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.
John Lewis Oxford Street: One Late Night, and It Is Thursday
Thursday is the only night it runs to 9pm, the Sunday browsing window starts at 11.30, and the published phone number does not reach the shop.
Marylebone High Street: One Landlord, and Why It Looks Like That
The street is largely owned by a single estate, which chooses the tenants. That is the reason it has independents where everywhere else has chains.
Carnaby Street: Lights On 4 November, and the Courtyard Nobody Finds
The Christmas lights come on before Bonfire Night, Kingly Court holds three floors of restaurants, and the whole street is pedestrianised.
Westfield London: Open to Nine, Except the Six Hour Sunday
Hours, the Puttshack and bowling that stay open after the shops shut, and which of London's two Westfields this actually is.
Leadenhall Market: Open All Night, Shut All Weekend
The public areas never close but the trade keeps City hours. When to photograph it, when to eat in it, and the toy museum that moved in on Thursdays and Fridays.
Hamleys: Seven Floors, Open Till Nine, and Three Other Branches
The Regent Street shop runs to 9pm six nights a week, which is when to go. Plus the three quieter London branches almost nobody knows exist.
The O2: A4 Bags Only, and 10 Pounds If You Get It Wrong
Backpacks are refused and storage costs 10 pounds, unless you hold an Amex. Plus student discounts to 30 per cent and everything on site that is not the arena.
Bicester Village: The Marylebone Desk Nobody Notices
Hosts staff a kiosk inside Marylebone station seven days a week, parking is free, and hands-free shopping costs 35 pounds. Whether the day out is worth it.
Windsor Castle: Sign Your Ticket and It Lasts a Year
Any ticket becomes a free 1-Year Pass if you sign it before leaving, and a 1 pound ticket covers six people on benefits. Prices, security and what shuts at four.
Notting Hill Carnival: The Saturday Is Ticketed
Panorama is tickets only and in a park, J'ouvert starts at 6am, Dutty Mas will cover you in paint, and the grandstand is paid even on the free days.
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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.