Fabulous food, drink and stuff to do near London King’s Cross Station

At the station: Need coffee in a jiffy? Grab a cappuccino and run with it at Caffe Nero or Starbucks on the ground floor. Need coffee and a sit down? Grab a latte and chill with it at Patisserie Valerie, where you can pull up a table and watch folk scurry across the concourse below.

A short stroll: Enjoy a coffee served from the back of a little red van imported from Italy. At Bean & Gone have your fill of lattes, cappuccinos and their ilk served by Maddi, who was trained at the prestigious Monmouth Coffee. She parks her little Piaggio Ape between King’s Cross and St Pancras. 

Can a train station be foodie? London King’s Cross has a pretty good go.

Fast food: We love Coffee Dogs for its blend of 2 things – coffee and hot dogs. They shouldn’t go together (but they do). Fill your belly with a pure-breed hot dog lathered with onions and mustard. Just outside the station.

Sandwiches/deli: Find posh sarnies and sumptuous soups aplenty at Pret. The wild crayfish and rocket sandwich is so yum we feel smug just eating it. Upper Crust or Marks & Spencer Simply Food are good too.  

Restaurants: More choice than you can shake a train ticket at. Tuck into burritos and tacos at Mexican Benito’s Hat, or roll your way to sushi heaven at Wasabi. Remember what’s so great about pizza (hot, blistered dough, stringy melted cheese – like we could forget) at Prezzo.  

The Angel of the North. Durham Cathedral. There are some stunning sights to see from our train windows. For the rest of the time keep boredom at bay with something to read.

For magazines trashy and serious, newspapers tabloid and broadsheet and some cracking holiday-reads head to WH Smith.

For cult novels, arty books and savvy book advice head to Watermark Books, tucked away near the First Class Lounge.

The bookworm staff really know their onions and will happily help you find your new favourite novel. 

If you’ve got a splitting headache or a sore throat, or just need a new lippy or a tub of hair wax, the Boots store at King’s Cross is a fully-equipped pharmacy.

Whether you need to update your status, fire off a tweet, send an urgent work email or get the latest headlines and celeb gossip, there’s free public Wi-Fi throughout the station. 

At the station: Sip a hipster craft beer or a solid pint of London Pride at the Parcel Yard – a relatively new pub that’s steeped in history. It’s based in the station’s former parcel office (a Grade I-listed building). Breathe in the history as you pick at some posh peanuts or hand-cut crisps.

A short walk away: A proper London boozer. McGlynn’s Free House is without the bells and whistles of many London bars. It’s a great little place to go if all you want is a quick pint, and you can sup your drink in the summer sunshine outside.

At the station: Shop ‘til you drop for essentials like T-shirts and jumpers at hipster favourite American Apparel. Browse gorgeous, grown-up homewares at Oliver Bonas. Pretend you’re Harry Potter about to board the Hogwarts Express at Platform 9 and ¾ - it’s a solid brick wall though (don’t try to run through it).

A short walk away: Yeah, Yeah, Yeah. Find Beatles lyrics handwritten by John Lennon at the British Library - Strawberry Fields Forever. Shakespeare’s First Folio and Leonardo da Vinci’s Notebook are also worth a look.

Camley Street Natural Park: Walk 5 minutes from King’s Cross’ hustle-bustle and you can be at this nature reserve – it’s like walking through the wardrobe in Narnia. It’s in one of the busiest parts of London – yet you’ll find birds, butterflies and plant life at this reserve along Regent’s Canal.

Make the most of your trip to London.