Lady’s South End Green Guide

Today I want to bring you my guide to London’s South End Green. This under-the-radar neighborhood is right by Hampstead Heath, and it’s worth discovering. From fun shops and cafes to famous bookshops and pubs with gardens, it’s a great place to explore.

South End Green

Wedged between Hampstead, Belsize Park, and Hampstead Heath, South End Green’s diminutive size belies its appeal.

Take the pubs, for example. It not only has one on every corner, but many of them attract locals from all over north London.

The Garden Gate has one of the best beer gardens in the city, The Stag some of the best pub food, and The Magdala the best lore—the last woman to be hanged in Britain, Ruth Ellis, shot her boyfriend here, and there are still holes in the wall to prove it.

South End Green has some impressive institutions, too. One of London’s few outlets of the beloved Daunt Books is here, and while it lacks the stunning interior of its Marylebone counterpart, it still has a great selection of books and a strong travel section.

Around the corner is the Keats House museum, where poet John Keats lived and wrote his famous poem “Ode to a Nightingale”.

And that’s to say nothing of South End Green’s restaurants and cafes, many of which have been open for decades.

I love getting pastries from Euphorium Bakery and browsing the outdoor takeaway offerings from Mimmo La Bufala. For traditional tearooms, Polly’s is just the thing, and for chic cafes it’s all about Silverberry Deli & Kitchen and Biggie Best.

But the real draw of South End Green is Hampstead Heath. The neighborhood is home to the Overground station of the same name, and is one of the main jumping off points for rambles in the hills of the wooded park.

Parliament Hill, with its expansive views of the city, is a short walk away from the station, as are the famous bathing ponds, which sit ready for those brave enough to jump in on sunny afternoons.

For those of us that prefer to stay dry, South End Green has some great foodie options for lazy picnics on the heath.

From M&S on Pond Street to Gail’s on South End Road—I’ve gotten food for countless picnics from them over the years—there are plenty of places to pick up snacks and treats for a feast on the grass that lasts until the sun goes down.

And when it does, South End Green’s pubs fill with people wandering back to the city from the wilds of the heath.

The terrace at The Roebuck and the huge outdoor space at The Stag fill with those wanting to soak up the summer heat and stay outdoors as long as the sun will allow.

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