Intimate underground music venue in the heart of Dalston. Sounds and styles may shift night-on-night, but it seems all of the promoters have their fingers on the pulse of their respective scenes. A local sweatbox that parades hyped acts at least six months before they truly blow up... but then can't afford to them back once they have. I admire that in a venue though.

38-44 Stoke Newington Road. London N16 7XJ

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Now I know it's a church but it also doubles as a fantastic music venue. I've been to a lot of London venues and this is my all-time favourite, great acoustics, good ambience and it also has the benefit of not being too big or impersonal.

Nearest tube: Highbury and Islington

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It's a tiny space - decked out in retro burlesque style, entered by a dramatic (if small) glass entrance just in front of the Lyceum. A former men's loo it is now rammed with high-tech stuff (sms jukebox, automatically opaque loo doors) and ambitiously holds shows (can't imagine how) every night at 10.

We went in for an early evening cocktail - all drinks 1/3rd off before 8pm. Cocktails strong but chemical, though the wine list looked okay. To be honest it's just feels like a pleasantly odd place to be drinking - huddled beneath the pavement sitting on leather seats which are shaped like buttocks. Maybe I wouldn't go back, but if you are in the area it's worth a visit.

Zero Aldwych
London WC2r 0HT
www.cellardoor.biz

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Walk into the museum and some huge, colourful, hanging fish point you downstairs to a magical world of masks, music and even a mermaid (well, actually a sort of monkey I think, but that's another story).

The fabulous music room has interactive tables where you can listen to music from around the world, and from other centuries, whilst looking at a most extraordinary menagerie of instruments. You can then wander through a secret door into a space where you can play delicately on a dulcimer, or bash out a tune with flip flops on some special pipes.

Next door there are some darkened, mysterious rooms full of mummies, voodoo shrines and bizarre objects of intrigue from around the world.

Wander out of the galleries and into a fab new aquarium with real waves. There are sci fi-like jelly fish, haughty seahorses, and starfish like jesters' hats. Wonder at the groovy anenomes! Dress up as a crab!

Blimey! After that it's time for a spot of v yummy lunch in the very me friendly cafe, and perhaps a little something from the shop (please). And what about the bee room, with real bees, and the stuffed animals. Oh, and there are gardens with rabbits and birds. And a big polar bear upstairs........

I love the Horniman!

From Xavi Maddison (age 10).

100 London Road, Forest Hill
Tel: 020 8699 1872
www.horniman.ac.uk

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I travel in central London a lot at weekends, buying games, clothes and various other things. I have always generally enjoyed London, for all its opportunities and tucked-away secrets. But I then found a place which doesn’t have clothes or games. There was a children’s show on there (and this was many years ago) and we decided to sit down and watch. The show itself wasn’t really that good, and I soon tottered off. I wandered around, looking for anything interesting, but just found dull concrete buildings. But in the midst of this wall of grey I found a most peculiar sculpture. It was very hard to describe, as it seemed to be a partly squashed bug. A large sphere of metal with wiggly antennae, with two large flat metal discs behind it and I found it very amusing to hop from one disc to another, as they weren’t very high, and made a loud clang, much to the annoyance of my parents. As I got older I would always visit that metal sculpture. There were several large buildings nearby the metal toy. We ventured inside one once, and found it very family friendly. It often had exhibitions, and had a constant feed of entertainment, such as live music and dance, as well as a cafe, and a well-stocked book shop. This was of course, the Royal Festival Hall, which is now under refurbishment.

As I grew older still we would move around London more, and me and my little sister would beg our parents to let us go to the South Bank instead of boring clothes shops. We soon discovered the far-off ends of the South Bank, which seemed to never have an end to the various forms of entertainment. There were several good restaurants, along the bank, including a Wagamamas we still often visit, a Strada (best Italian food in the world) and a pizza place at the end. In the summer, we regularly visit the South Bank, as it provides a way to take up a day, and make it a fun one. We often meet friends there, or go and watch a show, as well as having dinner.

