Not registered? Register here. Inside is a trove of intriguing titles in colourful dust jackets, with cardboard boxes on the floor for the spillover, while the outdoor racks are dedicated to cheerful shelves of cheap paperbacks. Impossible to swing by without finding something to leave with.
More is preserved at this East End caff than the walnut panelling and formica tables. With regulars since the Seventies and a Kray connection โ the twins would pop by often โ stepping into Pellicci is like waking up in a bit of old BBC footage. It has stood in Bethnal Green Road since and remains the real deal: they serve a cracking fry-up, decent homemade pies and proper sandwiches.
As for the museums, book for the nearby Tate Modern SE1, tate. Smelling of garam masala and simmering tomatoes, decorated in graffiti and lit in neon, walking Brick Lane is entertainment in itself. Besides the countless curry houses and occasional dive bars are two bagel shops: one white Beigel Bake , E1, bricklanebeigel.
At both, the speciality sees thick slices of salt beef smothered in mustard and buried beneath great thick wedges of gherkin. The white shop always has the queue but the yellow spot is just as good โ though saying so usually causes an argument. Test them both for yourself. Silk Street, EC2Y, barbican. Come for cabaret, comedy and camp.
Tayyabs E1, tayyabs. Both are BYOB. Nearby Needo E1, needoogrill. Up north, try Royal Nawaab UB6, royalnawaab. With indoors mostly off-limits, lean into the outdoors life, where household mixing is allowed in groups of up to six.
