When you’re living it up in one of the most vibrant capital cities this planet has ever seen, you don’t want to be going hungry when there are amazing places to eat and many treats to taste. So, at GoHen, we’ve been trawling the capital to route out the 21 best places to grab a delicious bite. Sweet, savoury and liquid, we sampled them all for you. You’re welcome.
So c’mon ladies, ditch the boring coffee chain stores and discover something a little bit WOW!
Sweet Treats
Milk Train Café
All aboard! Our tour of London’s tasty treat joints has begun, and the first stop is all kinds of fab! The Milk Train Café is as quirky as it gets, and they have an amazing range of sweet treats to tantalise the taste buds. Ever fancied a soft whip of ice cream nestled on a bed of candyfloss, propped up on a wafer cone? Maybe you’ve never thought about it, but now you want it to don’t you?!
12 Tavistock Street, WC2E 7PH
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Flavourtown Bakery
This multi-award-winning bakery has treats galore. The guys at Flavourtown reckon their cupcakes will make you go ‘weak at the knees’ and while we can’t speak on behalf of everyone, we certainly had trouble standing afterwards because they were so damn delicious (mostly because we wanted to stay for more). The Princess Betty Funfetti Cupcake was the culprit, the tasty little minx. Packed full of flavour and packed full of fun!
771 Fulham Road, SW6 5HA
Crosstown Doughnuts
Dough-M-G, Crosstown know their way around a doughnut and you knead to get on down there. Ok, we’ll stop with the dreadful puns, but in all seriousness the doughnuts are incredible. As well as classics and seasonal selections they boast a range of doughnuts we’d wager you wouldn’t have believed could exist. We’re talking Vegan Lychee & Gooseberry, Matcha Tea, Roasted Peach Dough Bites. All sorts of nom.
Various locations (Soho, Shoreditch, Piccadilly)
Yolkin
The guys at Yolkin have taken the traditional macaron and elevated it to a whole new level of “Get in my belly!” They have broken down the fabric of everything we know about this sweet delight and reinvented it big style. They have extended the distance between the two outer edges and chocked it full of ice cream. That’s right, a macaron ice cream sandwich! Trailblazers, pioneers, innovators.
24 Rupert Street, W1D 6DQ
Palm Vaults
If you’re partial to consuming your chocolate in liquid form you’re going to want to head on down to the Palm Vaults – a quirky Hackney café – which serves up five types of hot chocolate. “Five?!” You ask as you try to count five chocolate combinations on your hand. Yep, they have ‘warm’, ‘smooth’, ‘dark’, ‘palm’ (a magnificent blend of white chocolate, oat milk and beetroot which gives it a vibrant pink tinge) and ‘turmeric’ which contains, well, turmeric!
411 Mare Street, E8 1HY
Basement State
Spawned out of two friend’s passion for delicious desserts, incredible drinks and love for music, Basement State is a great little place to escape the fast-paced London lifestyle and settle down for a cocktail and something sweet. Their Strawberry & Rhubarb sponge cake goes down a treat with a Provence cocktail and there are loads of other marvellous pairings to choose from.
8 Broadwick Street, W1F 8HN
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BubbleWrapWaffle
‘The first bite is crispy, then the softness inside the bubbles will melt in your mouth…’ We saw this and had to pay them a visit. The guys at BubbleWrapWaffle don’t half know their way around a freshly made waffle. They’ve been setting trends since day one and they specialise in putting a large dollop of gelato in a waffle wrap with a whole host of personalised toppings.
24 Wardour Street, W1D 6QJ
Savoury Treats
The Ginger Pig
Is there anything better than a sausage roll as a savoury snack? We’re not talking about those pathetic, tepid, supermarket ones which are frankly a disgrace to sausagekind, or any of that vegan nonsense, we’re talking proper meat-filled rolls made by the pros. At the Ginger Pig, you can get yourselves the real deal. Not only do they do an unbelievable classic roll they also do a delicious Pork & Stilton and an amazing Spicy Lamb roll.
Various locations (Borough Market, Hoxton, Abbeville Road, Wanstead)
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HipChips
This one is a true mindblower. A veritable crisp revolution is taking place and these guys are at the heart of it all. HipChips is a crisp bar and it is the bomb. The guys here create hand-crafted potato crisps which are truly superb. You can pick everything from your crisp seasoning to the types of dip. Warning: you may never want to leave, but the good people who work here do need to go home at some point.
49 Old Compton Street, W1D 6HL
Burger and Beyond
When you’re in the grand old town of Londinium, checking out the street food is an absolute must and the guys at Burger and Beyond go above and beyond to bring you some of the tastiest treats we’ve ever laid eyes on. One look at them and you’ll know what we’re talking about. Why be dragged to the golden arches (boooo!) when you could head on down to the vibrant Camden Market for one of these bad boys?!
