Locals from London walk through Tooting
Before you start reading this article, an important premise: l or first is that you orient yourself . So start by unfolding the map of London before you –okay, if you're not as romantic as we are, open Google Maps-.
Now, place the thames , that thin tongue of water that divides the British capital in two. Already? Great! Take a look at the neighborhoods that extend along the southern edge of the map. Brixton, Wembley, Clapham... Tooting! You got it? That's our site!
The almost unexplored south london began a few years ago to appear in the odd guide thanks to Brixton , one of the neighborhoods transformed into a leisure area for those modern looking for alternatives to the city center . This phenomenon, which develops from time to time in every city that prides itself on the gentrification of the center and the expulsion of locals from it, has continued to evolve and, little by little, has spread to the south of the south.
London's hot new neighborhood is south of the south: welcome to Tooting
This is how it has reached tooting , where you will arrive mounted on the Northern Line -Yes, a bit ironic that it is precisely this line that takes you-. Tooting Broadway is your stop.
the streets of Tooting smell like curry and sound like accents from exotic places . The bright colors of the saris, the dark complexion of its neighbors and the name of many of its establishments immediately confirm that you are in a whole world within a neighborhood.
It is precisely that Ethnic diversity , made up mostly of Hindus, Pakistanis and Sri Lankans which, for some time, has attracted young urbanites in search of the authentic. People with new ideas and a desire for transformation who are committed to the perfect synchrony between the traditional and the modern. Between the authentic and the exotic.
The mouth of the subway spits you out at the intersection between Tooting High Street and Mitcham Road . To take the pulse of the neighborhood, the best thing to do is head to the first of the two markets that govern Tooting.
at the entrance to broadway market the peddlers they stand next to tables laden with fruit and vegetables. As in any market anywhere in the world, shouting loudly is responsible for capturing the attention of customers.
Enter the market hall and be aware for yourself: here the atmosphere changes. ** Broadway Market first opened its doors in 1936**, but that mid-20th-century market has little to do with what you'll find today.
There is no marked line: the shops of a lifetime coexist daily with a whole generation of new businesses whose designs, the most instagreable, seem to come with the filter already incorporated. A mix of the most eclectic that catches you without control.
Caribbean cuisine venues - **Bamboo Leaf** - stand next to hairdressers where African roots are well present.
Two corridors further a nail salon has been serving the women of the neighborhood for a lifetime. A sewing workshop, fabric stores, natural products, pet accessories Graham has been at the helm for 40 years. Market Pets - or jewelry stores: the offer is extremely varied, hey.
However, just a few stores away, the hipster world kicks in. In Pedal Black Cafe you can enjoy a tasty brunch in a cool place while you get your bike fixed.
If more than a breakfast, what you want is an appetizer, Craft Tooting it's your place
Its owners boast of being the first local craft beer in the neighborhood and the long offer they have will make you go crazy when choosing.
The corridors follow one after another and the irrepressible impulse to stop in each one of them is guaranteed. But as evening falls, Broadway Market transforms. Those classic trades businesses close their doors and the younger ones, especially dedicated to restoration, display their tables and chairs in the common area.
In kova , an elegant establishment run by Cristina, a Basque expat living in London decades ago, you can enjoy tasty pintxos paired with Spanish broths. In Bordeaux , a classic French bistro, you will salivate just by taking a look at the menu: who could contain their acclaimed steaks or burgers?
Who could hold back their acclaimed steaks or burgers?
After crossing a stretch of whose roof dozens of colored umbrellas hang –there is no modern neighborhood in the world that doesn't have them-, you return to the street, which you have to continue exploring. And what's up now? Well, another market! Let it not be said that in Tooting there are no options!
Just 100 meters away is Tooting Market and the scene when you get to it will make you feel like you're living a real dejavú. Again fruit and vegetable stalls at the entrance.
Once again the tireless cries of its shopkeepers announcing goods and prices. You go down the corridor that leads inside and a worker of Chinese origin assaults you with asian food samples "For a moment you don't feel like you're in Camden?"
Again that mix of old and new. Fabrics of exotic colors and motifs are stacked in one of the shops. Behind them, the owner of the premises, with his turban well placed on his head, plays with his mobile while he waits for his next client.
** Dr. Vinyl ,** an attractive store of vinyl and CD second hand appears on the right, and in the background, a perfect place to recharge your batteries: at ** Brickwood Coffee ** you will be sure to ask for the mukara menu -toast with pumpkin, pesto and poached eggs with which to lick your fingers-.
Anything else? Of course! Vegans will have it easy Get Juice Bar, and at Graveney Gin you will taste a very special gin: handcrafted by Victoria Christie , native of Tooting, who in her particular distillery designed the recipe for this genuinely British liqueur. In her small bar you can also buy a bottle to take home , knowing that in addition the 10% of the profits will go to an organization that fights for the care and protection of gorillas.
But Tooting is much more than markets. Back on the street let yourself be carried away by the intense smell of curry that emanates from businesses such as apollo banana leaf and feel like one more local sitting at one of their tables. After try their flavors It won't surprise you to learn that Londoners from different parts of the city don't hesitate to drive for hours to enjoy them.
as you walk by Tooting High Street look at the details: many of the buildings were built by mid 19th century . The style victorian and edwardian prevails and, although on the ground floor they host businesses of all kinds, in the rest of the façade and on its roofs you can still feel that stylish past.
Is in the 50 Mitcham Road where you will find the next jewel of the neighborhood: the gala bingo . And no, it's not like we want to encourage you to get into the game. It is that this building, where you see it, is a real treasure.
Victorian and Edwardian houses in Tooting, London
was raised in 1930 and in its beginnings it was the Granada Tooting Cinema, a neo-Renaissance-style cinema and concert hall in which the very same Frank Sinatra or the Rolling Stones . And, although the seats have long since been exchanged for tables and chairs where you can sing bingo, its impressive interior – and exterior – has been preserved as it was in the past: with its marble stairs, its mirrors, its gothic windows and its chandeliers.
Contemplating this wonder is as easy as trying your luck at the game or signing up for one of the guided tours that are organized from time to time.
By the way! If you have been annoyed by not being able to enjoy concerts in the old Granada anymore, don't worry, Tooting Tram & Social it's your place. East nightclub , practically next door to Gala Bingo, offers performances and open mic nights every day of the week.
But to finish introducing you to this fascinating neighborhood We want to offer you something different. A plan where you can stay in touch with nature and enjoy the outdoors . It's time for you to go up Tooting Bec Common , an immense park of medieval origins that serves as the neighborhood's green lung. There you can walk, lie in the sun, play sports, or whatever comes to mind!
Gala Bingo in Tooting
And, to top it off, an unmissable: Tooting Bec Lido was, for many years - in fact, since 1906 -, the best kept secret in London, although when in 2002 a work endowed it with a new more accessible entrance, became one of the district's most valued treasures.
What are we talking about? Well, from one huge public swimming pool -in fact, the second largest in Europe- where you can enjoy the days in the sun whether lying in their gardens , taking a bath in its cold waters or posing in its colorful costumes. You can't imagine how photogenic they are! And is that, could you think of a better ending for this article? To us, believe us not.
Tooting Bec Lido, created in 1906