Forget Tottenham Hotspur, the North London neighbourhood we know is one defined by its pop-up galleries, craft breweries and a young, creative crowd. We've compiled Tottenham's best places to eat, drink and dance.

Is Tottenham London's must underrated neighbourhood? Allow us to answer that for you: yes. If you start at Charing Cross, slap-bang in the heart of London, then make a beeline north-east - through The City, Shoreditch, Dalston and onwards - eventually, you'll hit the red-brick breweries and pulsating warehouses of Tottenham.

You'll find much more here than the football club that takes the area's name. The Tottenham we know sits in the literal and historical shadow of the Arts and Crafts movement's epicentre, Walthamstow Village, and it's underscored by the same socialist principles. This is a borough that hasn't (yet) been monopolised by sky-high apartment blocks and mass-market cafés, but is flecked with pop-up galleries and community gardens instead.

Cheap rent, unclaimed public spaces and a slick of industrial grit have made this far-flung borough a zesty magnet for young creatives. It might not be smooth around the edges, but that's precisely why we like it. Hackney? We don't know her.

Where to eat, drink and dance: a pocket guide to Tottenham

To Eat

restaurant

True Craft

A neighbourhood is only as good as the pizza you find therein. True Craft has set the bar for Tottenham's pizzerias by serving up sourdough pizzas with locally sourced toppings in a thronging, industrial space. Of course, the best pizza pairing is beer. Pick a couple of pints from its extensive beer menu (plastered on a cinematic lightbox above the counter) or stop by the Bottle Shop, where shelves are teeming with fresh dispatches from Tottenham's wealth of micro-breweries.

Address

68 West Green Road N15 5NR

+44 20 8351 3397 Go to website

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Latin Village

Flavours from Columbia, Costa Rica, Brazil and all of the colourful nations found in between collide in this covered warren of a food market. This isn't one of those curated inner-city market halls that seem to have sprung up of late, but the real deal. We suggest hopping from stall to stall or grabbing a table at Colombian restaurant, Pueblito Paisa. For years, this enclave has been a hub for London's Latino community but it's come under threat from investors in recent years. Vote with your credit card… or cash, as the case may be.

Address

Seven Sisters Indoor Market 231-243 High Road N15 5BT

+44 20 3417 5800 Go to website

restaurant

Craving Coffee

Is there any clearer indication of a borough's creative credentials than a stripped-back "artisanal" coffee shop? Tucked in an industrial estate amid a hotch-potch of artists' studios, you'll find Craving Coffee - a source of respite for the area's frazzled designers since 2014. From Thursday until Saturday, it offers up its kitchen to a different street-food trader which means that the dinner menu varies week on week. Just behind the café lives Piquant, a shop and creative studio peddling vintage homewares, and Idris Barbering Company, should you be in need of a trim as well as caffeine.

Address

Gaunson House Markfield Road N15 4QQ

+44 20 8808 3178 Go to website

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restaurant

The High Cross

Yes, it used to be a public bathroom. Get over it. While glossy, white tiles nod to this pub's former life, there's really nothing to poo-poo about this understated but stylish "micro-pub" on Tottenham's thrumming High Road. The menu is scrawled anew on chalkboards each day. It's all about heapings of proper, old-school London grub decorated with gourmet garnishes - think mushy peas with wild mushrooms and spinach or cod battered in beer from the local Beavertown Brewery.

Address

350 High Road N17 9HT

+44 20 8292 8115 Go to website

restaurant

Five Miles

We weren't sure in which category this bar, brewery, restaurant and club space would best sit in this guide. It has a bit of everything. Its on-site restaurant, Torshi, is named after the pickled vegetables of the Levant and plates up an exciting kaleidoscope of fruity small plates - we're talking fried chicken with watermelon rind, zhoug mayo and pomegranate ketchup - every evening from Wednesday through to Sunday. It's an industrial but smart place to grab dinner and cocktails. If you rock up a little later, you'll find a different crowd: this is one of many Tottenham-based meccas for London's techno-heads.

Address

39B Markfield Road N15 4QA

+44 20 8216 9088 Go to website

To Drink and Dance

bar

The Cause

We're reluctant to share this one. By day, you'd probably pass by without even noticing it, but come nightfall this former car depot transforms into a pulsing hub of electronic music - a maelstrom of clubbers routinely spill out at 6am (or later). It's like a slice of Berlin in London. DJs perform inside cages, lasers score the concrete walls and its custom-built Core sound system attracts music nerds from afar. The real USP of this place, however, is its charitable underpinnings. A portion of proceeds made from ticket sales each night goes directly to local and national mental-health charities.

Address

Ashley House Ashley Road N17 9LZ

N/A

Go to website

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New River Studios

This is still very much a DIY events space, though it has the potential to become a more established part of Tottenham's nightlife scene. It sits in the shadow of the borough's most notorious squat, the Tottenham Pavilion - a hotbed of aspiring creatives. By day, you'll find musicians jamming in the studios or recording their next EPs. In the evening, it opens up as an events space. Grab a beer, order a crispy-bottomed, wood-fired pizza and settle into an evening of experimental live music.

Address

199 Eade Road N4 1DN

+44 7794 450 127 Go to website

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bar

Grow Tottenham

Grow describes itself as "a meanwhile use project" - take from that what you will. In layman's terms, it's a community garden, a café, a carpentry workshop and much more besides. Money made from sales of food and drink is poured straight back into the garden's upkeep and is also used to subsidise a program of free workshops and events. In summer, this is one of Tottenham's best spots to grab a drink and chew the fat with friends (old and new).

Address

Ashley House Ashley Road N17 9LZ

N/A

Go to website

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The Drum Shed

From the brains behind Printworks, London's phantasmagorical electronic dance emporium, comes The Drumsheds. It's the same principle: otherworldly light shows buoyed by internationally renowned DJs playing to large crowds in a conglomeration of old industrial spaces of cathedral-esque proportions. A party here typically starts mid-afternoon and wraps up by midnight.

Address

Meridian Water Argon Road N18 3BW

+44 20 3985 7026 Go to website

Breweries (take your pick)

We couldn't not mention Tottenham's famous micro-breweries. Cans and bottles from these artisanal outposts are almost instantly recognisable for their graphic labels. Stop by for a pint in either Pressure Drop Brewing, Beavertown Brewery or Redemption Brewing Co., each of whom has no-fuss, no-frills taprooms which open intermittently throughout the week.

To Do

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Tottenham Green Market

Every Sunday morning, a bevvy of Tottenham's most enterprising start-ups and local food producers pop up just outside the town hall. You'll find natural wines, crusty sourdough loaves and takeaway dishes from a few of the lip-smacking joints mentioned above.

Address

Tottenham Green East N15 4UR

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The Cove

Don't just turn up; this photography studio is a professional workplace. During the day, you'll find a never-ending stream of photographers, models and the related coterie of arty professionals passing through. It's more than just a professional studio, however. On weekday evenings it hosts events, though you'll have to refer to its Instagram page to keep up to date with the latest goings-on.

Address

50-58 Markfield Road N15 4QF

+44 20 8352 1851 Go to website

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Bernie Grants Art Centre

This cultural complex sits beside Tottenham Town Hall. Big names such as Jeremy Corbyn and Toni Morrison have taken to the stage here. The emphasis is on diversity, with a schedule of talks and performances which largely revolve around race, women's issues and multicultural Britain. It's pretty rad.

Address

Town Hall Approach Road N15 4RX

+44 20 8365 5450 Go to website