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Kings Cross
Photograph: courtesy of Argent

The best things to do in King’s Cross

Discover the best things to see and do in King’s Cross and St Pancras, plus the best restaurants, pubs, bars and hotels

Chris Waywell
Written by
Chris Waywell
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King’s Cross is probably best known for its bustling train stations linking London to the rest of the country (as well as Europe via Eurostar), but over the last two decades, the area has completely transformed, with new restaurants, bars and pubs popping up (check out just how much King’s Cross has changed over the years here).

There’s plenty of other stuff going on here as well, with outstanding clubs, music venues and museums nearby, wild green spaces and a pretty stretch of Regent’s Canal, all of which make King’s Cross a great destination in its own right.

If you’re feeling cultured, pop to the famous British Library which has exhibitions and talks all year long. Shop, eat and drink in chichi Coal Drops Yard and wander over to the restaurants around Granary Square. We’ll also allow you to detour into King’s Cross station for your snap at Harry Potter’s Platform 9¾, too.

RECOMMENDED: London by area.

The best bits of King’s Cross

Things to do in King’s Cross

Coal Drops Yard

Coal Drops Yard

A chic new(ish) London shopping area born out of what was once a Victorian coal depot.

Granary Square

Granary Square

Great food, fun fountains and a fine view of the Regent’s Canal.

Bars in King’s Cross

Supermax

Supermax

  • 5 out of 5 stars
  • price 2 of 4

The King’s Cross spot comes from the team behind Spiritland. Though the two places share a musical ethos, Supermax isn’t as nerdy. It’s a...

Booking Office

Booking Office

  • 5 out of 5 stars

Booking Office remains the undisputed KX champ for cocktails. It’s just a great place to sit, whether you’re in the lovely former booking hall,...

The Racketeer

The Racketeer

  • 4 out of 5 stars
  • price 2 of 4

The Racketeer deserves enduring sessions. A log burner and tall-backed armchairs give a rear room serious cosy clout. Beyond is a neat, walled garden and...

Double Standard

Double Standard

  • 4 out of 5 stars
  • price 2 of 4

This bar with its ‘TfL-inspired’ interior is at London’s Standard Hotel and it’s one of London’s coolest new hangouts: the hotel...

Restaurants in King’s Cross

Hicce

Hicce

  • 4 out of 5 stars
  • price 2 of 4

A buzzy, good-time place above fashionable disposable-income store Wolf & Badger.

Dishoom

Dishoom

  • 4 out of 5 stars

A three-storey Victorian warehouse channelling the elegant feel of 1930s Bombay

Coal Office

Coal Office

  • 4 out of 5 stars
  • price 3 of 4

Can’t choose between The Palomar and The Barbary? Now you don’t have to. 

Pubs in King’s Cross

The Queen’s Head

The Queen’s Head

  • 4 out of 5 stars
  • price 2 of 4

A couple of hundred yards from the heart of King’s Cross rejuvenation is this on-trend but individualistic oasis. It’s a compact Victorian...

The Scottish Stores

The Scottish Stores

  • 4 out of 5 stars
  • price 2 of 4

I never went to The Scottish Stores in its previous incarnation. Because until late last year the building housed The Flying Scotsman, a strip club where...

King Charles I

King Charles I

  • 3 out of 5 stars

Hidden from the outside world, this homely pub provides rare ales, many whiskies, a roaring fire and the day’s papers to the surprisingly few regulars...

The Lighterman

The Lighterman

  • 3 out of 5 stars
  • price 2 of 4

Situated in a brand-new three-floor building in the redeveloped plaza behind King’s Cross station, The Lighterman has that feeling of being fresh out of...

Hotels in King’s Cross

Great Northern Hotel

Great Northern Hotel

Now an immensely comfortable and relatively good-value boutique hotel, the Great Northern Hotel was once a baby of the railway age. It was built in 1854 to...

The perfect weekend in King’s Cross

Eat: Dishoom

Eat: Dishoom

  • 4 out of 5 stars

Find 1930s Bombay in a Victorian warehouse.