There was a point in the Nineties where your pick of things to do in Marylebone was limited to loitering in the seemingly Sisyphean queue around Madame Tussaud’s dome; or setting off on the Sherlock Holmes trail with the verve of the fictional detective himself (one wonders if crime scribe Sir Arthur Conan Doyle realised that choosing 221b as Sherlock’s residence would lead to the Abbey National at that address hiring a secretary just for answering Holmes’ fan mail, and the street eventually being renumbered to accommodate the Sherlock Holmes Museum).
But, the Marylebone area’s fortunes have always been as twisty-turny as the River Tyburn that still flows under it, flush with wonky Marylebone Lane (against an otherwise gridded layout).
The neighbourhood’s shifted from royal deer park to country estates for landed-gentry families who the streets are still named after (Harley, Cavendish, Portman…), to lawless slums, to grand redbricks run through with charming mews, to revitalisation via the Conran Shop, which, in a full-circle twist of fate, is set on the site of the original 17th-century Marylebone Manor, a boutique which paved the way for the sophisticated indie-shopping and bougie-brunching haven of Marylebone Village.
Today, heritage brands sit alongside the kooky and cult, buildings are peppered with blue plaques, and picnicking has become an art form – after all, the neighbourhood is sandwiched between Regent’s and Hyde parks. And the things to do in Marylebone are legion, especially if you’re hungry. We hit the streets and found some of the best…
THE BEST THINGS TO ACTUALLY DO IN MARYLEBONE
Assuming you’ve already got your picture with uncanny-valley wax royals and manhandled your favourite celeb, shoot higher with a visit to the Wallace Collection, a gallery so esteemed and antique you can’t help but hear Pachelbel’s Canon in D in your head as you browse artworks such as Fragonard’s The Swing, Canaletto’s Views of Venice; suits of armour; Limoges glassware and other rare objects.
Or for the more au courant and outsider of Marylebone’s art spaces, try Lisson Gallery for thought-provoking shows (often with interactive or animatronic elements), Atlas Gallery for eloquent photojournalism, fashion spreads and more, and the Gallery of Everything for quirkier ‘non-academic’ art from the last couple of centuries showcasing creatives of all classes, races and neurologies.
Engage with some highly legit theatre (or jazz, comedy, general grandstanding…) at the Cockpit, which also holds classes in butoh dance, ukulele playing and qi gong; the Marylebone Theatre; or the Duke’s Hall at the Royal Academy of Music. Enjoy elegant chamber music at Wigmore Hall, and 229 London has a very eclectic gig programme (death metal, Nashville country, Latin rhythms) and a noble mission, funnelling all its profits into the charity International Students House.
If you want to learn how to butterfly onglet, bone out a beef forequarter (we promise that’s no euphemism) and make burgers that’ll secure your grill-master status, Ginger Pig’s Moxon Street outpost hosts butchery classes alongside serving hot pies and sausage rolls to hungry queuers at lunchtime.
To get to grips with cucina povera or the richer aspects of Italian cuisine (including a dolci-dedicated class), say ‘yes, chef’ to Cucina Caldesi cookery school, tucked into a cobbled nook of Cross Keys Close.
THE BEST BREAKFASTS IN MARYLEBONE
Of course there’s no need to don an apron, there are many restaurants in Marylebone eager to feed you… Early-birds get the worm – or, more appealingly, the coconut-curd-spread toast; potato and feta rösti with hot smoked salmon; and almond, buckwheat and pumpkin-seed granola – at Granger & Co. They don’t take bookings for breakfast, so set your alarm for 8am sharp.
French eatery Aubaine offers decadent day-starters: pain au chocolat snowed under with powdered sugar, scrambled eggs topped with truffle shavings, eggs imperial (a distant cousin of the Benedict family) with lobster, and the option to sling a spoonful of caviar on any dish.
If the weather’s sunny, swing by Daylesford Organic for brioche bacon rolls or coconut and mulberry granola to takeaway and eat on the grass in Paddington Street Gardens just around the corner (you could even buy a blanket in-store).
COFFEE IN MARYLEBONE
There’s a multitude of Marylebone coffee shops, some with cult followings, such as Monocle Café on Chiltern Street. It’s caressed by the coolness radius of Chiltern Firehouse (more on that later), catches your eye with its black-and-white-striped awning, and has a lifestyle shop just a few doors down. It’s not all matcha lattes, refreshing yuzu lemonades and egg sandos – blackboards bearing the topics of the latest in Monocle magazine offer conversation-starters to go with your coffee, too.
A little further along, Tasty Corner is humbler but makes enticing ‘melts’ and squeezes fresh watermelon juice – and it’s set atop Purl, a dramatic drinkery in the building’s 19th-century cellar. At the very western edge of Marylebone, on Mortimer Street, Workshop Coffee is a cute, cosy space with a small yet serious drinks list.
