboggan run, Dino Dig and Splash play area and an adventure playground. Unlike most of the other city farms in London listed, there is a small entry price for this one (£10) but this includes entry to all indoor and outdoor play areas, activities, animals, bird shows and a tractor ride to the dairy farm."

"A post shared by Georgiebd (@georgie.bd) on May 26, 2018 at 10:23am PDT. Cycle along the paths or take a stroll at Lee Valley Regional Park. Stretching 42km (26 miles) along the river Lee, past Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park and up to Ware in Hertfordshire, there is plenty of opportunity to spot wildlife, relax or play."

"This enormous, ancient parkland is one of the best places to escape the city while at the same time catching an amazing view of it: the vista from Parliament Hill, which forms the southeast part of Hampstead Heath, is so impressive it’s actually protected by law. Elsewhere in the park you’ll find a zoo, three swimming ponds (nominal charge, which is often ignored) and plenty of quiet spots for a back-to-nature-in-the-heart-of-London picnic."

"While it doesn’t have the biodiversity of Kew, Hampstead Heath is a public park that has something else worth taking in—a view. While the woods and ponds are certainly lovely themselves, what really draws people is Parliament Hill, which offers one of the highest natural views of the city. It’s the perfect spot for a picnic to celebrate the day."

"This is a very popular park/green area, as it’s a particularly beautiful spot in London that offers you stunning views of the city. There is a lovely lido too that your children will love swimming in before you find a spot to have the perfect picnic."

"Windsor Great Park stretches south from Windsor Castle almost all the way to Ascot, 7 miles southwest. Accessed via Park St, it covers just under 8 sq miles and holds a lake, walking tracks, a bridleway, gardens and a deer park where red deer roam free. Its 2.7-mile Long Walk, scene of the royal wedding procession in 2018, leads from King George IV Gate to the 1831 Copper Horse statue (of George III) on Snow Hill, the park's highest point."

"Splendidly refurbished in 2010 it was built between 1721-1724 to the designs of John James, as one of the Fifty Churches projected by Queen Anne’s Act of 1711. The reredos is from the workshop of Grinling Gibbons and frames a ‘Last Supper’ painted for the church by William Kent in 1724. The windows contain Flemish glass of the early 16th century from Antwerp."

"The Gunnersbury Park Museum is housed inside a larger tourist attraction: Gunnersbury Park itself. The large mansion on park grounds has become the Gunnersbury Park Museum, which has been open since 1929. The museum highlights local history, archaeology, and art."

"Focusing on the interface of art, science and medicine, this clever and resourceful museum is fascinating. The heart of the museum is Sir Henry Wellcome's collection of medical curiosities (saws for amputation, forceps through the ages, sex aids and amulets etc), which illustrate the universal fascination with health and the body across civilisations. In the Medicine Now gallery, interactive displays and provocative artworks are designed to make you ponder about humanity and the human body."

"The Welcome Collection is a strangely fascinating collection of medical antiquities relating to the historical development of medicine around the globe, founded by the 19th-century collector Henry Wellcome. Nearest tube station: Euston Square and Euston."

"It’s something we all take for granted, but imagine life without it. This exhibition, subtitled ‘the spark of life’, traces this strange force’s origins, its uses, and how it has transformed the planet. Date: until 25th June"