With T.S. Elliott, John Lennon and Isabella Blow among its many famed residents, the leafy, bustling, red-brick Victorian enclave of Marylebone has long attracted an affluent boho crowd.
Central yet with an enchanting villagey vibe, it’s also the tops for sophisticated sleeps, shops and eats. From handsome boutique digs to one of London’s finest art collections and the world’s best bar, here are our favourite Marylebone haunts.
STAY
The Zetter Townhouse
This jolly Georgian townhouse is a newer gents-clubby edition of the famed Clerkenwell original, with 24 antique-crammed chambers individually inspired by stories of a roguish, eccentric old uncle (no, really). Standout perks include four-poster beds, a minibar of pre-mixed house cocktails, Seymour’s Parlour for nightcaps and a roof terrace with saucy alfresco bath. I say!
EAT
La Fromagerie
Elbows out for a spot at this petite no-res lunch-box, a longtime smash hit with Marylebone’s gourmands for its produce-perfect nibbles and superb French, Brit and Italian cheese boards with wine pairings. Ensure you dip into the cool, fragrant embrace of the cheese shop next door. lafromagerie.co.uk
Chiltern Firehouse
Yes, André Balazs’ uber-hyped London debut has been accused of favouring style over substance, but like moths to a flame, this brasserie still lures A-listers like nowhere else in the city. The crowd-pleasing food is decidedly middling (if you wish to sample chef Nuno Mendes’ real-deal Portuguese fare, hotfoot it to the sublime Taberna do Mercado), but the stylish fitout, celeb safari and scene more than makes up for it. Book well ahead (or have a good concierge get you in). Mwah!
DRINK
Artesian
The mixologists are obviously doing something right at this elegant, soft-lit, creamy boîte set inside The Langham; Artesian has picked up the gong for World’s Best Bar for four years running. Sink into a purple club chair for ravishing, ornate concoctions involving leftfield ingredients such as parsnip, curry, cedarwood and leather.
EXPLORE
The Wallace Collection
This splendid private townhouse holds a treasury of joys spanning C.17th Dutch Masters and C.18th French painting to decorative art, porcelain and furny. Oliver Peyton’s pretty Gallic-style courtyard restaurant is lovely for lunchkins and tea, or dine by starlight on Friday and Saturday nights. Look out for the free lunchtime talks.
Wigmore Hall
Built in 1901 in a Renaissance style but boasting an Art Nouveau cupola, this pitch-perfect recital venue stages classical song, chamber music and jazz. Its in-house restaurant and bar make it a contender for date night, or swing by for lunchtime or Sunday coffee-morning concerts.
SHOP
Perfumer H
In search of your signature whiff? Stylish kitties need sniff no further than the lovely Lyn Harris, the only classically trained female nose in Britain and the talent behind heaven-scent Miller Harris. Her muted store-cum-laboratory lets the exquisite, bespoke, seasonal fragrances in handblown, engraved glass bottles do all the fast talking. Just gorgeous.
William Vintage
Crowned ‘Vintage King’ by the style glossies, William Banks-Blaney counts Amal, Tilda and Mossie as fans. His trove of impeccably preserved designer showstoppers (expect anything from a ’60s Jean Dessès taffeta cocktail gown to a slick-silhouetted ‘80s Mugler number) comes with outstanding trend advice, in-store seamstresses, fresh-baked cookies and bubbly lubrication. Need we say more?! By appt only – book online.
Alfies Antique Market
Age-old Marylebone resident Alfie houses a stagger-fab cache of vintage, with more than a 100 dealers touting C.20th fashion, costume jewellery, modernist furniture and decorative arts over five floors. Allow at least half a day and pop to the neat little rooftop caff for a post-shop flop.
For more London neighbourhood finds, get your mitts on the LUXE London guide…
