London (Fodor's 2012) - Fodor's [101]
MUSICAL FOOD
It’s hard to hear yourself speak, and the food is a bit pricey, but everyone enjoys the 1950s bohemian scene, live music, and poetry readings at the Troubadour (263–267 Old Brompton Rd., Chelsea | SW5 | 020/7370–1434 | www.troubadour.co.uk), a restaurant, coffee shop, and music venue. The site of Bob Dylan’s first London gig and previously host to Led Zepplin and Jimmy Hendrix, this place is where latter-day bohemians lounge around and dine on breakfasts, burgers, pastas, omelets, and strong coffee. Nearby off King’s Road, there’s more live music at the 606 Club (90 Lots Rd., Chelsea | SW10 | 020/7352–5953 | www.606club.co.uk), where you can dine on grilled sea bass with fennel, or Welsh lamb and gravy while enjoying up-close-and-personal live jazz sessions in an intimate basement setting.
SPOTLIGHT ON NOTTING HILL AND BAYSWATER
World renowed Notting Hill's trendy atmosphere, designer shops, and oh-so-hip residents, and nearby Bayswater's ethnic eateries, entice Londoners and travelers in droves.
Notting Hill has a reputation as one of London's more fashionable neighborhoods, with numerous boutiques, chic cafés, pâtisseries and restaurants, buzzing bars, and the famous Portobello Road Market's collection of antiques shops, vintage-clothing stands, and delicious food stalls. The gentrification of Notting Hill has led to hordes of bankers and high flyers moving to the area, and hence prices are stratospheric. If you are in London at the end of August, be sure to check out the revelry and fanfare of the multiethnic Notting Hill Carnival street parade—a celebration of West Indian culture.
Bayswater is seedier, more transient, and known for its diversity. This neighborhood's main artery, Queensway, boasts some of the best cheap ethnic restaurants in London. Here, the Greek, Indian, Chinese, and Persian restaurants are all cheek by jowl. Affordable accommodation and shops are plentiful here, making this a popular destination for visitors.
SNACKING SPOT
Portobello Road Market is one of London's most popular outdoor street markets. Get there early on Saturday morning (the market is open 8 am–6 pm) to beat the crowds. Peruse the antiques and vintage clothes, and when you've built up an appetite, head to the north end of the market for snacks. You'll find fresh fruit and vegetable stands, bakeries, olive and cheese purveyors, and numerous hot food stalls peddling sweet and savory crepes, hamburgers, wraps, bagels, paella, fried prawns, noodles, and kebabs.
How to get there: Take the Tube to Ladbroke Grove or Notting Hill Gate station and follow the signs (and crowds).
GASTROPUB TOUR
These upscale pubs specialize in high-quality, innovative fare in a low-key bar setting. The Cow (89 Westbourne Park Rd., Notting Hill | W2 | 020/7221–0021 | www.thecowlondon.co.uk) is one of the best-known gastropubs in London. Eat oysters or prawns and down a Guinness at the stylish bar or head upstairs to the slightly more formal dining room. Over the road, the Westbourne (101 Westbourne Park Villas, Notting Hill | W2 | 020/7221–1332 | www.thewestbourne.com) attracts a boho-chic good-looking set and serves hearty regional food and rustic dishes, with specials like cuttlefish with capers, and roast pheasant with bacon. Lauded Italian eatery Assaggi (1st fl., 39 Chepstow Rd., Notting Hill | W2 | 020/792–5501 ) sits above the Chepstow pub and fine regional dishes like stuffed squid and grilled sea bass. The quintessential Ladbroke Arms (54 Ladbroke Rd., Notting Hill | W11 | 020/7727–6648 ) is an upmarket Sloaney neighborhood gastropub with