Get off the main drag and dive into one of these spots to refuel.
Galvin La Chapelle
Looking to celebrate a productive week of sales – or buying? Look no further than La Chapelle in the heart of Spitalfields. This gorgeous French restaurant has been fashioned out of the gymnasium of a Victorian girls’ school with restored brickwork and beams adding a unique character to the lofty space. The food and wine list will not disappoint.
35 Spital Square, London, E1 6DY
+44 (0)20 7299 0400
Rochelle’s Canteen
The insiders’ favourite. Hidden behind a high wall of a former school. You may well wonder, with so many former schools converted into restaurants, where do London’s children go to learn? This diminutive café is the unofficial canteen of many of the city’s leading fashion designers who have studios next door. Rock solid, simple British dishes, BYO. Book in advance to guarantee a table.
Rochelle School, Arnold Circus, London E2 7ES
+44 (0)20 7729 5677
Maison Trois Garcons Café
Don’t bother with Redchurch Street’s clattery Albion corner café (you won’t hear yourself think), and head up the road to this oasis of calm to pack away all the English tea, Asian salads, coffees, cordials and cakes that you can manage. Enjoy the highly curated selection of antique and contemporary furniture and accessories sourced from around the world.
45 Redchurch Street, London E2 7DJ
+44(0)203 370 7761
Town Hall Hotel
A gorgeous hotel in the former Bethnal Green Town Hall, replete with chambers and two fine restaurants – Viajante and the more reasonable Corner Room. Meanwhile, the bar offers cocktails that’ll take the edge off the most frazzling day and furniture to appease the harshest design critic.
Patriot Square, London E2 9NF
+44(0)20 7871 0460
Ribeira
A top location on the Regent’s canal towpath, this is a perfect, breezy spot to watch the pedestrian world go by – whether you’re looking for a drink or to tuck into their Latin American dishes.
46a De Beauvoir Crescent, N1 5RY
+44(0)20 3119 0037
