The Candy Crowd

Cocomaya, near Hyde Park, sells handmade chocolates in whimsical forms, such as medallions made from casts of antique coins.

—Susan Welsh and Alison Tyler

The Chip Shop

The resurrected Geales, in Notting Hill, which first opened in 1939, draws families and fashionable types alike for upmarket beer-battered fish and chips. An original wooden specials board listing dishes of yore, such as mushy peas and shandy, pays tribute to the previous incarnation.

—Susan Welsh and Alison Tyler

The Swing Set

At Bourne & Hollingsworth, a louche basement bar in Fitzrovia, a stylishly retro crowd downs gin fizzes and channels the spirit of prewar Bright Young Things. The DJ’s get the crowd swinging to big-band hits.

—Susan Welsh and Alison Tyler

The Swing Set

Light-footed Londoners are also stepping into the Rivoli Ballroom for the swing and rock ’n’ roll nights—and to lounge amid the original scarlet 1957 interior, all velvet draperies, flocked wallpaper, chandeliers, and oversize Chinese lanterns.

—Susan Welsh and Alison Tyler

Tea Time

Unashamedly basic Treacle is keeping the British teahouse alive. Open only on Sundays (as well as Saturdays during the high season), the shop sells tea and ginger beer—no coffee!—and a selection of fairy cakes, Victoria sponges, and other treats. Vintage tea caddies, teapots, and china are for sale.

—Susan Welsh and Alison Tyler

Tea Time

For more glamour, head to the Waldorf Hilton, which has reintroduced its afternoon Tango Tea in the sumptuous Palm Court; guests can relive 1920’s elegance and take to the floor, accompanied by a five-piece band.

—Susan Welsh and Alison Tyler

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