A must visit for vintage lovers. Nordic Poetry Shop is rated as one of the best vintage designer shops in London (with lots of competition!). 

Among the Bangladeshi curry houses that line Brick Lane, Beigel Bake is a stalwart, serving its traditional Jewish beigels 24 hours a day, seven days a week. For late-night revellers it’s all about the salt-beef and pickles. The traditional fried sugar doughnuts are a great shout too. A community hangout in an ever-evolving part of the city.

In a converted warehouse at the end of Columbia Road is a neighbourhood restaurant with a reputation that’s reached city-wide. Run by a husband- and-wife duo, it’s completely unflashy but serious about ingredient-led cooking that complements its largely natural wine list: fresh crudo, charcuterie from Coombeshead Farm in Cornwall and rabbit legs with peas and wild garlic. A little further afield, sibling restaurant Sargasso, on the wall of Margate’s harbour arm, is worth a day trip from London.

From 8am every Sunday, market traders fill cobbled Columbia Road with blousy bouquets of peonies, hydrangeas and sweet peas. There are also bulbs and potted houseplants, and in December, Christmas trees. Beyond the flowers is a line of Victorian shopfronts stocked with crochet baskets at Straw, timeless womenswear at Colenimo and vintage furniture at B Southgate. Arrive early and pick up a breakfast cardamom bun from Pavilion, although there’s a better chance of a deal just before the stalls close at around 3pm.