There’s more to Victoria than just people rushing for their train home, tourists trying to find the bus station or the odd musical theatre production. The neighbourhood is becoming more and more alive and a lot of restaurants are opening up in the area which can get a little overwhelming. So to help sift through it all, I’ve narrowed it down with some of my favourite restaurant picks in Victoria.
Victoria Food Hall
This place, which opened last summer, is a food hall paradise and the perfect spot if you’re looking for a place to eat near Victoria Station. I’ve seen people take their parents (perfect as you can immediately but them back on the train home afterwards) friends (the more friends the more food preferences) and dates (crucial test to see if they’re willing to share their food) there. So far I’ve tried three places:
Super Tacos Al Cartone
When the craving for Mexican food strikes (only every other day!) head to Super Tacos in Market Hall Victoria. So far their steak taco and tortillas are my favourite, but I haven’t yet made my way through the whole menu.
Soft Serve Society
My favourite soft serve place is now also in Victoria! The ice cream comes in flavours like matcha, coconut or good old vanilla that you can top off with strawberry crunch, pocky sticks or salted caramel sauce for the perfect treat.
Monti’s Deli
Another top pick at the Market Hall Victoria is Monti’s Deli, especially the egg and cheese bun, which is pure perfection and a 10/10 would-eat-again. They are apparently also the go-to place for a pastrami bagel, but I don’t think I could order anything else when I can just have another fluffy egg and cheese bun.
In and around the wider Victoria area you’ll also find:
Ole & Steen
Whether you’re after a rye sandwich, salmon salad or Scandinavian-style cakes, Ole & Steen got you covered. But the real reason you venture here is their delicious cinnamon swirl, seriously go in and try – you won’t regret it.
Bleecker Street
American burger lovers … this one is for you. Bleecker Street can do no wrong with their juicy meat, perfect buns, perfect melted cheese and no over the top toppings. The real king of burgers.
Aster for a Prosecco Saturday Brunch
When Aster just opened it had Nordic-French dishes like salmon hot dogs, celeriac and flower cocktails on the menu for a friendly price. Now its turned into your go-to Saturday brunch spot with saver picks like smoked salmon, cauliflower steak and quinoa salads.
Bone Daddies
This ever-expanding chain is the best place to get your ramen slurp on, or if that’s not your bowl, then their poke, bao buns (my fave) and katsu curry are well worthwhile alternatives to chow down on.
Black Sheep Coffee
Did someone say caffeine? From oat latte to coffee smoothies and a classic espresso … When it comes to coffee Black Sheef Coffee has your back.
If that wasn’t enough, you can also find major chains nearby such as the Ivy, Shake Shack, Crosstown Donuts and Wagamama in case you don’t feel like trying something new.
We can all agree that London is beyond photogenic with almost every corner being worthy of a snap. But you can only take so many photos of Tower Bridge, Peggy Porchen and Notting Hill before you get bored. Over the years I’ve stumbled upon some other favourite places that showcase the various faces of the capital – so I thought I’d share my top picks for your next London trip which might also supercharge your Instagram feed.
Seven Dials Market
Food, food, food! The perfect spot for your tastebuds and your Instagram feed is the recently opened Seven Dials Market featuring some of the best London Street Food – including a conveyor belt…for cheese!
Best Time For Picture: Indoors, so anytime
Cost: Free to go inside
Shad Thames
If you find yourself next to Tower Bridge head down the stairs and walk through this historic riverside street that showcases the rawer side of London.
Best Time For Picture: day and evening both have their charm
Cost: Free to visit
Barbican Conservatory
When the weather gets rainy and you’re looking for somewhere indoors to explore, then head to the Barbican Conservatory and explore the different species of trees and plants as well as a special cacti and succulents corner. Only open on Sunday so might need a little planning.
Best Time For Picture: Indoors; avoid the first hour as the light might make your photos too overexposed
Cost: Free to visit, but donation is encouraged
Severndroog Castle
Don’t let the word castle get your hopes up as it’s really only a little tower, but this 18th Century gem hidden in a park in South East London offers a great 360° views of the London skyline.
