Things to do
17 reasons to go to Commercial Street, E1
This historic thoroughfare should probably have been named Spitalfields High Street.
Straddling the City and trendy Shoreditch, Spitalfields is an area that's been steadily gentrified over the last couple of decades. The historic Old Spitalfields Market now houses a number of chain restaurants and fancy fashion stories, as well as some quirkier boutiques and more unusual market stalls. But though Spitalfields is a tad grander than it once was, it hasn't surrendered its edge. Brick Lane's restaurants remain London's go-to for curries and bagels, and there are some wonderful old-fashioned pubs to discover on the streets linking it to the market at one end and Whitechapel at the other. Overall, Spitalfields is a fascinating patch of London which surely has something for everyone.
RECOMMENDED: London by area
