Journal
Every guide we publish, newest first. London restaurants, bars, pubs, hotels, afternoon tea, spas and nightlife, each one checked against the venue's own published information rather than against other guides.
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We take no bookings, sell nothing, and accept no payment for inclusion. Where a price or a rule appears here, it came from the venue.
Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park Is Designed to Flood
The riverside paths go under after heavy rain because the park is a flood basin for Lea Valley housing. Plus the algae warning, and the five national institutions now on East Bank.
Old Royal Naval College: Your 19 Pound Ticket Becomes a Year Pass for Free
Convert it at no extra cost, but you have to ask. A 2 pound Universal Credit ticket, four children free per adult, and the closure dates they publish months ahead.
Neasden Temple: The Camera Stays in the Car Park
Cameras and anything bigger than a wallet go in a baggage cabin outside. Free entry, a strict dress code, and the shrine that closes from 12.15 to 4 while the building stays open.
The Standard, London: Dogs Stay Free
Where comparable London hotels charge 25 to 75 a night. Five venues all open to non-residents, the view from Decimo without a room, and the Hyatt takeover nobody announced.
Crossrail Place Roof Garden: The Planting Is Split by the Meridian
Bamboo to the east, ferns to the west, because the building sits on the line. Free, no booking, open to 9pm or sunset, with a free 80 seat amphitheatre on the roof.
London Cable Car: Free With a Bike Before Half Past Ten
TfL's own rule, on weekdays outside bank holidays. The 20 pound ticket for ten crossings, why it does not count towards your cap, and the IFS Cloud name that has gone.
The Prospect of Whitby: Built in 1520, and Monday Is Missing
The oldest riverside tavern in the country, whose own published hours list Tuesday to Sunday and skip Monday entirely. Food stops two hours before the pub does.
The Churchill Arms Opens at Eleven, Whatever Google Says
Its own structured data files the kitchen's hours as the pub's, so search panels say midday. The quietest hour of the day, the Thai kitchen, and a free car park in Kensington.
Gordon’s Wine Bar: One Bookable Table Since 1890, and It Is Called the Cage
First come first served everywhere else in London's oldest wine bar. Why 11am is the only realistic time for a cellar table, and how the new terrace removed the queue.
Osterley Park: Eight Opening Times, and Only Saturday Has Them All
The house runs four and a half hours a day and shuts Monday and Tuesday, the park runs eight hours daily, and cycle hire is Saturdays only.
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Questions we get asked
How often is the guide updated?
Continuously, and each page records the month it was last checked rather than only the date it was first written. Opening hours and prices in London change often enough that an unchecked guide is worse than none.
How do you decide what goes in?
Every entry is verified against the venue's own published information, not against other guides. Nothing is included in exchange for payment, and nothing is excluded for refusing it.