This area in London made it into the world’s top coolest 10 neighbourhoods

If you had to name the best neighbourhood in the UK, your first thought might not be Tooting in south London.

But the plucky stop near the end of the Northern Line made it into a list of the top 10 neighbourhoods in the world, as decided by Lonely Planet.

Mixing with the likes of Copenhagen's trendy meat peaking district, Vesterbro, and the hip water-front Sunset Park neighbourhood In Brooklyn, New York, Tooting slipped into the 10th spot thanks to its diversity and eclectic range of bars and restaurants. 

“Tooting in South London has developed into an uber-cool neighbourhood in recent years and lost none of its gritty charm in the process,” says Lonely Planet’s Will Jones, “Rubbing shoulders with perfectly pleasant yet slightly square Wimbledon, Earlsfield and Balham, Tooting is a more captivating affair, revelling in multiculturalism and originality.

“Its high street, which stretches between two Tube stations, is one of the best ‘curry corridors’ in the country, and contains some superb South Asian restaurants, like Dosa n Chutny and Apollo Banana Leaf.” 

He recommends Tooting Market for shopping and The Castle, The Antelope and The Little Bar for grabbing a pint.

The Zone 3 neighbourhood has gone up in the world over the last five years, with two bedroom houses selling for up to £800,000. It’s also home to Tooting Bec Lido, the largest outdoor swimming pool in the UK. 

The other neighbourhoods that made it into the top 10 include Borgo San Frediano in Florence, Damansara Heights in Kuala Lumpur and Botafogo, Rio de Janeiro.

According to Lonely Planet, “Some have been steadily developing their street cred for years, others are in the midst of rapid transformation – all are ripe for exploration right now.”