This article might contain affiliate links. Read the disclaimer about affiliate links & PR gifting here.

Aba-Ra!

108 Brick Ln, London E1 6RL, United Kingdom | map link
abara.co.uk

Georgian restaurant on Brick Lane, a neighbourhood famously known for Indian food. Georgian cuisine is rich and flavourful. Try the restaurant’s signature dishes, ajarian khachapuries (cheese-filled bread) and freshly made khinkali (dumplings). Make sure to accompany your hearty meal with a glass of Georgian wine, it is, after all, where wine came from.

Blacklock Shoreditch

28-30 Rivington St, London EC2A 3DZ, United Kingdom | map link
IG: @blacklockchops
theblacklock.com

The space is a renovated furniture factory, the industrial feel is still very much present. A modern British pub by design, this is a traditional chophouse with a hefty menu of meats with a wide selection of sides. As you wait for your main meal, pick a few single-bite snacks from the Pre-chop Bites menu. The beverage list is pretty robust and includes wine on tap. This restaurant is B Corp certified.

Chez Elles Bistroquet

45 Brick Ln, London E1 6PU, United Kingdom | map link
IG: @chezellesbistro
chezellesbistroquet.co.uk

A French bistro in Brick Lane. This is a small restaurant with a very homey feel. On the menu are French cuisine favourites like the French onion soup, snails in garlic butter, truffle cheese soufflé, mussels, duck, and steaks. In the summer, the team puts out a few tables outside, extending the casual feel to the street.

China Tang at the Dorchester

251 Tooley St, London SE1 2JX, United Kingdom | map link
IG @thedorchester
chinatanglondon.co.uk

Chinese restaurant at The Dorchester Hotel, London. The hotel has two Michelin keys, and the food reflects this. The menu is the best of Chinese comfort food, from dumplings to Peking duck served up with a white-glove flair. The bar menu is equally impressive, created by an award-winning bartender. The bar at Chine Tang is worth the visit just for the drinks.

Left: Discount Suit Company, image courtesy of the bar.
Right: China Tang table at The_Dorchester Hotel, image courtesy of the hotel.

Discount Suit Company

 29A Wentworth St, London E1 7TB, United Kingdom | map link
IG: @discountsuitco
discountsuitcompany.co.uk

A bit of a hidden gem cocktail bar, located below street level. The space used to be a tailor’s stockroom and was converted into a small bar. The lights are dimmed, the cealings is low, and the good vibes are flowing. The craft cocktail menu is amplified by the knowledgeable bar team, prepared to improvise a beverage to your taste.

East London Liquor Company (ELLC)

Bow Wharf, Unit GF1, 221 Grove Rd., Old Ford, London E3 5SN, United Kingdom | Google maps
IG @eastlondonliquorcompany
eastlondonliquorcompany.com

Distillery, bar, and restaurant with a wonderful outdoor space. Located in London’s East End, this is a popular spot with a fun vibe and a fantastic drink selection. They distil gin, vodka, and whisky, while rums are imported from Jamaica and Guyana. ELLC offers distillery tours for those interested in looking behind the scenes. The cocktail menu is a selection of carefully crafted drinks with simple names like “Gin + Asparagus” or “Tequila + Pumpkin”.

East London Liquor Company. Images by Kateryna Topol.

Muhib’s best in Brick Lane

73 Brick Ln, London E1 6QL, United Kingdom | map link
IG: @muhibindian
muhibindiancuisine.com

On a street packed with Indian restaurants back to back, it can be difficult to choose one, but this one came recommended by the locals. On the menu are pages and pages of dishes from starters to Muhib’s specialities, to curries, masalas, dansak and pathia dishes, and much more. Everything is well seasoned and packed with flavour. Save your appetite and bring friends to share a few plates with.

