Anyone arriving at St.Pancras station tends to head to the underground making way to the city centre. That’s a bad decision though. Only a few meters from the huge train station a new cool London hub flourishes. A place where Google decided to have their offices. Let us guide you through the King’s Cross hotspots. Friends can even call it ‘KX’.
Dishoom
The Indian restaurant chain Dishoom has become very well-known in London, with several branches throughout the city. But please do check out the one in King’s Cross, where there used to be a warehouse. The décor is lovely and the food is amazing, especially when ordering garlic naan and black dahl.
Regent's Canal
King’s Cross once was the centre for stocking charcoal and other goods, so there had to be a convenient way to transport all those goods to and from the KX warehouses. So Regent’s Canal once was a strategic waterway, where now it is a relaxing piece of nature where Londoners enjoy the water view during their lunch or come relaxing during weekends. From Granary Square – where kids can play in the fountains – big green steps were constructed overviewing Regent’s Canal. It is a lovely space to have a seat, and when you’re lucky a bookshop or cinema might even come floating by.
Great Northern Hotel
A stunning hotel across the road from St. Pancras Station. Very convenient for those arriving late or leaving the city early. But especially convenient for those who travel on a professional budget, because The Great Northern is not cheap. For the price of a one night stay you might prefer an elaborate dinner in the fantastic hotel restaurant ‘Plum + Spilt Milk’. Or you can just have a drink in the nice hotel bar GNH. Would you consider picking up a coffee before going on a train: outside the hotel Kiosk serves Monmouth Coffee, according to Londoners the best coffee in the world.
German Gymnasium
A former gym transformed into an impressive restaurant. Last year it was awarded ‘Most Beautiful Restaurant in the World’. At German Gymnasium, please try to catch a table upstairs, where you can enjoy a nice view on the interior design of this old olympic gym.
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Kerb Street Food
KERB’s baseline actually says it all: ‘Makes cities taste better’. The project once begun as three caravans selling cake and coffee but is now a full blown street food market. From Wednesday to Friday, from noon to 2pm, everybody is queuing to taste the Mexican wraps, the Afghan dumplings and the chocolate whoopie pies (the resemble a big, flat french macaron but they taste much better). Once you scored food you can attempt scoring a seat on the Regent’s Canal steps to enjoy a relaxing, cheap and tasty lunch.
Spiritland
The place to be for music lovers. Everything revolves around ‘slow listening’ here, preferably combined with ‘slow coffee’. At Spiritland you get the impression of being in a music studio and that’s exactly what it is. DJ’s and musical artists from all over the world come here to record their songs. We mainly head over here for the banana bread and the Problem Solving Tea.
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House of Illustration
The world’s first public gallery totally devoted to graphical illustrations. This small but fantastic museum is the initiative of Quentin Blake, renowned for his illustrations in Roald Dahl books. Keep track of the House of Illustration website for an overview of the different exhibitions. And like almost all London museums this one also houses a very nice museum shop.
