Matt Blake

Leyton and Leytonstone are nothing like Clapton, across the Hackney Marshes. They’re fresh out of objets d’art boutiques, mid-century vintage furniture stores, and parody Instagram accounts. But for what they lack in baby-chariot buggy-jams and towering townhouses, they make up for in friendly faces, cheap eats and authentic local businesses. There’s also a historic football club that loves newcomers as well as a growing food scene (surely every foodie in London has failed to get a reservation at Singburi by now) lively nightlife and a wealth of proper boozers that still feel like living rooms, not boutique hotel lobbies. Like most parts of London, the best way to see it is to walk it. You can get from Leytonstone Village to Francis Road – Leyton’s pedestrianised ‘drag’ – in under 20 minutes by foot. Or hop one stop on the tube. Leyton takes its name from the River Lea (‘Lea Town’), the ancient waterway that once marked the eastern edge of Londinium. Back then, there was a great stone at a crossroads that marked one mile to the Roman city’s centre – ‘The Leyton Stone’. Since then, of course, a lot’s happened. Alfred Hitchcock was born here; Damon Albarn grew up here; and it’s where David Beckham kicked his first football. To most Londoners, Leyton and Leytonstone are synonymous. But don’t say that to a local. I would describe Leytonstone as Leyton’s slightly more up-scale sibling – similarly diverse and no-nonsense, and without the airs and graces of Clapton or ‘Walthamstow V

In 2024, what exactly makes a neighbourhood cool? Craft breweries, natty wine bars and street art are well and good, but the world’s best, most exciting and downright fun neighbourhoods are much more than identikit ‘hipster hubs’. They’re places that reflect the very best of their cities – its culture, community spirit, nightlife, food and drink – all condensed in one vibey, walkable district. To create our annual ranking, we went straight to the experts – our global team of on-the-ground writers and editors – and asked them what the coolest neighbourhood in their city is right now, and why. Then we narrowed down the selection and ranked the list using the insight and expertise of Time Out’s global editors, who vetted each neighbourhood against criteria including food, drink, arts, culture, street life, community and one-of-a-kind local flavour. The result? A list that celebrates the most unique and exciting pockets of our cities – and all their quirks. Yes, you’ll find some of those international hallmarks of ‘cool’. But in every neighbourhood on this list there’s something you won’t find anywhere else. Ever been to a photography museum that moonlights as a jazz club? Or a brewery with a library of Russian literature? How about a festival dedicated to fluff? When communities fiercely support and rally around their local businesses, even the most eccentric ideas can become a reality. And that, in our eyes, is what makes a neighbourhood truly cool. From formerly overlooked sub

Spreadsheets and video conferencing got you down? Well, at least you’re not dealing with decomposing rats and unattended bodies that have kind of melted into sofas. Yep, you read that right. However, some Londoners’ everyday jobs do involve such grisly horrors – and yet they manage to stay positive. We asked them how they do it.  The ratcatcher Illustration: Genie Espinosa Ignat Charakchiev, 29, is a pest-control technician at Fantastic Services, which tackles everything from cleaning to rat-proofing Pest control can be a dirty business. We deal with fleas, foxes, bed bugs, pigeons, squirrels and other infestations. But rats are the worst. Rats are gross. They’re smelly, diseased, they urinate everywhere, they can bite and however you block their holes, they can always find a way back. But rats are also very clever. So to beat them, you’ve got to show them respect, learn how to think like them. A lot of people think we’re just out to kill things. But it’s all about control. Poison is always a last resort. Humane traps aren’t always that humane. Take sticky pads, for instance. I’ve found pads before with just a tail left on them, or a foot. How desperate has an animal got to be to chew its own foot off? The smell of a decomposing rat is pure awful. It’s hard to put into words. Just rotting flesh that’s been left to fester for weeks. It really gets inside you. Rats aren’t always the most disgusting part. I remember visiting a house where rats had chewed through the toilet p

Part furniture factory, part creative space, part disco palace, part skate park, it’s hard to define Patchworks. What we do know is that it’s a fun place to hang out, whatever’s happening on the day. From art installations to dance parties to kids’ bouncy castle days, it does lots so always best to watch its Instagram page. It has a long-term pizza pop up, by Scandos Pizza in the courtyard, and is flanked by Blondies, the brewery/taproom arm of the renowned dive bar in Clapton.

