Queen Street, Kensington

Thursday, August 14, 2014

If your'e looking for something to do this weekend that won't involve crowds or noise, but still want to get out of the house, then Queen Street in Kensington is the place to go.

Cheeky in its name, and sometimes bustling, the street is home to antique shops, restaurants, beauty salons and a German pub - De Kneipe - frequented by roughians and hipster alike.


The street might not look like much at first, but the secret is that you have to go into every shop and every nook and cranny. The shops are all old houses that were converted and you'd be surprised how big some of them can be! When you find yourself in Queen Street, make sure to see the following spots:

The Rusty Lady
We ate lunch here on the day we went exploring Queen Street. Besides its wonderful atmosphere and amazing food, The Rusty Lady was also a homicide scene last year, when one of the managers killed a waitress and stuffed her in the store room. We only learnt about this after we had eaten there. If murderous scenes are not your kind of thing, well then there are other options.




Cafe 141
Take really good friends to get really good pizza!

Europe Coffee
This little restaurant makes you feel like you are transported to a street cafe in old Italy. A favourite during lunch hour in the week.

Pastaleria Princesa
If Portguese food is your forte, and you are into shows like Cheers and Friends, where the same people return to the same restaurant, then you need to pop in here. It's the restaurant I used in the first picture in this post ^^^^

However, if antiquing is more your thing, or you just like to discover old, quirky and unusual stuff, then have a sniff around all the little shops.

These include Kensington Trading; The Yard - which sources and sells what they like to call architectural antiques; Ye  Olde Collector; and Barter Buy Antiques - which also rents out their props to movie sets and dabbles in interior design - also my personal favourite to snoop around in, as it has endless hallways and rooms and nooks crammed with titbits.










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The suburb of Kensington has a colourful and vibrant history, still evident in the lingering antique stores. The suburb was formed 1897 by Max Langerman and has seen many changes throughout the years. If you are into history like I am, read Jean Collen's account on living in Kensington in the late 50s. It is fascinating.




3 comments:

femmegypsy said...

I must go visit :) That acocunt of Life in Kensington is great!

Claudz said...

ooooh a new area to explore! Thank you for sharing. We shall go explore soon!

hallosusanb said...

I work a few blocks from here and I must say that it's definitely worth visiting! I've made a few amazing discoveries in the antique shops, but you have to be willing to dig around a little. But all in all a fun place to explore! :)

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