And the Bauhaus-inspired lines of the café-bar in the foyer of the Royal Institute of British Architects’ Grade-II-listed 1930s building (the work of Azman Architects, FYI) elevate your brew-sipping experience. And Arro doesn’t have much elbow room, but you only need enough space to navigate one of its pistachio-cream-filled croissants into your mouth.
THE BEST SHOPS IN MARYLEBONE
There are no American candy stores, vape joints or other London atrocities among the shops in Marylebone, whose indie and heirloom boutiques are some of the most interesting in the city, with many sustainability championers among them.
Start your acquisitive odyssey in the Village, mostly set along Marylebone High Street. As the saviour of said street (alongside the Waitrose), the Conran Shop seems a fitting place to start spending, easily done when the homewares are this haute.
Agnès B has perfected the prêt-à-porter in chic gallic style; buy handcrafted Spanish-leather sandals at La Portegna, durable Venetian tailoring at Slowear; and upgrade your face furniture with elegant eyewear at Mallon + Taub or Bloobloom (we like the latter for its Pair for Pair programme, which gives frames to someone in need for every pair bought).
Ortigia is famous for its exotically scented soaps in bright one-for-the-guest-bathroom packaging; Allbirds make comfy and Earth-kind trainers using Merino wool, eucalyptus-tree fibre and sugarcane; Labour and Wait sells items with function and form; and Sirplus crafts very handsome clothing from fabrics that would otherwise be thrown away.
For little ones, Bonpoint’s darling clothes are mini and modish, and Strawberries & Cream have the sweetest wooden and soft toys (for parents who want to instil that Scandi couthness early). And, Daunt books must be mentioned for its antique architecture and sublime travel-book arrangement (by country, with novels and niche-interest tomes alongside guides).
Meander off the main street, and you’ll find charming chapeaus (plus ribbons, fascinators and other accoutrements) at VV Rouleaux; alongside 18th-century Christys’ on St Christopher’s Place, they make custom headgear, too.
Get pierced and pick up some elegant jewellery at Astrid & Miyu or Monica Vinader (we also like the delicate pieces at Anna next door); David Penton & Son may not be quite so glamorous, but it’s traded in handy hardware for nearly 200 years; Koibird is a kooky, colourful spot for the kind of ballsy designer gear (think feathers, leathers and more) Nicki Minaj, Billie Eilish or Cardi B can pull off (maybe you too); and CSD (Consigned, Sealed, Delivered) has top preloved labels.
Pick up ceramics (carefully) at Mud and Contemporary Applied Arts; and Chiltern Street has a wallet-lightening run of Marylebone’s best boutiques: Bella Freud for her iconic 1970 sweaters, Trunk for international cult menswear, Cire Trudon for Parisian candles, Perfumer H for unconventional scents, Airmail News where print isn’t dead, Howarth for gorgeously tooled clarinets… And Cadenhead’s Whisky Shop has a tasting room for a few snifters after you’re spent.
PICNICKING IN MARYLEBONE
Now it’s time for a rest and re-fuel, and Marylebone’s best cafés and delis are to hand for filling your picnic basket to the brim. Alongside its famous chilled cheese room, La Fromagerie has assemblages of colourful fruit and veg, fridges packed with charcuterie, rustic breads and even cute retro string bags to carry it all in.
For sarnies and soup on the move, Paul Rothe & Son is a legend round these parts. The salt-beef mix and lemony-peppery chicken are excellent in bread; and to earwig on some Soho film chat, sit in its Enid Blyton-esque caff section, surrounded by jars of Tiptree jam and speciality Marmites – wash down with lashings of Fentimans soda.
The Italians lives up to its promising name, with packed chiller-cabinets of formaggi, salumi and more, wines from the motherland and gloriously topped focaccias. And Bayley & Sage might be one of the most beautiful delis, with each fridge and shelf an Arcimboldo-esque tableaux of fine seasonal produce (although we do take issue with the salads sitting alongside a spread of cinnamon buns, wedges of brownie and other temptations…).
Alongside your typical alfresco edibles, Orrery Epicerie offers cassoulet and confit de canard; and it’s set in Marylebone High Street’s most historic section. Take your lunch across the street to St Marylebone Parish Church Gardens, where deckchairs are set up, or pick a peaceful pew in the semicircular Garden of Rest, dedicated to Marylebone’s former alderman-mayor.
WELLNESS IN MARYLEBONE
With Harley Street, lined with London’s most upmarket clinics, on their doorstep it’s unsurprising that self care is a prime consideration of the Marylebone-ians. That might be spiritual succour, with a one-day meditation retreat at the London Centre of Self-Realization, who have a restful garden; holistic therapies and reformer Pilates at the Light Centre; cathartic pummelling at BXR; or getting a mani-pedi at the Barbie dream salon that is Nail’d It.
But, if it’s good old-fashioned pampering you want, the best spas in Marylebone are at the Landmark, for Mediterranean-candle massages, light therapy, algae wraps or even a quick face peel; Chuan Spa at the Langham, for element-inspired soothing; and Reviv for an IV boost.
