An average East Londoner weekend consists of two major events: Strolling around Broadway Market vendors trying to decide what to eat before rebounding to the usual Netil Market corner on Saturdays, and cruising amongst plants at Columbia Flower Market on Sundays. Veteran Londoners would know to visit the market after 3 p.m to get half-price or "what’s your final price?" offers. This action is followed by bumping into friends in front of the Royal Inn or Dove. Beer is the glue holding diverse groups together, Bloody Marry is the cure to the previous night’s headache.It’s pretty rare you can convince a hungry, hang-over Londoner to wait in queue for food for more than ten minutes. But that’s exactly what Pockets do on any given Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. Starting cooking these delicacies at Oxford, followed by Chatsworth Road Market, they made (lucky for us) their way into Netil Market in November 2020. And since their debut, there is no single day or hour we can bypass the queue to attain the ultimate goal: falafel pita.It’s not just the falafel, it’s the union of fluffy pita bread, crunchy green falafels, the classified sauce we finally dared to ask and learned was mango-based, hummus, tahini, garnishing, and the final touch: boiled, roasted, fried potato slice we are dreaming of while counting how many people are in front of us. It takes about 2 minutes to layer impeccably one falafel pita. Yes, we timed it! So about 22 minutes to go.What to order? Falafel, obviously! Although you can choose hot or not. If you ask us, order always the hot!Where: Netil Market, 13-23 Westgate St, London E8 3RLHeads Up: Pockets is only open on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. Try to be there before 11:30 a.m. Have a friend, headphones, or book present because the waiting line would approximately be 30-40 minutes. Trust me, it’s worth it!Bonus: <a fr-original-style="" href="https://netilradio.com?utm_source=aposto" style="color: rgb(9, 9, 9); text-decoration: none; background-color: transparent; outline: none; cursor: pointer; transition: color 0.3s ease 0s; touch-action: manipulation; user-select: auto; box-sizing: border-box;" target="_blank">Netil Radio</a> is playing on the second-floor booth.

It was one of those days, one of those gloomy, rainy days of London. I was sitting at the table, facing the glass windows. On the other side, people were passing through, people with orange hats, and umbrellas tangled in the storm that would last about seven minutes, and people were rushing to catch the Overground. Dogs were there too, with their Burberry raincoats. And a fox, I saw.The waiter stood next to me at around 4.30 p.m. and asked “Would you like something else?”&nbsp; Yes! I wish it would stop raining, a nice stroll along the park, and go to a pub playing jazz. Or maybe that cocktail place with a shape for a name. The waiter announced they were closing down in a couple of minutes.That day, right after I left the shelter, the rain stopped. I hopped from pub to pub in search of a live gig, but I couldn’t find it. I ate tofu Bánh mì at Dalston, had a pint at The Spurstowe Arms met some people in front of the off-licence because I wanted to grab a beer while waiting in the queue for Brilliant Corners. Danced a while, drank Old Fashioned, and met some other people from Biarritz, Puglia, Colombia. At 1 a.m., the lights went on, and the music stopped. The sun wasn’t going up for another seven hours but that night I went home with a question in mind: London, are you still alive?<img src="https://images.aposto.com/2022/7/3/1661344277748.jpeg" style="display: block; vertical-align: top; margin: 5px auto; text-align: center; width: 100%; max-width: 550px; border-style: none; position: relative; cursor: pointer; padding: 0px 1px; box-sizing: border-box;" width="550" ratio="0.75" fr-original-style="display: block; vertical-align: top; margin: 5px auto; text-align: center; width: 100%; max-width: 550px;" fr-original-class="fr-draggable">Columbia Road Flower Market, Sunday&nbsp;<hr fr-original-style="" style="height: 0px; overflow: visible; border-bottom: none; clear: both; user-select: none; break-after: page; box-sizing: border-box;">Aposto London was born right out of this feeling: Not to discover London but to rediscover it. Each week, every Tuesday, at 5 p.m. (GMT) you will receive a weekly dose of walk-in, plan ahead or last chance Hopping recommendations; meet a Londoner, gaze the city through their steps; get a sniff of What’s Cooking in the kitchen.Tag along, we’ll guide you to coffee shops that feel like home, South London late nights, places with a good cause, and date ideas you never thought of. Don’t forget to send this to your loved ones.Here we go, let’s London!Hazal

A weekly, practical zine to London for those who want to make this city their neighborhood. Every Tuesday.

Aposto London

Here we go, Londoner! Every Tuesday, you will receive a weekly dose of walk-in, plan ahead or last chance Hopping recommendations; meet a Londoner, gaze the city through their steps; get a sniff of What’s Cooking in the kitchen.