You can smell the spices wafting from this Mumbai-style Indian from halfway down the Lea Bridge Road. South Asian families from the area come here in droves, which is as good an endorsement a restaurant can get. Some say it’s the best Indian in Leyton. It’s not the most beautiful restaurant in the area (the interior has an airport-hotel energy to it) and it’s on quite a busy road. But when food is this good, who cares about the 55 bus? I recommend the mixed grill. Worth a note that this is a teetotal place and doesn’t do BYO. But the mocktails and lassies wash things down a treat. And you can always pop to the friendly Hare and Hounds pub next door if you need a post-meal straightener.

Named after the ancient stream that still gurgles beneath it, Filly Brook is in an old wooden shed that used to be Grove Green Road’s iconic scout hut. Today, the dyb-dybs have been replaced by glug-glugs, cheers to a vast selection of craft beers and wines and an absolutely banging series of kitchen residencies. The latest is Sireli, an Armenian-inspired small plates and Middle Eastern fried chicken situation, devised by a couple of returned globetrotting mates from Leytonstone. But another reason to come is the music. Co-owner Simon – himself a music industry lifer – has a strict vinyl-only policy and the kind of sound system only an audiophile could build. Stick around after dinner to check out one of Filly Brook’s live music nights.

First opened in 1922, this unassuming red-brick was built for survivors of wars to share stories and drink pints in peace. And it still is that, during the day. But as darkness falls, the stage lights come up, and music fills the building. Every Tuesday, for instance, The East Side Jazz Club takes up residence putting on shows from the cream of Britain’s jazz scene. From sax soloists to interpretive quintets, there is a different act each week. Tickets cost between £12 and £14, depending on the act. And it’s imperative you book as it always sells out far in advance.

Forgotten ghosts of another London fill this place. Among the lavishly Catholic statues of crying angels and crumbling monks drift the memories of close to 200,000 former Londoners. From factory workers to war heroes, they stuffed them in tight for almost a century… until they ran out of soil. Look carefully and you’ll find the graves of Mary Jane Kelly, Jack the Ripper’s final victim, and Timothy Evans, mistakenly executed in 1950 for the murder of his wife and infant daughter before it turned out to be his neighbour, the serial killer John Christie. Built in 1868, it is one of only two Catholic cemeteries in London. And while it’s not one of London’s so-called ‘Magnificent Seven’, it’s no less atmospheric.

Burnt’s only been around for a year, since local couple Sufia Khan and Abidur Tarafder teamed up with Romanian-born American barbecue expert Tiberius Tudor in 2023. A huge favourite within the local South Asian community, it’s halal and unlicensed, but they don’t care if you bring beers over from one of the taprooms on either side. Aside from the brisket (which is so soft it’ll melt through your fork,) the smash burgers are spectacular, the ‘ribwich’ is indomitable and the chicken-fat fries are some of the best I’ve ever eaten.

Very under-the-radar, this place. It doesn’t have a website. But those who know, go. It’s a Somali-run place on the High Street with a bounty of excellent and authentic Somali dishes on the menu. Very friendly, very relaxed, very reasonably priced, and very popular amongst Leyton’s Somali community. Try the chicken mandi.

This isn’t just another East London wellie brigade. Like a samurai who won’t draw his katana without drawing blood, the gang at LBG put on their boots to get muddy. It was set up by a group of local residents six years ago by accident. ‘We were gardening in the park and I emailed the council to ask if we could put a greenhouse in,’ says co-founder Jon Day. ‘But they gave us the whole space.’ They’ve since cleared more than 200 square metres of tarmac, built raised beds, planted dozens of fruit trees and erected a polytunnel and tea shed. It's volunteer-run, and they put on growing workshops throughout the year for anyone willing to learn. Their motto: ‘All welcome, always free’. Their wildflower meadow is the highlight of spring.