Alongside fashionable offices there are homes aplenty in this centrally located neighbourhood – from swanky new builds to mansion flats, and quaint mews to grand Georgian townhouses. But the area is perhaps best known for its eclectic foodie scene, including Michelin-starred eateries, pavement cafés and buzzy bars.
Photography by Emmanuelle Peri & Kathy Anne Lim
Sarit Packer and Itamar Srulovich | ROKA
Meet the locals
Sarit Packer and Itamar Srulovich
Founders Honey & Co.
Fitzrovia has been our home from home for over 10 years now. While we live in Stockwell, with three businesses within five minutes’ walk of Warren Street, we’ve practically become part of the furniture here and love the neighbourhood. It’s rare we walk down the street without bumping into a familiar face. Despite being smack bang in central London, there’s a real sense of community and plenty of lovely public spaces (shout out to Regent’s Park, Fitzroy Square, Whitfield Street Gardens and Fitzrovia Chapel to name a few).
Every day we cycle into Fitzrovia and our first stop is always Warren Street, where our deli Honey & Spice lives. We spend most of our day between the deli and our two restaurants, Honey & Smoke on Great Portland Street and Honey & Co., which has just moved to a new location on Lamb’s Conduit Street in Bloomsbury – another gorgeous neighbourhood – after 10 years on Warren Street.
Miel on Warren Street is great for morning pastries, and for lunch we love to go to Bento-ya (aka Happiness in a Box), also on Warren Street, for katsu curry, or the Indian YMCA round the corner on Fitzroy Square.
For anything and everything bike related we head to Velorution, which is just down the road from Honey & Smoke.
When we have a few hours to wind down in the afternoon we might spend them in Fitzrovia’s brilliant small galleries – special mention should go to the Rebecca Hossack Art Gallery and the Woolff Gallery. There is also always something interesting to discover at the Wellcome Collection on Euston Road, or at RIBA. And it goes without saying that we can spend hours in the reading rooms at the British Library, too.
In the evening, when we’re not working, we’ll head for more Japanese food, and it doesn’t get better than ROKA on Charlotte Street, followed by some classical music at Wigmore Hall.
Take 3
Streethearts
Fitzrovia
Charlotte Street
This vibrant thoroughfare is the beating heart of Fitzrovia. European in feel, café culture is alive and well here; the charming street is teeming with acclaimed eateries
Fitzroy Square
This Grade I listed garden square was designed by architect Robert Adam for Charles FitzRoy and we think it’s one of the Capital’s finest. No surprise that it is the area’s grandest address
Rathbone Square
Once the Royal Mail sorting office, this is now one of London’s first new public squares in over a century. It is home to luxury and affordable housing, premium retail and office space
Local Heroes
Kaffeine, W1W
According to Dexters’ Lazarus Demetriou, “there is nowhere better in London for independent coffee shops than Fitzrovia.” But Kaffeine is a stand-out: “It’s a cosy coffee shop that’s always buzzing with people,” says Lazarus. “The team here works with Square Mile Coffee Roasters to produce some of the best espresso in the city. I always recommend my clients try their Coffee Tasting Flight. This is a fantastic tray comprising a single shot espresso, single shot cappuccino as well as a cascara palate cleanser made from dried coffee cherries!”
66 Great Titchfield Street, W1W (kaffeine.co.uk)
Elysee, W1T
This elegant eatery is quite the local institution: it opened back in 1963 and has welcomed some illustrious diners over the years, from politicians to movie stars. “Whether you’re looking for a relaxed evening with traditional Greek cuisine, a drink and casual meal on the fabulous roof terrace, or to get involved in the exciting live entertainment (with everything from the in-house band to belly dancing and plate smashing), Elysee has it all,” says Aidan Coates from Hamptons. “Situated on Percy Street, it’s then a short hop to the bars of Charlotte Street for a nightcap.”
13 Percy Street, W1T (020 7636 4804; elyseerestaurant.com)
Electric space, W1T
Chesterton’s Carlos Riveros tells us he couldn’t live without this local salon: “It’s located in an iconic five storey town house that was once home to the Lazarides Gallery. Owned by my friend Mark Woolley, it offers a shared workspace concept, providing an inspiring platform for carefully selected independent hair stylists. Mark has done my hair for years and he knows how to blend my greys better than anyone!”
11 Rathbone Place, W1T (020 7935 0015; electric-space.co.uk)