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Today, Condé Nast Traveler’s Sarah Allard audits some of the internet's most recommended destinations in London and weighs in on whether there are other spots people should try instead. What’s the city’s best bakery? Where is the best spot for a pint or cocktail? Sarah shares her local's guide to the perfect London experience.
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00:00Hi, I'm Sarah Allard, London local and travel expert.
00:03Now the internet has plenty to say about what you should do when you're in my city,
00:06but not all advice is made equal.
00:08I'm here to take you beyond the tourist traps to the places that make London actually special.
00:25I feel like the cafe and bakery culture in London has,
00:28particularly over the last five years, just gone crazy.
00:31You can absolutely expect to see people queuing for
00:35maybe even up to an hour at their favorite bakery now.
00:38Let's see where the internet recommends we get some pastries.
00:41So I'm actually seeing quite a lot of afternoon tea.
00:44Afternoon tea is a great shout, but it's not really something that
00:47a lot of us London locals tend to do.
00:50I might go for afternoon tea maybe if my mum is visiting.
00:52The Ritz is probably the most iconic spot that you can go.
00:55But if you really want to get yourself immersed in local life,
01:00then I would totally recommend a bakery.
01:06How are you?
01:07I'm good, how are you?
01:08I'm good, thanks.
01:09I'd love a maritotsi, thank you.
01:15This is a maritotsi.
01:17So this is the reason why I love Forno and I think it's the best bakery in London.
01:22When you're in Forno, I feel like you see every type of Londoner.
01:25There's people that have just come in from a run.
01:27There's parents with kids.
01:28You've got people working, people meeting up, having a chat.
01:35What do you think makes Forno so popular?
01:38Why do you think you get these insane cues?
01:41I think part of the appeal is seeing the bakers create the goods in front of you.
01:47People are always taking photos like walking to the bathroom.
01:50We see them like sneakily pull out their phone.
01:53Well, the maritotsi we're like making all day long because we just sell out.
01:57Amazing.
01:57So we always have the buns ready to fill with cream throughout the day.
02:01A maritotsi is basically like a bready bun?
02:06Brioche, yeah.
02:06Brioche bun.
02:07And then we make a chantilly which is a sweetened whipped cream and we just fill that in the center.
02:12So what do you reckon is like the maximum number of maritotsis you've made in a day?
02:16I think easily like 300 to 400.
02:19Oh my gosh.
02:20I don't know how you're supposed to eat one because is there a technique to eating one?
02:25Like no, but I've seen every way here.
02:28I've seen people like tackle it with a knife and fork.
02:30Some people just go for it.
02:32Okay.
02:32I don't think there is like a one way, but I really enjoy watching the customers struggle with it.
02:37So there's really no pretty way to eat this, but I'm just going to go for it.
02:42So good.
02:51So London is often referred to as the big smoke,
02:53but it's actually one of the world's largest urban forests.
02:56So let's see where the internet suggests that we go.
02:59Okay.
02:59I'm seeing a lot of Hyde Park, Hyde Park, Hyde Park.
03:04And you know what?
03:04Hyde Park is amazing.
03:06It's iconic park right in the center of the city.
03:08It's huge, but you won't find many locals there.
03:11Where you will find locals is somewhere like Hampstead Heath.
03:14Hampstead Heath isn't exactly a secret, but what you might not know about is this hidden structure
03:19tucked away in plain sight called the pergola.
03:22And it's just covered in these beautiful vines and flowers.
03:25And on a day like today, it's just beautiful.
03:28So there's a lot of different information out there about what this actually started life as.
03:35And some say that it started life as a pleasure garden in the 20th century for London's high society,
03:41which I kind of love.
03:42You can, when you're here, you can just imagine people swanning around, having drinks, chit chatting.
03:48I love to think of it as that.
03:50Bearing in mind we're in the city, it's so quiet here.
03:54And you actually really feel like you're in nature.
03:56I can just hear the birds singing.
03:58You kind of get the little buzz of insects now and then.
04:01It's so peaceful.
04:03And the smell of the flowers, I wish you could smell it.
04:05It's just absolutely amazing.
04:09One of the reasons I love the Heath so much is that you get these incredible views
04:13that you just don't get from the tourist traps.
04:15London Eye, I'm looking at you.
04:16The people watching here is so good.
04:19And if you're lucky, you can actually spot the odd celebrity or two.
