The smart, definitive guide to Olympia, London

Instantly recognisable by the imposing Olympia Grand Hall on Hammersmith Road, London Olympia is tucked away between Kensington and Shepherd’s Bush. The area is mainly residential but every few weekends the obscure Olympia station on a side branch of the District line becomes overrun as people from all over the city make their way to the various events at the Grand Hall.

Most days, however, Olympia is a quiet family neighbourhood with a good local pubs and restaurants. Nearby Holland Park, Kensington High Street offer more shopping, recreational and theatrical entertainment while the Westfield shopping centre on Shepherd’s Bush Green is just a few minutes away.

Places to go in Olympia

Olympia Grand Hall
Every year, Olympia plays host to world-renowned musical acts, the BBC Good Food Show, the Ideal Home Show, the International Horse Show, the annual Metro Snow and Ski Exhibition and various trade fairs. For some of the city's biggest events, trade fairs and conferences this is the place to come.

Cibo
A hidden gem of a restaurant tucked away on Russell Gardens. It's no exaggeration to say that this place serves some of the best Italian food we've had outside Italy. The menu constantly changes but you can't go wrong with seafood which is their speciality. Because it's in a quiet district, it's not unheard of to get one or two celebrities popping in here as well. We're sure we saw one of the Rolling Stones in there once. You know, the craggy one.

The Old Parr's Head
Cosy local with Sky Sports, a decent sized beer garden and a restaurant serving delicious, authentic Thai food.

Blythe House
A treasure trove of fascinating artefacts from the V&A archives are stored here, including the archive of Art and Design, the V&A Theatre and Performance collections and the Beatrix Potter Collections. Access to the museum's most obscure and rare archival material is available to the public in the Blythe House reading room. Tours run on Wednesdays.

The Havelock Tavern
A gastro pub that serves good, unpretentious food. Usually frequented by families and kids on Sundays, the Havelock is renowned for being one of the best places for a Sunday Roast in the area and its bavette steak comes highly recommended. They don't play music so you can her yourself think and during the winter months, there's a roaring fire. Are we getting old or does that sound like the world's best pub?!

Borough: Hammersmith and Fulham and
Tube: Olympia