Swift cocktail bars

A classic cocktail bar with locations in Soho and Shoreditch. The Soho location has an upstairs bar and a basement den. The upstairs is an airy and open space with a rich selection of cocktails, beers, and wine. Swift is also known for their scotch selection, which includes over 300 options from around the world. The downstairs at Soho has a very cool menu, one drink per page, each dedicated to a different celebrity. This menu is fittingly titled “Legends”. The cocktail selection is really interesting, for example, the ode to Hemingway is “Eden,” a silky and rich rum-based cocktail. Snoop Dog’s bevi, on the other hand, is a tropical and refreshing vodka cocktail called “Long Beach”. Swift is included in the world’s top 50 best restaurants. The Shoreditch is smaller and more laid back, but with the same high-quality service and expertly made craft cocktails.

Swift Soho. Images by Kateryna Topol.

Swans Bar at Maison Assouline

196A Piccadilly, London W1J 9EY, United Kingdom | Map link
IG: @maisonassouline
eu.assouline.com

Cocktail bar and cafe inside the Maison Assouline bookshop. As an Instagrammable spot, this bar gets quite busy, but if you happen to come across an open spot, take a seat for a tea or a cocktail break and enjoy the library vibes. Snacks and food are available to make it a complete lunch or dinner.

Swans Bar at Maison Assouline, images courtesy of Maison Assouline.

L’ETO Piccadilly

199 Piccadilly, London W1J 9HA, United Kingdom | Map link
IG: @letocaffe.official
uk.leto.delivery

L’ETO Cafe is hard to miss because of the cakes and pastries in the window. You can almost taste them just by looking. The interior is a classic cafe-style room where you can sit and enjoy your dessert with tea or coffee. Savoury lunch and brunch dishes are also an option. L’ETO has locations allacross the city, check which one is closest to you.

The Toucan

19 Carlisle St, London W1D 3BY, United Kingdom | map link
@thetoucansoho
thetoucansoho.co.uk

If you like Guinness, this is the place to be. Pouring more fresh Guinness daily than all of downtown Toronto, the Toucan is an institution. A small pub with an equally small area outside this pub spills out onto the street with tipsy patrons clutching onto dark pints. The Toucan is an institution.

Bonus: Secret Food Tour in SoHo

Book on secretfoodtours.com or GetYourGuide

One way to see and eat as much as possible during a short visit is doing a food tour with a local. The Secret Food Tours adventure through Soho is a fun walk through the neigbourhood filled with stories and many bites and sips. You will taste cuisine across multiple cultures, try gin, and end the evening in a very, very old bar that used to be a brothel.

Alternatively, you can See London on a panoramic gourmet food bus, while enjoying lunch or dinner.

Secret Food Tour in SoHo. Images by Kateryna Topol.

The post Where to eat and drink in London, UK appeared first on Paths to Travel.

Image courtesy of San Fermin Pamplona, Navarra tourism.
Cover image: Kurentovanje festival in Slovenia. Image by Marko Pigac, Slovenian Tourist Board.

Running of the Bulls, Festival of San Fermín

Pamplona, Navarre, Spain
July 6 – July 14, 2025
More information on pamplonafiesta.com and visitnavarra.es

This week-long celebration includes concerts, dance parties, fireworks, exhibitions, performances, and culinary events all across Pamplona. Naturally, the most notable part of San Fermín is encierros, running of the bulls, which only takes about 3-4 electrifying and unforgettable minutes. Best observed from the balcony seats, but street-level engagement is an option. 

The festival also includes a daily parade with Gigantes and Cabezudos (big heads) strolling through the streets past the crafts stalls in the Taconera gardens. Enjoy a hot chocolate with a churro, grab an aperitivo at your will, or take a guided tour to learn more about the city and the celebrations.

Marquesas Islands Arts Festival: on the left is a Marquesas Bird Dance; on the right, a Tahuata tattooed warrior. Images courtesy of Tahiti Tourisme

Marquesas Islands Arts Festival

Tahiti, French Polynesia 
Bi-annual, December 16 – 20, 2025
More information on tahititourisme.ca 

The festival, called Matavaa o te Fenua Enata in the Marquesan language, has been running since 1986. The event promotes Marquesan culture in French Polynesia and was originally held every four years across three main islands. Today, it is a biennial event taking place on Nuku Hiva, Hiva Oa, Ua Pou, Ua Huka, Tahuata and Fatu Hiva islands. 

