🇬🇧 2025 New Year’s Eve in London
Celebrating with New & Old Friends
London
After spending Christmas in Budapest with my university friend Celine and her high school friends from the UK, we all decided to ring in the New Year together in London.
Victoria House Coffee £21.68
⚠️ Foodie Trap — Don’t Believe the HypeWe woke up around 11 AM and headed straight here because it was all over Instagram. Waited in line like everyone else. Honestly? Extremely overrated. The food was incredibly average; the coffee was overpriced and had no good scent — it was tasteless and nothing particularly impressive. Save your money and skip this place..
British Museum
Spent the afternoon exploring at our own pace. It's massive and free, so take your time!
Soho & Chinatown — Mamasons
Wandered through the buzzing streets and grabbed ice cream from Mamasons Dirty Ice Cream (£7.70). Got the Ube (purple yam) flavor — creamy, unique, and absolutely worth it.
Dinner at Flat Iron £16.85
Had dinner at this popular steak place. The steak was good and reasonably priced for London standards.
Holiday Lights Stroll
Evening stroll through Henrietta Street and Regent Street, soaking in the holiday lights before heading back around 11:40 PM.
Borough Market Food Hunt
Ginger Pig Sausage Roll
⭐ 9.5/10 — Must TrySUPER STRONGLY RECOMMENDED! London is famous for its large, high-quality sausage rolls, and this one lived up to the hype. Flaky pastry, savory and well-seasoned high-fat pork filling, perfectly golden on top. That's probably one of the best sausage rolls I've ever tasted. If you only try one thing at Borough Market, make it this.
My God, Please Queue Up for this!
Without a doubt, it was sp freakin good.
Humble Crumble & The Classic £7.65
⭐ Rating: 7/10Apple and cinnamon with shortbread crumble, hot custard, and topped with rose petals and meringue. It’s a warm hug in a cup, though much more filling than it looks!
If you're craving for some dessert, you gotta try this.
A big portion for two of us.
Black Pig Sandwich
⚠️ Major LetdownThis was overhyped and disappointing. £12+ for a cold, dry pulled pork roll with barely any meat and a mountain of parmesan and veg to bulk it out. The meat was dry and flavorless — the main taste was just mustard. Unfortunately, we couldn't eat most of it and ended up throwing away a large portion.
The Queen's Walk & Tower Bridge
A breezy walk along 110 The Queen's Walk, taking in the Thames' skyline before crossing the iconic Tower Bridge. It’s the quintessential London experience.
Chinatown: Heytea £7.90
After craving this for so long, I finally got my fix. It was exactly the refreshing boost needed to survive the long NYE night ahead.
The Phantom of the Opera £55
Watching Phantom on New Year's Eve was nothing short of magical. The atmosphere in the theatre was charged with excitement. The music, the set, and the performances were hauntingly beautiful—a dream come true for my final night of 2024.
NYE Countdown Chaos
London was packed. As midnight approached, the city turned into a maze of closed tube stations and blocked-off streets. Transport was a nightmare, and parts of central London like Primrose Hill were completely inaccessible. We navigated the crowds with a mix of exhaustion and adrenaline—it was chaotic, but being part of that massive collective energy was an unforgettable way to ring in the new year.
New Year, Old Traditions
After the countdown chaos, we retreated to a friend's house for a marathon board game session. We played until the sun started to peak through at 6:00 AM. There’s something special about starting the year with laughter and competition. We finally crashed around 6:30 AM and slept straight through until 1:00 PM. 🎲
First Meal: Oriental Canteen
Waking up in 2025, our first mission was food. We had been craving authentic Asian flavors for days, and Oriental Canteen hit the spot perfectly. Warm, comforting, and exactly what we needed to recharge.
Hyde Park Winter Wonderland
Even on New Year's Day, the energy at Hyde Park was vibrant. We wandered through the festive markets and soaked in the atmosphere of the rides and stalls. It was the perfect way to spend a crisp London afternoon.
Cozy Night In: Sainsbury’s Run
As the evening set in, we headed to Sainsbury’s to grab ingredients for a home-cooked dinner. It was a bittersweet evening—Celine’s friends were preparing to head back to university, while Celine and I spent the night packing for our detour to Oxford the next morning.
London Marylebone → Oxford
An early start for Celine and me. We said our goodbyes to the London crew and boarded the bus to Oxford (£16). The journey was smooth, and as the urban sprawl of London faded into the rolling English countryside, the excitement for my reunion began to build.
✨ Wait, Oxford was too beautiful for just one section! ✨
Check out the full gallery and my deep-dive into the university city here:
Link to Oxford Adventure Post
Oxford → London Marylebone
Took the train back from Oxford to London and checked into Hostelle for one night (£22.60).
Beigel Bake (£5.40)
Got the famous smoked salmon and cream cheese bagel, plus a slice of cheesecake. Both were delicious and totally worth the hype.
Fortnum & Mason (£26)
I picked up some fancy teabags as souvenirs. The store itself is gorgeous and worth visiting even if you don't buy anything.
Old Town 97 LSE Fried Rice (£15.20)
Strolled around Piccadilly and headed to Chinatown hunting for famous Japanese food, but it was peak crowded. I ended up at Old Town 97 instead, and honestly? Best decision ever. The fried rice is simple but delicious. The eggy sauce makes it super appetizing and almost hard to stop eating once you start. Portion-wise, I'd say it's about 1.25 portions. 🍳🍚
Maison Berteaux £6.50
Started the final morning by picking up a treat from this historic patisserie. A small gesture for the long-awaited reunion about to happen!
Reunion at Woojung Korean Restaurant
Finally reunited with my high school friend! We caught up over a meal at Woojung (famous for a visit from Blackpink's Jennie). While the Korean food was great, the real highlight was the conversation—bridging years of distance over a single lunch.
Pro tip: Grabbed some Walkers cookies from Sainsbury's (£4.80) afterward for the road.
Buns from Home £3.95
⭐ THE BEST IN LONDONMy friend recommended this, and it turned out to be the best cinnamon pastry I've ever had in London. I tried the Chocolate Hazelnut flavor—the portion was incredibly generous and the taste was divine. I loved it so much that I even brought one on the plane back to Krakow! I will be back for sure. ❤️
The Journey Home £22.90
Caught the Trainline from London Liverpool Street to Stansted Airport. The transition from the buzzing city to the quiet train tracks gave me a moment to reflect on the past few days.
See you next time, London! 🇬🇧✨
Said my final goodbyes to the UK. As the plane took off, I was already thinking about my next visit (and that second round of Buns from Home).
Final Thoughts
London during New Year’s was absolutely electric. From celebrating with friends in the West End to the chaos of the countdown, it was a trip packed with unforgettable moments and flavors. A perfect chapter to close 2024.