I decided to visit Israel and Jordan in 2 weeks and planned this 2 week Israel & Jordan itinerary using information from other bloggers and it turned out to be a lot better than expected. I loved every place I visited and every hotel I stayed on! See a break down of the Israel & Jordan itinerary as well as recommendations on what to do each day below. Heads up that it includes a super fun road trip.
2 weeks in Israel and Jordan – Daily Breakdown
Days 1 & 2: Jerusalem
It might seem weird not to start the Israel trip in Tel Aviv, but I actually arrived to Tel Aviv’s Ben Gurion airport during Shabbat and took a Nesher Sherut to Jerusalem directly which takes around an hour.
For the next two days, I explored Jerusalem! I felt like this was enough time for us to get a good grasp of the city and the religions that co-exist here in harmony. I’ve written a separate post with my Jerusalem Bucket List. There is a lot to do, so pick and choose.
Tooting was named one of the 10 best neighbourhoods to visit in the world by Lonely Planet, and once you’ve spent an afternoon getting gently lost in its two indoor markets, you’ll understand why. As it happens, Tooting is actually my neighbourhood, I’ve lived here for over 12 years now, and it’s genuinely home. I chose to stay because I love how multicultural it is, and if I’m honest, mostly because of its super fun markets. Wedged between Tooting Bec and Tooting Broadway tube stations, both on the Northern line, is a proper “curry corridor”, decades of South Indian, Sri Lankan and Pakistani food culture sitting shoulder to shoulder with newer wine bars, bao shops and a rooftop cocktail terrace that wasn’t there five years ago. It’s the kind of place that rewards wandering without a plan. Here’s my up-to-date guide to what to eat, do, drink and see.
TOOTING ESSENTIALS
✈️ Getting There from the Airport / From Heathrow, the quickest route is the Piccadilly line into central London, changing onto the Northern line, roughly 1 hour to 1 hour 15 minutes depending on which Tooting station you’re headed to. From Gatwick, the fastest option is the direct Southern/Thameslink train to Clapham Junction (around 30 to 45 minutes), then a short onward hop into Tooting, quicker than changing across the Underground. If you’d rather not deal with luggage on public transport after a flight, book a private airport transfer with WelcomePickups.
🚇 Getting There from Central London / The Northern line runs straight down to both Tooting Bec and Tooting Broadway, about 25 to 30 minutes from central London depending on where you’re starting. There’s also a separate Tooting mainline rail station on the Southern/Thameslink network if you’re coming from Clapham Junction, Victoria, or south of the river.
🚶 Getting Around / Tooting itself is small and entirely walkable, everything in this guide is within about 15 minutes on foot of Tooting Broadway station, so there’s no need to think about local transport once you’re here.
What to Eat in Tooting
International food is what Tooting does best, and the best approach is simply to walk in somewhere that smells good and trust it.
Eating in Tooting: If You Only Have One Meal
Daddy Bao (113 Mitcham Road, London SW17 9PE) does fluffy, flavourful bao buns and delicious cocktails. It’s a sister spot to Peckham’s Mr Bao, and it’s always busy, so book ahead if you actually want a table rather than a wait outside.
Barra10 (16 Broadway Market, Tooting High Street, London SW17 0RL) is an Argentinian steakhouse tucked inside Broadway Market, run by an Argentinian chef and his Mexican wife, the kind of place where the smell of the grill hits you before you’ve even sat down. It’s been recommended by TopJaw, and as an Argentinian myself, I can vouch for it too, I visit very frequently. Go hungry, and whatever else you order, do not miss the ox cheek nuggets.
Lahore Karahi (1 Tooting High Street, London SW17 0SN) has been here since 1995 and turns up on nearly every “best curries in London” list going. It’s spicy, and it’s good. It’s also hectic, and the service can be a bit rude, but honestly that’s just part of the charm, you’re not here for hand-holding, you’re here for the tarka dhal and the sizzling lamb chops. Open till late most nights if the craving hits at 11pm.
Juliets (110 Mitcham Road, London SW17 9NG) works just as well for a proper lunch as it does for brunch. A very hipster brunch spot in London, relaxed staff, indy music, all exposed brick and inventive plates like smoked caviar and pumpkin omelette. Everything on the menu is delicious, it genuinely feels like it’s been put together by Michelin-star chefs, not a neighbourhood brunch spot. It’s first-come, first-served, no bookings, so turn up early on weekends or be prepared to hover.
Naked Loaf (70 Moyser Road, Tooting, London SW16 6SQ) does sourdough pizza that’s genuinely one of the best I’ve had in London, full stop.
