Originally Posted by
SudOvest
if you had to choose between Southwark and Kings Cross (or Bloomsbury, Where I found a better deal on points), which would be better? Is Southwark safe? Which neighborhood would have better dining options? One of my colleagues that is British, used to live in London and said that Kings cross used to be a really dodgy area but it has been cleaned up.
So, safety-wise I'd say Bloomsbury>Southwark>King's Cross. I put King's X last because there are some clubs in the area of the stations and the clientele can be rather...chavvish. Still, the risk of anything happening to you in London is really low, compared to any other major city in the US.
Dining-wise, King's Cross has a whole new area in Coal Drops Yard that is quite nice and there are a number of half-decent restaurants, though I have to say that quality of service has somewhat declined in the last few months as that neighbourhood becomes more popular. Of Southwark, in terms of eating, I only know of Borough Market.
Bloomsbury is a rather central zone, where basically the British Museum is, and in fairness it's pretty dead outside of office hours in my experience. Still, it's the area that gets my vote because it's very close (walkable) to Soho and there's plenty to go and do in terms of eating there.
So, bottom line, I'd go to Bloomsbury over King's X or Southwark if I were a tourist.