Less-known museums (and cool S. indian or other cafes) in London?

[Sadik]

DP & I are going for a few days next week. Plan is one day for all the Greenwich museums/Cutty Sark, and another day for Kew. That leaves us two half days, ideally not too far from Paddington station. Alone I'd do art galleries & bookshops, but neither really DP's cup of tea. Any great recommendations very much welcomed!

Also, we both love food from different cultures, & don't get a lot of variations where we live, but probably more towards the cafe / low key end of the spectrum rather than more upmarket. So again, any recommendations either for specific cafes/restaurants or areas very welcome.

And definitely Trafalgar Tavern!

Trafalgar Tavern is great (we had our wedding celebrations there in the upstairs rooms back in 1992!).

Dulwich Picture Gallery is also a gem:

https://www.dulwichpicturegallery.org.uk/whats-on/exhibitions/2024/november/tirzah-garwood-beyond-ravilious/

and the Tirzah Garwood exhibition is wonderful, also featuring pictures by her husband Eric Ravillious.

What kind of museums do you like? If you are a bit literary as a bookshop browser then I'd recommend Keats Museum and Kenwood House in Hampstead (not too far from Paddington) - both of which are amazing and have lovely cafes and don't tend to be over-run by pre-schoolers (unlike many London museums).

There's a great Filipino cafe in Swiss Cottage. Mama's Kubo.

Meant to add, if you're in Greenwich you can get a boat trip back up to central London.

Petrie Museum and Grant Museum (both at UCL). Then head to Roti King in Euston.

I’d second the postal museum which I LOVED. And it’s walkable from Drummond/Wellcome

I know I’m just jumping on what everyone else says but they keep reminding me of things, the post museum is fantastic, mail rail is so cool. And also boat trip there or back to Greenwich (not a tourist one, just the uber boats commuter one) is a great suggestion and great way to get to/from the centre.

Enjoying reading your recommendations for our next visit, thank you

If you go to museum of the home (which is quite nice but you prob need something else to make it worth the trip east) then I'd recommend going to song Que cafe on Kingsland rd, two mins from the museum and consistently one my favourite places to eat in London. It's Vietnamese- there are a few on the same road but it's the best if the bunch.

Saw the welcome collection has been recommended, it's always interesting and the exhibitions are free. The main roti long branch nearby was closed for a refurb but I think should be reopened now. That's another great place to eat.

I'd also highly recommend Japan House, on high st Ken, the gift shop alone is lovely and the free fake food exhibition in the basement is wonderful and on til Feb. Nearby there are two great sounding museums - Leighton house and sambourne house both run by the borough of Ken and Chelsea (www.rbkc.gov.uk/museums/leighton-house) I have never been but they look great and one day I will go! The design museum is also in the area and worth going to if you are interested in the exhibitions but they aren't cheap. The Kyoto garden in Holland Park is close and also worth a visit

Not sure if counts as lesser known, but the Wallace collection just off Oxford st is great and not usually as busy as all the main museums

Song Que is a great suggestion, especially if you go to Museum of the Home as it’s v close by, and could then do Spitalfields for dessert and Horizon 22.

The postal museum is great especially outside school holidays and early enough in the day that there aren't many people. Best if you throw yourself into it, like sorting mail on the mail train, as well as the excellent train ride. I love the beautiful vehicles and stamp designs too

Another vote for the automation museum, cartoon museum and bao london

although I saw Uxbridge suggested and the small bao shop there absolutely trounces bao london in taste. I always try to time my Uxbridge office visits for days around lunch there!!

I went to Linley Sambourne House literally a couple of days ago, for the first time in many, many years. He was a noted Punch cartoonist. It’s possibly the closest you'll ever come to knowing what it was like living in the house of a fairly moneyed Victorian artist and his family - stuffed to the gills with furnishings, objets d'art, paintings, drawings, cartoons and photographs. It’s been preserved very much as the Sambourne family lived in it. You’re able to wander around, which is quite unusual nowadays, which I loved - so if you like this sort of thing, you'll love it too.

Leighton House is much grander and extraordinary. Amazing art and Moorish tiles.

I really liked the London Museum of Water and Steam - not a clue where it is though, sorry.

Mmm Song Que. Have the pancake. I like museum of the home a lot, plus they have a nintendo 64 with old skool mariokart. You could double up with Whitechapel art gallery, get the overground 2 stops. Near Whitechapel you have Tayyabs which is a real institution.

The new WW2 gallery and the art gallery rehang at the imperial war museum is good. Not far from Kennington/Camberwell, which means you can go to Silk Road in Camberwell for Szechuan food or get the bus to Brixton market where there are loads of great street food places.

I haven’t RTFT but the Wallace Collection is nicely central and very interesting

We visited the Temple Church, between the Savoy Hotel and the Thames. Small, quiet church dating back to the 12 century, founded by the Knights Templers. We had a talk from a guide which was good. Then a good look round, before wandering off to Covent Garden for lunch. A nice morning.

2nding Sir John Soanes house.
Do the tour, we paid £15 each money well spent, utterly bonkers & fabulous house.
We loved it.

We've done the world of Tim Burton in the design museum, plan on going again before it finishes in April. Also did the Barbie exhibition, fun.

Brentford, near Kew Bridge.

My geography is appalling so I apologise in advance if this is not close to the areas you will be in, but there is a fantastic Colombian cafe on Greek Street in Soho. Apparently the cheese and hot chocolate is definitely worth a try.

A less known museum is the Horniman Museum in South London, Forrest Hill, a bit of a trek but worth it!

Not worth the trip.

it's also not worth travelling to Brixton from Paddington just to eat.

The Horniman is really great, but it's more of a day out with kids if you live in London place, or somewhere to go if you are in the area, or doing the green chain walk.

Sherlock Holmes museum in Marylebone is fairly close. There’s also Regents Park with London Zoo nearby and in the other direction Maida Vale and the canal.

The Soane museum is brilliant and the museum of surgery is also worth a visit on the other side of the square.

I was unimpressed with the museum of the home.