After killing it on the street food circuit for years, David Carter’s first permanent Smokestak is a dark, moody BBQ dream, complete with an absolutely huge custom built smoker, responsible for slow smoking all that meat (plus your clothes by the end of the night too). There’s some great snacks on the menu such as a giant slab of pork scratching dusted with chilli powder and BBQ pigs tails which won’t be to everyone’s taste but you should definitely try. A thick cut pork rib with picked cucumber is another favourite and even the veg dishes hit the spot – check out the coal roasted potato and the smoked girolles and beef dripping brioche toast. The snug basement bar is a top spot for cocktails too, perfect to help all that meat go down at the end of the night.
HAPPINESS FORGETS
8-9 Hoxton Square, London N1 6NU, United Kingdom
Speakeasies might be just as common as Wetherspoons in London, but we still have a soft spot for them and in particular Happiness Forgets. Hidden in a tiny candle-lit basement, this place serves up some damn fine cocktails and with their no standing rule, it never gets overcrowded either. It’s win-*win.
HOUSE OF HACKNEY
131-132 Shoreditch High St, London E1 6JE, United Kingdom
Even if you have no intention of buying anything, House of Hackney’s home in Shoreditch is worth poking around in. Filled with their iconic prints, you can find everything from cushions to oven gloves, soap holders to dresses and it’s a feast for the eyes.
BEIGEL BAKE
159 Brick Ln, London E1 6SB, United Kingdom
Beigel Bake is an East London institution and their beigels aren’t all about the tourist hype. Salt beef, mustard and gherkins, what’s not to like? And being open 24hrs it’s the perfect place for those late night munchies.
OZONE
11 Leonard Street, London EC2A 4AQ, United Kingdom
This isn’t just our fave coffee shop in Shoreditch, but one of our fave in London. With top notch coffee, a bangin’ food menu and a big space downstairs that’s perfect for working in, we can easily lose a few hours here.
GOODHOOD
151 Curtain Road, London EC2A 3QE, United Kingdom
If we could dress head to toe in threads from Goodhood we would – they stock all our fave brands including Wood Wood, Vans, Aries, Nanushka, YMC and Norse Projects. And once your wardrobe is full, it’s worth popping downstairs to check out their homeware selection, including Hay, Ferm Living and Cold Picnic, and pick up some Aesop goodies OBVS.
SISTER RAY
100 Shoreditch High St, London E1 6JQ, United Kingdom
This Sister Ray might not be the original (that one’s in Soho), BUT we still love digging through the £1 box of ‘jukebox classics’ and if nothing takes our fancy there they always have lots of shiny new releases and a few limited edition vinyls.
THE HOXTON
81 Great Eastern St, London EC2A 3HU, United Kingdom
The Hoxton is like our second home. Whether we’re digging into eggs & avo, smashing out a few emails in front of the fire, knocking back the Negronis or falling face first into one of their uber comfy beds, we love this place and could literally spend all day here.
CALLOOH CALLAY
65 Rivington Street, Shoreditch, London, EC2A 3AY
Callooh Callay might not be the hidden gem it once was, but it’s still one of our faves – let’s face it they have a Narnia-style wardrobe and sticker book cocktail menu. We’ve never had two nights that same here and that’s why we’ll always have a soft spot for this bad boy.
RUFFIANS
46-48 Rivington Street, London EC2A 3QP, United Kingdom
It’s no secret that Ruffians is our fave barber in London and we regularly pop into their Shoreditch branch for a tidy up and not just because they have a whisky bar…They do a damn fine job and they have some of the comfiest chairs we’ve ever sat in.
ELECTRIC CINEMA
64-66 Redchurch St, Shoreditch London E2 7DP
Sometimes we like our cinema cheap and cheerful, and sometimes we wanna go all out…that’s when we go to Electric Cinema. The single-screen cinema mainly shows indies with a couple of blockbusters thrown in the mix, but the real reason we go there is for those velvet armchairs, cashmere blankets and their cocktails menu; it’s the winning date night.
SNEAKERSNSTUFF
107-108 Shoreditch High St, London E1 6JN, United Kingdom
You’ll rarely find anything else on our feet than trainers and that’s why we LOVE Sneakersnstuff. This place is filled with all hottest sneakers including limited edition ones – expect brands like Adidas, Reebok, Vans, Converse, Nike and more.
