Finsbury, Farringdon & Clerkenwell

Finsbury is a village-like area near Central London. I'm going to put Clerkenwell and Farringdon under this heading as well, because I'm not quite sure where the borders should be drawn. Finsbury is mostly in an area, where the tube doesn't go to, so it is not always found by tourists even though it's very central. This is probably the closest area to Central London where the village atmosphere prevails over rushing crowds. Especially Clerkenwell has numerous fantastic village-like streets.




Cafés:

• Look Mum No Hands! is a very hipster-oriented place. A café with bicycles inside. People with beards drink their coffee and eat their cakes with a MacBook. You can also fix your bike here. They also have a selection of craft beers available.
• Shoreditch Grind offers the best espresso-based drinks I've had in London. This small round café has brick walls and delicious looking cakes.

Sights:

• Smithfield's old marketplace looks amazing. The market itself is not that active anymore and sells only meat, but it's worth the look for its architecture.
• Right next to Smithfield market is Florin Court, an art deco building with round edges, that is the home for Hercule Poirot in the old TV series.

Drinking:

• If you're tired of drinking British ales, Dovetail offers wide range of Belgian abbey beers and Belgian foods. Prices may be a bit higher than in your average corner pub, but it's worth it with the selection you're getting. If you're hungry, you might also want to try the moules frites in marinara sauce. They're delicious!
  
• Crown Tavern in the lovely Clerkenwell Green is a nice place to drink your beer. There's quite a large terrace area. For the history enthusiasts it may be interesting that Lenin and Stalin used to frequently visit this pub during their time in London.
  
• One of London's Brewdog pubs is in Clerkenwell. The pub is in a beautiful old industrial building and the beer is obviously very nice quality.

Eating:

• It took me a long time, but I finally found my favourite Italian restaurant in London. Attilio serves absolutely fantastic pizzas, pastas and other foods in an authentic looking restaurant. The table cloths are red and white and the staff is friendly. You even get free prosecco and limoncello with your meal. The prices are very affordable as well.

Areas around Finsbury: Shoreditch, St. Luke's, Holborn, Islington, King's Cross