My Favorite (London) Things

Danica Tamura City University, London, England

Date

March 12, 2018

Now that I’ve been in London for nearly two months, I have figured out my way around the city and have also discovered some favorite spots to visit! For this blog post, I’d like to share some of my favorite places I’ve discovered thus far into my study abroad journey! To make things a bit easier, I’ll share a few of my favorite places to eat, hang out, and for my Instagram obsessed friends, most “instagrammable” places! Cheers!

FOOD:

The Breakfast Club

My favorite breakfast spot I’ve been to so far has definitely been The Breakfast Club! This restaurant has multiple locations throughout the city, and all are equally delicious and aesthetically pleasing. I highly recommend their berry pancakes; they are SO delicious!! If berries or pancakes aren’t your thing, do not worry because everything on the menu is great!

Brick Lane Market

Brick Lane Market is the perfect place to go with a group of people who can’t decide on what to eat. There are so many food vendors in one place varying from Italian, Thai, Indian, to Mexican food. The best part about this market is that the vendors offer free samples of their food so before you decide on what to eat, you can try everything and see what you like best!

Bea’s of Bloomsbury

How could I have a food section and not have a place for tea? Bea’s of Bloomsbury is a great place to either pop in for tea and scones, or have a full on set of afternoon tea.  I went to Bea’s with a couple friends for just their tea and scones, and it was delicious!! The scones with clotted cream and jam were absolute perfection. All around, I highly recommend this place! 

HANGING OUT:

Shoreditch

Shoreditch is the perfect place to spend an afternoon with some friends! The hipster vibe of the area reminds of some areas in Downtown LA back at home.  Shoreditch has many cool vintage shops to peruse and tons of awesome places to grab a quick bite!  This area is also the perfect place to take some cool pictures, whether it be of some food or in front of the vast amount of wall art!

Pubs

My friends and I are big fans of going to pubs (literally ANY pub will do) at night to hang out and get a drink! Pubs are a great place to hang out with friends and even make new friends! It is really fun to meet people from all around the world at pubs because that is an experience I just can’t get at home.  Highly recommend going to a pub with friends for a good night out!

Oxford Street

My friends and I often find ourselves on or near Oxford Street many days throughout the week. Oxford Street is the perfect area for shops and food – it has nearly everything!  There are great places to shop for clothing or souvenirs and a wide range of places to eat at!  Around Oxford Street is also the home of many plays showing in London, which is always a fun nighttime activity! 

PLACES TO INSTAGRAM

Peggy Porschen Cakes

This has got to be the most popular place on every girl’s Instagram in London.  Peggy Porschen not only nails their store aesthetic for pictures, but their food is decorated perfectly as well!  With the all pink exterior and interior and beautifully decorated food, Peggy Porschen’s is every girl’s Instagram dream!

Notting Hill

Another favorite place to take pictures at is Notting Hill! Yes, the houses are just as colorful and amazing as seen in pictures online.  The several rows of colorful homes are the perfect backdrop for any picture!

Coffee Shops

As an avid latte drinker, I have been to my fair share of coffee shops in London. Not only are the lattes here amazing, but nearly every coffee shop I walk into is aesthetically pleasing as well. Not in the mood to take a picture of yourself? Well coffee shops are the perfect fix for that. If you look hard enough, some places offer really unique latte art or serve their drinks in the cutest cups!  Some personal favorite coffee places include: Prufrock Coffee, Briki, and Monmouth Coffee Company.

Categories

England Semester