Ask a Local is a new series where we ask clued-up insiders to share their top tips for the place they call home—as told here to Noo Saro-Wiwa.
Since 2008, Glyn Fussell has established himself as a powerhouse of the United Kingdom‘s gay club scene, putting queer culture on the map and changing London‘s music festival calendar forever. After co-founding LGBTQ club night Sink The Pink, Glyn launched Mighty Hoopla, one of the country’s most inclusive pop festivals, a glitter-strewn celebration of alternative culture where new and established pop acts perform alongside cabaret shows and drag performers.
Now an author and host of the podcast, We Can Be Heroes, Glyn shares his favorite spots in London, his adopted hometown. Though he may be an incorrigible party boy, he’s also a lover of London’s green spaces and now the proud owner of a dog.
Glyn Fussell’s favorite places in London
The best shopping for labels and streetwear
Before leaving home Glyn throws on an outfit from Broadwick Street’s End Clothing, purveyors of flamboyant, luxury, and streetwear brands. “I don’t like shopping as an activity,” he says, “I know exactly what I like. I don’t understand when someone chooses to spend their time going shopping. So I go to End because it guarantees that I can get what I need. As a former crossdresser, I want something a little fruity. They stock labels like Versace and JW Anderson—my favorite label of all time—and Marni. They also do more everyday streetwear from labels like Fucking Awesome and Acne Studios.”
Cool restaurants
For lunch or dinner, Glyn recommends Rita’s in Soho. Located in a Grade-II listed building that has stood on Lexington Street since 1758, the restaurant is a nostalgic throwback to the Bohemian vibe of the Soho he used to love, with its “Vaudevillian sense of danger where every back alley told a story”. Rita’s, he says, is “co-founded by Missy Flynn, an amazing young restaurateur whose vibe, food, and cocktails feel like a performance. They do these unbelievable amuse bouches: olives, anchovies, cream cheese ,and jalapenos all on a little stick. That with a Martini—whoa! It’s really important to support these independent restaurants in Soho. I like to support the underdog, especially when they taste that good.”
In the evening Glyn likes heading east across town to Bistrotheque, whose industrial, white-washed exposed brick interiors belie a menu of elegant European cuisine. “It’s an old warehouse on a pedestrianised street in Bethnal Green. Upstairs you’ve got a great modern, French-inspired menu, serving dishes like rabbit schnitzel with mustard sauce. And the cocktails, like the Tootsie Trade (mezcal, apple juice, lemon juice, brown sugar) are off the scale. There’s a drag cabaret in the dinner theatre downstairs, which is so much fun. You could go at 5 p.m. and still be there towards midnight.”
