These 20 on the map
The 20 spots on this page, pinned where they actually are. Tap a marker to see which one it is — all 50 are on the map in the Whosly app.
20 of the 50
Sir John Soane's Museum
HolbornArchitect's house-museumArchitect Sir John Soane's house, kept as he left it in 1837 and crammed with antiquities, Hogarth's Rake's Progress and an Egyptian sarcophagus. Free.
Leighton House
Holland ParkVictorian artist's houseThe Holland Park home of the Victorian painter Frederic Leighton, with a gilded, tiled Arab Hall that's one of London's most startling rooms.
Dennis Severs' House
SpitalfieldsCandlelit house museumA Spitalfields townhouse arranged as if a family of Huguenot silk weavers has just left the room, visited in silence by candlelight.
The Wallace Collection
MaryleboneMansion art collectionA Marylebone mansion packed with Old Masters, armour and French furniture, including Frans Hals' Laughing Cavalier. Free, with a glass-roofed courtyard café.
Horniman Museum and Gardens
Forest HillMuseum & gardensA quirky south London museum with an overstuffed walrus, an aquarium and musical instruments, plus gardens with a view of the City. Free to get in.
Kenwood
HampsteadVilla & art collectionAn 18th-century villa on the edge of Hampstead Heath with a Rembrandt self-portrait and a Vermeer on its walls. Free, with a café in the old stables.
Sky Garden
City of LondonFree skyline gardenA free garden and viewing deck on top of the 'Walkie-Talkie' tower in the City.
Kyoto Garden
Holland ParkJapanese gardenA Japanese garden hidden in Holland Park, with a waterfall, koi and peacocks wandering through.
St Dunstan in the East
City of LondonChurch ruin gardenA bombed-out church in the City turned into a garden, with ivy and trees growing through the Gothic windows beneath Wren's tower.
Postman's Park
City of LondonSmall City parkA tiny City park with the Watts Memorial, a wall of ceramic plaques recording ordinary Londoners who gave their lives in rescues.
God's Own Junkyard
WalthamstowNeon sign galleryA Walthamstow warehouse glowing with neon signs collected and made by the late Chris Bracey, with a café inside. Open at weekends.
Little Venice
Little VeniceCanal basinWhere the Regent's Canal meets the Grand Union, lined with painted narrowboats; follow the towpath east toward Camden.
Chelsea Physic Garden
ChelseaWalled botanic gardenFounded by apothecaries in 1673, the capital's oldest botanic garden hides behind high brick walls by the Chelsea Embankment, packed with medicinal and rare plants. Book tickets ahead.
St. John Bread and Wine
SpitalfieldsBritish canteen£££St. John's informal Spitalfields sibling: a white canteen for British plates, bread from the bakery and a famous bacon sandwich at breakfast.
Sessions Arts Club
ClerkenwellRestaurant in an old courthouse£££A dramatic restaurant in the old judges' dining room of a Clerkenwell courthouse, all candlelight and peeling plaster.
Oslo Court
St John's WoodRetro French dining room£££A gloriously old-fashioned French restaurant at the foot of a St John's Wood apartment block, unchanged in spirit since 1982: pink linen, a dessert trolley and Dover sole. Closed in August.
The Yellow Bittern
King's CrossIrish-British lunch room££A lunchtime-only Irish-British restaurant on Caledonian Road with a blackboard of pies, roasts and puddings.
Chuku's
TottenhamNigerian tapas££A brother-and-sister-run Tottenham restaurant serving Nigerian small plates, big on flavour and good times.
Plaquemine Lock
IslingtonLouisiana pub-restaurant££A Louisiana pub on the Regent's Canal near Angel, serving gumbo, po'boys and oysters, with live jazz some nights and canal-side tables in summer.
Akub
Notting HillPalestinian restaurant£££A Palestinian restaurant on a quiet Notting Hill street, cooking the region's dishes with British produce. Order lots and share.
The other 30
The 50 are spread across 35 neighbourhoods. Shoreditch (5), City of London (4), Borough (3), Dalston (2), Fitzrovia (2) and Holland Park (2) have the most; the other 29 have 1 to 2 each.
+30 more in the app
A three-Michelin-star tasting menu in Notting Hill, Segovian suckling pig from brick ovens in Shoreditch, a tropical jungle around the Barbican's fly tower, a Georgian supra off Regent Street, a rooftop over Rye Lane, and more.
Add all 50 to your Whosly mapEvery one lands on your own map in a tap — save them, rate them, plan around them. City Packs are included with Planner Pro.
Or search “Whosly: Plans, Places & RSVPs” on the App Store
For the classics, see the best places in London.
Common questions
What are some hidden gems in London?
What are the best free things to do in London?
Where are London's secret gardens?
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Which London neighbourhood is best for local favourites?
What are the best local favourites in Central London?
What are the best local favourites in West London?
What are the best local favourites in North London?
Where can I see all 50?
All 50, on your own map
This page is 20 of them. The London Local Favourites pack in Whosly has all 50 — add it and every one drops onto your map, ready to save, rate and turn into a plan your friends RSVP to from a text, no app needed to answer. The pack is included with Planner Pro.
Get Whosly — free on iPhoneOr search “Whosly: Plans, Places & RSVPs” on the App Store
“Whosly: Plans, Places & RSVPs”.
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