Go East, Art Lover--The East End neighborhood of Hoxton used to be a tawdry backwater until artists starting flocking here and opening studios, cleaning up the discarded mattresses and rejuvenating abandoned buildings.

Success was assured with the opening of White Cube 2, 48 Hoxton Sq., EC2 (tel. 020/7930-5373), owned by Jay Jopling, the leading dealer in modern English art, whose artists include Britain's most controversial, Damien Hirst. The other hot gallery is Victoria Miro Gallery, 16 Wharf Rd., EC2 (tel. 020/7336-8109). Some of London's most controversial art appears here. Miro represents Chris Ofili, whose "Madonna and Dung" painting enraged New York mayor and art critic Rudolph Giuliani.

These art dealers and the artists themselves (that is, those who sold a painting) can be found dining at Cantaloupe, 35 Charlotte Rd., EC2 (tel. 020/7729-5566), with its Mediterranean cuisine and great tapas. This informal bar/restaurant, with its wooden tables and industrial fittings, prepares such superb dishes as chargrilled Aberdeen Angus steak with rosemary butter or fried halloumi (a white cheese from Cyprus) with olive salsa. Open Monday through Friday from noon to 3pm, and Monday through Saturday from 6 to 11:30pm. Main courses cost from £8.50 to £15 ($12.75-$22.50).

Take the Tube to Old Street to arrive near the doorsteps of all of these establishments.

- ACAVA Store
Phone 020/8960-5015
This London-based visual arts facility provides studios and other services for professional artists, and represents about 250 artists working in spaces around London. Call for individual open-studio schedules, as well as dates for the annual Open Studios weekend.

- Cecilia Colman Gallery Stroe
Address 67 St. John's Wood High St., NW8
Transportation Tube: Jubilee Line to St. John's Wood
Phone 020/7722-0686
One of London's most established crafts galleries, Cecilia Colman features decorative ceramics, studio glass, jewelry, and metalwork. Among the offerings are glass sculptures by Lucien Simon, jewelry by Caroline Taylor, and pottery by Simon Rich. Exhibitions of contemporary original works in ceramic, glass, and metal are featured. There's also a large selection of mirrors and original-design perfume bottles.

- Contemporary Applied Arts
Address 2 Percy St., W1
Transportation Tube: Goodge St
Phone 020/7436-2344
This association encourages traditional and progressive contemporary artwork. Many of Britain's best-established craftspeople, as well as promising talents, are represented in galleries that house a diverse retail display of glass, ceramics, textiles, wood, furniture, jewelry, and metalwork--all by contemporary artisans. A program of special exhibitions, including solo and small-group shows, focuses on innovations in craftwork. There are new exhibitions every 6 weeks.