Eating in Tooting: Brunch
Flora inside Tooting Market does Latin American fusion brunch that’s louder and more colourful than most, now with a bottomless option and DJs at the weekend turning the whole thing into more of an event than a meal.
MUD (141 Mitcham Road, London SW17 9PE) is the classic, meat-focused brunch menu, big plates of eggs and bacon done properly, if you want something more traditional.
Branché (14 Trinity Road, Tooting Bec, London SW17 7RE) does French street food and an entirely halal, all-day brunch menu, the signature French tacos are worth the trip alone.
Eating in Tooting: South Indian
Radha Krishna Bhavan (86 Tooting High Street, London SW17 0RN) is the one to try if you want your South Indian food a bit gentler on the palate, all soft idlis and coconut-heavy sauces rather than anything that’ll have you reaching for water.
Dosa n Chutney (68 Tooting High Street, London SW17 0RN) does exactly what its name promises and does it well, proper crispy dosas with a spread of chutneys to go with them.
Jaffna House (90 Tooting High Street, London SW17 0RN), London’s oldest Sri Lankan restaurant, does great curry at a genuinely negligible price.
Eating in Tooting: International Food
Little Taperia (143 Tooting High Street, London SW17 0SY) does proper Spanish tapas, the kind of small plates and sherry list that makes an evening stretch out without you noticing.
Meza (34 Trinity Road, Tooting Bec, London SW17 7RE) is the Tooting Bec branch of the Lebanese restaurant, moujadara, creamy houmous, and plenty of grilled meat off the char.
Eating in Tooting: Coffee
Juliets (110 Mitcham Road, London SW17 9NG) doubles as one of the best specialty coffee spots in the area on top of its brunch reputation, think salted espresso butter and a proper chai, not just an afterthought bolted onto the food menu.
Blueprint now has two spots to choose from, 162A Mitcham Road near Tooting Broadway, and a newer branch at 60 Franciscan Road closer to Tooting Bec common, both doing the same reliably good “coffee by design” approach.
arêvery (116 Tooting High Street, London SW17 0RR) is your daytime coffee spot that quietly turns into a lovely little wine bar come evening, small producers, intentional sourcing, and 30p from every coffee going to the local food bank.
Forty (165 Tooting High Street, London SW17 0SY) is a proper community-run coffee spot, the kind of place that feels like it knows half its customers by their usual order.
Milk Run (16-18 Ritherdon Road, Tooting Bec, London SW17 8QD) is Milk’s bakery sibling, all croissants, pain au chocolat and proper sourdough loaves alongside the coffee, worth the short detour off the main strip.
Eating in Tooting: Fancy Meals
Rosmarino (23 Trinity Road, Tooting Bec, London SW17 7RE) is a small, family-run, proper grown-up Italian, contemporary plates built on seasonal ingredients flown in from Italy, run by a husband and wife who genuinely seem to know every regular by name. Booking ahead is worth it, it’s a small room.
Smoke & Salt (115 Tooting High Street, London SW17 0SY) is tasting-menu only, a rotating six-dish “Culture” menu built around the best produce of the season, with wine pairings if you want to make a proper night of it. Thursday to Saturday only, and it’s small, so book ahead.
Things to Do in Tooting
Tooting has two indoor markets, and honestly, wandering both of them properly is a thing to do in itself.
Wander and Eat at Tooting & Broadway Markets
Tooting Market (21-23 Tooting High Street, London SW17 0SN) is the older of the two markets, a warren of small units where you’ll stumble on something new every visit.
KOI Ramen Bar does a rich, properly bone-deep tonkotsu broth that’s worth queuing for, plus gyoza that disappear off the table faster than you can order more.
Get Juiced does fresh juices and smoothies, and banging açai bowls, good for a quick, cold reset between market stops. Do not leave without trying the all-vegan snickers bar, it’s genuinely one of the best things in the market.
Vermicelli (Unit 11, Tooting Market, 21-23 Tooting High Street, London SW17 0SN) does consistently excellent handmade pasta, rolled out in full view of the market. The owners, Ahmos and Aleksandra, opened it after getting properly obsessed with vermicelli’s history, tracing the pasta back to 14th-century Italy and Maestro Martino da Como, sometimes called the first celebrity chef, and built the whole menu around telling that story properly.
Graveney Gin is a genuinely woman-run gin distillery with its own cocktail bar and bottle shop, the actual stills sitting right there behind the counter, so you can watch what you’re about to drink get made.
Love Art Tooting is a gallery and gift shop stocked with prints and cards from local artists, alongside ceramics, jewellery, books and stationery, genuinely nice gift territory rather than tourist tat.