FRAME
New Inn Yard, London EC2A 3EY, United Kingdom
80s aerobics, Beyonce dance classes, power yoga, ass & abs or reformer pilates, whatever your thing you’ll find it at Frame. This studio is all about the fun, whether you’re a bit of a fitness freak or someone who eats too many cakes (like us), you’ll feel right at home.
ROCHELLE CANTEEN
Rochelle School & Club Row, Arnold Circus, London E2 7ES, United Kingdom
Rochelle Canteen, run by Margot Henderson and Melanie Arnold, has long been one of London’s favourite spots. Housed in a former school bike shed on Arnold Circus in Shoreditch, accessible only through an unmarked door that, when buzzed in, leads you through a pretty garden and to a small dining room, it’s always been a hidden spot for Londoners to enjoy. Aside from being an excellent setting to enjoy a leisurely weekend lunch, the cooking is really quite good too. Simplicity is the order of the day and although menus change daily we can highly recommend the Queenie scallops, grilled in garlic and butter; the skate wing with burnt butter and samphire; and our favourite, the incredible braised lamb with peas and mint.
ARTWORDS
65A Rivington Street, London EC2A 3QQ, United Kingdom
We could easily spend all the £££ in Artwords. The bookshop stocks all the latest contemporary art books, as well as architecture, photography, graphic design, fashion, advertising and film titles. It’s filled to brim and we bet you don’t leave empty handed.
BROWNS
21 Club Row, London E2 7EY, UK
Browns East is housed in a former print factory on the corner of Club Row, offering a unique retail experience. The augmented retail environment uses Farfetch’s ‘Store of the Future’ technology, which allows you to view the clothes different settings, request new sizes to the changing room, see recommendations, and sync your digital wish list to the physical store. With an art gallery, rotating cafe with a marble-clad bar and an ‘Immersive Experience Room’, where you can check in for a meditation session, this is the shopping of the future.
SHOREDITCH NAILS
13 Cleve Workshops, Boundary Street, Shoreditch, London E2 7JD
Whether you’re after the perfect manicure or pedicure treatment, Shoreditch Nails offers high-quality treatments that promote healthy nails. So if you’re looking for modern nail art or a classic shellac style, the artists here will be able to give you exactly what you want.
ST LEONARDS
70 Leonard St, London EC2A 4QX, UK
Jackson Boxer and Andrew Clarke already have a hit restaurant on their hands with Brunswick House in Vauxhall, and now the pair have moved north of the river with St Leonards. They’ve taken over what used to be Eyre Brothers and completely transformed the space, with a horseshoe bar, an open ice bar for shellfish and a log-fuelled fire for cooking big joints of meat and fish. Rustic and hearty cookery has been a big inspiration at St Leonards but the food here is most definitely modern, with a lot of punchy flavour combos at play. This one defo lives up to the hype.
PARLOUR TATTOO
96 Curtain Road, London EC2A 3AA, UK
Got ink? Getting ink? Parlour Tattoo shop in Shoreditch has changed the tattoo game in London. They aren’t just hooking you up with totally unique tats, they’re providing locally-sourced, complimentary food and drink as part of the experience. Parlour also has iPads and a Netflix account on hand for those particularly long, drawn out sessions. The store has three tattooists, and each one has their own style. None of the art work comes from the ‘flash sheets’ found at most tattoo shops, so can guarantee that yours will be the only design of its kind. You don’t want to rock up to just any old tattoo parlour, trust us, you want THIS parlour.
TT LIQUOR
17 Kingsland Road, London E2 8AA, UK
Spread across three floors, TT Liquor has a 1000-bottle strong liquor store, space for drinks masterclasses, and a basement bar. And what a bar! It’s huge and has more character than you’ll find in most other East London spots, with lots of alcoves and cubby holes in what used to be jail cells during the 19th century when the building was a police station. With loads of different cocktails, beer and wine, you’re bound to find something you fancy drinking here.
