The 20 best things to fo in Stratford

It’s been a busy few years for London’s iconic Victoria & Albert museum, thanks to a host of major development projects across the city. Most recently, the long-awaited V&A East has opened in Stratford’s East Bank cultural quarter. Featuring 7,000 square metres of exhibition space, the South Kensington institution’s younger sibling feels like a museum for the masses.

Designed by architects O’Donnell + Tuomey, the calm interior has white walls, tall glass windows and wide spiralling staircases. Its permanent gallery, ‘Why We Make’, explores creativity in all its forms through more than 500 objects spanning art, architecture, design, performance and fashion.

Thoughtfully curated, the display highlights pieces from London, especially the city’s east. London-based artists and makers take centre stage, from Alexander McQueen to Yinka Ilori and Akram Khan. Highlights include an 1830s sketch of Victoria Park, a Walthamstow FC football shirt featuring a William Morris print, and costumes designed for a Michael Clark and Leigh Bowery performance.

The ‘city within a city’, Westfield Stratford City’s £1.45 billion retail behemoth snakes through the Olympic site, with more than 250 shops anchored by vast branches of John Lewis, Marks & Spencer and Waitrose. There are also 80 restaurants, bars and cafés, plus a 17-screen cinema, a casino and several food halls. But Westfield Stratford City is more than just a mega-mall.

It’s also home to a Premier Inn and Holiday Inn, meaning you could easily spend an entire day – or even a weekend – shopping, eating and entertaining yourself without ever needing to leave. It can feel overwhelming at times, but there’s no denying the scale of the place. Then again, what would you expect? This is Europe’s largest shopping centre.

Talk about having a lot to live up to: in the '50s and '60s Theatre Royal Stratford East was arguably the most influential theatre in London, thanks to the presence of the visionary Joan Littlewood and her Theatre Workshop. These days, its output tends to send fewer shockwaves around the world. But the theatre, now known only as Stratford East, still has a lively and diverse programme with a breadth and eclecticism somewhat comparable to the National Theatre’s.  

Artistic Director Lisa Spirling (formerly of the small but influential Theatre 503) took over in 2025 and has already started to make waves with a revival of Choir Boy by playwright Tarell Alvin McCraney (probably best known for his hit film Moonlight) and US playwright Moisés Kaufman's Pulitzer-nominated docudrama Here There are Blueberries. Her own directorial debut comes later in the year with Bloodsport: After Helen of Troy, the newest play from playwright of the moment Ava Pickett.

ABBA are back – sort of. ABBA Voyage, staged in this purpose-built arena in Stratford, sees digital versions of Benny, Björn, Agnetha and Frida perform a 20-song set using technology created by George Lucas’s Industrial Light & Magic. 

It’s undeniably strange at first. Watching thousands of people cheer what is essentially an elaborate illusion can feel a little Black Mirror. But once you stop comparing it to a traditional concert, the fun begins. The technology is astonishing. With 500 moving lights, 291 speakers and dazzling visuals, the arena transforms into a futuristic disco. Songs are accompanied by cinematic backdrops, from the Northern Lights during ‘Fernando’ to deep space for ‘Summer Night City’, creating a genuinely immersive experience.

Backed by a brilliant live band, the show is packed with hits and powered by ABBA’s timeless knack for euphoric, feel-good pop. It may never replace the real thing, but as a celebration of the band's legacy, ABBA Voyage is pretty darn good. 

You’ll find Hera, named after the queen of the Olympians, tucked away on the backside of Stratford Cross – past Westfield, past the newly opened Everyman and just opposite the new V&A East Storehouse. As soon as you think you’ve gone too far, there it is: a corner restaurant with tall glass doors that make passers-by pause and peer in.

Inside, there’s a bar with an illuminated liquor shelf that stretches to the ceiling. If Beauty and the Beast’s Belle had a taste for cocktails over books, she’d be right at home here. Beyond it, a vast dining room unfolds with chandeliers, foliage and plush booths. The standout is the seafood orzo, packed with plump prawns and vibrant mussels and the Greek salad, which is simple, sharp and perfectly balanced with tomatoes, olives, feta and olive oil is perfection. Order them and thank us later.