Slime Bar does exactly what it sounds like, kids make their own slime in a one-hour workshop (or grab a 30-minute session with pre-made slime if patience is short), and it’s been a genuinely popular after-school and birthday party spot here since 2019.
Broadway Market (29 Tooting High Street, London SW17 0RJ), the smaller and newer of the two, is where you’ll find Barra10 (see above).
The Brasa Club (Unit 25, Floor G, Broadway Market Tooting, SW17 0RJ) is genuinely one of the best-reviewed restaurants in the whole neighbourhood, 5 stars from well over a hundred reviews, small plates, ox cheek doughnuts, and everything made from scratch.
Pan Asian Street Food (Unit 24, 29 Broadway Market, London SW17 0RJ) does bao buns, tonkotsu ramen and a proper pork ramen, hundreds of genuinely glowing reviews.
On weekend nights the whole place fills with live music and an energy that’s a world away from a normal shopping trip.
Check Out a Legit Indian Market
Patel Brothers (187 Upper Tooting Road, London SW17 7TG) has been the go-to Indian grocery store here since 1973, shelves stacked floor to ceiling with spices, lentils and snacks imported directly from India, it genuinely feels like you’ve been transported there for the ten minutes you spend browsing.
Buy Fresh Naan
Daily Naan (176 Upper Tooting Road, London SW17 7ER) does naan so fresh it’s still warm when you’re handed it, and I find it an experience in itself just buying the bread!
Play Bingo in an Art Deco Cinema
Buzz Bingo (50 Mitcham Road, London SW17 9NA) is housed inside the old Granada cinema, a genuinely stunning art deco building from 1931 that got converted into a bingo hall in the 70s but kept its original interior. Worth popping your head in just to see the building, even if bingo isn’t usually your thing.
Wander Around Tooting Common
Tooting Common is the proper green space to walk it all off, and next to Tooting Bec tube it connects through to Balham and Streatham if you fancy extending the walk. Head to the pond for the ducks, it’s a genuinely lovely spot to just sit for ten minutes, and there’s a weekly park run if you’re that way inclined. Fun fact: I got engaged by the lake here, so this particular patch of grass is a pretty special one for me.
Cool Off at the UK’s Largest Freshwater Lido
Tooting Bec Lido (Tooting Bec Road, London SW16 1RU) is the largest freshwater swimming pool in the UK, a proper South London institution with those distinctive coloured changing huts you might recognise from Guy Ritchie’s Snatch. Fun fact: it was built in just four months and opened in July 1906 as “Tooting Bathing Lake”, a communal bath for locals who mostly didn’t have their own bathroom at home, which makes 2026 its 120th birthday. It’s open from 1 May to 30 September, and on bank holidays you’ll want to get there early or fight for the last spot in the sun.
Discover a Hidden Sewing Machine Museum
The London Sewing Machine Museum (308 Balham High Road, Tooting Bec, London SW17 7AA) is only open 2pm to 5pm on the first Saturday of each month, but the collection is genuinely something: over 600 sewing machines, one of them gifted to Queen Victoria’s daughter as a wedding present. There’s a haberdashery on site too if you leave inspired to sew something yourself.
Bake Your Own Cake in a Competitive Bake-Off
If you fancy something a bit more competitive than a pint, The Big London Bake runs baking sessions in a twelve-station tent set up in The Castle’s garden, walked through by real patisserie chefs in about 90 minutes. Best done in pairs or a group, and it’s non-alcoholic in the tent itself, though The Castle is right there for a pre or post-bake drink.
Where to Drink in Tooting
Pubs
The Castle (38 Tooting High Street, London SW17 0RG) is a Young’s pub that’s been here since 1832, likely one of the biggest pubs in Tooting by sheer square footage, and its garden, complete with rentable garden huts, is the real draw for a summer get-together.
The Antelope (76 Mitcham Road, London SW17 9NG) is a historic Victorian pub that reopened in April 2026 after a £1 million refurbishment, and thankfully it still feels like the same community pub underneath the polish. Beer garden intact, and a proper Sunday roast now on the menu too.
The Selkirk (60 Selkirk Road, London SW17 0ES) is a gorgeous Victorian two-bar pub tucked just off the main high street on a residential corner, with a surprisingly large walled garden that still feels like something of a locals’ secret. It’s especially good for a Sunday roast, and there’s a room upstairs for hire with a regular run of comedy and trivia nights, worth checking what’s on before you head down since it doesn’t run every single week.
The King’s Head (84 Upper Tooting Road, London SW17 7PB) is a proper piece of Victorian pub architecture, built in 1896 and recognised by CAMRA as a historic interior of national importance, so much so that the actual Euro 2020 trophy did a promotional visit here for a day. Sitting at an awkward midpoint between the two tube stations means it’s rarely as packed as it deserves to be, and with pool tables out back and sport on the screens, it’s a solid pick if you want space to actually sit down.
