And just like that, Carrie Bradshaw and co. return to our screens today for more fashion, love-related drama, and hopefully, far fewer Peloton fatalities. Will I be sipping on a few Cosmopolitans for the occasion? Absolutely not, because I’m a complete lightweight. But I will be popping on my most Carrie-esque outfits and sashaying around London like I’m starring in my own HBO sitcom. Because of course.
And because I wanted to feel exactly like Carrie Bradshaw for the day, I figured, let’s pop the laptop by the window desk, ponder out onto the street (which is less fancy than the outside of Carrie’s Brownstone apartment), and write a little something for my fellow Sex and the City fans to enjoy. I’m certainly not exciting enough to advise you fellow Londoners on love, sex, and friendship, but I can tell you the most Sex and the City places to visit in London that’ll have you unleashing your inner Samantha Jones. So without further ado, here are some of the most stylish spots in the Big Smoke.
1. To live: Chelsea
Now, whether it was believable or not on a freelance columnist’s salary who never seemed to work and who frequently needed to borrow money from her pals, Carrie Bradshaw lived on the swanky Upper East Side in the series – which would be the equivalent of Chelsea in London.
2. For coffee: Ground by Coco
Conveniently located in Chelsea, where our fictional Londoner Carrie would live, the Sex and the City gals would absolutely lap up Ground by Coco.
It’s chic, stylish, light, airy and most importantly, serves up coffee that we’d confidently say would be good enough for a New Yorker. Miranda would almost certainly know owner Coco from the law circle, too, since in a past life, Coco was head of legal for a huge financial business.
📍 Ground by Coco, 6 Duke of York Square, London, SW3 4LY.
3. For Cosmos: The Fumoir bar at Claridge’s
Would Carrie and Charlotte frequent Claridge’s? Abso-blooming-lutely. It’s in the heart of Mayfair, meaning after splashing the cash on Bond Street, the girls will be absolutely gasping for their all-time favourite cocktail: the Cosmo, which is expertly crafted here at The Fumoir.
📍 The Fumoir, Claridge’s, Brook St, London, W1K 4HR.
4. For leisure: Soho House
Now, of course, this is in a world where Carrie and Samantha are still pals, but without a doubt, PR Queen Samantha Jones will have gained her gang access to one of the city’s most exclusive spots: Soho House. Can we borrow your pass again, Annabel Bronstein?
📍 Multiple locations in London.
5. For girl’s dinners: Sketch
Despite this place being popular for years already, it’s without a doubt that Carrie, Charlotte and Miranda would love Sketch – even still. The prettiness of the Gallery never fades, after all. It’s the epitome of girl’s night, and is upmarket enough to provide that dose of sophistication that we know our favourite girl gang would adore.
📍 Sketch, 9 Conduit St, London, W1S 2XG.
6. For Friday night dinner with Mr. Big: Ida, Queen’s Park
Mr. Big would love this place. He’d insist on taking Carrie so he can tell her that he’s been “coming here for years” and “one of his favourite clients let him in on the secret”. It’s a family-run Italian restaurant and serves Italian recipes passed down from the owner’s Grandmother (who lived in Cupramontana) so you know Ida’s food is authentic as it gets – getting themselves another brownie point with Mr. Big. He is kinda pretentious, after all, as much as I stan Mr and Mrs Preston. Sorry, Aiden.
📍 Ida, 167 Fifth Ave, London, W10 4DT.
7. For shopping: Dover Street Market
Carrie would foam at the mouth at Dover Street Market. The high-end fashion emporium is a seriously cool spot to browse classic designers such as Gucci, Prada and Miu Miu – but also leans into the cooler, of-the-moment designers that Carrie will want to stay in the know about. Think JW Anderson, Simone Rocha, COMME des GARÇONS, and Stüssy – as well as up-and-coming British designers that Carrie will want to be the first to wear, such as Molly Goddard.
📍 Dover Street Market, 18-22 Haymarket, London, SW1Y 4DG.
8. For catch-ups: NoMad restaurant
The NoMad hotel’s stunning conservatory restaurant looks like it’s fallen right out of NYC, which is exactly why we reckon Carrie and her pals would be obsessed. It’s perfect for one-on-one catch-ups, the decor is incredibly elegant, and the menu is pretty darn boujee. Think roast chicken with foie gras, crab tagliatelle, oysters, and even New York strip steak if the gals are feeling a little homesick.
📍 The NoMad Hotel, 28 Bow St, London, WC2E 7AW.
9. For lonesome takeaway nights: Jia
If you’ve watched even one single episode of Sex and the City, you’ll know there’s one particular ‘take-out’ that Carrie and Miranda adore: Chinese food. Cooking isn’t one of Carrie’s skills, and her oven is preoccupied with acting as backup shoe storage – so we know for a fact she’d spent many a night (when she doesn’t have a lavish gathering to attend) ordering from South Kensington favourite, Jia.
After all, I don’t quite peg her as a ‘sweet and sour with chips, rice and duck pancakes’ kinda gal.
📍 Jia, 1 Harrington Rd, South Kensington, London, SW7 3ES.
10. Because Charlotte’s on a workout kick: Nobu Pilates
A place where guests can enjoy unravelling their bodies with professional reformer pilates equipment, Charlotte would be all over this place – while Carrie and Miranda would be laughing behind her and struggling with the contraptions while being told off by the instructor for disrupting the class. But we’re with Charlotte. This place is hella stylish, and if we were living off the MacDougal’s divorce settlement, we’d be there every day.
📍Nobu Pilates, 22 Portman Square, London, W1H 7BG.
11. Because Samantha insists: Annabel’s
Richard E. Grant would most definitely have a membership here, and Samantha would be schmoozing with her clients over a cocktail come 12 noon on a Thursday. She’d even be networking for new clients while she’s at it. Why? Because she’s a boss lady and she knows that anybody who’s anybody in London will have a membership at the world’s most “iconic” members-only club. She’s a smart one, is our Samantha Jones.
The rest of us can just enjoy the seasonal exteriors, because, you know. We’re normal folk.
📍 Annabel’s, 46 Berkeley Square, London, W1J 5AT.