Fancy a craft beer? (Or two, or three, or four?) Well, there's no better place in Stratford to sink a few than Mother Kelly’s. With 20 beers on tap plus cans and bottles from breweries around the world, there’s plenty of scope to discover a new favourite – or completely forget who you arrived with in the first place.

There’s food, too: generous charcuterie boards piled high with meats and cheeses, alongside toasties so gooey they'll send you into a cheesey dream state. Better still, there’s WiFi, making this one of east London’s finest spots to WFB (work from the bar) and make the day go by a little faster. 

If you like The V&A you’ll love The V&A East Storehouse.  Unlike a traditional gallery, it opens up the Victoria and Albert Museum’s vast working archive: an almost endless landscape of steel shelving stacked high with everything from vintage football kits and Glastonbury ephemera to samurai swords. With over 250,000 objects and 350,000 books, it feels less like stepping inside the city’s cultural memory. 

What makes it so compelling is its deliberately unpolished, behind-the-scenes feel. There are no long, explanatory gallery panels or carefully staged displays—just barcodes, QR codes and open storage that invites you to wander, pause and notice whatever catches your eye. Objects are constantly being moved and re-catalogued by staff, so the space feels alive, almost in flux, like you’ve caught the museum mid-thought. Then there’s the David Bowie Centre, opened in 2025, a treasure trove of over 90,000 items dedicated to the icon.  It’s completely unlike anything else in London’s museum scene.

Want a big summer night out right in the heart of Stratford? Look no further than Roof East, an outdoor playground perched on top of a multi-storey car park. Up here, you can eat and drink under open skies at The BBQ Club, grab cocktails from Roof East’s bar, or catch a film under the stars (don’t skip the bottomless popcorn option).

There’s plenty to keep you busy beyond food and drink. Try lawn bowls, archery lanes, ping pong or giant Jenga, or just drift between games with a drink in hand. If you’re feeling competitive, take on the ‘beat the bar challenge’ and see how long you can hang on.

It’s part fairground, part festival, part rooftop hangout – and all of it comes with sweeping views across the London skyline. As the sun sets and the lights come up, it becomes one of the city’s most fun summer spots.

Constructed as one of the key venues for the 2012 Olympics and Paralympics, this multi-purpose stadium in the heart of the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park was the site of Team GB’s infamous Super Saturday, when 80,000 spectators watched heptathlete Jessica Ennis-Hill, long-jumper Greg Rutherford and long distance runner Mo Farah all win gold in the space of 44 minutes. As well as hosting major arena tours from the likes of Foo Fighters, Burna Boy, Muse, Green Day and the Red Hot Chili Peppers, the 66,000 capacity venue has been the official home of UK Athletics since 2015, and the home stadium of West Ham United since 2016.

And, if you're a sports lover, you can also take a guided tour of the iconic London Stadium. The 75-minute experience takes you inside West Ham United FC dressing rooms, the players entrance, up to see panoramic views of the city. Bring your camera, because you're bound to want to take a piece of sporting history home with you. 

At Bread Street Kitchen Stratford, part of the Gordon Ramsay stable, you can look down at the Olympic Park and dazzle in its beauty. This restaurant sits on top of some stairs (giving you the view to die for) but, on a clear summer's night, there's a terrace you can sit on, too. 

The menu has all the Ramsey favourites, with influences from Britain, Italy, the States and beyond; there’s lots of fish, but also pork chops and ribeye (courtesy of the Josper grill) and the likes of oriental duck salad. It’s a nice place to eat, with plates that are forever reliable. If you've got lots of friends, you can make a reservation here for up to 600. Not sure you'll be getting that anywhere else in the city?

You can arrive early at Tina, We Salute You. This café opens its doors at 10am, serving hot coffee and breakfast treats. Then why not stay for the whole day? Come lunchtime, there’s a menu packed with brunch favourites, from smashed avocado on toast to fried eggs with serrano ham and black garlic if you're after something with a little more punch. As evening rolls around, the cocktail menu emerges, helping you end the day in exactly the right way.

The drinks list champions local suppliers, featuring East Ham’s Gaslight Gin alongside draught lagers and ales from Greenwich brewery Meantime.

With a programme of drag shows and regular events, this is the kind of place that has something waiting for you whatever time of day you rock through its doors.