04:22I've actually heard that Harry Styles walks his dog through here.
04:29When it comes to art and culture, London is hard to beat.
04:32Our history, combined with how multicultural London is,
04:35creates this incredible creative scene that people come from all over the world to experience.
04:39Let's see what the internet says we do for a bit of culture.
04:41I've seen the British Museum, Tate Modern, the National Gallery,
04:46all really great options.
04:47But if I had an afternoon to spend somewhere for a bit of culture,
04:51I would come to the Wallace Collection.
04:52It's super central.
04:53We're just moments from Oxford Circus here.
04:55So it's a really busy part of town,
04:57but actually you wouldn't know it from where we are right now.
05:00And it does feel like a bit of a hidden spot.
05:03First of all, the gallery itself is so beautiful.
05:05And that's before you've even got to the art on the walls.
05:08It's home to one of the most impressive fine art collections in the world.
05:12Some of this stuff dates back to the 14th century.
05:15And one of the best parts about it, like a lot of the galleries in London,
05:18is that it's actually completely free to just come in and wander around.
05:22The vibe of the gallery is so peaceful.
05:25You genuinely feel like you've snuck into someone's home,
05:27like you're looking at their private art collection.
05:30I like to come here in the afternoons.
05:31You often find that you might have the place to yourself, just like I do now.
05:35I feel like every time I come here, I discover something new.
05:38There's just so much to see.
05:40Now, I don't believe in ghosts,
05:42but it is said that some of the paintings here are haunted.
05:44I'll let you tell me which ones you think might be.
05:46I don't think it's any secret that us Londoners love a drink.
05:55We are so spoilt for choice when it comes to amazing pubs, amazing bars.
06:00And the absolute best thing we love is drinking a pint in the sunshine.
06:04In fact, someone's even invented an app where you can track exactly which pubs have sun
06:09at exactly what time.
06:10So let's see where the internet thinks that we should go for a drink.
06:13So I'm seeing a lot of pubs in central London.
06:17The ones in central London are really, really good.
06:20But I think that coming to East London,
06:22you're going to have a far more authentic experience
06:25of what it's like to be a local in London.
06:27My top recommendation would be to come to Satan's Whiskers in Bethnal Green.
06:34So today I'm going to be joined for a drink by my friend Hannah.
06:37So Hannah is an amazing drinks writer.
06:39She's been writing about drinks for about six years at Bean.
06:43Yeah.
06:43And now I've got a really exciting gig writing for The Guardian.
06:45Yeah, as the drinks critics at everything from wine to beers to buzz balls.
06:49And cocktails.
06:50What a job.
06:51Thank you so much.
06:52Thank you so much.
06:53This is the menu of today.
06:54I kind of want to start with something sparkling.
06:56I love anything 75 and I also love cognac.
07:03Thank you so much.
07:04Of course.
07:06Cheers.
07:07It's so good to see you.
07:09How is it?
07:10Oh, it's a lot stronger than I thought it was going to be,
07:12which obviously because it's got cognac in it.
07:14What do you think it is about Satan's Whiskers that the locals love so much?
07:19Well, I feel like you've kind of already answered the question.
07:21Like this is a bar that is for locals.
07:24I mean, when we were up at the bar and we kind of noted that the menu is something
07:28that changes absolutely every single day.
07:30That was something because when it opened 13 years ago,
07:32like no one was drinking cocktails in Bethnal Green.
07:35Yeah.
07:35And the daily changing menu gave locals a reason to come back.
07:39And since then they've won like pretty much every single award there is to be one
07:42if you're a bar in London.
07:43I've actually come here before and I've been sitting at the bar
07:47and someone's literally challenged me and said,
07:48okay, give me four ingredients that you like and I'll make you something.
07:51And there aren't many places in London where you can get that.
07:53Tell me a bit about like the drinking scene in London,
07:55how it's changed since you've been writing about drinks.
07:59Do you think that there's been a bit of a move away from super experimental types of cocktails?
08:05I always get asked at the start of the year about drinks trends for the rest of the year.
08:09And I think that the idea of trends, like whether it's in hospitality or food or drink or even fashion,
08:16it's this idea that it's kind of like out with the old, in with the new.
08:20But I think the thing that I love the most about London drinkers and drinking establishments
08:24is like the sheer variety.
08:25Yeah.
08:26And just because you, I don't know, for example, get into clarifying tomato cocktails,
08:29it doesn't mean that you're going to completely forget about orange wine or
08:33kind of like a dirty martini with blue cheese.