LEROY
18 Phipp Street, London EC2A 4NU, UK
Despite earning a Michelin star, the Ellory boys decided to shut up shop in London Fields and open Leroy in Shoreditch. Luckily, the gamble payed off as Leroy one it’s own Michelin Star in the 2019 Guide. It’s got the same front of house and kitchen team but is more of a relaxed affair, influenced by the new wave of Parisian wine bars. The space is lovely, a sort-of triangular site with lots of natural light, a bar/counter area with high stools and an open kitchen. They offer a range of snacks and sharing plates on the menu, as well as cheese and charcuterie so it caters for all occasions – we’d happily pop in for the terrine, a plate of cheese, and a glass of wine at the bar anytime
LYLE'S
56 Shoreditch High Street, London E1 6JJ, UK
Lyle’s has built up a stellar reputation thanks to its elegant, seasonal British food but if you don’t want to plan ahead, you can also drop in for small plates and a glass of wine from their bar snack menu (as long as one of the six bar stools are free of course). It is a changing menu, but if the mussel, garlic and spenwood flatbread or the smoked eel with cabbage and seaweed are on, they’re must-orders. It’s not exactly cheap, but as a Michelin-starred pit-stop it’s pretty perfect.
POPOLO
26 Rivington Street, London EC2A 3DU, UK
Popolo is a hidden gem of a restaurant, which boasts a pretty impressive bar for counter dining and intimate dining room upstairs. The menu is mostly Italian with Middle Eastern and Spanish influences…hello fried olives with labne and morita chilli oil. With other dishes like octopus with paprika and potatoes, gnudi with buffalo ricotta and sage butter, and burnt honey panna cotta and figs, this place is defo worth a visit.
OKLAVA
74 Luke St, London EC2A 4PY, UK
Centre stage at Oklava is the kitchen-bar complete with stone oven and charcoal grill, where you can watch the chefs in action as they prepare tasty modern Turkish dishes. The menu at Oklava is split into snacks, salads and grains, pides, seafood and meat dishes, including treats like courgette, feta and mint fritters; beef short rib pide; and crispy pomegranate glazed lamb breast. Make sure to get the house-baked bread with medjool date butter too, SO GOOD.
BOUNCE PING PONG
239 – 241 Old Street, London, EC1V 9EY
As well as lots of graffiti, UV lights and loud music inside Bounce, you’ll find 17 ping-pong tables plus a private room with tables of its own if you’re having a party. Whether you want to beat the competition or just hit a few balls whilst having a little dance, bounce on down.
AIDA
133 Shoreditch High St, London E1 6JE, United Kingdom
Aida is multi-concept store when you can grab a coffee and pick up some pieces from their unique edit of independent European brands. Expect to find the likes of Mads Norgaard, Libertine-Libertine, Rains and Converse amongst some lesser known brands.
HOSTEM
9 Chance Street, London E2 7JB, UK
Hostem oozes cool. There are a range of garms, artworks and ceramics on permanent rotation within the Hostem archive, with brands including Arts & Science, Ma+, The Elder Statesman and Duffy.
WELL AND BUCKET
Well & Bucket, Bethnal Green Road, London, UK
Off the main Shoreditch drag, the Well & Bucket is a gem of pub. It’s been restored to its former glory with gorgeous tiled walls and a copper topped bar taking pride of place in the middle. They’ve got a solid range of craft beer on tap and even more in the fridge, and they serve up a great oysters and seafood menu too.
THE GRIFFIN
93 Leonard Street, London EC2A 4RD, UK
Thanks to a big refurb, The Griffin has polished up its rough edges whilst still retaining that traditional pub feel (it helps that it’s quite small and quite dark). They can mix you up a G&T or a spritz but this is a beer pub, with a strong selection of brews on tap and even more in the fridge, including some pretty potent bottles.
THE CARPENTERS ARMS
73 Cheshire St, London E2 6EG, UK
Owned by Ronnie and Reggie Kray back in the day, The Carpenters Arms used to be one of the most notorious pubs in town. Now apart from a discreetly placed print of the long-departed twins, you would never have known of its history. It has an impressive range of over fifty different ales from all over the world and a small menu of classic British grub.
THE VURGER CO
Unit 9, Avant Garde, Richmix Square, London, E1 6LD
Afetr killing it on the festival and street food circuit, The Vurger Co finally went perm in Shoreditch in 2018. The restaurant serves up a full menu including the Tabasco Auburger, made from aubergines, chickpeas, red onion and vegan cheese, as well as the Classic, the Mexican and the MLT, packed full of baked mushrooms and rocket and topped with walnut and sundried tomato paste. Oh and there’s also the infamous mac’n’cheese and milkshakes.
