A collection of Fitzrovia’s best hidden gems in an itinerary of Central London’s village neighborhood, complete with shops, restaurants, and colorful streets!
Do you know where the name of London’s Fitzrovia comes from?
This village-like neighborhood, dubbed London’s old Latin quarter by historian E Beresford Chancellor due to the many writers who used to meet at the Fitzroy Tavern on Charlotte Street, did not have its own name until the 1930s.
Other famous streets of what we now know as Fitzrovia were used to describe the area, streets like Great Portland Street, Great Titchfield Street, Fitzroy Square and of course, Tottenham Court Road.
Part of the West End, this place still retains a very boho vibe, with many cafes, restaurants, pretty mews and streets filled with hidden gems.
And that’s precisely where I’m taking you today, on a cute itinerary of Fitzrovia which will bring us to Charlotte Street, Goodge Street, and more of Central London’s cool places!
Central London’s Fitzrovia Itinerary: Hidden Gems & Food Spots
Where Will We Start Our Itinerary of Fitzrovia’s Hidden Gems?
Starting on Goodge Street, undeniably one of the prettiest streets in London with its colorful buildings and street food spots, we will have breakfast at Caffè Napoli.
Alternatively, you can start walking from Warren Street station and turn right on Goodge Street, or start from Tottenham Court Road station and walk down until you find Goodge Street on the left.
What’s interesting with starting from Tottenham Court Road is that you will find some unique shops there such as instagrammable Timothy Oulton, along with murals, and lots of restaurants and cafes.
If you start on Warren Street station, and face the station, the big road on your far right is Euston Road, and walking down 15/20 minutes will take you to King’s Cross and Coal Drops Yard.
Wherever you start from, do pop by the Oxfam shop on Goodge Street.
There are a few charity shops in Central London I love to visit, and that’s one of them.
When it comes to accessories, books and second hand designer clothes and shoes, the Fitzrovia Oxfam shop is great – I even found brand new Dr Martens shoes there once!
When we are done at Oxfam, we will cross the road and take Charlotte Place, where we ended our Marylebone itinerary some time ago.
If you don’t want to have breakfast at Caffè Napoli (that would really be a shame, it’s one of the best Italian cafes London currently offers), then you will find plenty of cute cafes in Fitzrovia:
- Italian Bear Chocolate with their thick cups of white, milk and dark chocolate
- Lantana on Charlotte Place
- Fabrique, a really cute bakery which makes the corner
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Check out the Duke of York pub, a really pretty pub with dangling pots of colorful flowers – it may be time for a cute picture of colorful Charlotte Place with the famous BT Tower in the background.
If you happen to visit on specific days, you will also find a small street food market on Goodge Place, with Indian, Greek and other delicious specialties.
Shawarma and the Peruvian Grill both offer halal street food, if that’s a diet you follow. Ponchon, with their delicious Korean fried chicken, is another quirky street food stall you might love, too.
And if you start our Fitzrovia itinerary at lunch, just know that Icco offers the cheapest pizza in London, and completely halal pizza too.
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If, when you arrive at Icco Pizza, you take a left on Charlotte Street and keep going, you will be able to spot two other hidden gems.
The first one can be accessed by turning right on Tottenham Street: somewhere on the left, between all the shops, Charlotte Mews awaits.
It’s one of these cute mews we love to see for pictures, small, with dark bricks, although way less colorful than places like St Lukes Mews in Notting Hill.
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If you keep going down Charlotte Street, it becomes Fitzroy Street and at the corner, before Fitzroy Square Gardens, you will spot a curious sculpture: that of Venezuelan General Francisco de Miranda, a significant figure in Latin American independence.
Now, tracing back on our steps to Goodge Street, take a left towards Tottenham Court Road, and we will enjoy sights of many other restaurants, beauty shops and spas.
(If you happen to visit the area in the afternoon, you will be able to taste some incredible non-alcoholic cocktails at Reverend JW Simpson, a hidden and quirky basement bar on Goodge Street – keep your eyes peeled, you might miss the entrance!)
Let’s turn right on Whitfield Street, spot a quirky building which would almost make you feel like you’re in a maritime area, with porthole windows like the ones we saw when we visited historic Rotherhithe.
