Get all your news in one place.
100's of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
Evening Standard
Evening Standard
National
Tom Place

How to find London restaurants and bars with air conditioning during the heatwave

If you are suffering in the seemingly never-ending heatwave, we may have something that can help.

As the capital swelters, with highs of 28C predicted for Wednesday, there are only so many cold showers and ice creams that a person can take.

So if your home feels like a sauna, or if your latest tube or bus journey had you sweating through your shirt, it might be time to get somewhere with the one thing that really helps - air conditioning.

More than 1,000 restaurants, pubs, cafes and bars across London have aircon - and now there is a handy interactive map that can show you where your nearest is.

Where’s Cool maps out each venue with air conditioning across England and Wales.

The site gets its data from the public MHCLG Energy Performance Certificate (EPC), as well as relying on helpful users to confirm whether there is AC somewhere or not.

A person shields their face from the heat of the sun with a fan in central London (AFP/Getty)
A person shields their face from the heat of the sun with a fan in central London (AFP/Getty)

Thomas Chivers, Where's Cool creator said: “I created this map in May, in the middle of the first heatwave. I'm really glad I did, because we're now somehow on our third and it's only July. I needed to find somewhere cool to work because my flat was far too hot to work in.

“For those of us, like me, who work from home without aircon, it's become a necessity to know where we can go with our laptops when the temperature starts to creep above the 30 degree mark.

“Hopefully the Where's Cool map can be useful in helping others find a place to go and cool off , as well as helping out the hospitality venues who can always do with the customers!”

You can see the map for yourself here.

Alternatively, the Greater London Authority’s “Cool Spaces” list could be the ticket to find some solace from the sun.

Libraries, community centres, sports centres and religious spaces were all listed on last year’s database to help protect people during the heatwave.

Drinking water stations have also been signposted on the map for Londoners to refill water bottles and hydrate in the heat.

The GLA map is intended to help reduce health risks from hot weather and to offer shelter from the sun on especially warm days.

You can use the GLA map and see your closest “Cool Space” here.

Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100's of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
One subscription that gives you access to news from hundreds of sites
Already a member? Sign in here
Our Picks
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.