LATEST NEWS AND HAPPENINGS IN SHORDITCH
Stay in the loop…
Sign up to our drops & get us in your inbox.
We’ll be in your inbox every Wednesday at 11:30am.
Put the kettle on!
Shoreditch
All
EAT
DRINK
SHOP
FITNESS
SALON
VISIT
SLEEP
Shoreditch
The beating heart of East London and the spiritual home of the pop-up, Shoreditch is bursting with restaurants, bars and things to do. It may have smartened up its act and polished all the rough edges that made the area truly cool and cutting edge in the early noughties but it’s still a vibrant neighbourhood that’s at the centre of all the action.
Feeling hungry? You won’t be for long here thanks to the many Shoreditch restaurants you can dip into. The neighbourhood boasts some of the best restaurants in London, from Margot Henderson and Melanie Arnold’s Rochelle Canteen and Tomos Parry’s Brat to Michelin-starred establishments like Lyle’s, The Clove Club and Cycene. And who can forget the legendary Beigel Bake, an East London institution that isn’t all about the tourist hype. Salt beef, mustard and gherkins, what’s not to like?
You can’t very well have all those great restaurants without anywhere to grab a drink; the best Shoreditch bars include Hoxton Square’s Happiness Forgets, Callooh Callay, the 1000-bottle strong TT Liquor (housed in what used to be an old police station), Nightjar and Mr Lyan’s Seed Library. And if you prefer beer over cocktails, there are plenty of Shoreditch pubs pulling pints.
If you’re on a budget and are restricting yourself from hitting all the area’s independent shops or salons, you can have plenty of fun people watching and window shopping on Brick Lane and Redchurch Street.
As well as opening bringing the Knave of Clubs back to life, James Dye (co-owner of Bambi and The Camberwell Arms), Benjy Leibowitz and Patrick Powell have also opened One Club Row, one floor above. While the downstairs pub is a homage to British pub culture, One Club Row is the team’s tribute to New York, drawing on Benjy’s time spent working in the city’s restaurants. The NYC-style awning (surrounded by the graffiti of Shoreditch) is a contender for the most papped entrance way of 2025, and the rest of the space is a real looker too. The menu is filled with modern classics, from indulgent pickled jalapeno gougères and lobster & ham croquettes to steak tartare, cheeseburger au poivre, pork schnitzel with gorgonzola and New York-style cheesecake – and not a smashburger or a Basque cheesecake in sight. As well as the food, cold martinis and excellent hospitality make One Club Row a must-visit -there’s even a house pianist playing on weekends.
Run by restaurateurs Alex Cooper and Anna Andriienko, Tatar Bunar, open on the old Brindisa site on Curtain Road, is a real love letter to Ukraine. Inspired by Alex’s hometown of Tatarbunary in southern Ukraine, the interiors celebrate Ukrainian craftsmen and makers, with reclaimed wood from the Carpathian region and Bulgarian stone from Bessarabia throughout the space. There are some beautiful woven textiles hanging on the walls, there’s an olive tree right by the entrance, and all the ceramics have been handmade by Svetlana Sholomitska during the blackouts in Kyiv. The kitchen, led by head chef Kate Tkachuk, showcases produce from the Bessarabia region and traditional recipes, reinterpreted for a restaurant setting. Don’t miss the pickled tomatoes, the onion bread and lardo, the Bunar tartar, the varenyks (there are three different fillings available), the potato latkes and the inventive crème brûlée varenyk for pud. Pair with a glass or two of Ukrainian wine – or a shot of vodka.
James Dye (co-owner The Camberwell Arms, Frank’s, and Bambi), Benjy Leibowitz, (formerly of JKS, inHouse and The NoMad in NYC) and Patrick Powell (ex-Allegra, Midland Grand Dining Room and Chiltern Firehouse) have restored historic Shoreditch pub The Knave of Clubs back to its former glory. Patrick and fellow chef Attila Gellen have created a concise menu of dishes that fit the relaxed vibe of the pub, including upgraded pub snacks (like venison sausage rolls and prawn scotch eggs) and rotisserie chicken. The birds, sourced from Turner & George, come in whole or half portions (we recommend getting it with the chermoula spices for an extra citrusy hit), are soft and succulent, and come with insanely crunchy roasties cooked in chicken fat, a sharp green salad, aioli and slices of baguette. The bar is stocked with beers from independent breweries, Guinness and Allsopp’s Double Diamond, plus there’s a short wine list on offer and they do a mean negroni too.
