Brixton’s energy is as charged as its most famous street, which Eddie Grant immortalised in his 1982 hit ‘Electric Avenue’. The founder of Britain’s first interracial rock group isn’t the only musical icon from the area: David Bowie was born here, and a mural of his character Aladdin Sane has become a shrine to the singer since he died in 2016, while Jimi Hendrix is said to have jammed at the now-defunct Railway Hotel. But Brixton’s shiny pop-culture personality is the tip of the iceberg, and beneath it is a history that many still work hard to protect. Windrush Square is named in honour of the Afro-Caribbean community’s contribution to Brixton, many of whom arrived in England on the HMT Empire Windrush in 1948. Lower rents and an increase in job opportunities have seen a younger crowd move in over the past 20 years, placing Brixton at the centre of many debates over gentrification. But the contrast of generations, ethnicities and lifestyles means the area is alive; fresh, new ideas are adapting to the area’s cultural foundations, and there’s the sense that it can only continue to contribute to all Brixton has to offer. To find the best tables to book, read our guide on the best restaurants in Brixton.
The best restaurants in Brixton
The best bars in Brixton
Cattivo
Run by the team behind restaurant Canova Hall over the road, Cattivo is a new neighbourhood corner bar. As shiny as a new penny, copper accents gleam on the studded counter and the in-house gin still. This place has fast become a Saturday night pit-stop for those who want to kick-start their night with something a little more interesting than a glass of house white. (Mind the cocktails: they’re punchy). In the basement there’s a dark bar with clandestine booths, live music and DJ sets until late on weekends.
Address: Cattivo, 207 Ferndale Road, Brixton, London SW9 8BA
Telephone: +44 20 3096 2236
Website: cattivobar.comRead why Cattivo is one of the best bars in London
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Upstairs
Recently refurbished by architect firm Squire & Partners, members-only rooftop bar Upstairs is located at the top of an Edwardian building that had been effectively abandoned until a few years ago. By day, it’s the architects’ headquarters, with a staff canteen and outdoor games area, but by night, the sixth floor fills out with young entrepreneurs and PR types unwinding with a game of ping pong or a craft beer.
Address: Upstairs, 248 Ferndale Road, Brixton, London SW9 8FR
Telephone: +44 20 3598 6970
Website: upstairsbrixton.comFind more of the best rooftop bars in London
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The Shrub & Shutter
A Brixtonite’s go-to for dates, the cocktails alone serve as a weird and wonderful conversation starter. Curious (if not outright crazy) ingredients like ants, star-anise smoke and leek oil might make you instinctively grimace, but the inspiration comes from the market itself where Caribbean, African and Latin influences live side by side. The team behind S&S are constantly experimenting and are a lively bunch to get into a who-can-come-up-with-the-wackiest-cocktail-ingredient competition, as long as you’re not a sore loser.
Address: The Shrub and Shutter, 336 Coldharbour Ln, Brixton, London SW9 8QH
Telephone: +44 20 7326 0643
Website: theshrubandshutter.comSpecialist Cellars, Pop Brixton
Sister restaurant to The Laundry down the road, Specialist Cellars is Pop Brixton’s latest watering hole with a carefully curated wine list put together by owner Melanie Brown, whose own-label New Press bottles are available to sip on site or take away. One glass will inevitably turn into two here, so let Simone behind the counter help you make good choices: she’s a real pro, and will leave you feeling smarter than when you arrived. Take home a couple of bottles, too – Libiamo, Loveblock and Innocent Bystander taste as good as they look, and the branding really is something special.
Address: Pop Brixton, 49 Brixton Station Road, Brixton, London SW9 8PQ
Telephone: +4420 3857 5870
Website: specialistcellars.co.ukThe best pubs in Brixton
Brixton’s neighbouring Clapham and Battersea are better known for their pubs, but Brixton’s are grittier and all the greater for it. The Prince Albert on Coldharbour Lane does a cheap pint (by London standards) and is the sort of place punters bring a speaker on a Saturday night and pour Jamaican ska into the smoking area. The Trinity Arms, tucked into a pretty square off Acre Lane, is the place to head on the morning after a heavy night (or before one) for hefty roasts and great curly fries.
The Landor and the Duke of Edinburgh are both on Brixton’s fringes, but have superb outdoor areas hidden away – The Landor’s is strung with fairy lights and is less rowdy than the D of E’s huge garden, where a pint comes with a party atmosphere. The Effra Hall Tavern, though, is the best place to be on a Thursday night, where you can experience uplifting live jazz from a resident band that has been playing in the area for years. It’s not only seriously fun, but the impromptu vocals and the skilled musicians are completely mesmerising. For happy hour, head to Market House for cocktails made by slick bartenders with ponytails.
The best coffee in Brixton
Just off the high street, a creative crowd gets their kick from Volcano Coffee Works, an independent roastery with wholesale beans and compostable espresso pods plus a barista-manned takeaway station. Up Brixton Hill, Stir Coffee’s countertop seating is an ideal spot for hot-desking remote workers, and across the road, F*** Mondays still does the best flat white around but has also adapted into a general store with dairy products from Neal’s Yard, vegan crumpets and Brixton Windmill flour. In the village, order a house espresso from Federation and savour the taste of British-roasted beans from Curve Roasters in Margate.
