Not the most exciting place inside, but a lovely rooftop area which not all that many people seem to know about, 2 mins walk from Old St station. If it’s packed then The Red Lion is just up the road.
On Burlington Gardens in Mayfair, Cecconi’s is a modern-day classic Italian restaurant open for breakfast, lunch and dinner, seven days a week.
Cecconi’s serves handmade pasta, seafood and dishes from Italy using the finest ingredients. The restaurant has outposts in West Hollywood, Miami, Istanbul, Berlin, Barcelona, New York, and Mumbai.
I only made my first visit to Troy Bar fairly recently but it's already become a Friday night regular, and I feel like I've wasted a lot of nights not being here. Caribbean food, 4 Red Stripe for a tenner, an incredible house jazz band and as good an atmosphere as you'll find in the city.
They mainly sell art and cultural theory books but they also have a good selection of small press and self-published zines. It’s a great place to browse and get ideas.