Cult Brooklyn fave Llama Inn has landed at The Hoxton in Shoreditch, in a beautiful rooftop restaurant complete with outdoor terrace. Llama Inn London has a dedicated entrance through the yellow door on Willow Street, so you don’t have to go through the hotel – look for the llama graphic to get in the right lift. It’s a lovely space, filled with plants, terracotta tiles, mid-century furniture, and booth seating opposite the long bar, with tables and an open-air terrace at the back. Headed up by restaurateur Juan Correa and chef Erik Ramirez, the contemporary Peruvian restaurant has the same ethos of the Williamsburg original with a menu shaped by Erik’s Peruvian-American upbringing. It’s a pleasingly concise menu so you can try a fair few of the dishes – don’t miss the scallop and dragon fruit ceviche, the crispy squid with corn and yuca ceviche, the charred cabbage anticucho and the caramelised pork chop with a zingy cucumber salad and green sauce. On the Llama Inn London cocktail list, there are some familiar favourites from Llama Inn’s NYC site, including the ‘Chupetini (one shot martini)’, made with Japanese gin, dry vermouth, umami bomb & blue cheese olives, and the ‘Llama Del Rey’, made from pisco quebranta, dark rum, red wine, chicha morada, and pineapple. The food and drink offering is more than exciting enough on its own to draw you into Llama Inn but the rooftop location, and its views of the East London skyline, is the cherry on top. One of the best restaurants in Shoreditch.
Z He and Alex Peffly have brought Bun House out of Chinatown and onto Brick Lane, turning a corner site close to Beigel Bake and HOKO into Bun House Disco. The duo have defo got the disco part down – as well as an actual disco ball in one corner, there’s lots of red neon lighting and Canto synthpop on the stereo. Steamed buns may be what Bun House is best known for but here, it’s all the other bits on the menu that you wanna focus on. Go for the juicy prawn wontons in the hot and sour dressing as well as a selection of Cantonese small plates, like the kung pao wings, the mala tater tots (which are extra moreish when topped with satay beef chilli) and the beef tongue crispy bun, essentially a Cantonese slider. The stir-fried cheung fun – rolled noodles with peppers, beansprouts, and an optional addition of chopped lamb – reads as one of the more understated dishes on the menu but all of the parts, particularly the chewy noodles, combine to make it a real scene stealer. There’s a short list of classic cocktails with a Chinese twist, including a chrysanthemum martini, sesame old fashioned and a very punchy pandan negroni, on offer alongside a couple of wines and various hot and cold teas. Bun House Disco has also collaborated with Hackney Brewery, a Drunken Kwun Yum IPA and a Big Head Buddha Lager, both of which have very fun can designs and pair well with the food.
Manteca in Shoreditch is the third iteration of a restaurant that started at 10 Heddon Street before moving to Soho, and now finally settling here in on Curtain Road. Of all these, the new place is the one that really feels like their home. If you’ve been to Manteca before and loved it then you will definitely be a fan of the Shoreditch restaurant. All the elements are there – the in-house charcuterie, the nose-to-tail menu, and the fresh pasta – and now it’s all wrapped up in a beautiful new space and a bold menu that combines some of their classic dishes with several new ones. Don’t miss the incredible mortadella, made fresh in house; the crisp, rich pig head fritti; the clam flatbread; the n’duja mussels; and the tonnarelli with a brown crab cacio e pepe sauce.
We were very sad to see Oklava shut up shop in Shoreditch but the space’s new resident, Bistro Freddie, from the Crispin team, is a worthy replacement. The space has been cosied up, with dark wood panelling around the open kitchen, white tablecloths and pillar candles on the tables. It’s romantic, it’s warm and it would be just as at home on a Parisian street as it does on its little East London corner. There’s a comforting, classical menu from head chef Anna Søgaard (ex-Erst) that nods to French bistro staples but with a definite British stamp on it. The house sausage with homemade brown sauce, the dressed crab, the snail flatbread, the bavette with peppercorn sauce and the fried plaice with curry sauce are all excellent – as are the chips – and if there’s a group of you, you have to get the pie. With a sharp, defined and unpretentious bistro menu; a great French wine list from Alexandra Price, who also oversees the wine selection at Crispin and Bar Crispin; and generous, old school hospitality, Bistro Freddie knows precisely what it is and what it’s trying to do, and it nails it.
