Why go
Two historic London breweries are Young's and Fullers. The Founder's Arms just next to the Tate Modern on the river embankment itself, is one of the brewery's most well known establishments with a great view of the River Thames. Chinatown may be great for dining, Shaftesbury Avenue has its theaters and Covent Garden is charming, but there are few glimpses of real, authentic London nightlife.
What to look for
- Heading towards Bermondsey, pub crowds become a little less touristy.
- If you're after gastropubs, you may like to visit London's first, The Eagle, in Clerkenwell, established in 1991.
- The company, established in 1870, import wines and own over thirty bars in the centre.
The full story
All that can safely be said is that London’s nightlife really does cater for all tastes and moods. The Soho is a titan of the London night; gaudily lit strip clubs and sex shops vie with achingly cool cocktail bars, smart members’ clubs, hip cellar bars and age-old London institutions. Lying to the north of touristy Leicester Square, Soho is also the center of London’s gay scene with its main promenade, Old Compton Street, the hub of gay life in the city. To go on a night out in Soho is to really catch the many distinct flavors of the city after dark. To the east of the city, from Hoxton Square in Shoreditch to Brick Lane and Whitechapel, an uber-trendy movement has now been bubbling over for a number of years.