On a freezing –2C January night in London, I walked across Piccadilly Circus. The Christmas lights and angels were gone, replaced by National Basketball Association posters to mark its return to the capital. At just after 11.30pm, the tourists had thinned out and Central London was left to the die-hards – avid nightclub-goers smoking and shivering, huddled around heat lamps and sat on the kerbside in flocks. A few groups were loitering, scanning the streets for somewhere – anywhere – to stretch the night a little longer.
Unlike global cities such as Tokyo, New York City and Dubai – where there are tea houses, 24-hour diners and cafes purely for late-night socialising – London offers far fewer options. Here, on most nights of the week, there are only two choices after-hours: go to the pub and spend an exorbitant amount on drinks, or go home.
