Marble Arch & Edgware Road

Marble Arch marks the northeast corner of Hyde Park, and Edgware Road running north from it is the heart of London's Arab community — Lebanese, Egyptian and wider Levantine restaurants, shisha cafes and pastry shops that stay open late into the night.

Marble Arch

The white marble arch itself (designed by John Nash, moved to its current location in 1851) marks the site of the historic Tyburn gallows. It's the northeast entrance to Hyde Park and close to the top of Oxford Street.

Edgware Road

One of London's best areas for Lebanese and wider Middle Eastern food — restaurants, sweet shops and shisha cafes that create a genuinely different atmosphere to the rest of central London, especially in the evening.

Getting There

Marble Arch station (Central line) sits right at the top of Oxford Street and Hyde Park corner.

Tips

• Edgware Road in the evening has a completely different, livelier atmosphere than during the day.
• Combine with a Hyde Park walk given the direct access from Marble Arch.

Connaught Village

A small, upscale pocket of independent boutiques and cafes just west of Marble Arch — easy to miss, genuinely pleasant for a slow browse away from the Oxford Street crowds.

Speakers' Corner Timing

While Hyde Park's Speakers' Corner is covered in our Hyde Park guide, its entrance is directly accessible from this neighbourhood — Sunday mornings remain the most reliable time to find active speakers and debate.

Tips

• Connaught Village is a quiet, easily missed pocket worth a slow wander.
• Combine an Edgware Road evening with a Sunday morning Speakers' Corner visit for contrasting atmospheres.