St Johns Wood a London urban residential district with pop culture and flair

St Johns Wood is famous for the zebra crossing and world-renowned by homegrown talent The Beatles. St Johns Wood High Street is contemporary with a great selection of traditional stores and hearty food. I was excited to be booked to try lunch at the Ivy St Johns wood and scrumptious dessert at Unico Gelato a family run business famous for its delicious treats.

History of St Johns Wood

St Johns Wood is the location to some of the most globally known venues in the world, notably Lord’s Cricket Ground. It is famous for Abbey Road Studios, where The Beatles recorded the Abbey Road Album, which features the band crossing the road. St John’s Wood was once acres of green woodland, beneath the hills of Hampstead. Regent’s park is nearby and St John’s wood is nearby neighbourhood of Maida Vale and Little Venice, central prime London at it’s best.

St John’s wood has fast become the most fashionable address in London and has undergone an amazing transformation of what we know and love “St John’s Wood”.

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St John’s Wood High Street

I was familiar with St John’s Wood due to having a few friends that live in the locality. St John’s Wood has it all, something for all taste buds, whether you fancy breakfast, brunch, lunch or dinner. The fashionable, the resident or first time to London, if you want to experience luxury quality brands and get away from the bustle of central London, St John’s Wood is a fantastic lifestyle destination in North London.

St John’s Wood High Street offers premium High Street, where you’ll find independent designer shops alongside quality brand stores. St John’s Wood High Street is a unique place to shop for the latest trends and designer labels from across the world.

St John’s Wood offers the best in fashion, beauty and offering a unique dining experience. There is a shop to inspire the most seasoned shopper, high-end fashion boutique, beauty, and wellbeing. Shopping paradise; Space NK, ME+EM, Ba&Sh, Joseph, Zadig & Voltaire, Paulie, Tara Jarmon, Rigby & Peller, Schuller Opticians, Tiddlywinks and Bruno just a flavor of what St John’s Wood High Street has on offer. St John’s offers wellbeing at Facegym and soon to be opened Core Collective.

The great thing about St Johns Wood is the location, the perfect destination for shopping or a fantastic dining experience. A foodie, the Good Life Eatery their delicious all-day menu features their own line of cold-pressed juices and smoothies. The Good Life Eatery has gluten, dairy, and meat-free options. Experience the Middle East step into Sahara. Fego St, the perfect place to stop by for breakfast, lunch coffee and everything in between. Calling all my chocolate addicts Leonidas Fresh Belgian chocolates your taste buds will not believe their luck. Leonidas has pralines for you, your colleagues, your friends, and your family and were commissioned to create chocolates for the Royal Family. St John’s Wood is home to one of London’s finest chain of brassiere in London called The Ivy, St John’s Wood offering a relaxed yet stylish dining experience, with weekend brunch dishes including eggs Benedict, warming hot buttermilk pancakes, miso-glazed chicken salad, and a shrimp and avocado burger. The Ivy is a great choice for the diner that wants a special experience.

St John’s Wood experience

Stepping out of St John’s Wood station on a bright Saturday afternoon was the perfect backdrop for my exploration around St John’s High Street. We walked up and down and popped into the stores which were of interest; first stop; Joseph those dresses, Space NK leading luxury beauty, Space NK has always been a favourite of mine to get the latest trends in beauty. Popped into Gerard Darel, Apostrophe, and Zadig & Voltaire to check out the season’s collections. Last stop was Rigby & Peller luxury lingerie, nightwear. Rigby & Peller caters for every woman, regardless of age, style or size. With a unique eye for detail and flair for our customers, Rigby & promises for every woman, we will find the “perfect fit.” We walked around for at least an hour in out of stores and window-shopping admiring the shop displays. All that walking worked up an appetite; next stop The Ivy, St John’s Wood.

The Ivy St John’s Wood Experience

The Ivy, St John’s Wood is a stylish art deco style offering an accessible all-day menu in a friendly atmosphere. The Ivy St John’s Wood includes outdoor Parisian style street seating, on the menu breakfast, Brunch, Lunch, Afternoon Tea, Cocktails, and dinner. The Ivy St John’s Wood launched Bloody Mary Trolley Brunch experience offering guests to enjoy a series of Bloody Mary recipes and the art of cocktail making, in the comfort of the main brassiere.

We were greeted by the host for the lunch and given recommendations for food and wine. The Ivy St John’s Wood offers a nice selection of interesting cocktails and wines. We had worked up an appetite exploring St John’s Wood, so were eager to order.

We were served customary bread and butter and olives, whilst opening our palette to decide on our food selection. We chose our starters; Succulent Prawn Cocktail, avocado, cherry tomatoes, and Marie Rose Sauce; Zucchini Fritti crispy courgette fries with lemon chili and mint yogurt very tasty. The mains roasted half chicken off the bone with truffle mashed potato and wild mushroom cream sauce, hearty and tender; Traditional fish and chips thick cut chips and tartare sauce, perfect! We were served with a perfectly chilled Prosecco and Havana Club Rum with pineapple a little taste of the exotic.

Dessert at Unico Gelato

Originating from the Italian food capital Bologna, Unico Gelato is a family run with a 60-year history in the food industry. The gourmet favourites including Crema Bologna and Sicilian lemon zest to classic Italian flavours, such as pistachio and stracciatella. They offer other mouth-watering treats catering for vegans and the savoury Italian favourites including focaccia. Walking into Unico Gelato we were spoilt for choice, all the choices looked like heaven, a cute little traditional café style location. The waiter was very kind and allowed us to try a number of flavours of ice cream and sorbet before deciding on our firm favourites. We opted for the cones and the choices were hazelnut, strawberry, biscotto and stracciatella. The second choice was pistachio, coffee, due torri and raspberry; our taste buds didn’t know what had hit them, all the right textures and flavours.

The conclusion

The Ivy St John’s Wood experience was as expected first class. Art Deco feel with a great atmosphere, attentive and knowledgeable staff and food cooked to perfection. Unico Gelato provided unforgettable Italian treats.

St John’s Wood is a unique and premium experience. It’s the perfect place to discover new and exciting independent shops mainstream and homegrown stores offering the best in accessories, beauty, and fashion. Tantalise the taste buds with the dining options available to suit any visitors taste. Don’t delay put a date in your diary to experience St John’s Wood.

W: NW8 St John’s Wood

W: The Ivy St John’s Wood Experience.

T: 020 3096 9444
A: 120 St John’s Wood High St, St John’s Wood, London NW8 7SG