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FT Globetrotter

London
with the FT

From a breakfast of champions to where to drink the capital's new top tipple — and a night in Oscar Wilde’s favourite hotel
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© Shonagh Rae

Our picks

Food and drink, culture, exercise and more

Food and drink

Capital cuppa: FT readers on London’s top coffee spots

Expert espresso? Late-night latte? Here’s where FT readers find a first-rate brew

Things to do

What’s on this winter in London

From Steve McQueen’s schools project to candlelit concerts, here is an at-a-glance guide to events and evenings out

Exercise

Spin city: London’s best indoor cycling classes

Looking for a high-energy cycling fix? FT Globetrotter deputy editor Niki Blasina shares her top places to cleat up and clip in

Things to do

Peggy Guggenheim’s London collection on display

The American collector’s gallery in pre-war London is evoked in a new show that exhibits a selection of works by Jean Arp and Yves Tanguy

Food and drink

Proper breakfasts for protein fiends

From the greasy spoon to the height of luxe, FT food writer Tim Hayward shares his top four spots for a proper English breakfast

Things to do

Bauhaus at the Royal Institute of British Architects

Review: “Interesting, unfamiliar and surprising,” writes Edwin Heathcote, on the new Riba exhibition that shows how Bauhaus architects reshaped conservative 1930s Britain

Jet lag

Six ways to beat jet lag in London

From midnight movies to spectacular sunrises: our guide to the 24-hour city

Food and drink

A new wave of London whisky bars

This autumn sees the launch of a number of new establishments embracing the amber drink. Cheers!

Exercise

The best 5k runs

With routes through the royal parks, quirky canals and along the river Thames, there’s really no need to pound the hotel treadmill. The FT’s Robert Orr shares his top routes

Culture

Gauguin at the National Gallery

Review: Enchanting and multi-layered — where the radical gorgeousness of the art is inextricable from the wielding of white male privilege, writes FT art critic Jackie Wullschlager

Accommodation

Spend the night in Oscar Wilde’s favourite hotel

Review: The Cadogan Hotel, Oscar Wilde’s former haunt, finally reopens after a five-year overhaul. The FT’s Henry Mance checks in

Business travel

An escapist afternoon in London

For business travellers visiting London and in need of an afternoon escape, the FT’s frequent flyer columnist Mike Skapinker shares his favourite green walks

Food and drink

Serious sushi off Oxford Street

Review: Japanese restaurant Kikuchi is an almost perfect sushi restaurant, writes FT restaurant critic Nicholas Lander

Food and drink

A Soho institution for a slap-up lunch

Review: The cooking at L’Escargot, one of the oldest French restaurants in London, has ‘no twists, just unexpected brilliance’, writes FT food critic Tim Hayward

Food and drink

Chef Jason Atherton on his top London eateries

The British chef shares his favourite places for a business breakfast, the best Dover sole in the UK capital and a must-visit Thai grill in Soho

Culture

Olafur Eliasson at Tate Modern

Review: An engrossing, original retrospective of immersive drama, writes FT art critic Jackie Wullschlager

Food and drink

Sublime lobster rolls to get your claws on

Review: ‘No decent soul should ever have to witness what I did to that lobster roll,’ says FT food writer Tim Hayward after a meal at Bob’s Lobster

Food and drink

Beyond beer: the tipple to try right now

A pint-sized guide to London’s cider scene by the FT’s Food & Drink editor, Alexander Gilmour

Food and drink

Catch of the day in central London

Review: Parsons is a quintessentially English fish restaurant, but whatever you do, do not skip dessert, writes FT food critic Tim Hayward

Your city secrets

Top tips from the FT Globetrotter community

Things to do

An oasis of peace

Marian Masar, legal assistant, London, UK

‘Japan House on High Street Kensington is an oasis even on the weekends when most of London’s attractions and museums are overcrowded. There are 3 floors, on the ground floor is a shop with amazing authentic items from Japanese artisans as well as a bookshop and travel centre. Underground is a cultural centre where regular exhibitions take place, and, on the first floor is [Japanese restaurant] Akira, with awesome food and a bar. It’s a mecca for every Japanese enthusiast and an oasis of peace in an otherwise crowded London.’

Things to do

Jazz at Café in the Crypt

Tjasa Luksic, business school graduate, Brussels, Belgium

‘This jazz venue is a de-facto the best underrated secret part of London that I got to experience during my time there. It might sound spooky to attend jam sessions, surrounded by gravestones in a crypt, but it is so much more than that. The original subterranean space was transformed into a cosy café, where you eat & drink in an affordable setting throughout the day. However, it transforms into an intimate, small jazz venue each Wednesday evening, closing down the café for concert attendees. Last time, I went there, the entire space was full of the band's family & friends, with the pianist chatting to the crowd during the break. It felt almost unfair that I didn't know about this place sooner.’

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Talking points

Curated reading from FT Weekend

  1. Brexit

    The point of departure: Lionel Barber on Brexit and beyond

    The FT editor on the forces pulling Britain and Europe apart — and why the wrangling may have just begun

  2. Life & Arts

    The big themes shaping culture in London and New York

    How issues of race, representation, gender and power cross the Atlantic

  3. Pollution

    The London Underground: the dirtiest place in the city

    An FT Investigation found that air pollution on the tube is as much as 10 times above health guidelines set out by the World Health Organisation

  4. Culture

    Is London’s club scene really under threat?

    Some venues are closing, but festival-style events and grassroots parties are flourishing

  5. Lunch with the FT

    Daily Mail chief Geordie Greig

    The tabloid editor on making headlines, changing tack on Brexit — and Meghan and Harry’s relationship with the press

  6. Culture

    How darts became a fashionable night out

    Old-style games with a modern twist are hitting the bullseye with a new generation

  7. Lunch with the FT

    Chef Fergus Henderson of St John

    The ‘nose to tail’ eating pioneer on ‘Gucci food’, Jamie Oliver and his surprising LA outpost

  8. Lunch with the FT

    The City’s zaniest financier Pierre Lagrange

    The maverick hedgie talks to FT Weekend editor Alec Russell about making suits badass, the case for capitalism — and coming out at 48

  9. Transport

    What drives London’s women black cab drivers?

    Only 546 of the UK capital’s 23,000 cabbies are women. Somewhere between pollsters and therapists, they have a style all of their own

  10. Culture

    Simon Schama interviews artist Antony Gormley

    The British sculptor talks about his ambitious new show at London’s Royal Academy of Art

  11. Technology

    How London became a global tech hub

    Why entrepreneurs say capital has flourished — despite lukewarm support from Downing Street

  12. Lunch with the FT

    Veteran banker Sir Win Bischoff

    The financier dines with FT’s Patrick Jenkins to talk steering Citigroup and Lloyds through crisis —  and where the next storm could hit

  13. Lunch with the FT

    Vitol’s Ian Taylor

    The chairman of the biggest independent oil trader sits down with Lionel Barber to talk deals with dictators, drinks with Fidel — and the art of living dangerously