The celebrations offer a rare opportunity to see the vibrant traditions of Polynesian culture and heritage through dance performances, intricate tattoo artistry, and traditional crafts.

Fiestas de los Diablitos 

Boruca and Rey Curré, Costa Rica
December 30 or 31 – January 2 and 3 variable days in February, 2026
More information on ranchobrugra.com

A festive event during which the Boruca, a Costa Rican indigenous community, come together at the end of every year to tell an alternate history of Spanish conquest. Celebrated in Boruca and Rey Curré, it is a way of preserving the traditions of Indigenous peoples. Cabrú Rojc is the game or dance of the little devils that serves as a symbolic representation of the struggles between indigenous people against the Spanish invaders. 

The event has been taking place in Rey Curré since 1979 and involves dance and performances in traditional masks and clothing made with banana leaves of gangoche, in addition to traditional textiles. The entire game involves specific characters going through specific stages from the birth to the search and the celebration of victory. 

Fasnacht: Carnival

Basel, Switzerland
March 2026, exact dates TBA
More information on basel.com and fasnachts-comite.ch

Rumour has it, Basel prepares for this three-day festival the entire year. On the Monday after Ash Wednesday (the first day of Lent), the city wakes to the sound of the Morgestraich, and the celebrations begin. The streets, illuminated by lanterns, are occupied by thousands of piccolos, drums, and masked members of the carnival parade. 

The members of the parade travel by foot, on carnival floats and horse-drawn carriages carrying lanterns with chosen sujets – special carnival topics. Oranges, confetti, and colourful sheets of paper (zeedel) are thrown or exchanged during the procession. 

Left and center: Fruit parade at The Fête du Citron 2022, Ville de Menton, images by Sabry Ardore. Right: Fruit parade, Rock et Opéra float, 2023, images by Marine Marrec, courtesy of the festival.

The Fête du Citron 

Menton, France
February 14 – March 1, 2026
More information on fete-du-citron.com

Menton is a lovely corner of the French Riviera, just a short distance away from Italy. Lemons are a popular commodity, and the festival has been a part of the community since 1934. Citrus float parades make their way along the Menton seafront, Promenade du Soleil and in the Biovès Gardens.

The festival stretches over the course of 15 days, attracting thousands of visitors from across the globe. Celebrations include a crafts market, the infamous Golden Fruit Parade where citrus comes to life, carnival-style Night parades, a spectacular Citrus Pattern Exhibition, and an Orchid and Flower show.

Kurentovanje, Shrovetide Carnival

Ptuj, Slovenia
February – March, 2026, exact dates TBA
More information on slovenia.info and kurentovanje.net

Held in the country’s oldest town, Kurentovanje is its most unique and vibrant festival. The main characters are the Kurenti figures (the good demons) dressed in sheepskin costumes and distinctive bells. The event celebrates the arrival of spring and showcases Slovenia’s rich ethnographic heritage. 

Kurenti perform door-to-door visits throughout town as processions. This visit brings good fortune for the year ahead, unless they roll on the ground in the yard. In return for this performance, the locals offer them treats (pork meat, sausages, handkerchiefs). Kurenti have an entourage including the Prince of the Carnival, whip crackers, log haulers, and ploughmen.

Fremantle International Street Arts Festival

Fremantle, Australia
April 3 – April 6, 2026
More information on streetartsfestival.com.au

The festival first launched in 1999 as a busker weekend and has since grown into a world-class celebration. The festival gathers visitors and talent from across the globe for three days of celebrations across venues and on the streets of Fremantle. The event is a celebration of the extraordinary, entertaining, weird, wacky, unusual, and just plain fun. The showcases include musical performances, costumed stilt walkers, dance and acrobatic showcases, and much more, totalling over 70 performances.

The post Unique cultural festivals around the world appeared first on Paths to Travel.