THE BEST RESTAURANTS IN MARYLEBONE
Marylebone might only cover 92 acres, but you can eat your way around the world here, and its dining scene really seems to foster a sense of communality – you certainly won’t want for somewhere to meet, whatever the occasion and there’s a true Continental feel to all the alfresco tables.
There’s the newest outpost of St John, with its signature no-fuss white-brick and nose-to-tail sharing plates – the notable exception being its beloved rarebit comes deep-fried in a croquette (it may feel wrong to you, but just one serving is actually quite substantial).
Nearby, Le Relais de Venise is the culinary epitome of ‘if it ain’t broke’; it perfected its entrecôte steak in Paris in the Fifties (the Marylebone branch has only been around since 2005), and serves just that, with a secret sauce, frites, and a green salad (with a slightly wider choice of desserts).
Jikoni‘s ‘no-borders kitchen’ is a lovely place to be, with warm staff, patterned tablecloths piled in the corner (if you’re inspired, Rixo’s dresses have similar prints), what looks like a cloud made of clown wigs floating over it all (in a good way), and cooking with a lot of love and some ‘odd on paper, great on the plate’ ideas: prawn-toast Scotch egg with banana ketchup (only served in the evenings), scorched peaches with lime-leaf gremolata and whipped tofu, crispy aubergine glazed in Szechuan caramel.
Next door, Trishna goads you into ordering far too much: the coconut and corn tikki, duck-keema naan, prawn and green-mango curry… Don’t resist.
Sri Lankan spot Hoppers’ feel-the-burn mutton rolls, tamarind and fennel pork ribs and its namesake side (good for mopping up curry sauces) make a mightily satisfactory meal, and the Big Mamma group’s Carlotta does what it does best – namely, dining like you’re a corrupt Italian doge: lobster with caviar doused in beurre blanc, a slab of bistecca Fiorentina, pastas tossed in whole wheels of cheese… Or sidestep the theatrics by booking a table at Locanda Locatelli, with its superlative, simple menu.
On Paddington Street, there’s a trio of Greek restaurants: the Real Greek, Kimax and Opso – our favourite is the latter. Get the giouvarlakia dumplings, all the breads and dips and the lamb shank (and the saganaki if it’s on).
Fischer’s is the posterboy for old-school schnitzel, Royal China Club is the ritziest Chinese in London, bar Hakkasan perhaps – but worth every dumpling, pound for pound – and Les 110 de Taillevent (NB not its address), is an initially snobby seeming French joint, which earns its slightly smug stripes for being well-tailored with impeccable taste.
WHERE TO DRINK IN MARYLEBONE
The best bars in Marylebone drunkenly stagger from old-school boozers – such as the Golden Eagle, century-old Coach Makers Arms or the 18th-century Jackalope – to bottle-popping spots like 28°-50° Wine Workshop.
Gastropubs – the Grazing Goat, the Harcourt – vie for cachet with the eateries surrounding them. And, serving dishes such as beef tartare with confit egg yolk and watercress mayo on dripping toast, they often come out on top.
The Chiltern Firehouse’s bar has sink-into velvet banquettes and a refreshingly relaxed attitude. Crab doughnuts are sort of mandatory, but be sure to fill your rose-mirrored table with herbaceous and fruity cocktails and rare gins, such as Eau de Nuit 71, which comes in a bottle that could hold Chanel perfume, and includes rare botanical Queen of the Night, which blooms for just one night a year (yep, you’re in that kind of place).
It might feel as authentic as its mock-Tudor casing, but Clarette is an assured oenophile, with wines and champagnes from France’s deepest terroirs that make for an expensive, if wholly enjoyable, night out.
MARYLEBONE’S BEST BOUTIQUE HOTELS
The dreams are very suite in Marylebone’s best hotels, which are housed in elegant antique redbricks or Regency townhouses. The Chiltern Firehouse has leapt into legendary status thanks to its starry guests and what-happens-here-stays-here bar. It’s in a superlative spot too, surrounded by the best of the above.
The Zetter Townhouse is a decadent, velvet-swishing step back in time, loosely themed around a fictional ‘wicked uncle Seymour’. Enjoy imaginative cocktails or high tea in ‘his’ parlour, then retreat to sumptuously cool rooms where modern art hangs alongside era-appropriate antiques – we like the penthouse apartment with its alfresco bath tub.
Henry’s Townhouse is a good vintage too, owned by the very real brother of Jane Austen, no less. Largely booked on an exclusive-use basis, it feels like your own period residence, yet with all mod-cons and a team of utterly charming staff.
The Nobu Hotel on Portman Square is Henry’s polar opposite, with Japanese Zen minimalist style in rooms, a famed sushi diner (oh hi, miso-glazed black cod), and spa with a dedicated reformer Pilates studio. Goodnight, Mahl.
Explore even more of the neighbourhood from our complete collection of Marylebone hotels