Fancy yourself a bit of a racer? Then buckle up for F1® Arcade, the Formula One-inspired gaming experience that opened in Stratford last summer. Tucked inside Westfield Stratford City, it gives speed demons the chance to go wheel-to-wheel without ever setting foot on a real racetrack.

The experience centres around 12 state-of-the-art full-motion racing simulators, each equipped with giant 4K screens and designed to make every corner, overtake and collision feel as realistic as possible. Players compete head-to-head in a series of fast-paced races, with two back-to-back races packed into twenty-minute sessions. The combination of moving simulators, immersive sound design and cinematic visuals creates an experience that feels closer to a Formula One broadcast than a traditional arcade game.

Put in a strong performance and your score will be immortalised on the venue’s leaderboard. And all right in the heart of Westfield, too.

Looking for a place in Stratford to wine down after a long day? (get it). Well, this wine bar has everything to solve your problems. Templar is snazzy. Templar is cool. Templar has wine to die for. What else could you want? Glasses begin at £5 a glass, so you don't have to fear breaking the bank and there's a menu full of tasty sharers, including chargrilled Asparagus, lemon sheep's milk ricotta, wild garlic and pangrattato and crispy calamari with a chive dip to die for. With space for private parties and group events and a £15 worker's lunch, it has wine ready for whatever you're after.

A sister site to Dalston’s beloved board game venue, this spacious spot in Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park is a paradise for anyone who enjoys a bit of friendly competition. Shelves are packed with nearly 1,000 board games, ranging from family favourites and party classics to strategy-heavy titles for more serious players. Games can be hired for up to three hours for £7.50 per person, with discounted rates for younger gamers.

But it’s more than just a place to roll dice and move counters. There’s a well-stocked bar pouring beers (as the name suggests), cocktails and soft drinks, while the food menu offers plenty of options for sustaining lengthy gaming sessions. The venue regularly hosts themed events and special offers throughout the year, including family-friendly celebrations and Father’s Day promotions.

With its large tables and relaxed atmosphere, it’s also well suited to bigger groups, whether you're organising a birthday or big work social. Perfect for a rainy day game spot, or a night of competition. 

Love it or loathe it, the ArcelorMittal Orbit is impossible to ignore. The curly-wurly red tower looms over Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park beside the London Stadium, twisting 114.5 metres into the sky like something from a sci-fi film. Designed by artist Anish Kapoor and structural engineer Cecil Balmond to mark the 2012 Olympics, it remains the UK’s largest public sculpture and one of Stratford’s most distinctive landmarks.

The real draw, though, is what happens when you head to the top. Lifts whisk visitors up to two viewing platforms, where sweeping panoramas stretch across the capital. On a clear day, you can pick out landmarks including The Shard, St Paul’s Cathedral and Wembley Stadium, while digital telescopes bring the city even closer. And, if admiring the view sounds a little too civilised, there’s always the way back down. Since 2017, the Orbit has been home to the world’s longest tunnel slide, sending riders spiralling through the sculpture at speed. 

The team behind the very, very good Marylebone restaurant Jikoni have opened a second restaurant and café at the new V&A East Museum in Stratford. Come day or night (it is literally open all day), the menu features new recipes including macaroni dhal, turmeric and ginger chicken pie, and butter bean aglio e olio with zhoug, tahini and a pangrattato breadcrumb topping. There are also sausage rolls, crumpets and cakes for simpler snacking.

This is a place that embraces global cuisine with open arms, and there’ll be something for every taste. Add to that the fact it’s set in a soft, cushion-filled kitchen space, with pictures of local women holding their favourite kitchen utensils on the walls, and you’ve got yourself a surefire winner.

Don’t let the boxy shape fool you: the Copper Box Arena is one of the most versatile venues in Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park. Nicknamed the ‘Copper Box’ thanks to its gleaming copper-clad exterior, the arena first shot to fame during the 2012 Olympics, hosting handball, modern pentathlon fencing and goalball. 

Today it still has a rich programme of sporting events and with space for up to 7,500 spectators, the venue regularly has everything from netball, gymnastics and volleyball in its arenas. It’s also home to the London Lions basketball team.

But The Copper Box is not all about spectatorship and it also doubles as a community sports hub, with a gym, fitness classes ranging from yoga and pilates to sweat-inducing box fit sessions. Basically, if you love sport it is the perfect place to go.