Every year, the Time Out global index selects not only the best cities in the world but also the neighborhoods – both through a survey of thousands of residents and with the help of our global network of editors and writers. For us, the 2022 index was a bit disappointing – in the index of the best cities in the world, we dropped no less than 23 places (from 8th to 31st), And now in the ranking of the neighborhoods we have to settle for only 26th place. we! In 2021 we were the most fun city in the world! And it’s true that it sounds like we’re asking for a lot, and it’s true that the 26th place is also respectable – but still, there’s something a little disgusting about it. Just look at their definition: “Cool is probably the most subjective definition. But the neighborhoods we’ve included on the list are great places to be right now. They have accessible culture and nightlife, brilliant food and drink, vibrant street life and a strong community vibe. These are neighborhoods with character you can walk through On foot in half an hour or less, but to explore for a whole day.” What is? It’s us! It’s us, we tell you. So it’s true – every day we like to complain about Tel Aviv. But as soon as the Gentiles start ranking us, patriotism awakens in us.
So what did they write about Lewinsky anyway (which is not a neighborhood at all, by the way. But let’s go. We won’t get into the nitty-gritty now)? “Edgy, eclectic and never mainstream, Levinsky (neighborhood) prides itself on its unique energy. Between the too-cool Florentine and Tel Aviv’s crumbling Central Station, Levinsky is known as a hub for Persian, Turkish and Ethiopian immigrant communities, but in recent years has attracted young chefs, Musicians and artists. Boutique hotels and artisanal cafes have sprung up alongside institutions such as Bourques Pinso, which has been serving traditional pastries for more than 70 years, or the pizza delicacies of Levinsky Market. And it’s not just the food that’s good here: second-hand clothes, jewelry and book stalls pop up on weekends, Alongside spontaneous street parties that give this modest neighborhood a real sense of community.” OK.
So who still made the top ten? So:
1. Colonia Americana
Guadalajara, Mexico
Tourists may not quite get there yet, but Guadalajara is known to many in Mexico as the country’s cultural capital – and right now, Colonia Americana is ground zero of its underground scene. There is an edgy mix of Art Deco and neoclassical villas with artists’ squats and warehouses that hide some of the city’s best music clubs – including Segundo Piso and Bar Americas, South America’s answer to Berghain. The square around the neo-Gothic Templo Expiatorio del Santissimo is the place to stare at passers-by at any hour of the day thanks to the many food stalls and street performances. Locals from the creative class sit with their laptops in a variety of cafes (try Cafe Corcetto or Luvia) and sip local tequila in bars on Chapultepec Boulevard deep into the night.
The Latin answer to Berghain. Bar Americs (Photo: Bar Americs)
2. Caish do Sudra
Lisbon, Portugal
Guess who’s back? Cais do Sudra has been the heart of Lisbon’s nightlife for the past few years, but in 2022 it has outdone itself. This is the neighborhood where Lisbon’s most promising young chefs are opening new restaurants, where small businesses are popping up left and right, where beloved bars and clubs are finally rising from the ruins of recent years (Penseau Amor and Copenhagen, we missed them). The renovation work on the warehouses in the neighborhood near the Tagus River will soon be completed, and there new neighborhoods will open for three milestones in Lisbon’s nightlife: Europe, Tokyo and Jamaica. You should prepare for a long night, because during the day you will not cover the whole area.
There is graffiti – there is culture. Cais do Sudra. Photo: Shutterstock
3. Wat Bo Village
Siem Reap, Cambodia
The area around Wat Bo Pagoda, one of the oldest in Siem Reap, first developed when tourists slowly arrived in Cambodia’s “Temple Town” in the 1990s. But in 2021, a city-wide makeover led to a serious revitalization in Wat Bo Village. With the pastoral location on the river, Wat Bo has become a very chic district, and the area of 26th Street and Wat Bo Road has become especially popular with expats who hang out in a variety of bars (Laundry and Miss Wong), experimental chamber restaurants (Banlle) and elegant hotels. Stewart on 26 boosts the representation of nightlife, and the organic culinary institution Tebby’s Place also serves as a social enterprise to empower local women. Wat Bo, which until recently was a neglected residential suburb, is now, without competition, the most happening area in the country – and perhaps in all of Asia.