Best Time For Picture: Day time
Cost: Check website for up to date entrance fees
Phone Boxes LSU
Did you really visit London if you didn’t get a photo in or in front of one of the red phone boxes? There are so many phone boxes, but my favourite ones are near LSU in Bloomsbury.
Best Time For Picture: Day time
Cost: Free to visit
St John’s Gate
St John’s Gate is a Tudor gate dating all the way back to 1504. It used to be the entrance to the Priory’s inner precinct, now it’s the home to the Museum of the Order of St John, where you can learn more about the history of the Order.
Best Time For Picture: Day time
Cost: Free to visit
Tate Britain
Just like several other London museums the Tate Britain is a perfect spot for those who are interested in architecture. Their unique selling point might be the stairs inside the main lobby.
Best Time For Picture: Indoors, so anytime
Cost: Free to visit
Fleet Street
Walking through Fleet Street is a walk down history lane: from the art deco offices to Tudor style pubs and several monuments and statues.
Best Time For Picture: Day time
Cost: Free to visit
Alexandra Palace Theatre
The recently refurbished Victorian theatre is the oldest new theatre in London and every corner is photo worthy. You can only visit it as part of a tour (or to see a show) so keep that in mind before going all the way up the hill.
Best Time For Picture: Indoors, so anytime
Cost: Check website for up to date entrance fees
Mithras Temple
The London Mithraeum houses the remains of the Roman Temple of Mithras and a selection of Roman Artefacts. Do bring your best low-light camera as though it’s atmospheric, it’s very, very dark.
Best Time For Picture: Indoors, so anytime
Cost: Free, but you need to book ahead
Wallace Collection
Just one of those gorgeous historic mansions filled to the brim with 18th and 19th century paintings and grand coloured rooms that will brigthen up your Instagram feed.
Best Time For Picture: Indoors, so anytime
Cost: Free
Green On The Screen
If you’re not interested in spending money on a film you’ll definitely be interested in shooting a photo of exterior of one of the oldest cinemas in the UK.
Best Time For Picture: Evening
Cost: Free, check website for movie screenings and costs
Two Temple House
From Mahogany carvings to a grand staircase and stained-glass windows and ceilings, this is a Gothic Revival heaven. Keep in mind that it’s only open for selected exhibitions, so make sure to check if ahead of time.
Best Time For Picture: Indoors, so anytime
Cost: Check website for up to date entrance fees
Lesnes Abbey Ruins
The stunning ruins of a 12th century Abbey, plus its gorgeous surrounding woodlands, complete with bluebells, are definitely worth the trek to South East London. The added bonus is it’s a popular dog walking destination too.
Best Time For Picture: Day
Cost: Free
Octagon Room at Orleans House Gallery
The Octagon Room was built in the 18th Century to impress the royal guests, and if that’s not their equivalent of Instagram worthy then I don’t know what is. It’s small and all the way in Richmond so you might want to combine it with a walk by the River Thames or Richmond Park.
Best Time For Picture: Indoors, so anytime
Cost: Free
Dogs…they’re a great way to sell products on TV, boost your likes on Instagram, or encourage you to see that latest rom-com, but they’re art appeal goes back further than you might thin.
If you’re after dogs in paintings, then you could do worse than visit the Renaissance section of any portrait gallery! That’s one of the useless things I learned from revisiting London museums and doing the Museum Musings. During these visits I also took some snaps for my friend’s Dogs in Paintings Instagram account and thought I’d share some of my fur-vourites today.
The National Gallery – Probably the place to be, the museum has a pawfect selection of dogs in paintings:
The Wallace Collection – Furtunately for us Mr Wallace collected a lot of portraits with pups:
Victoria & Albert – It’s one of my least favourite museums in London, but I do dig their dogs in paintings catalogue:
Tate Britain – Tate Britain might be a bit dusty and outdated … but their mutts on canvas collection goes on furever:
Today I’m sharing my London Summer Bucket List with all the things I can’t wait to go see and do in possibly the best season of the year.