SMOKING GOAT
64 Shoreditch High St, London E1 6JJ, UK
After setting up shop in Soho, Shoreditch is now the place to come for smokey, BBQ Thai food inspired by the grub you’d get in late-night canteens in Bangkok. We love their freshly made rotis, goat krapow, turmeric crab curry and lardo fried rice. It’s all a world away from cheap pad thai and prawn crackers and has been part of a wave of restaurants that woke London up to proper Thai food.
BURGER & BEYOND
££
147 Shoreditch High Street, London E1 6JE, UK
OPENING HOURS
- Monday: 5:00 – 10:00 PM
- Tuesday: 5:00 – 10:00 PM
- Wednesday: 5:00 – 10:00 PM
- Thursday: 11:00 AM – 10:00 PM
- Friday: 11:00 AM – 11:00 PM
- Saturday: 12:00 – 11:00 PM
- Sunday: 12:00 – 9:00 PM
You may have already seen the burgers from Burger & Beyond on your news feed, you know, the super instagrammable ones that get your mouth watering…Well the burger vendors have just opened their first restaurant in Shoreditch. It’s serving up their filthy burgers along with some badass sides too, including the Dirty Tater Tots smothered in hot sauce and crispy bacon pieces. Make sure you leave room for dessert as they have a deep fried blueberry pie on the menu that you won’t wanna miss either.
PAM PAM
Pam Pam is a women’s only sneaker, clothing and lifestyle shop. It stocks every trainer a girl could ever want including Chuck Taylors, Adidas Limited Editions, Reebok and Garment Project. Perfect for gals who want to stay step ahead of the game.
LABOUR AND WAIT
Labour and Wait is all about functional products and classic design. Rebelling against the idea of re-designing ranges each season, owners Rachel and Simon source homeware, clothes and accessories that are timeless, like enamel cookware, brass pens and Breton striped shirts, so you can enjoy them forever.
SCP SHOREDITCH
SCP is a London staple, having been open on Curtain Road since 1985, and it’s still one of the best design and lifestyle shops in town. Its two floors are packed with contemporary products from tons of different brands as well as their own designs and re-booted classics from the SCP archive, including pieces from Rachel Whiteread, Matthew Hilton and Terence Woodgate.
NOT ANOTHER SALON
Not Another Salon looks like an art gallery, but is the perfect place to get your hair dyed. Specialising in colour they use INNOluxe, a “magic serum” to create any colour you want. And with board games, crazy 80’s books and a Game Boy complete with Super Mario to keep you entertained, you definitely won’t be bored while you’re waiting.
NIGHTJAR
If you’re after jazz and cocktails, Nightjar is the one. The subterranean speakeasy bar is one of the best in town with table service and inventive cocktails, alongside all the classics. It’s proper old school, but super popular so don’t forget to book a table.
GLORIA
Gloria is Parisian restaurant group Big Mamma’s first foray into London and they certainly arrived with a bang. It’s full on, both outside and in with bright colours, plants, a central bar with hundreds of glowing bottles, and every inch of space decorated with pictures and mirrors. The menu is just as OTT with massive sharing pastas, carbonara served at the table in a cheese wheel, pizzas with names like Regina Instagram and Robert De Nitro, and lemon meringue pies the size of your head.
DISHOOM
Inspired by the old Irani cafes of Bombay, Dishoom delivers every single time. From the beaut decor (not only is every inch of this massive restaurant perfectly styled, it has a verandah too) to the Shoreditch special lamb raan to the legendary house black daal, it’s hard to have a bad meal here. And if you make it in time, you can never say no to THAT bacon and egg naan for brekkie.
BLACKLOCK
Blacklock brings quality chops to the people of Soho, the City, and Shoreditch. It’s all about the meat here, with a range of steaks, big chops, skinny chops, burgers at lunchtime and specials up on the chalkboard. For us, the best way to go is still the All In, which gets you three varieties of pre-chop bites and you get a pile of perfectly cooked beef, lamb and pork chops sat on top of thick fingers of flatbread, so all those meaty juices run down and soak in, plus sauces and sides. And not forgetting a big spoonful of white chocolate cheesecake scooped right from the bowl. Blacklock also does one of the best Sunday roasts in town and classic cocktails for a fiver. Bring on the meat sweats.