Life in London isn’t always conducive to peace of mind, and in between work commutes and *trying* to have a social life, it’s also not always easy to find the time to take care of our mental health. Luckily, we’ve got not one, but two outposts of the world’s first on-demand mental health service in the city. Self Space is an in-person spot for mental wellbeing support that’s open seven days a week, from 7.30am until 9.30pm, and that has over 65 therapists to choose from. There’s no waiting list and no assessment process, just accessible therapy that can be adjusted to suit individual needs. Choose a therapist based on your needs and book a session with a qualified mental health professional as easily as booking a table at a restaurant – even if you just need a one-off chat.
Cycene is the new-ish restaurant at Blue Mountain School on Redchurch Street in Shoreditch – it took over the space that was previously Mãos. The space has remained very much the same but Theo has bought an entirely new menu into the renamed restaurant (‘Cycene’ means ‘kitchen’ in Old English, btw), and it’s clearly been working out very well already, as Cycene picked up a Michelin star. The Cycene experience begins at the downstairs bar, where you’ll have your first course with an aperitif. For the next course, you’re taken upstairs to the kitchen, and then you’re into the proper dining room, a tiny, charming little place with wood-panelled walls and Persian rugs. The tasting menu now begins in earnest with some exceptional snacks and other highlights like confit scallop with tomato & ginger sauce; aged turbot with fish bone caramel; Hereford beef with sea buckthorn; and chocolate mousse on top of wafer-thin biscuit, topped with crème crue. A special mention must also go to the ‘half and half’ wine / soft drinks pairing – in between the wine servings, you get to try some really interesting soft drinks and kombuchas that have all been made in-house too.
Back in January 2018 when we first went down to review the original Nest restaurant on Morning Lane, we were blown away by the £28 set menu that punched well above its price point. We’ve followed the team’s new openings avidly ever since, from Fenn over in Fulham (which is sadly now closed) to the Michelin-starred St Barts. Now we’ve come full circle again, with Nest having flown its own nest, and relocated to a bigger site in Old Street. The set menu is now £65 and still incredible value for the quality of ingredients and level of cooking on offer. There’s also a wine pairing option for £55, so if you went all in you’d be looking at £120 for the full experience, which is just phenomenal. The menu’s focus changes according to the season, so game in autumn with dishes like game bird terrine, grouse broth tea, Yorkshire grouse breast with hay & pine, and bakewell tart with meadowsweet. The consistency these guys have shown over the years has been very impressive to see and the new Nest really does improve upon the original with its fancy new digs, whilst keeping the Nest DNA properly in place.
Bao Noodle Shop is part of the Taiwanese mini-chain’s empire that includes three ‘regular’ Bao restaurants and Cafe Bao in King’s Cross. They’ve taken over the old Andina site in Shoreditch, facing Smoking Goat and Brat, and have given the place a lovely spruce up. As you might guess from the name, it’s noodles that are the focus here rather than the steamed buns that made them famous, specifically the beef noodle shops of Taiwan. Despite this, there’s only actually two beef noodle soups on the menu, a rich Taipei-style with beef cheek, short rib and spiced beef butter, and a lighter Tainan-style beef soup with rare beef rump. And then to the trusty bao, here as good as ever, and with a particular shoutout to the prawn croquette bun which may just be our new favourite. There’s also sake, wine, tea, and Bao’s own-label beers to crack into. With a prominent position in Shoreditch and a crowd-pleasing menu of big hitters, Bao Noodle Shop is another surefire hit for the team.
Mr Lyan, aka cocktail maestro Ryan Chetiyawardana, is back in East London (he opened his first bar White Lyan in the neighbourhood back in 2013) with Seed Library. The bar is in the basement of One Hundred Shoreditch and is decked out in warm orange and red upholstery and wood panelling. There’s lo-fi, analogue approach to drinks, taking inspo from classic cocktails and alternative flavours and ingredients, which means drinks like the Curry Leaf Stonefence (using curry leaf to bring out the greener side of white rum), the Perilla Gin & Tonic (using perilla seed to add green and nutty notes to the bitter sweet cocktail) and the Sancho Leaf Martini (adding the floral spice of szechuan leaf to contrast with the cold gin or vodka).
