Thirteen reasons to love London: long walks, good bookstores, chess-night spectators, a restaurant kitchen worth staring at, and a tiramisu I’d happily declare at customs.
London is my favorite city and possibly the only place where I don’t mind the weather. Rain, grey skies, the occasional five minutes of sunshine — none of it seems to bother me here. In fact, I think London looks rather good under a cloud.
My favorite way to experience London is through its parks, bookstores, and restaurants. Ideally, all three in one day. Give me a book, something good to eat, and a patch of grass to sit on, and I can happily spend an entire afternoon doing very little. I don’t think there’s a better city for it.
Of course, London is also a city where a quick stop at a bookstore can turn into a two-hour detour, where you can walk for miles without running out of things to look at, and where deciding where to eat next is a perfectly legitimate way to organize your day. My Google Maps is getting increasingly difficult to navigate, but I consider that a good problem to have.
This is my London Thirteen: thirteen places, meals, walks, small obsessions, and reasons I keep finding my way back to a city I’m nowhere near finished with.
1 / The coffee I’d start the morning with: Layla Bakery
Few things make me happier than starting the day at a good bakery, and Layla is one of my favorites in London. Their pastries are excellent, the selection changes regularly, and there’s something particularly satisfying about watching the bakers at work while having your morning coffee. I’d recommend arriving early, preferably hungry.
2 / The neighborhood I’d get lost in: Hampstead
Hampstead is where I’d go if I had an entire day to myself and absolutely no intention of being productive. Between the beautiful residential streets, bookstores, and Hampstead Heath, there’s enough to keep you occupied for hours. Heath alone deserves a full afternoon. Bring a book, something to eat, and perhaps a friend who understands that sitting on the grass for three hours is a perfectly respectable activity.
3 / The book I’d pack for the trip: The Nix by Nathan Hill
At over 600 pages, The Nix is an excellent company for the Tube, especially when you’ve inevitably decided to cross the entire city for a restaurant recommendation. Nathan Hill’s novel is funny, clever, and full of wonderfully complicated characters, moving between family drama, politics, and American history. It also happens to be long enough to survive several missed stops, which, knowing me, is useful.
4 / The walk I’d take: From Columbia Road to London Fields
One of my favorite walks in East London. Start on Columbia Road, preferably with no particular destination in mind beyond London Fields, and take your time along the way. A mandatory stop at Donlon Books, where the selection of art books, independent publications, and wonderfully obscure titles makes leaving empty-handed highly unlikely. Eventually, make your way to the park. If the weather cooperates, stay a while. If it doesn’t, stay anyway.
5 / The thing I’d pack in my suitcase if I could: Mateo’s tiramisu at Corner Shop
I <3 Mateo’s Tiramisu!!! It’s exactly the kind of dessert that makes you consider whether bringing a refrigerated container on a flight might be worth the trouble. If anyone has figured out how to transport tiramisu internationally without compromising its structural integrity, please get in touch.
6 / The spot for people-watching: Chess night at Reference Point
I love a good chess night, especially when I’m not the one expected to play. Reference Point is an excellent place to watch people take a board game extremely seriously. The concentration, the subtle rivalries, the spectators who clearly have opinions about every move, it’s all very entertaining. I come for chess in theory, but mostly for the people around it.
7 / The afternoon pick-me-up: Shopping at Turn
Not every afternoon pick-me-up needs caffeine. Sometimes a little shopping does the job just fine. Turn is exactly the sort of place that makes me lose track of time looking at things I hadn’t planned to buy. Turn has such a good eye for curation that I even found the silk hot water bottle of my dreams here, an object I didn’t realize I had such strong feelings about until that moment.
8 / The view I’d keep secret: The smoking patio at Goodbye Horses
The smoking patio at Goodbye Horses is beautiful in its own right, but the moment you sit down, you realize there’s an entire show happening right in front of you. Through the kitchen window, you can watch the chefs at work: the choreography, the concentration, and the occasional chaos that somehow results in dinner. I’ve always found restaurant kitchens endlessly fascinating, and this might be my favorite seat in the house.
9 / The souvenir I’d actually buy: A Christmas ornament from In Bloom & In Habit
Columbia Road is full of things I’d happily bring home, but I’d make a special stop at In Bloom & In Habit for a Christmas tree ornament. We have a family tradition of adding one new ornament to our Christmas tree every year, so I’m always on the lookout for something special. In Bloom & In Habit on Columbia Road has one of the most diverse selections I’ve come across, making it quite difficult to leave with just one.
10 / The table I’d reserve for dinner: Planque
Planque is exactly my kind of dinner spot: thoughtful cooking, excellent wine, and a room that makes you want to stay for another glass long after the plates have been cleared. It’s the kind of restaurant where I’d happily let dinner take up the entire evening. In fact, I generally think that if you have somewhere important to be immediately after dinner, you’ve made a scheduling mistake.
11 / The sweet treat I’d save room for: Ice cream at Tano Gelato
Tano Gelato makes some of the best artisanal gelato I’ve ever had, with the most incredible flavors. The selection changes regularly, and half the fun is stopping by to see what they’ve come up with next. I’ve yet to be disappointed, although choosing just one flavor is becoming increasingly difficult.
12 / The bar I’d end the night in: Hector’s
Hector’s is the sort of wine bar I wish every neighborhood had. Intimate, lively, and very easy to spend an entire evening in. There’s something particularly satisfying about finding a bar where you don’t feel the need to go anywhere else afterward. Order a glass, settle in, and let the evening run its course.
13 / The reason I’d come back: Rochelle Canteen
There are plenty of reasons I’d return to London, but Rochelle Canteen makes a particularly strong case. Hidden away in a former school, with a daily changing menu and one of the most relaxing atmospheres I know, it’s the kind of restaurant that makes lunch feel like the most important appointment of the day. I love not knowing exactly what will be on the menu, and I love even more that whatever it is, I’d probably be very happy eating it in that courtyard.
That’s London, at least for now. Thirteen places are nowhere near enough, but I could probably write thirteen thousand more editions and still find new reasons to love the city.
More guides, more detours, and more unnecessary emotional attachments to places coming soon.
See you next 13th.
