Holloway

Holloway is a quite peaceful neighbourhood with old Victorian houses as well as innovative modern ones. There are not many sights or cool bars, but it's a nice neighbourhood for walks. It's a bit more deprived than the surrounding areas and has quite affordable accommodation in otherwise expensive part of London. Obviously I need to investigate more. And its location is great near Islington and Camden Town.

Shopping:

• Games 4U sells cheap DVDs and computer and console games. Most of the stuff is second hand, so you can find real bargains here.

Cafés:

• There are a lot of city farms scattered around London. Freightliners Farm is one of them. The selection of animals is not as interesting as somewhere else. They mainly have sheep, chickens and goats. The café, however, is very nice. They have breakfast, various sandwiches and some other foods that you can enjoy outside in the midst of nature. 
•  Bread and Bean is a great small cafe with art on the walls, good espresso based drinks and sweet and savoury treats. Nice place to have a chat or to hang out and read a book.  

Drinking:

• The Lamb - Beer + Liquor is an amazing pub with atmospheric candles on the tables and bare tiles on the walls. They have excellent beer selection as well and there's usually available seating even on weekend nights. 

Eating:

• There are pizzerias and then there are pizzerias. Zia Lucia is one of the best ones I've ever been to. Their pizzas have lots of delicious toppings, and the atmosphere is cool and modern.  
• Chompoo Thai is a great Thai restaurant with affordable prices and tasty curries and other Thai foods. 

Areas around Holloway: Finsbury Park, Highgate, Kentish Town, Camden Town, Highbury, Islington