Tooting Broadway
A somewhat unpretentious area of the capital, Tooting Broadway has a lively high street and an all-around cheery atmosphere.
Quieter than neighbouring Clapham and Streatham, the Broadway is popular with young families and professionals. With lots of regeneration in the area in recent years, Tooting Broadway has an expanding culinary scene, in part thanks to its thriving South Asian communities.
Largely rural until the late 1800’s, it was the development of the railway which put Tooting on the London map. Victorian and Edwardian properties are abundant in the area, although there are some Georgian gems to be found too, with recent regeneration work adding new build properties into the mix, in the form of both apartments and houses.
Shopping and Leisure
A diverse and vibrant area of London, almost anything can be found on Tooting High Street. Broadway Market and Tooting Market are popular indoor markets selling everything from luggage to potatoes. Here, every corner of the world is represented in some form, from Spain to South Africa and Guyana to Pakistan.
The sprawling town centre is home to a large Sainsbury’s, with Iceland, Tesco, Lidl and Aldi also nearby. Though popular high street shops are sparse in the area, the array of independent retailers more than make up for it.
The Castle, a chic pub serving local ales, has been in Tooting since 1832, whilst Mexican jaunt Tacos + Tequila is just one of the large number of eateries housed in the Broadway Market. Honest Burgers, Franco Manca and Nando’s are some of the most popular national chains in the area.
For a touch of Asian flavours Radha Krishna Bhavan specialises in coconut centric dishes whilst Jaffna House Restaurant serves South Indian and Sri Lankan food in a relaxed café setting. Seek French-Moroccan, Mediterranean cuisine in a contemporary space at Tartine Artisanal Tooting Broadway, which is also home to a peaceful outdoor terrace, perfect for those sunnier London afternoons.
Good Neighbour Tooting is a cafe style restaurant with a vintage touch and an eclectic menu, whilst also located on Tooting High Street is The Little Taperia, a rustic, tapas restaurant serving quintessentially Spanish small plates, with a great cocktail menu.
To the north of the area is Tooting Common, famously home to London’s largest open air swimming pool. Though the lido is unheated, it is always a popular spot in the summertime among people of all ages. Home to a lake, tennis courts, cricket pitch and dog walking area, the Common makes for a great green space to enjoy some outdoor exercise.
Transport connections
Tooting Broadway London Underground station provides the Northern Line, which gets to London Bridge in approximately 20 minutes and to King’s Cross St Pancras in around 30 minutes.
Within a 15 minute walk of Tooting Broadway, Tooting Station has frequent National Rail and Thameslink services to St Albans and Sutton, also reaching Blackfriars in central London, within 25 minutes for the commuter.
When it comes to public transport options in Tooting, the buses are the best way to get around. With a multitude of services, the area is well connected to Victoria, Clapham, Kingston, Elephant and Castle, Wimbledon, West Croydon, Belmont, Richmond, Waterloo, Putney Bridge, Micham and Brixton, with regular services running every day of the week. The N44 and N155 night buses also service the area, connecting Aldwych to both Sutton and Morden respectively.
Gatwick, London City and Heathrow airports are all reachable in less than an hour by car as well, with the A4 and A3 also being a short drive from Tooting Broadway.