London neighbourhood among coolest in the world and the winner will surprise you

London has a lot of ‘cool’ neighbourhoods, but there can only be one borough that truly deserves the crown.

While you might think it’s likely to be the popular spots of Camden, Hackney or even Chelsea, one east London neighbourhood beat them all.

Time Out named the ‘coolest neighbourhoods’ in the world, using a “global team of on-the-ground writers and editors” asking for their thoughts and opinions.

Creating the list, they highlighted the neighbourhoods that “reflect the very best of their cities”, with culture, community, spirit, nightlife, food and drink all key to the decision.

You can see the full Time Out article here.

Why Leyton is the coolest neighbourhood in London

Time Out gave the crown to Leyton for London’s coolest neighbourhood, earning the 24th spot out of 38.

Placed between Buenos Aires’s Chacarita and Dublin’s Inchicore, Leyton gained a place on the list for several reasons.

Time Out contributor Matt Blake gave Leyton praise for its “growing food scene, lively nightlife and ‘wealth of proper boozers’.”

Leyton was also well favoured for its “hidden green gems” like parks and community-growing gardens.

Describing the region, Blake said: “‘A steady stream of young, middle-income families have recently moved to Leyton, but with them has come a quiet breath of new life that enhances rather than sacrifices the neighbourhood’s identity.”

The new ‘coolest’ neighbourhood has been up and coming in popularity in recent years, with its proximity to Hackney and Walthamstow a key reason for its new title.

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Part of Elizabeth Olympic Park, Leyton has many choices when it comes to food and drinks, including Figo, an Italian restaurant with a 4.5/5 rating on Google Reviews.

In terms of shopping, you can buy some new music from Dreamhouse Records or if you need some furniture, then Monument Store is the place to go.

Previous winners for Time Out’s coolest neighbourhoods in London including King’s Cross in 2023 and Walthamstow in 2022.