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.
Even if you have no intention of buying anything, House of Hackney’s home in Shoreditch is worth poking around in. The mid-19th century four-storey building, complete with gothic architecture and stained glass windows, is a showcase for all things design, with each room featuring an edit of House of Hackney collections so you can experience them first-hand – a real feast for the eyes.
Beigel Bake – the white shopfront, not to be confused with the yellow-fronted Beigel Shop two doors down – is an East London institution. Opened in 1979, their beigels aren’t all about the tourist hype, so yes this is worth braving the queue for. Salt beef, mustard and gherkins, what’s not to like? The salmon and cream cheese ones are also top and you can buy plain beigels to take home too. And being open 24 hours, it’s the perfect place for those late night munchies.
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 checking out their homeware selection, including Hay, Ferm Living and Cold Picnic, and picking up some Aesop goodies OBVS.
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.
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.
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.
One hotel closes, another one opens. One Hundred Shoreditch, from the Lore Group (who are also behind Sea Containers and Pulitzer Amsterdam) has moved into the site once occupied by the Ace Hotel. The property boasts 258 bedrooms and a whopping six restaurants and bars, including destination cocktail bar Seed Library from Ryan Chetiyawardana aka Mr Lyan, which’ll shake up new takes on classic serves; a lobby bar; a coffee shop; and a roof terrace with panoramic views over the city.
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.
Nearly five years after launching on Soho’s Kingly Street, Kolamba has expanded into east London. Founders Eroshan and Aushi Meewella are continuing to showcase Kolamba’s modern take on Sri Lankan home cooking at the new location, with a menu that revives the dishes of the duo’s childhood in Colombo. Expect to find the likes of Mas Paan, a fluffy bun filled with slow-cooked black pork curry and served with pineapple jam; Idli with Sambar, rice and lentil dumplings with sweet and spicy chutneys; Moor King Prawn String Hopper Biryani, steamed noodles with king prawn curry; Roasted Pineapple Fry, pineapple sautéed with cardamom and mustard seeds; Dhal with spinach; White Pol Sambol, grated fresh coconut with raw chilli peppers and aromatic herbs; and Payasam, rice pudding flavoured with cinnamon and raisins. The bar is serving cocktails made using Sri Lankan spirits and ingredients reflective of the food menu, like the Curry Leaf Gimlet (a clarified cocktail of curry ghee-washed gin and lime) and the Colombo Sour (made with Colombo Gin and a cashew orgeat).
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 so, although menus change daily, expect dishes along the lines of Queenie scallops, grilled in garlic and butter; the skate wing with burnt butter and samphire; and, our favourite, braised lamb with peas and mint.
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.
Spread across three floors, TT Lhas 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.
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 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.
Aida is a multi-concept store where 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.
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.
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.
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.
These burger truck vendors-turned-restaurateurs sure know a thing or two about a filthy burger. The signature Bacon Butter Burger features a dry-aged beef patty slathered in burnt butter mayo and topped with crispy pancetta, and the Bougie Burger with steak sauce, marrownaise and beef fat onions is a juicy, messy delight. Those classics, and the boozy shakes, remain but the group has given the menu an overhaul, proving that they can do the ‘Beyond’ part just as well as the ‘Burger’. There’s deep-fried mozzarella with vodka sauce, cocoa caramel and chilli wings (which are mega moreish and not as sweet as they sound), and crispy smashed spuds with aioli, as well as some indulgent beefy mains. There’s a Chopped Cheese Focaccia burger; a British French Dip with rump steak, Gruyere, fried onions, dijonnaise and beef jus (come hungry for this one as it’s seriously rich); and some incredible value steaks.
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 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 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.
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. The menu is split into four sections spanning the history of the cocktail – Pre-Prohibition (1600 – 1920), Prohibition (1920 – 1933), Post-War (1940 – 2000), and Nightjar Signatures – so whether you want ancient recipes, strong serves, tiki cocktails or something modern, Nightjar can oblige. It’s proper old school, but super popular so don’t forget to book a table.