The great thing about the South Bank is that there is always a place you haven’t been, some unturned leaf, which is always ready and waiting, and bursting full of energy and imagination. And these leaves are always falling, so regular visiting is always needed. Still things remain undiscovered to my family, so we shall keep on visiting, and so should you.

Angus Hegarty, Age 13, East Barnet

Embankment or Waterloo Tube Station

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A fantastic new restaurant in Golders Green, excellent Italian food, the best I have tasted for a long time, lovely relaxing atmoshpere with live music.

38 North End Road, London NW11 7PT.
Tel: 020 8458 6344
Opposite Golders Green tube.

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Brilliant, cheap little live blues joint right in the centre of town, fiver on the door and drinks promotions. Drinkable house red, horrid little loos, great clientele. Fight for a table near the band.

20 Kingly Street, Soho, London W1B 5PZ Tel: 020 7287 0514

www.aintnothinbut.co.uk/

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If you're low on cash and keen on jazz, this family-run community arts space - located in a converted railway arch under Herne Hill station - hosts a free jazz night every Thursday. The musicians - of quite a decent calibre - usually play from around 9.30pm to midnight. The studio also hosts poetry nights, like Penned in the Margins, which include open mic sessions. There's a little bar, local art and lounges.

Milkwood Road, Herne Hill
Train: Herne Hill station
Nearest tube: Brixton

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This genuine 1950s coffee house has played host to Jimi Hendrix, Joni Mitchell and Paul Simon in its time, and it retains an artistic, bohemian buzz to this day.

The food is excellent, the atmosphere agreeably relaxed and the club beneath it has a huge range of comedy nights, poetry readings and live music. Highly recommended.

263-7 Old Brompton Road, SW5 9JA; Tel: 020 7370 1434; www.troubadour.co.uk

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An ideal place to sample the famous London nightlife. A cavernous bar/club under brick railway arches in Shoreditch, an unpretentious, friendly bar with an amazingly diverse music policy. Cargo is the place to sample some of London's amazing musical creativity from algerian folk to house nights, hotly tipped indie bands, MC battles and world music festivals Cago has it all.

If that's not enough you can recover on Sunday afternoons with brunch (their sweet potato chips are the best hangover cure around) in their garden.

Rivington Street
Shoreditch

Old Street tube
www.cargo-london.com

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OK, this place is full of Nathan Barleys and annoying haircuts, but for somewhere to sit and listen to (usually) decent music while eating cheap, massive slices of cake with your beer/coffee this can't really be beaten.

Cafe by day, club by night, there's a plethora of tables outside making for a very sociable vibe in summer. A good place to people-watch.

1 Dray Walk, London, E1 6QL (just off Brick Lane)

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In its day one of the most painfully trendy bars in London, set-up by the record label of the same name. A great upstairs with intimate booths that you need to grab early to nab; a downstairs with very eclectic DJs and bands. All this plus fantastic White Russians and one of the best juke boxes in town.

Little Portland Street: tube to Oxford Cricus - head to Tottenham Ct Rd, take the 1st road on the leftm then Little Portland is on the left.

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For drinkers, diners and dancers alike.

5 Parkway, Camden Town; Tube: Camden Town; www.jazzcafe.co.uk/

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This fortnightly reggae/soul/dub club is unpretentious, friendly, fun and cheap (usually about £5 cover charge). But the best thing is, everyone goes there for the music, because the music is so good! The club is run by Soul Jazz Records which puts together some classic Studio One compilations, among other albums. But at the club you'll see the best of what's happening in this scene now - DJs, MCs and a crowd that happily skanks along in a cosy garage space.

Electrowerkz, 7 Torrens Street
Nearest tube: Angel

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Jazz, funk, reggae soul, hip hop - whatever, in Honest Jon's it's all quality. There's nothing more to add. It's just good. Go there, and buy some music.

278 Portobello Road, Ladbroke Grove; Tel: 020 8969 9822; www.honestjons.com

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The novels of Graham Swift, a contemporary London writer, and the Clash's London Calling, a classic album!

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