Newington (Elephant & Castle)

Elephant & Castle gets its name from the old pub. The pub itself is not that old, since the original pub has been destroyed. Now, there's a huge roundabout with modern art piece commemorating Michael Faraday. Some people say that this area is the most unpleasant place in Central London, but there is something interesting here as well. The huge soviet-style estates were recently taken down and modern space age buildings are starting to appear with some signs of gentrification.


Eating & Drinking:

• The Libertine is a nice little pub with delicious pizzas. There's a pub quiz from time to time and a great selection of beers.
• Mamuska is a Polish restaurant and a bar. They have delicious Polish street food and a range of Polish beers. The space looks a bit like a canteen, but there's still a nice atmosphere. 
• Mercato Metropolitano is a street food venue filled with excellent food stalls from around the world. There's everything from authentic Naples pizza to mexican burritos and Venezuelan arepas. There are also some craft beer establishments serving microbrewery brews.

Entertainment:

• Corsica Studios is a small music venue for mainly progressive and psychedelic rock bands. The atmosphere is really intimate and it feels like a hidden bar. 
• In the crappy looking shopping mall in the middle of Elephant & Castle there is a Palace Superbowl bowling alley in the top floor. So if you want to drink and eat while you play sports, you can get pretty cheap lanes here. 

Shopping:

• There's a Longdan supermarket near Elephant & Castle, where you can buy all the ingredients for your asian foods. 

 Sights:

• Mandela Way T-34 tank is something that you just would not expect to find in a street corner in this South London neighbourhood. This former Czech army tank gets a new coat of graffiti regularly.

Art:

• There's a container city near the Elephant & Castle Shopping Centre, called The Artworks Elephant, where there are small art galleries showing local talents. There's also delicious street food stalls to feed your physical hunger as well as your hunger for culture. 

 Areas around Newington: Lambeth, Southwark, Borough, Camberwell.