The four-screen British Film Institute was created for cinephiles. Its October film festival is the UK’s biggest, but year-round it shows classic re-releases as well as early previews and curated seasons of filmmakers from Greta Gerwig to Korea’s Bong Joon-Ho. There are also vintage children’s screenings, which mean parents can swap franchise films for the nostalgia of ET or The Wizardof Oz. Film critic Mark Kermode often hangs out in the light-filled café. 

A sturdy monument to British culture, this Brutalist spectacle was designed by Denys Lasdun as a space for Londoners. The doors are always open for people to come inside to read, or work, or drink Negronis at Peckham implant Forza Wine. The programme of debut playwrights is second to none but there’s endless Shakespeare and Chekhov too. Visitors aged 16 to 25 should book the brilliantly inclusive £10 tickets.

Heading to the National Theatre is one of our most beloved London activities, but we often struggle to think of a good spot for a pre-theatre drink. If we're not heading to Toklas, we like to pop into this chill bar for a cocktail and a little nibble.

Australian chef Skye Gyngell has always been ahead of her time when it comes to low-waste cooking. Alongside the a la carte, her scratch menu, served between 5.30pm and 6.15pm from Tuesday to Saturday at Spring in Somerset House, makes the most of leftovers from the night before, and might include charcuterie croquettes with lovage aïoli or lemon and ricotta pudding. It’s hard to differentiate this innovative offering from the à la carte, which is fabulous too.