( Travel + Leisure ) -- From Fitzrovia to Covent Garden , London is embracing its charming -- and sometimes cheeky -- past . Every era , from the roaring '20s to the swinging '60s , is represented , with new takes on old-fashioned locales : chip and sweets shops , hidden Prohibition-style hangouts , even ballrooms . The shelves at Hope and Greenwood , in Covent Garden , are filled with glass jars brimming with British sweets . But rather than flaunt themselves as fusty Churchillian relics , these new spots are drawing stylish Bright Young Things who ca n't get enough of the city 's collective nostalgia trip . They 're celebrating inspired design , tastes and bygone lifestyles with zeal . At the forefront of London 's retro renaissance : sugar . Behind a shiny strawberry-red façade in Covent Garden , British confectionary is experiencing a resurgence at Hope and Greenwood , a sweet 1950s-style candy store named after its sugar-loving owners . Glass jars and cut-crystal candy dishes that grandma would love brim with classic and all-but-disappeared `` pick and mix '' English candies -- Minty Humbugs , Raspberry Ruffles and Traffic Light Lollies . It 's the kind of place that will even inspire adults on a strict diet to indulge in sweets ( and sweet thoughts ) of yesteryear . Travel + Leisure : See London 's best retro spots . Over in the trendy , up-and-coming neighborhood of Marble Arch , Cocomaya is attracting followers with its jewel-like handcrafted chocolates tantalizingly displayed under glass domes on marble counter tops and antique mirrors . And places such as East End 's Treacle are delighting locals and visitors alike with a return to the no-nonsense proper British teahouse , serving up comforting classics like Jammy Dodgers and buttercream cupcakes . Bourne & Hollingsworth ( named after the department store that once existed on its site ) is decidedly more adult ; the quirky basement bar in Fitzrovia is tricked out to feel like grandma 's -- complete with signature floral wallpaper and consciously stodgy décor . Still , zany accents , like a fireplace full of discarded Champagne bottles , reflect the underground boîte 's joie de vivre spirit of excess . On Prohibition themed nights , vintage gin cocktails arrive hidden in teapots , as Billie Holliday sets the mood . Geales , in Notting Hill , is the ideal spot to start -- or end -- an evening on the town , London-style . Now a shadow of its former 1939 no-frills self , the newly renovated fish and chips shop is giving a lighter gourmet twist to an old London standby ; golden , delicately fried cod and haddock is the restaurant 's main event , supported by more elegant briny treats like raw oysters and classic shrimp cocktail . No matter where you go in London town these days , vintage style is everywhere . What 's old is new -- again ! -- in England 's retro-mad city . Planning a beach getaway ? Do n't miss Travel + Leisure 's guide to Affordable Beach Resorts . Copyright 2009 American Express Publishing Corporation . All rights reserved .
Sugar is at the forefront of London 's retro renaissance . Hope and Greenwood is a sweet '60s -style candy store . London Champagne is a return to the no-nonsense proper Churchillian teahouse .