My nephew back in Germany is crazy about the miniature London double decker bus I gave him for this…read morepast Christmas. So when I walked by this store (on my way to Highgate Wood) this past weekend and I spotted a kid's T-shirt with the London bus featured on it, I knew that this would be the perfect gift for said nephew's upcoming birthday! Walking into the shop, the lady behind the counter greeted my with a warm smile and offered her help. I right away liked how she was very passionate about the T-shirts and other garments made my a local designer. As I didn't have any money on me, she put the T-shirt aside for me and when I came back later in the day, I also bought another T-shirt for my other nephew...they are just too cute! Aside from children's clothing, this shop offers plenty of other gifteable things...the perfect location for anyone who's in need of a present ;-)

My favourite go to in Highgate ! They have something for everyone! Wonderful customer service, they…read morewill even wrap for you !!

Map is a cool store on the otherwise dull terrain of Junction Road near Archway…read more I looked around Map and saw nothing extraordinary. Jelly Cat. Check. Cat's Eye purses. Check. Retro 50's memorabilia check. Badge saying "Her Proudest Achievement was staying Blonde". Check. Wait a minute..that's me! That's me all over! I had to get the badge. I am most proud of staying blonde, having enough money to stay blonde. Yay me! I'm a mature adult! The salesman was really nice and looked high and low around for some other merchandise saying the same thing. There wasn't anything else. I did want anything saying "I'm so bloody blonde sometimes" ( I don't play the dumb blonde. Think Portia not Anna Nicole.) and I didn't want to tell the world I was "High Maintenance" or anything. That being said, I paid my 1.75 and left with my badge pinned to the Leopard Coat. I'm still wearing it now in the house.

Archway is pretty dire. It's a matter of opinion so please don't take offence if you're mid love…read moreaffair with it's squalor. Granted there are a few things of merit to be found but sadly, on the whole the surroundings make visits to these places a rather lugubrious experience, and the empty Woolworths on Junction road has proven to add to this. But something keeps pulling me back there for one reason or another and it has been the backdrop for many an event in my life. And so I know of a little place that stands out from the crowds called Map. It opened almost 10 years ago and has been selling gifts ever since. It's the perfect place to dive in when passing and grab a birthday card and something suitable, nice but a fairly impersonal stocking filler type offering.

My favourite Fruit & Veg shop in London. The family that own and run it have done for years and…read moreyears and it feels like it. Cheap huge bottles of great olive oil, seasonal vegetables, good quality, varied.perfect.

Great quality fruit and veg and the prices are not too bad. I prefer to get mine here instead of…read moreacross the road at Budgens or Tesco. This little shop is well worth a visit.

I personally think Bedfords is the coolest gift shop around. I had no notion of it's philanthropic…read moreties until now. Bedfords sells really cool gifts and stuff for the home for amazing prices. Some of the stuff here is made by people in the community, some is not. I did not know the skull pencils in the skull pencil container for 1.75 was made by someone trying to better themselves. I just liked the gift. I love the dishware here and the bath sponge which looks like a burger ( a soya burger..hello.) I loved the elbow mouse resting pad. I liked everything about this place. Nothing is used but the proceeds go towards helping the community and the shop is staffed by people looking to move into retail and the goods are created by people less fortunate. I just think this store has great stuff. Nice to know it also helps society but the main draw is the gorgeous stuff!

Bedfords is a charitable gift and home store in the middle of Holloway Road, not that you would…read moreknow it is charity shop on first sight. They trade in furniture and furnishings which are made by people on the Peter Bedford scheme in their own workshops, as well as selling home accessories, glass and ceramics from other suppliers. They specialise in Polish glassware (the first thing you see when you enter the shop is a display of handmade, glass wind chimes) and ceramics- there is a whole wall of hand decorated mugs. The best thing about the shop is the selection of very affordable traditional children's toys at the back of the shop- marbles, cards, board games and rattles.

I love this shop, really. It's a gift shop. The items inside are really unique and there's…read moresomething for everyone. There's a gift for literally every occasion that comes up. They also sell Fireworks of all types, all year round. It's on Stroud Green Road which, if you've been there before you'll know, is a fairly quiet place. It's one of the most noticeable shops on the road so you're bound to see it.

Extremely rude staff, bordering on offensive. This isn't a one off with an individual staff member,…read moreI've had the same unpleasant experience on a few occasions. Thankfully there are far better pharmacists in Crouch End.

Petter Pharmacy sells everything. You can buy Roger Gallo soaps here and cologne…read more This is one of those chemists where the prescription bit is besides the point. I took a good look around and I will say this is a good place to get nutrition supplements as well like Solgar vitamins. Some of the brands they sell are Clarins and Vichy and they have a whole load of fragrances. This store is crammed with all sorts of stuff, and the makeup is the main attraction and some furry animals slippers. This is a health gift shop not a chemist.

Lovely, very friendly young lady quickly brought us our drinks. Food came promptly even on a busy…read morenight. Huge portions. Solid, down home cooking. We both had salad, meatloaf, peas, potato and a little dessert. We'll be back.

I absolutely love this place! The staff were super-friendly, the food was DELICIOUS and the sun was…read moreshining (they didn't control that, but it was a nice bonus for them and their lovely little courtyard)! And all for a very affordable price :) I sat in the glorious sunshine and basically inhaled a plate of avo, scrambled eggs, feta, softened onions and crispy fired potatoes. With balsamic, because that's how I roll - this plate was worthy of better than mere ketchup! I also indulged in a small but decadent latte, and asked for 'a big water' - so they bought me a nice little jug of tap (which is great, I was nervous they might try the hard sell on bottled - I don't pay for water!). I'd had a chance to eye up the cake counter as I entered, and I could not stop myself from ordering a slice of the lemon meringue pie - it was my favourite dessert as a child and it's been so long since I had some! I was served a HUGE portion, and though it was tasty it just wasn't quite everything I hoped it would be... Probably more my skewed memory than any fault of Ally's Kitchen! The meringue was light as air (but I like mine with more substance), with a lovely browned crisp outer edging. The lemon curd was sweet but still refreshingly tangy, and unfortunately the base was ever so slightly soggy as the lemon filling was quite juicy! I would also say the portion size was a bit unecessary, but who am I to complain about that? I would rather a smaller slice and a smaller price though (£5??) Anyway, overall my experience was delightful - I am hoping to move to the area soon, and will definitely pay another visit or two to this cute, friendly little cafe! My bill totalled £16, including my option to add just over 10% tip. Not bad at all!