Colorful and Quirky Neal’s Yard

Prior to getting to London Chris sent me a photo of Neal’s Yard in Covent Gardens and I had been looking forward to visiting the colorful square. The brightly painted buildings, doors, and window trims combined with ivy covered brick make this a little bohemian paradise in the midst of the city. Although it is hardly more than a few alleyways off of the main shopping streets, it feels almost like a secret garden.

Of course, being such a cool little spot you know the shops and restaurants are going to be awesome. We ended up finding our favorite pizza place, Homeslice, which we may or may not visit on a weekly basis now. 20 inch pizzas with some of the best topping combos I have ever heard of. So far we have tried the Margherita, the Aubergine (what eggplant is called in Europe, surprise!) with Cauliflower cheese, Spinach & Harissa, the Goat Shoulder with Savoy Cabbage and Yoghurt, and MY FAVORITE the Mushroom with Ricotta, Pumpkin Seed & Chili. They also have this amazing chili oil you put on top that Chris and I are dying to try to make at home. Hungry yet??

There are also a bunch of other great spots including 26 Grains for porridge, Wild Food Cafe, Neal’s Yard Remedies which sells all organic beauty products, Blend and Press juices and Neal’s Yard Dairy cheese shop. So basically, perfect places that I would want to hangout in all day 🙂

Initially when we were looking at places in London for the summer we were told that Convent Gardens is too fancy and stuffy. While there are a lot of designer shops and it is home to the Royal Opera house, after exploring the area a bit (its only a few tube stops down from us on the Piccadilly line, woo) Chris and I agree we really like it there! While waiting for our table at Homeslice we came across Craft Beer Co. and an underground bar called Freud, who has been serving their huge selection of cocktails since 1986.  Looking forward to exploring more restaurants and bars in the area!