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.
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 brings quality chops to the people of Soho, the City, Covent Garden, Canary Wharf 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.
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 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.
Some say Callooh Callay kickstarted the cocktail bar trend in Shoreditch, others just get lost through that wardrobe. Made up of three bars, including the back lounge where you have to walk through a Narnia-style wardrobe and rock & roll Palace of Humbug bar, it all sounds pretty exclusive. But at the end of the day, this place is just damn eccentric and even has a sticker book for a cocktail menu.
Happiness Forgets is an oldie but a goodie. The speakeasy is in a “low rent basement” aka a small candlelit space in Hoxton and though it may not look that special, the bar serves up some damn fine cocktails, like the Sunflower (made with gin, peach, framboise, manzanilla sherry and washed with sunflower oil). As you’d imagine, it’s a popular one so book a table or get down there early as they won’t let the rabble stand in the corner here!
With a roaster, coffee bar and eatery all under one roof Ozone isn’t just a place to grab a cup of joe, but somewhere to enjoy brunch, lunch, dinner and a few cocktails too. But their on-site roasted coffee is still the main attraction and that eggs benny just happens to go well with it, right?
The Hoxton, Shoreditch is the original east end design hotel, having been on the block since 2006. The hotel has 211 rooms, which are compact but perfect for city stays, and with a restaurant and lobby below that’s buzzing 24/7 there’s really no reason to be in your room other than to sleep. The rooms all come with free breakfast bag, water and a mini fridge to stock with booze from the lobby shop at supermarket prices although we’d recommend checking out the avo on toast for breakfast – it’s our fave avo in London. Be sure to check out the cultural events programme whilst you’re there too and really submerse yourself in the local culture.
There aren’t too many places serving Burmese food in London and Lahpet do it very well indeed, finding a good balance between traditional dishes and some more modern creations. The eponymous lahpet, the traditional tea leaf salad found all across Burma, is a mainstay and you can also expect dishes like mohinga fish stew, yellow pea paratha, coconut chicken noodles, and shredded lamb stuffed into black cabbage leaves. Lahpet is a great restaurant, offering something you can’t really find elsewhere in London, so you should make a particular beeline for it if you’re craving something new.
Similar to the Mayfair flagship, Cecconi’s Shoreditch serves up the same Italian faves but with a more relaxed vibe… it is East London after all. The restaurant very much looks the part with a black and white tiled floor, marble tables and artwork-covered walls. It’s a menu full of classics done right with dishes like tuna tartare, veal milanese, wood-fired pizza and lobster spaghetti, with all of the pastas also coming in sharing sized portions as well as individal bowls. The Shoreditch outpost of Cecconi’s is an instant hit – it’s classy but not stuffy, it’s got a buzzy atmosphere and the service is totally on point, just as you’d expect from a Soho House operation.
Tucked just off Great Eastern Street, The Princess of Shoreditch is a smart little gastropub. It’s split in two, with the downstairs bar serving elevated snacks and small plates (burgers and nachos it ain’t) and a bangin’ Sunday roast and a more formal dining room up top with a modern British a la carte menu, featuring dishes like crispy potato terrine with smoked cod’s roe, Dorset crab crumpet with pickled peaches, beef tartare with truffle custard, Yorkshire lamb rump with green herbs & cauliflower, and lemon, blueberry & bay tart.
Nordic Poetry is a designer vintage clothing store aimed at elevating the perception of vintage with a brand purpose. The collection is curated by Atika’s founder, Ameli Lindgren, and has been acclaimed by the likes of Vogue and Highsnobiety. Plus, the interior of their location in Shoreditch is nothing short of uber-Instagrammable, with rooms painted entirely salmon pink and 60s mod vibes.
Ultra-convenient for Liverpool Street commuters and Shoreditch office dwellers, Notice is a gender-neutral hair salon just off Shoreditch High Street. The prices here are based on hair length, rather than gender, with services including haircuts and restyling, highlights, balayage, tints, glosses and creative colours. They also have a sustainable ethos, using only natural brands (like Davines) and products free from parabens and sulphates to lower their environmental impact.