The 25 best record shops in London

Owner Derek Burbridge opened this tiny second-hand record shop (which is based in an old taxi office that the previous owner was imprisoned for burning down) back in 1990. A born-again Christian, Burbridge has nevertheless stacked the place to the rafters with the Devil’s music: the Record Detective Agency is your go-to place for mid-century rock’n’roll LPs. You’ll also find one of the city’s best selections of blues and early R&B, as well as some tasty classic rock picks. Nothing’s priced up but Derek will give you a fair figure in an old-fashioned, no-frills spot (with zero online presence) that’s packed with bargains and rarities.

The original and arguably the best of London’s three Flashbacks, this Essex Road outpost opened its doors in 1997, when it sold vintage clothes (hence the name) as well as black wax. It proved so successful that separate branches followed in 2006 (Crouch End) and 2014 (Shoreditch). Shorn of its clothing sideline, the two-floor Islington spot stocks a bounty of second-hand gems and new releases. As the price of vinyl rockets, Flashback stays fair, which may account for its longevity. Before we go: a word on the brand’s scrupulously maintained website, where you can search for a record’s availability before you pop in. A godsend!

For vinyl heads, there are few better ways to spend an afternoon than zigzagging through Soho’s treasure trove of record shops. Arguably the best of the bunch is Reckless, where the turnover of stock is so high that you’ll always stumble upon something to love. The front of the store might be well-stocked with new LPs, but the real goodies lie towards the back, where you’ll find second-hand rock’n’roll, reggae, soul and much more. Surprisingly, given the store’s central location, you can bag some serious steals in the bargain bins, too. Launched in 1984, it’s Soho’s longest-running record shop, so they must be doing something right.

This beloved shop was founded in 1974 by the eponymous ‘Honest’ Jon Clare, whose prices reflect his genial nickname. Jazz, soul and reggae are house specialities, while hip-hop and dance are especially well-represented. In fact, the list goes on, as the place is a real haven for blues and gospel, too. Look: they cover a lot, OK? The store is small, with little space between the racks, so you’ll no doubt find yourself shimmying around a fellow crate-digging freak who’s deep in concentration. See also: the even smaller but no less mouthwatering outpost at Coal Drop’s Yard in King’s Cross.

“Join the conspiracy,” reads a sign above the door to this hard rock and metal emporium, which has certainly garnered a cult following since it opened, like the gates of Hell, in 2024. It’s run by Ben Dean and Chloe Marlow, a couple who got together in 2021 (he proposed at Download Festival while crowdsurfing and dressed as a mermaid, of course) and describe their shop as “London’s premier heavy metal record store”. There's an alcohol-free bar, proving you don’t need to get wrecked to rock, an events space called the Lucifer Lounge and a line of metal-themed coffees and occult-themed teas. Horns up!

Pretty much every second-hand record store will buy or swap your old stuff, but this Notting Hill gaff makes the offer central to its identity. That perhaps helps to explain the diversity of its stock: when a shop has a section entitled “EXOTICA BIZARRE”, you know you’re destined to find something good. The Aladdin’s Cave-style store started out as a stall on Hull market in the late ‘60s; a fortuitous move to Portobello Road led to the opening of the Record & Tape Exchange, which became the vinyl swapshop we know and love today. Check out the equally bewildering Greenwich branch, too.

Wedged between a chippie and an off-licence, this appropriately tiny store is run by former actor David Sternberg (he was in Notting Hill!), who observes all through a kind of serving hatch between his stockroom and shopfront. We’d like to say he serves up piping hot bargains, but Sternberg’s stock is more about quality than bang for your buck. He does a neat line in experimental psych, prog and jazz, though you’ll find plenty of punk and classic rock, too. No wonder celebs and aficionados such as Gilles Peterson, Paul Weller, Four Tet and Stewart Lee have been spotted here.

When is a record shop not (just) a record shop? When it’s also responsible for hosting some of the best small gigs of the year. Co-owner Jon Tolley started working at the store as a fresh university graduate, back when it was owned and named after the label Beggars Banquet. He bought the beleaguered shop for a quid when Beggars sold it several years later, in 2005, and rejigged the name and never looked back. Now, as well as stocking everything from punk to dance, he teams up with artists to host release tie-in shows at nearby 1,400-capacity venue Circuit. Tasty.

