Sarah, Traveller's deputy digital editor, has lived in West Hampstead in North West London for six years Some London neighbourhoods express their charm in winding, narrow streets and alleys you might not know to bumble along, warrens of small businesses, restaurants and pubs. But in West Hampstead, a corner of North West London’s Camden, most of the neighbourhood’s energy is centred around the main high street, West End Lane. Most of the street’s beloved businesses have been here for generations – you’ll find bakeries which opened their doors in the 1980s and bookshops which have been trading since the mid-’90s – but there’s a clutch of newer names and punch-above-their-weight restaurants here, too.
This is our guide for spending a perfect Saturday in the area. 8am: morning coffee at Intermission It’s never too early to caffeinate – especially at Intermission, the espresso-sized coffee shop at the nexus of West Hampstead’s trio of train stations. Later in the morning, queues snake outside as locals line up to wait for silken piccolos, creamy mochas and homemade cold brew, so arriving early is the smart move.
The team roast their own beans, from crowd-pleasing Colombian to nutty Brazilian roasts, all available to buy in-store too (the cute pastel illustrations by Brooklyn-based artist Tomi Um, also found on the takeaway coffee cups, make packaging an art feature in your kitchen). On a sunny day, pitch up on the cheerful butter-hued tables outside and watc.