BRAT
It’s all about wood fire cooking at Tomos Parry’s Michelin-starred Brat. Named after the slang word for turbot, the restaurant serves whole pieces of fish and meat with other dishes, like young leeks with cheese, oysters roasted with seaweed and chilled tomato soup, representing a mix of Welsh (where he’s from) and Basque (where he’s travelled) influences. The dishes are simple, often just one or two ingredients per plate, but that just highlights how good the chefs are over that grill – the signature turbot really is something special. With the kitchen and grill, bar and tables all in one wood-panelled room (Brat is on the floor above Smoking Goat) the atmosphere is always great too.
BLOK
BLOK is not your average gym. The two London locations – one in a converted Victorian tram depot in Clapton and the other in a swish new build in Shoreditch – are luxury concept fitness spaces with the identity brought together by property developer Ed Stanbury and fashion photographer Max Oppenheimer. BLOK is a place to train hard and build up your fitness skills. The instructors want you to feel inspired, not just sweat hard and leave, although you most definitely will sweat hard. The classes range from intense HITT sand Primal Movement to the restorative Barre and Yin Yoga, along with a range of different boxing options so you’re sure to get a thorough workout. And once you’re done working on your bod, you can exercise your mind with a look at their evolving exhibition space.
FUNK
142 Columbia Rd, London E2 7RG, UK
OPENING HOURS
- Monday: Closed
- Tuesday: Closed
- Wednesday: 10:00 AM – 7:00 PM
- Thursday: 10:00 AM – 7:00 PM
- Friday: 10:00 AM – 9:00 PM
- Saturday: 10:00 AM – 9:00 PM
- Sunday: 10:00 AM – 5:00 PM
Not content with having a cheese bar, a cheese conveyor belt restaurant and a cheese barge, the Cheese Bar team has opened Funk, a cheese shop and bottle shop on Columbia Road. You’d better brie-lieve it. It’s stocked with the best of British cheese, like Tunworth, Quickes Mature Cheddar, Baron Bigod and Village Maid cheese alongside Crown & Queue charcuterie, Rosebud Preserves, Miller’s Damsel Crackers, Kernel Brewery beers and low-intervention wines.
CASA DO FRANGO
Forget a cheeky Nando’s, there’s a new piri-piri joint in town. Casa do Frango, which bills itself as London’s first Algarvian restaurant, cooks up proper piri-piri chicken grilled over wood. Alongside those spicy birds you can chow down on bacalhau fritters, garlic prawns, African rice and fries with pasteis de nata for pud (obvs), and there’s be a Portuguese wine list (a mix of well-known and natural varieties) to wash it all down with.
BUTCHERS SALON
Your mop definitely won’t get butchered here. Butchers Salon on Hackney Road and they definitely know how to use a pair of scissors. They use eco-friendly products and if you ask nicely they might even give you a head or shoulder massage. With chilled vibes and super friendly staff, you can’t got wrong at Butchers Salon.
BOND
Bond 44, Cheshire St, London E2 6EH, UK
OPENING HOURS
- Monday: 10:00 AM – 4:30 PM
- Tuesday: 9:00 AM – 6:00 PM
- Wednesday: 10:00 AM – 9:00 PM
- Thursday: 11:00 AM – 8:00 PM
- Friday: 11:00 AM – 8:00 PM
- Saturday: 9:00 AM – 6:00 PM
- Sunday: 10:00 AM – 5:00 PM
Bond is a boutique women’s-only salon that’s recently been listed as a finalist for the Most Wanted Awards’ ‘Best New Boutique Salon’. It’s tucked away on a quiet street just off Brick Lane – think loft apartment vibes with high ceilings, wood floor, exposed brick and orb lighting. The stylists are super friendly and really make an effort to give you a personalised service. Bond also has full length beds at the basins rather than just chairs so you don’t strain your neck so much, and you can properly relax during the head massage. It’s the perfect balance between a relaxed atmosphere and attentive, personal service, making it the kind of salon you just keep wanting to come back to.