08:36Tastes are constantly expanding, evolving.
08:38And I think it's such a treat to be part of such an experimental and diverse drink scene.
08:46So whenever I'm traveling, going to a market in that place is one of my absolute favorite things to do.
08:52I think you really get to know the culture and the people really well.
08:55And I have to say that London does markets the best.
08:59Let's see what the internet thinks is the best market in London.
09:02So I'm seeing a lot of mentions of Borough Market and Camden as well.
09:08I love Borough Market.
09:09It's so iconic and there's some really incredible food places there to try,
09:13but it can be quite touristy and it gets super busy.
09:16I'd much prefer to hop on my bike and come here to Broadway Market.
09:21I absolutely love Broadway Market.
09:22It is definitely one of my favorite places to come at the weekend,
09:26but you'll find it's going to be bustling every day of the week.
09:29It's always full of interesting people and there are some really good snacks around.
09:33The shopping here is also really good and I feel like every time I come away from
09:36Broadway Market I have something that I didn't know that I even needed.
09:42One of my favorite stops on Broadway Market has to be the Broadway Bookshop.
09:46I come in here all the time and you can just get lost in here for ages and ages.
09:51Yes, we get lost a bit sometimes too if we get stuck on doing a bit of shelving and it's really
09:57satisfying sort of arranging everything. During the week we usually have our locals and we've got
10:04locals who've been coming for the whole 20 years and some of them have been you know crawling about
10:09on the floor when they first came in and now they've got jobs and girlfriends and boyfriends and
10:14stuff and they come in. It's really nice. The market is sort of bustling with every kind of
10:20world street food you can get. I just love bustle and I love people. That's why London's so wonderful.
10:26Everybody can just be who they are in London.
10:34I think people think that British food is boring and bland. Maybe they just associate London with like
10:39fish and chips which I love but it's certainly not something that we eat every day. So let's see
10:44where the internet thinks we should be eating today. So I'm seeing a lot of pubs, a lot of chippies,
10:49some actually really good recommendations but my top choice for eating in London has to be St John.
10:58Today I'm so excited because I'm going to be there with a restaurant icon,
11:02Trevor Gulliver himself. Wow, this is a this is a strong start to the day.
11:07Oh yes. What do we have here Trevor? This is a Fagroni.
11:17They're very strong but they are so good. It's just so refreshing
11:21and it just pairs perfectly with the meal that we're about to have.
11:27So we have got rose bone marrow with a parsley salad and it just looks incredible. I mean there's
11:33no dish in London like this but I have to admit I don't think I know the proper way to eat it.
11:37So Trevor could you show us how you're supposed to? Yeah I would take that with your fingers.
11:42You go for it as well. I'm just a bit of a beginner. I'm just going to get it all out there.
11:48Oh wow okay. You take the wet salt. Okay. Palsy salad, very simple.
11:53As good as it ever is. Yeah cheers to that.
12:04What we have now is another one of my favorites. Welsh rarebit which is absolutely delicious.
12:09What's the history behind this one Trevor? Tell us a little bit about this. I'm going to dig in
12:12because I'm starving. I'm going to tell you what to do so. Oh yeah please do. Okay.
12:15Good idea is you score the canals so you can do it diagonally. Be positive and then you take your
12:22Liam Perrins, I should say Worcestershire sauce, and just tip it so it runs down the canals.
12:28And then I would suggest that you could cut that into slices or fingers like shirzies. Yeah. So what we
12:34would invariably do is just slice it. Once whoever did the honors. Rarebit fingers, I like it. We would
12:41slice it in the rarebit fingers and munch it. If you're having a glass of good cider at the bar or
12:47whatever. It's just so comforting. The first time I came here I smelt the madeleys and it almost made me
12:55cry. It just really reminded me of like being at home. It's just so buttery and comforting and this is
13:01another of the dishes that so many people associate with coming to St. John. Can you tell us a bit
13:06about where the madeleynes came from? Why madeleynes? Madelines are a finish. They're a thank you.
13:14You don't have to finish them. Put them in a bag. Take home. Do you have madeleynes every day? No,
13:21but I'll never pass up the opportunity to have a madeleynes. Absolutely. So those are some of my
13:25favourite spots in London. I really hope you enjoyed them. Let me know what you think in the comments.
13:31I'll see you next time.
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