The Rose and Crown (140 Tooting Bec Road, London SW17 8BH), opposite Tooting Bec Common, is a proper local’s local with fresh pizzas, live sport, and a Sunday night pub quiz that’s worth building your evening around.
Craft Beer
Craft Tooting (143 Mitcham Road, London SW17 9PE) is my favourite London beer shop, full stop. It moved here from Broadway Market in late 2024 and now has six draft taps and a bottle selection that’ll have you standing at the fridge for a good ten minutes deciding.
Br3wery (97 Moyser Road, Furzedown, London SW16) is a bit further out but worth the walk, a proper craft beer taproom with sourdough pizza and natural wine, families and dogs both welcome.
Wine Bars
arêvery (116 Tooting High Street, London SW17 0RR) is your daytime coffee spot that quietly turns into a lovely little wine bar come evening, small producers, intentional sourcing, and 30p from every coffee going to the local food bank.
Indie Wine Club (Tooting Market, 21-23 Tooting High Street, London SW17 0SN) is a proper by-the-glass wine bar right inside the market, a list that changes with the seasons and a genuinely dog-friendly, unpretentious vibe. Closed weekends for private events, so a weekday visit is your best bet.
Cocktail Bars
Goldfinch (145 Mitcham Road, London SW17 9PE) does one of the best negronis in the city, and its fairy-light-covered heated garden, tucked behind an unassuming side entrance, feels like stepping into somewhere entirely different once you’re through it.
Where to Go Out in Tooting
The old Tooting Tram and Social, the converted tram shed everyone used to head to for a late one, closed and reopened in April 2026 as House of Ora, a genuinely different kind of night out for the neighbourhood, live music, DJs, and rotating art installations all in the same building that used to just be somewhere to dance till 2am.
The Candlelight Club (48A Mitcham Road, London SW17 9NA) is a proper 1920s speakeasy behind a secret door, candlelight, live jazz from Red Hot Rhythm Revival, and burlesque from Jolie Papillon. Dress the part, book a Champagne table or the three-course dinner option if you want to make a proper night of it.
Having checked off New York’s Bucket List, on my latest trip to New York I came determined to find the most instagrammable places in New York City. And I did! Discover them below.
NON TOURISTY THINGS TO DO IN LONDON: Chiswick Mosaic House
Do you live in London or have been too many times? Had enough of Big Ben? Then you’re in the correct place.
London is undoubtedly the best city in the world. Well, I may be biased, but it is pretty awesome. Part of its awesomeness is that there are unlimited things to do which range from simply the unknown to the most ridiculous. Below you’ll find a comprehensive list of non touristy things to do in London. The list is never ending: as soon as I experience more non touristy things to do in London, I will include them here, so remember to pin this post.
NON TOURISTY THINGS TO DO IN LONDON
QUIRKY THINGS TO DO IN LONDON
Have afternoon tea at a Cat Cafe
If you don’t know it already, Cat cafes are a thing. And London couldn’t be left behind in this feline trend. Lady Dinah’s Cat Emporium offers a chance to have tea with kittens roaming around. To add more to the fun, it’s vegan friendly! Just remember to book in advance.
Hit up an immersive experience!
As a Londoner, one of my favourite absolutely non touristy things to do in London is immersive experiences! An immersive experience is the perception of being in one place when you are actually in another. It is essentially the suspension of reality, even if just for a few moments. London has tons of immersive bars, theatre and dining experiences. Check out the best here.
NON TOURISTY THINGS TO DO IN LONDON – Cat Cafe
Rave before going to work
Yes, this is also a thing! Morning Gloryville is becoming increasingly popular in London. It offers you the chance to rave from ~6 to 10.30 AM, on an alcohol free environment. Superfood smoothies, massages and lots of dancing instead. And yes, tickets sell out early so do book.
Check out a house made with one million mosaic tiles: Chiswick Mosaic House
Carrie Reichardt’s is the artist behind this house, which is hidden away on a quiet, suburban street in Chiswick. It is covered from top to bottom in colourful mosaic tiles. It tells a thousand stories, each reflecting the various artists who have helped to create this masterpiece, ever since the project first began in the 90s.
BYOC: Bring Your Own Cocktails
The BYOC bars invite you to bring your own bottle of your favourite spirit to then have a skilled bartender create cocktails designed just for you. The bars, spread across four locations in London, are set with a 20s prohibition style to add more to the experience. And yes, in this one you also need to book quite in advance.