Various locations (Camdens Assembly, Camden Market, Street Feast Public)
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Oli Baba’s
Out of the way sliced bread, there’s a new greatest thing in town. Oli Baba’s claim to be ‘the original creators of Halloumi Fries’ and, frankly, if they are, take our money, take whatever, we’re putting these guys forward for a knighthood. Get Lizzie down there now for some grub and she’ll do it on the spot. This taste sensation will ruin normal fries for you because they’ll never live up to the high standards set by these guys.
Camden Market
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Daddy Donkey
The original home of Mexican street food in London, we don’t acknowledge them because they were first, we acknowledge them because they are one of the best in the business. If you’re looking for a burrito, what Daddy Donkey will rustle will make all other burritos seem like tasteless bites of sadness. They put the Don in Donkey and they put amazing fillings into every wrap.
50b Leather Lane, EC1N 7TP
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Homeslice
If you’re busy bouncing around the capital, you may not want to pitch up to tackle an entire pizza no matter how delicious they are (and they are!). Well, you’re in luck, the lovely folks at Homeslice have people like you in mind and they serve pizza by the slice. These are proper slices, too, not little slithers that wouldn’t fill up a baby hamster. Grab a seat, grab a slice, or two, or three, “Oh just give me the whole thing!”
Various locations (Marylebone, White City, Neal’s Yard, Fitzrovia, Shoreditch, Queen Street)
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Club Mexicana
In Club Tropicana drinks were free, but could they whip up incredible Mexican-inspired cuisine? I think not. Get me to Club Mexicana any day because they’ll sort you out with some Latin American flavours which will make you question your national allegiance. Their Mexicana Fry Up will make you want to ditch a full English faster than you can knock back a tequila. Out of the way Wham, there’s a new club in town.
Various locations (Shoreditch, The Spread Eagle, Netil Market)
Liquid Treats
First Aid Box
Just what the doctor ordered – a delicious cocktail in a funky venue. Now, this is London. No one said a tasty treat couldn’t come in liquid form so we’re changing the game. The lovely guys at First Aid Box know their way around a cocktail and produce some delightfully quirky beverages. The Who Framed Roger Rabbit cocktail is a favourite and their Watermelon G&T is next level refreshing.
119 Dulwich Road, SE24 0NG
Winemaker’s Club
A spectacular little venue to enjoy a glass of vino, the Winemakers Club are passionate about their wines and what they don’t know isn’t worth knowing. They source top quality, organic and biodynamic wines from all over the globe to bring some of the best-hidden gems to our fair shores. You can buy by the glass so you can enjoy a wide range of stunning wines as you bask in the fab atmosphere and rustic décor.
41a Farringdon Street, EC4A 4AN
Prufrock Coffee
We couldn’t have a list of tasty treats and not tap into London’s famous coffee scene. The joyous people at Prufrock Coffee are the masters of the coffee bean, so much so they launched a barista training centre in central London to train up the next generation of enthusiasts in the fine art of coffee creation. So, it goes without saying their café serves the highest quality coffees.
23-25 Leather Lane, EC1N 7TE
The London Gin Club
This is our kind of club! Is there anything more refreshing than a delicious G&T after a long old day at work?! As you may have noticed we love a trailblazer and these guys slide right on into that category as they were London’s first dedicated gin bar and they offer it all, from your classic gin and tonic to delightful cocktails. If it involves gin, you can count us in!
22 Great Chapel Street, W1F 8FR
Good & Proper Tea
With the coffee explosion slowly taking over, the guys at Good & Proper Tea are making a stand and leading the fightback from the nation’s favourite drink! They deal in proper tea, none of this cheap excuse for tea that produces murky drain water, which seems to have invaded our shops and our homes over recent years. Good and proper tea for good and proper people.
96 Leather Lane, EC1N 7TX
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Drink, Shop & Do
Time to get fizz-ical. If you’re looking for a glass of something bubbly to punctuate that fab shopping trip in the capital, you’re going to want to pop into the funky Drink, Shop & Do. We’d recommend getting your shopping done first, though, because once you arrive you won’t want to leave. Then it would be Drink, Drink & Do, but after the two drinks you probably won’t want to Do, and then before you know it, it’s Drink, Drink & Drink.
9 Caledonian Road, N1 9DX
Trailer Happiness
If this list of tasty treats has to end, we’re going out with a bang, with an award-winning cocktail bar with a Tiki twist. The tropical vibe penetrates their cocktails and they are truly outstanding. The drinks are a tasty treat, the vibe is a tasty treat, the whole thing is one giant Polynesian tasty treat and we can’t get enough. G&T lovers will adore the Supersonic Tiki Tonic, but there’s plenty on offer to satisfy all tastes.
177 Portobello Road, W11 2DY
