London/Clerkenwell

From World travel guide

Clerkenwell is situated in East London. The place is full of architects and publishers, and as a result many new bars and restaurants have cropped up, and continues to be a target for more development. The bars vary from family orientated wine bars, to huge clubs and cool underground bars, and it compares well to it's artier, trendier neighbour, Shoreditch.

1 Get in
2 See
3 Do
4 Buy
5 Eat
6 Drink
7 Sleep
8 Contact
9 External links

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Get in

Farringdon station is on the Circle, Metropolitan and Hammersmith and City tube lines, and two minutes on the tube from Kings Cross. The station also connects to overland rail services.

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See

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Do

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Buy

Magma Books, 117-119 Clerkenwell Road, EC1R 5BY, 020 7242 9503, [1]. Open Mon-Sat 1000-1900. A fine bookshop specialising in the graphic arts, as well as toys, for not-quite-grown-up boys. A good place to pick up foreign design titles, or simply waste an hour browsing through lots of pretty books. A valuable stop for graphic junkies.

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Eat

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Drink

Fluid, 40 Charterhouse Street, EC1M 6JN, 020 7253 3444, [2]. Sun/Mon closed, Tues/Wed 1900-0000, Thu/Fri/Sat 2100-0200. A stylish loosely Japanese themed bar upstairs (they serve sushi), with a more spread out dance floor down a spiral metal staircase. Plenty of sofas everywhere, although on the weekends you'll have to get down early to slump in a chair. Bottled beers £2.90+, cocktails £6+. Free entry, except Fri/Sat 2100-2200 £3, after £5.

Fabric, 77a Charterhouse Street, EC1M 3HN, 020 7336 8898, [3]. Open Thur/Fri/Sat times vary (check listings). A massive club (think cathedral scale) that provides a more underground version of Ministry of Sound and hosts some of the biggest names in dance music, from Goldie to David Holmes to the Scratch Perverts. There's always big queues so get down early if you can. Entry £12-15, discount for NUS.

Hat On Wall Bar, 20 Hatton Wall, EC1N 8JH, 020 7242 9939, Open Wed-Fri late (depending on night). A secret little bar hidden in a block of studios/media offices. You ring a buzzer to enter (it's directly opposite Clerkenwell House) and wander upstairs to the small bar. There's good DJs and it has a 'private party' feel, they also have upside down buckets as lamp shades. A worthy find. Free entry.

Bar Kick, 43 Exmouth Market, EC1R 4QL, 020 7837 8077 [4]. Open 12noon-11pm (Sun 10.30pm). Hidden down a backstreet away from the busier parts of Clerkenwell, lies a cosy little bar crammed with several table football machines, and a good selection of cocktails. In the summer people spread out onto the pedestrianised street and chat in the sun. Happy hour ever day 4-7pm.

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