Billed as “London’s only punk and HxC [hardcore] record store”, All Ages leaves no subgenre unturned in its quest for aggro tunes (though the staff are a friendly bunch). Yes, you’re confronted with a rack of “classic punk” upon entering the fairly small shop, but you’ll also find ska-punk, psychobilly, anarcho, crust and much more. In addition to the tunes, you can browse racks of zines and magazines, DVDs and well-priced T-shirts. Like a lot of the record shops in Time Out’s list of London’s best, All Ages started out as a stall (in this case, at Camden Market), before becoming a community hub. Long may it reign.

Tucked away in the shadow of the very swanky Soho Hotel, this little-known subterranean den of vinyl iniquity is small but perfectly formed. Amongst the ultra-cool, experimental obscurities, we also found old favourites such as Astral Weeks as well as that undersung Phil Lynott solo album (fittingly titled Solo In Soho). There’s also a radio show broadcast directly from the building and a café to help you perk up and make those difficult choices. If you’re in the area and fancy scoping out another store with a basement full of goodies, the legendary Sounds of the Universe is just around the corner

Founded by Alan Dobrin in 1994, this beloved East Finchley spot is similar in no-frills spirit to the Record Detective Agency (where Alan can sometimes be spotted), though its stock is a bit more varied. With everything from metal to blues and modern R&B on offer, the place draws a mixed crowd that has included, on occasion, Jarvis Cocker, Tyler, the Creator and The Kinks’ Ray Davies. As is the case with many veteran London record stores, the prices are generally lower than those you’ll find in newer shops – which is just one good reason to lose yourself here for hours.  

You know that font they use on black metal records? The one so squiggly you can’t actually work out what it says? Crypt of the Wizard uses it for the name on its shopfront: an indication of the metal madness that lies within. It’s been described as “the most metal store in London” (to be fair, this was before Raven Records arrived to stomp its New Rock boot on the scene), with the emphasis on underground releases by chart-repellent bands such as Nuclearhammer and DEATHWARDS. It’s dark and dingy inside, just like record shops used to be, though the staff are far from the unapproachable cliché of yore.

This little shop is a utopia of vinyl. Run by John Coxon (the guitarist for cult ‘90s rock band Spiritualized) and Liam Casey (who formerly ran the Pacific Social Club café on the same site and still makes great coffees), the shop has shifted the collections of some of music’s most respected names, including Rough Trade founder Geoff Travis and Hot Chip’s Alexis Taylor. From Soviet-era bootlegs to Yoruba 78s, you’ll struggle to find a more varied collection of records anywhere in London. They also sell tapes from around the globe, just biding their time for people to catch on to the cassette comeback.

Talk about an institution. This offshoot of the famous indie label boasts a formidable vinyl collection, books and merchandise, while also welcoming live performers of pretty much every persuasion to its purpose-built stage. Gigs are more often free with purchase of the new album by whoever's playing and they also do a neat line in artist Q&As. But if you’re here to simply dig the crates, you’ll find it chockablock with second-hand treats and brand-new releases. Don’t forget to pay a visit to the photobooth before you head over to the similarly excellent Rough Trade West (which first opened in 1976) in Ladbroke Grove.

One of the prettiest record shops in London – if not the prettiest – Casbah started out as a stall on Greenwich Market in the ‘80s, before eventually taking up its current spot in the late 2000s. More like a pop culture general store than a typical black wax emporium, this yellow-fronted wonderland also stocks comics, books and clothes. If you’re in the market for soul, psych, garage, ‘60s girl groups and more, you’ve come to the right place. The staff live and breathe music and culture and are keen to chat to likeminded enthusiasts, which is exactly what indie record stores are all about.

Sure, the idea of combining a record store with a swishy wine shop sounds a little snooty, but who can deny the joy of popping on a great album while sipping on something fancy? Launched during the pandemic, Columbia Road’s Idle Moments specialises in jazz and experimental music but also boasts a massive and ever-changing range of Japanese imports (it’s partly run by Scott Pelloux of Tokyo’s Vinyl Delivery Service). Crate-dig for slinky city pop and brain-rattling free jazz, then take home a bottle of something special. Yes: a shop that combines booze and records is a work of evil genius.

Founded by Leyton resident Jon Clifford, Dreamhouse is a mecca for everything from folk to reggae, with cassettes and turntables on offer too. If you want to find new music but don’t know where to start, check out the store’s vinyl subscription – you’ll get a new record each month tailored to your tastes. Dreamhouse also sells locally roasted coffee from Good Folk and tasty buns from Sunday Bun Day. Like Idle Moments, Dreamhouse counterintuitively opened in the pandemic and is still going strong. Clifford even helped to launch Altar, a nearby bar, venue and music space, in October 2026.