Everything around the pagoda. Wat Bo Village (Photo: Viroth)
4. Ridgewood
New York, United States
Ridgewood in Queens sits close to the border with Brooklyn and combines the best of each borough: the human diversity and local vibe of Queens with the hipsterism of Brooklyn, especially nearby Bushwick. Ridgewood’s identity is old-school-meets-trendy, with classic spots like Rudy’s Bakery and Goodshire Hall, and buzzy new bars and restaurants like The Acre, Evil Twin, and Cafe Plein Air. It is true that, like all other neighborhoods in New York, it is constantly changing, but in the meantime it manages to preserve its past well with quite a few historical sites, including rows of two-story brick houses that are identified with the neighborhood. In fact, Bridgewood is home to the oldest building built during the days when New York was a Dutch colony: the Vander-Ende-Onderdonk House, built in 1709. Ridgewood is a quiet hit: loved not in spite of, but because of its relaxed vibe.
stay as you are Ridgewood, New York (Photo: Robert Malmberg)
5. Mile End
Montreal, Canada
Despite competition from up-and-coming neighborhoods like Verdun, no one should be surprised that Mile End continues its reign as the coolest neighborhood in Montreal. It is a small enclave north of Mont-Royal Avenue, and it has several world-renowned institutions as well as completely new and epic places. Historically, Mile End was a center for Jewish immigrants and artists (and later, indie bands), and is now home to some of the city’s best restaurants, small bookstores, florists, butchers, bakeries and even candle makers. A small neighborhood with everything you need: rival bagel shops, a tea room that turns into a champagne parlor when the sun goes down, a skate park that hosts “digital neighborhood parties” (with spectacular video art). Add to all of this some of the best brunches in the city and a constant supply of hand-crafted cocktails, and you’ve got a piece of the neighborhood.
Did you understand? Continuous supply of cocktails. Mile End (Photo: Catherine Zibo, Shutterstock)
6. Barrio Logan
San Diego, United States
Just 25 km north of the border with Mexico, the community of Barrio Logan is a vibrant and historic center of Mexican-American culture. At its center is Chicano Park, in the shadows of the road that bisected the neighborhood in the 1960s. The park is a direct result of community activism – Protesters formed a human chain for 12 days to prevent the state from taking the land – and now it’s home to the highest concentration of Chicano (Mexican-American) street art in the world, with more than 80 paintings depicting scenes from the Mexican Revolution, brave Aztec warriors and portraits A giant of heroes like Frida, Diego and Cesar. Along Logan Avenue, Chevrolets, Cadillacs and Buicks (with creative paint treatments) play Earth, Wind & Fire from upgraded stereo systems. What’s to eat? A host of small businesses, which have been taking care of the neighborhood for decades, serve plates of taquitas for everyone.
A paradise for cool car lovers. In Rio Logan (Photo: Stacey Keck)
7. Shimokitazawa
Tokyo, Japan
Just one stop away from the Shibuya neighborhood, Shimokitazawa – or Shimokita, as the locals call it – has taken back the title of the coolest neighborhood in Tokyo. After undergoing a massive renovation in 2019 (the last time it entered this ranking), if you haven’t visited it in a few years – you simply won’t recognize it. Once best known for its vintage shops, Shimokita has since become a hub for independent cinema buffs, cafes and serious foodies. This hipster area has also received countless new places to shop and eat, including one set up in dead space under railroad tracks. But the area is still full of classic, affordable independent businesses.
It is impossible to recognize her. Shimokita (Photo: Shutterstock)
8. Cliftonville
Margate, England
While the old town of Margate is the place to be for a day of “good old England ashore”, in Cliftonville you can hear an entirely different buzz. Here is one of the most thriving artistic communities in England, mainly thanks to a host of creative types who have left expensive London for the cheap housing and studio spaces in Margate, as well as the local beach. The backbone of the neighborhood runs through Northdown Road, one block from the beach. Until recently there were only charity shops and gambling dens in Northdown, but now there are record stores, cafes and fair trade grocers, as well as places that change the life of the local community, such as the queer bar CAMP and the gallery Quench.
But Pierre, it’s mostly the beach. Margate (Photo: Shutterstock)
9. Barrio Yungay
Santiago, Chile
The colorful Barrio Yungay, located just a short walk from Avenida Alameda and Barrio Brasil, is a neighborhood on the rise. With the status of a national heritage site – it is the first planned neighborhood in the history of the Chilean capital – in recent years this neighborhood has had a rather edgy reputation. But now Yungay has become a magnet for the young and cool: even the millennial president of Chile, Gabriel Boric, has chosen to move here in March 2022. Even if female new residents are famous aside, in Yungay working-class locals walk alongside bohemian-creative types on attractive boulevards like the Lavaud And staring at the facades of houses in diverse styles such as Baroque, Bauhaus and Art Deco. Yungay also has some fascinating museums and the very green Quinta Normal Park, while the burgeoning culinary scene has restaurants serving traditional Chilean food alongside pizzerias and cafes.
Come and have coffee with the president. Barrio Yungay (photo: Peluqueria Francesa)
10. Cor Julien
Marseille, France
East of Marseille’s glitzy marina and within walking distance of the old port, this rough-and-tumble neighborhood once hosted mostly open-air markets. Today it is a hotbed of creativity: the street markets are still there, but they have been joined by concert clubs, vintage shops, used bookstores and old warehouses turned into hipster art galleries. And it’s not the only place to see art in the neighborhood: the streets are tattooed with unique graffiti and it’s totally worth doing a whole tour following it.
The streets are tattooed. Cor Julien (Photo: Alamy)