The best local reactions to Leyton being named one of Time Out’s Coolest Neighbourhoods in the World

Last week Time Out revealed its list of the coolest neighbourhoods in the world for 2024. The ranking was topped by Marseille’s Notre-Dame-Du-Mont, and the highest-placing UK area was Bristol’s Stokes Croft & St Paul’s.

One London area made the cut too, of course. Leyton in east London came 24th overall out of 38. The list is compiled with the expertise of our network of writers and editors around the world, and Time Out contributor Matt Blake flew the flag for Leyton.

But what do people in Leyton think about being named the coolest nabe in London – and one of the coolest on the planet? We hopped over to east London to ask them ourselves, and here’s what they said.

‘I think it’s fair. Lots of cool independent shops, not too many chains’

‘I’m not at all surprised. I’ve known the area for quite a while so I’m really excited to see how much it’s come on’

‘Good! ‘I think it’s getting some good recognition’

‘We’ve got a record store that does coffee and a bookstore that does coffee and a deli that does coffee… There’s a few cool spots but there’s a lot of not-so-great areas’

‘Leyton is a diverse mix of a bunch of different people’

What do you think is the coolest thing about Leyton?

‘Really nice sense of community here, which you don’t find in a lot of London. A sense of togetherness’

‘Community is definitely the coolest part. Everyone is dead friendly’

‘We all love it. Everywhere you go there’s a nice place. People are kind, shopkeepers are kind.’

‘I’m Brazilian and we have many nationalities here. We are a family.’

‘Francis Road’ 

Where’s the best place to hang out?

‘Hard not to say my own coffee shop [Scottalia, E10 6PR]’

‘Blue Tit’

‘Tattoo Heroes, the one and only’

‘Right here in Dreamhouse Records’

Get the latest and greatest from the Big Smoke – from news and reviews to events and trends. Just follow our Time Out London WhatsApp channel.

Stay in the loop: sign up to our free Time Out London newsletter for the best of the city, straight to your inbox.