Read more about the 25 best coffee shops in London
The 25 best coffee shops in London
The best things to do in Brixton
Catch a movie at The Ritzy
Although The Ritzy may no longer be independent, the Picture House-owned cinema hasn’t lost its charm. The building itself is over a century old, with Edwardian auditoriums and proscenium arches still intact. On any given day you can watch the latest Hollywood blockbuster or book tickets for a screening of cult classics like The Big Lebowski or The Godfather. Upstairs at the Ritzy there are yoga classes, free live music nights, gallery openings and dance workshops.
Address: The Ritzy Cinema, Brixton Oval, Coldharbour Ln, Brixton SW2 1JG
Telephone: +44 871 902 5747
Website: picturehouses.comBury your nose in a book
The sign at the entrance says: ‘Hippies use side door’. But BookMongers has been run by bespectacled bohemian Patrick Kelly for more than 20 years. It’s difficult to make out the shelves under the piles of haphazardly stacked books, which range from Simpson manuals to copies of Charles Bukowski’s Women, but the disarray just gives the place its character. There’s a huge scowling cat that patrols the narrow passages and guards the sofa at the back – if you can get past it, you can settle in for hours thumbing through second-hand pages.
Address: BookMongers, 439 Coldharbour Ln, Brixton, London SW9 8LN
Telephone: +44 20 7738 4225
Website: bookmongers.comCool off and fuel up at Brockwell Lido
On the north-east edge of Brockwell Park, Brockwell Lido is a local landmark, and regulars have a special kind of affection for the 50-metre pool. It’s curse-inducingly cold, but its bracing temperatures, Olympic-sized swimming lanes and community spirit have helped keep it open and thriving. In summer, head there to sunbathe and swim or sign up for events like open-air cinema nights. In winter, no one will judge you if skip the dip altogether and head straight for the Lido Café, which does simple, good food (banana bread French toast, eggs Benedict) and big cups of steaming tea.
Pictured above: Acai and banana puree with bee pollen at the Lido Cafe.
London’s best lidos and outdoor swimming pools
The best lidos and outdoor pools in London
Dance all night at Brixton’s music venues
The Clash’s Paul Simonon, David Bowie, La Roux and Adele all grew up here and music is a fundamental part of Brixton’s culture. Big-name Electric Brixton and the glitzy O2 Academy compete with more intimate haunts like accidental venue The Windmill, local favourite Brixton Jamm and grungy Hootananny, all of which have hosted unforgettable gigs. Whether you’re into reggae, jazz, rock, disco, house or dance music, the area’s multiculturalism has a habit of nurturing young talent. Find yourself under the same roof The Smiths chose to raise for their last performance at the Academy or spot ex-Maccabees members Felix White and Orlando Weeks hanging out at pub-come-venue Effra Social.
Address: Electric Brixton, Town Hall Parade, Brixton, London SW2 1RJ
Telephone: +44 20 7274 2290
Website:electricbrixton.uk.comAddress: O2 Academy, 211 Stockwell Road, London SW9 9SL
Telephone: +44 20 7771 3000
Website: academymusicgroup.comRead up at the Black Cultural Archives
The Black Cultural Archives explores and chronicles black cultures from all over the world and gives an unparalleled insight into people of African and Caribbean descent in Britain. Interactive exhibitions, animated films, moving letters and photography documents the journeys taken, difficulties faced and love stories lived, and it’s a brilliant institution on Windrush Square that celebrates Brixton and far beyond. Drop in this month to explore the Adamah Papers, which uncovers the true story of a Ghanaian family divided by continents but united by their Eʋe culture.
Shop Scandi-style menswear
Clothes shop Article originated in Spitalfields and still champions low-key collections inspired by vintage aesthetics. Immaculately organised rails display striped staples by French brand Armor Lux, workwear by Nigel Cabourn, Danish designs by Norse Projects and tailored wardrobe essentials by Universal Works. Shoppers in Clark’s Wallabees come here to discover brands with a cult following and are rarely disappointed.
Address: Article, 61 Atlantic Road, Brixton, London SW9 8PU
Telephone: +44 20 7274 5714
Website: article-london.comScroll down for more pictures of Brixton…
Or now read:
The best restaurants in Brixton
The best restaurants in Brixton
Our Peckham neighbourhood guide
An insider’s neighbourhood guide to Peckham
Things to do in London this weekend and week
Things to do in London this week: 30 November – 6 December 2020
Brixton Cornercopia in the Village
Hunky Dory vintage
Salon, Brixton Village
Juice stall at Station Road Market
Upstairs at The Department Store
Kataba Japanese Knife Shop
Canova Hall
The Cornercopia store
Brixton Village
Pop Brixton’s shipping containers
Ali Food Store in Brixton Village
Brixton Cornercopia in the Village
Brixton Village
Salon Brixton
David Bowie’s mural
Brixton Village
Brockwell Park
Rachel & Malikas at Brixton Village
Station Road Market
Lido Cafe
Longhorn burger, Lido Cafe
The Shrub and Shutter
The Shrub and Shutter
Volcano Coffee Works
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