Go To An Outdoor Movie Screening – Between screenings on a rooftop, in a park or in a Neoclassic courtyard, I’m spoilt for choice for my outdoor film fix!
Staycation in London – More specifically… I’m after a hotel with a magical rooftop pool. The Curtain has one and is reasonably priced, so I’m keeping an eye on it and potential swimwear in mind. Otherwise there is always the good old local Lido.
Eat All The Ice-Cream – Really… a summer isn’t complete without gouging myself on the cold stuff at my favourite ice cream spots as well as discovering new ones. Gelato baby!
Give Kew Gardens Another Try – Happy give this historic greenhouse and garden destination a second chance in the right season. Plus I need to check out Temper House as it was sadly shut when I went before.
Check Out An Exhibition – I haven’t been to an exhibition in months so I’m saving it for a really hot day where I can escape to the museum for all of its air-con loveliness. Right now it’s between Stanley Kubrick at the Design Museum or the Manga Exhibition at British Museum.
Finish the Green Chain Walk – I have two more sections before I finally finish the Green Chain Walk and can grab my medal. Ok, maybe there is no medal, but I will feel more complete – and isn’t that the best reward of all?
Finish That Pile Of Books – There will be rainy days and there will be the weekends before pay day where I can lock my self in the house or garden and escape between the pages.
See the art work at Serpentine – A visit to Hyde Park is never a punishment. Combine it with some free art and possibility for dogspotting and that’s a Sunday afternoon sorted. Maybe go all out and have a picnic of cheese, crackers and wine, of course.
This summer is set to break the record of hottest summer ever (what global warming?) in the UK and this weekend the thermometer exploded past the 30 degrees mark in London. Oxford Street might be too hot and crowded to walk around, a train to the nearest beach might be too expensive or you just might want to escape your boiling hot room. So what do you do when you’re melting in the capital?
Get Wet at the Lido
Go dust off that swimsuit, grab a towel and lather up the sunscreen, and you’re good to splash your way through the day. Some of my favourite and easily accessible outdoor swimming pools include the Serpentine Lido, Hampstead Heath Ponds and Brockwell Lido.
Indulge in Frozen Treats
It’s cold, it’s sweet and it will make things better. There’s Chin Chin Labs, which serves liquid nitrogen ice cream in flavours like tonka bean, strawberry hay and burnt butter caramel. Snow Flake gelato have a guilt-free sorbetto range or perk up your ears to listen out for the ice cream van tunes and bag yourself a classic 99 Flake.
That other Ice
When everything is melting outside, the best thing to do is jump into a fridge, so if you are not into the above-mentioned kind of ice why not go to the Alexandra Palace or Queens ice rink to cool off and show off your moves?
Chill Out at the Movies
I don’t know about you but sometimes on a sunny day all I need is a blockbuster in a cool dark theatre, air-con to the max and a big ‘ole bucket of popcorn and a cold drink of your choice. For art house movies, head to Curzon in Soho or Picturehouse Central and for the blockbusters shimmy on down to the nearest Odeon/Vue multiplex.
Check out Museums and Exhibits
Hot days are perfect for exploring a museum and London’s museums have some amazing collections, exhibits and most of them are free, but most importantly they all have air-conditioning systems -for keeping paintings safe that is, they don’t really care about you. The British Museum and the National Gallery are two of the big ones where you can easily spend hours and hours of discovery.
Enjoy a Cooling Drink on a Rooftop Bar
I have to start with saying that water is of course the essential part of staying cool – either drinking it, swimming in it or pouring directly over your head. But at end of the day why not take in the city skyline with a refreshing cocktail or a cold beer or six in hand. Mondrian London, Frank’s and Netil 360 are some of the best spots to do this.
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The London Mithraeum houses the remains of the Roman Temple of Mithras and a selection of Roman Artefacts. Do bring your best low-light camera as though it’s atmospheric, it’s very, very dark.
