London's cosy winter places

London's cosy winter places

Bleak January weather may be urging you to stay in eating comfort food in front of the telly, but resist the temptation to hibernate at home – the capital is full of warming winter venues, be it a snug pub, a cosy café, an intimate restaurant or a toasty Turkish bath

Café at Foyles

The most easygoing and relaxing place you’ll find on Charing Cross Road, this unpretentious joint (on the first floor next to Ray’s Jazz) serves up all the expected café grub: sarnies, salads, flapjacks, fantastic coffee. And it’s a more cerebral alternative to Starbucks and the like.Café at Foyles, 113-119 Charing Cross Rd, WC2 (020 7440 3207/http://www.timeout.com/external_link/?http://www.foyles.co.uk) Leicester Square tube. Open Mon-Sat 8am-9pm; Sun 10am-6pm.

Porchester Spa

Getting off the sofa is hard. Getting out of a bath? Impossible, particularly if you’re sitting in these traditional Turkish baths, which boast two Russian steam rooms, three Turkish hot rooms, a log sauna, an ice-cold plunge pool, plus a range of hamam treatments and massages.Porchester Spa,Queensway, W2 (020 7792 2919/http://www.timeout.com/external_link/?http://www.westminster.gov.uk/leisureandculture/sports/porchesterspa.cfm) Bayswater or Queensway tube. Open Mon-Sun 10am-10pm. Ladies: Tue, Thur, Fri; men: Mon, Wed, Sat. Three-hour session £20.35.

Bourne & Hollingsworth

Decked out just like your great aunt’s front room circa 1930, this tiny bar hidden under a newsagent at the bottom of Charlotte Street only opened recently – and if we’re honest, we were reluctant to tell you about it. The cocktails are superb, and they somehow find room to fit live music into the space. Prohibition-era themed parties and radioscript recitals are pencilled in for February.Bourne & Hollingsworth, 28 Rathborne Place, W1 (020 7636 8228) Tottenham Court Rd tube. Opening times vary.

Candid Café

Beaten-up sofas, drapes on the walls and battered wooden furniture… you’d have to work hard to find somewhere as comfy as this Angel stalwart. There’s a gallery next door if you fancy a touch of culture, and a courtyard if by some miracle it’s warm enough to sit out.Candid Café, 3 Torrens St, EC1 (020 7837 4237/http://www.timeout.com/external_link/?http://www.candidarts.com) Angel tube. Open Mon-Sat 12noon-10pm; Sun 12noon-5pm.

Nikita’s Russian Restaurant

This small, decadent restaurant has two private dining booths, each seating six, full of cushions, mirrors and a heavy curtain to pull closed for privacy. Two private dining rooms each seat 15.Nikita’s, 65 Ifield Rd, SW10 (020 7352 6326/http://www.timeout.com/external_link/?http://www.nikitasrestaurant.com) West Brompton tube. Open Mon-Thur 6.30pm-11.30pm; Fri, Sat 6.30pm-1am.