Andaz London Liverpool Street. At home in a Victorian-era redbrick edifice, the ultra-mod boutique hotel boasts an impressive line-up of diverse in-house eateries. Whether you’re indulging in a proper English breakfast at the ultra-elegant 1901, savouring a casual brunch of croque madame or ricotta and blueberry pancakes at the Eastway Brasserie, taking in sushi and sake at Miyako, there’s something for every taste and mood. With the hotel as your base, set off to explore London’s East End, with its diverse culinary and cultural highlights close at hand. Visit londonliverpoolstreet.andaz.hyatt.com
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London’s East End.
Columbia Road Flower Market
Columbia Road Flower Market. 15 minutes by taxi. Sunday morning on Columbia Road is a riot of leaves, fronds, blooms and bouquets lined by more than 60 art galleries, antique shops, bakeries and funky independent cafes. Don’t miss the retro clothes and homeware at Vintage Heaven, and the fabulous thin-crust pizzas at Stringray Globe Cafe.
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London’s East End.
Duck & Waffle
Duck & Waffle. Two minutes on foot. The weekend Night Tube has given London 24-hour cred and the Duck & Waffle’s bare-brick chic is a key part of the capital’s coolest up-all-night eatery, with sweeping views across the city and a menu heavy on high-end comfort food. An ox-cheek doughnut at 3am here is a nigh-on-essential nocturnal London experience. Visit duckandwaffle.com
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London’s East End.
Happiness Forgets
Happiness Forgets. 15 minutes by taxi. Known as the ‘bar for bartenders’ who have a night off, Alastair Burgess’s low-lit, seductive bar space has a reputation par excellence for unpretentious, toothsome cocktails, made at lighting speed and served up alongside Thai-style nibbles. The bar’s no-nonsense vibe is summed up in its motto: ‘great cocktails, no wallies’. Visit happinessforgets.com
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London’s East End.
Redchurch Street
Redchurch Street. 15 minutes on foot. This most humble looking of East End streets has become a veritable hit parade of design stores and boutique cafes. Take your pick from the bespoke homeware inside Monologue, browse the impeccably sourced design accessories at Modern Society and finish off with a sublime flat white at Allpress Espresso.
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London’s East End.
OSLO
OSLO. 20 minutes by taxi. Inside an old railway station lies this multi-faceted Hackney game-changer. The cavernous environs play host to a gig venue, a bar serving up craft ales and Scandi-style smorgasbords and sliders. The main restaurant is a full New Nordic celebration featuring the likes of ‘polse’ – Norwegian sausage with beetroot and sourdough. Visit oslohackney.com
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London’s East End.
Sager + Wilde Paradise Row
Sager + Wilde Paradise Row. 15 minutes by taxi. Where to start in this triple-headed venue? The cocktail lounge specialises in Old Fashioneds, the wine bar does a stellar line in organic vinos and the restaurant delivers serious creativity with the likes of crab porridge and skewered cockles. Not a place for a rushed bite to eat, Sager + Wilde Paradise Row offers thrills for an entire evening. Visit sagerandwilde.com
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London’s East End.
The Marksman
The Marksman. 15 minutes by taxi. Tom Harris and Jon Rotheram are darlings of the London food-blog set and the low-frills restaurant decor ensures the focus stays firmly on the short yet perfectly formed menu. New takes on native ingredients abound here with recent delights including beef and barley bun with horseradish, brown-butter tart and mutton-neck curry. Visit marksmanpublichouse.com
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London’s East End.
The Barbican Centre
The Barbican Centre. 15 minutes on foot. The largest performing-arts centre in Europe may not be to everyone’s architectural tastes. But this concrete behemoth hosts an ambitious programme of music, visual arts, movies and plays. And there’s a colossal conservatory on site which is open for non-residents to explore at weekends. Visit barbican.org.uk
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London’s East End.
Sagardi London
Sagardi London. 15 minutes on foot. With an oak-burning grill, ‘pintxos’ bar and a butcher’s counter, Sagardi excels at making diners feel as though they’ve just walked into a back-street Basque canteen. Bone-in steaks, grilled turbot and baby squid are all cooked in a gutsy, unpretentious style in an atmosphere that matches the best blue-collar haunts of San Sebastián. Visit sagardi.co.uk
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London’s East End.
The Book Club
The Book Club. 10 minutes by taxi. This subterranean hangout is a stalwart of the East London scene, but age has done nothing to dull its subtle, kooky charms, which begin at 8am with fulsome cooked breakfasts and carry on through the daytime and evening. Pitch up at any time and be prepared to step into anything from a dance class to a ping-pong tournament. Visit wearetbc.com
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London’s East End.
Red Rooster
Red Rooster. 10 minutes on foot. A genuine slice of Harlem in East London, this sister to the NY original brings some unabashed hedonism across the Atlantic. Authentic soul food (short ribs, meat balls, shrimp and grits) is served up alongside live music most nights and a décor that is, depending on your tastes, either junk-store fodder or pure vintage heaven. Visit thecurtain.com
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London’s East End.
Wilton’s Music Hall
Wilton’s Music Hall. 15 minutes by taxi. Approaching its 160th birthday, the venerable Wilton’s continues to evolve. Theatre, dance, opera and family shows dominate an eclectic events roster but the building itself, and bar, are worth a visit just to bask in the uniquely atavistic atmosphere amid the exposed brickwork, old gas lamps, hanging baskets, fireplaces and beautiful mosaics. Visit wiltons.org.uk
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