If you take an immediate right after the Japanese Sican restaurant, you will reach the very instagrammable Colville Place, but since we will go in just a bit, let’s go back to Goodge Street.
On our left, Tongue & Brisket, with their salt beef sandwiches, is one of London’s cheap eats.
It might not be the cheapest of the cheapest (there’s a Tesco grocery store also on Goodge Street for that), but I have been a regular at their Soho restaurant for some time, and it’s one of the best places to eat in Central London.
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Further down, Mind is a pretty spacious store, and another favorite when it comes to London’s charity shops – pop by to check out for new accessories, jewelry and whatnot!
At the end of the street, turn left on Charlotte Street and left again on Colville Place.
We’re here in one of London’s secret alleys, with blue, purple, red, and yellow doors, one of these cute mews streets which tend to be forgotten but by locals and influencers.
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Like Devonshire Mews South, West and North in the beautiful Marylebone area, it is worth a visit, if only to check out the yellow house and its red door – and the many plants posted along the street!
Turning right after Colville Place (you can also enter from the alley), you will enter a secret garden, Crabtree Fields, of the kind that just about no tourists know about.
With its cute pergola and benches galore, it’s a really nice place to visit during spring for some nature.
When you are done walking around, let’s take Colville Place again, and Charlotte Street on the left.
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This is where al fresco dining feels at its best in London; after a few steps, you will come across Goode Flowers, one of the cutest flower shops in London.
You will always spot seasonal decorations at Goode Flowers, which makes it a special sight when walking around Fitzrovia – from spring to Halloween and Christmas, the shop is always oh, so instagrammable.
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On your right, the Charlotte Street Hotel, with its carved and arched windows offers a rustic je ne sais quoi, and makes for a great place to relax since it has a restaurant inside – you can even have afternoon tea there.
If you look up, on your left, blue, yellow and beige houses show you exactly why Charlotte Street is one of London’s most colorful places.
Keep going straight down the road: on your left, the Fitzroy Tavern which gave its name to the Fitzrovia area makes the corner.
On your right, across the road, you will spot Italian Bear Chocolate: it’s a perfect place to pop by if you’re visiting London in autumn – their huge slices of chocolate cakes are incredible, as is the rustic decor.
Passing by Italian Bear Chocolate, the street becomes Rathbone Place.
There, you will see Lima Fitzrovia, an amazing Michelin-Star, fusion Peruvian restaurant which I tried a few months ago and loved.
And facing Lima, The Wheatsheaf, one of the prettiest pubs in London which used to have writer George Orwell for a customer, with a front that will remind you of Tudor architecture.
There is a secret passageway underneath, which takes you to Percy Mews, another hidden mews street of this central area.
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As we keep walking and turn on Gresse Street, we will see the Bricklayers Arms, another beautiful pub which adds a layer of village atmosphere to Fitzrovia.
Keep going on Rathbone Place, and on the right, you will spot a hidden passageway which leads to Rathbone Square.
Illuminated day and night, it’s one of my favorite places to spot Christmas lights from November onwards, and with its small fountains in the middle, it makes for one of Central London’s most secret gardens.
On your left, you will spot a few Italianate vases.
These announce the presence of Circolo Popolare, none other than one of my favorite Italian spots in town, with probably some of the best Neapolitan pizza you’ll ever try in your life.
You do have to book to eat there; there’s often a queue in front of the restaurant and few availabilities for walk-ins.
Turn left at the end of Rathbone Square, and we are reaching the bustling Oxford Street: in the distance, Flying Tiger, a budget shop perfect to purchase just about anything, from notebooks to plush toys.
Oxford Street is where our little Fitzrovia itinerary ends, an itinerary in which you will hopefully have discovered a few new hidden gems.
If you are interested in learning more about the famous shopping street that is Oxford Street, I would recommend reading the following articles:
- The Best Shops on Oxford Street
- The Best Shops in Central London
- and The Best Hidden Gems on Oxford Street
Central London’s Fitzrovia Itinerary: Hidden Gems & Food Spots
Then, if you feel like you would like to add more secret food spots and other hidden gems to your itinerary, then all you have to do is cross Oxford Street and take any of the streets facing us.
They will lead us to Soho, a famous shopping and street art neighborhood which offers activities for days!