Maestro Records, Peckham’s oldest record store (founded over 20 years ago), sells an eclectic range of music – from roots reggae to pop, jazz, hip-hop and dancehall. It's run by music nut Michael Fountaine, who says that Maestro is a family affair: many customers come in for a browse with their mums, dads and siblings. The store was formerly Reed’s Records, which was in place for four decades from the 1950s. So, while Michael still has some catching up to do, it’s cheering that he’s keeping the tradition alive in this corner of south London. Although he specialises in vinyl, you can also pick up CDs, books and more.

New releases, vintage records and bestsellers: Phonica has it all. You could spend hours flicking through the records – and believe us, people do. Originally famous for its Kompakt German pre-minimal sound, Phonica launched in 2003 and somehow managed to survive despite selling predominantly vinyl when it was on the decline. That’s partly down to its speciality in the edgier side of club music, which encompasses minimal techno, dubstep, drum’n’bass, French electro and much more. Crucially, it’s never been too narrow in its focus on one particular subgenre, which is perhaps why it’s attracted open-minded devotees such as Caribou and Floating Points.

When Jack White launched his Third Man store in 2021, he did so by playing not one but two incredible gigs here on the same day. That should tell you a bit about the gusto with which he’s thrown himself into the venture. This is no mere rock star folly. With its distinctive yellow-and-black colour scheme, the escapist store is expertly curated with merch as well as black wax. After bagging a beautifully crafted LP put out by the Third Man label, grab one of their reissued Sun Records singles, the result of a partnership with the iconic ‘50s imprint that White reveres.  

London is particularly well-served for reggae, metal and punk record stores – but soul and jazz heads should go directly to Soul Brother, which boasts more than 10,000 vinyl records and over 3,000 CDs. Owner Laurence Prangell opened the shop in 1994, setting up in a space formerly occupied by his hairdresser, and is known for stocking hard-to-come-by funk and soul. If that sounds a little pricey, fear not: the store has its own reissue label and there’s a whole set of racks dedicated to shiny new pressings. Give Laurence’s charming Instagram page a follow to keep up with the latest acquisitions.

Co-run by Derek (who likes to keep his surname a mystery) and his similarly mononymous partner Lizzie, this impeccably presented space is styled more like a modern art gallery than a record shop – except for the racks upon racks of vinyl, that is. The building formerly housed the London branch of Toronto’s Cosmos Records, at which Derek also worked before he rebranded the place in his own image. Like Cosmos, the shop is a dream for lovers of rare groove, psych, soul, funk, Brazilian and Latin music and more. There’s affordable stuff on offer, but collectors flock here for the reassuringly expensive rarities.

Run by local legend Wally Bryan, Supertone Records started out in 1969 as a big, bassy soundsystem, blasting reggae music all over the country. Modelled on record shops found in Jamaica, the store was born in 1983, operating as a reggae specialist, selling soul, soca, calypso, rhythm and blues, roots and Caribbean music. You’ll come across hard-to-find test pressings alongside outrageously affordable treats in the bargain bins – it’s all the same to Wally – as well as memorabilia and tapes. Supertone is one of the oldest reggae record shops in the UK, and a local hub for the West Indian community.

Yes: it’s the one from the Oasis album cover. Actually, it’s only the shopfront that appears in the background of (What’s the Story) Morning Glory?’s artwork, since Sister Ray moved to that location in 2003 before taking up its current spot. Anyway, look, let’s not get too hung up on the Oasis thing – with CDs on the ground floor and vinyl in the basement, this is a store that caters to any taste. Looking for noodly jazz? A truly formidable Elvis section? New-ish indie releases so cheap they’re practically giving them away? Sister Ray has what you’re looking for and more. Including Oasis!

Lee Dorrian, one-time member of Napalm Death and former frontman of doom metal titans Cathedral, acquired an enviable collection of heavy records during his time on tour. It had long been in the back of his mind to share it with the general public via his own record store, but he didn’t realise the dream until 2021. Filled with rarities and early pressings, this is a spot for real aficionados who think nothing of dropping several hundred quid on, say, the classic 1968 self-titled debut by cult psych-rockers July. Metal fans: come for the records, get starstruck by the owner.