A Lady in London

When I first moved to London and told people that I lived in Hampstead, they always responded the same way. “Oh! I love West Hampstead!” they would say, even though the neighborhoods are completely different. I didn’t understand why they confused the two. I still don’t. But if everyone loved West Hampstead so much, I needed to find out why.

Four years later, I had only made it out to West Hampstead once. For some reason I never felt the pull to go west even though I spent time exploring Highgate to the east, Belsize Park to the south, and Hampstead Garden Suburb to the north.

But recently I’ve started to discover West Hampstead, and I am beginning to understand why it is such a popular place. Its high street, West End Lane, is packed with good restaurants, funky shops, popular pubs, and buzzing bars that are lively from morning till night.

There is also no shortage of green spaces and attractive architecture. From the pretty park at West End Green to the larger Fortune Green to the north, the roads are lined with colorful mansion blocks and bright red brick buildings.

In the past few months I have had a chance to explore some of West Hampstead’s restaurant and shopping offerings. First there was a dinner at Banana Tree, a restaurant that serves pan-Indochina cuisine.

Then came Lovefood, where I had a big breakfast in the cafe above the basement boutique. There was also a great meal at Sarracino, which a friend of mine from Pompeii insists is the best Italian restaurant in London.

And there are more places to explore. I’ve passed by the inviting Wet Fish Cafe and the sleek Vietnamese restaurant, La Du Du, both of which I’ve been meaning to try for quite some time. Similarly, the Social Industries shop, which sells clothing that makes even a shopping shy person like me want to buy a new wardrobe, has been on my mind. That’s to say nothing of the allure of West End Lane Books.

Then there’s La Brocca, a bar and restaurant that is always packed at night, and pubs like The Lion, lounges like The Gallery, and vintage-inspired cocktail bars like The Alice House. All of them are on my list.

Over time I hope to discover more of West Hampstead’s restaurants, shopping, bars, and pubs, and to get better acquainted with the London neighborhood everyone loves. In fact, the locals love it so much that they organize a regular meetup for community bonding. Tonight I’m going to their first one of the year, and I can’t wait to meet the people that live in such a popular part of London.