This week I have the lovely Alex who blogs over at Better Together Home sharing her favourite places in London. If you’re a foodie I’d highly recommend you read on for her recommendations on the best places to eat!

What do you love most about London?
I love the fact that London is made up of distinctive neighbourhoods, each with their own charms and little places to find. I also love how much there is to do in London – there’s always something going on; be that a free show or event or an open day of some kind. There’s so much culture and vibrancy.

What’s your most favourite memory of London?
I have lived in London pretty much my entire life, and so I have some incredible memories here. My favourite though is when my husband Scott proposed to me. He did it in an iconic London location – on the Southbank underneath fairy lit trees next to the Oxo Tower. I was so thrilled. I love that every time I see the tower or walk along the riverside I have such a beautiful memory of that moment.

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If you had to pick one iconic building in London what would it be?
Ooh, this is a tough one – I love Tower Bridge and the Tower of London and don’t think I could choose between the two! We live nearby, and used to work at the Tower of London too – it’s such a wonderful place and full of history. I used to go in extra early before my shift (once the gates were open!) and sit on a bench in the main courtyard, drinking my coffee and soaking up the atmosphere. That being said, one of our storerooms was in tunnels beneath the tower and I did not like the atmosphere in there ha!

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Tower Bridge is such an iconic part of the London skyline – it was the first ‘building’ that Lily recognised as a baby, although she called it ‘My Bridge’ for a few years and it took some convincing to tell her that it was actually called Tower Bridge! Even though it’s one of my favourite places in London, I’ve never actually been up on the walkway which is something I would definitely like to do.

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If you could recommend one place that’s off the beaten track and away from the hotspots for someone out of town to visit where would it be?
This is pretty hard too – London is made up of lots of vibrant neighbourhoods that all have great little places to find. I think, as I live there, I will be biased and choose Bermondsey! We’ve got some great little shops, restaurants and bars, the beer mile, plenty of food markets and some real characters too. It’s changed a lot in recent years but I love the little pocket of London we live in. Oh, and if you are near Tower Bridge then St Katherine’s Docks is such a picture-perfect place to go for pizza or a coffee – it’s a little breath of fresh air in a really busy area of London.

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For people with kids, I really recommend the Horniman Museum in Forest Hill – it’s one of our favourites plus the building and park are beautiful spaces. The food in the café is good too!

Best place you’ve eaten in?
Ok, these questions are impossible to answer! I’m a real foodie for sure. I love José on Bermondsey Street – it’s a tiny tapas place with standing only seating and a small but perfectly formed menu. For a real taste of ‘old-school’ London it’s got to be pie and mash from Manzes or Arments – I’ve been brought up an Arment’s girl but recently tried Manzes and I love them both (pretty sure that’s against some kind of London law!). For Turkish food I always head to Meze Mangal in Deptford – they make the best lachmacun for miles. For unbeatable ramen it’s Kanada-Ya – there’s always a queue at this tiny place and service is pretty abrupt, but the food is delicious and reasonable too. Atmosphere wise – Opium in Soho will always be my favourite place to head for dim sum and cocktails.

The last theatre productions/show or concert you went to or would like to see?
I don’t go to many theatre productions or shows simply because the tickets tend to be expensive! I have seen quite a few musicals over the years – my favourite was ‘We Will Rock You‘ which has unfortunately finished running. I’d like to see a Shakespeare at The Globe this year. We do go to lots of concerts – I saw Biffy Clyro last year which was fab.

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Favourite place to visit on a night out and why?
Mercato Metropolitano in between Borough and Elephant & Castle or Hawker House in Canada Water – get together with a big group of mates, grab a long table, eat and drink great beer and cocktails to your heart’s content while catching up. Super casual but always great fun.

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If you live in London, how long have you lived there for? If not, what makes you visit time and time again?
I’ve lived here forever. I’d love to move to Scotland one day, but at the moment we have no plans to actually make a move.

And finally a bit of fun – write the first thing that pops into your head!

L is for…Lily (my daughter)
O is for…Old Books
N is for…Natas (always from I Love Natas in Seven Dials)
D is for…(East) Dulwich – a little area in London that I love
O is for…Owls (my favourite animals)
N is for…New shoes!

Alex is working mum, busy growing baby number 2 and blogger at Better Together Home. She’s passionate about exploring the world, trying great food and drinking craft beer. A lover of red lipstick, interior design, shoes and meeting new people and when not busy working, writing or travelling she can usually be found getting creative or crafty at home.

You can find Alex online:

Twitter | Instagram | YouTube

Related posts:

My London: No Mean Feast My London: Mamaprada My London: The Gingerbread House My London – a new weekly guest series about the places in London we love