The Best Restaurants In Shoreditch
Shoreditch is an area spoilt for restaurants.
And yet, paradoxically, they actually make it better.
You see, it’s the only part of London where you can find a restaurant specialising in salt beef sandwiches next to a bistro in a former school bike shed. Or, for that matter, a Thai eatery that started life under a railway arch, before becoming one of the city’s most acclaimed restaurants. Nor, now we think of it, does any other corner of London hold a restaurant whose main design feature is an entire cow suspended in a formaldehyde-filled tank…
…Everywhere else, that’s just a decorative side-note.
And so we’ve gathered only the most delicious, unusual, and cow-toting restaurants in the area for you, right here.
Bon appetit.
Last updated: 4th October 2018
Find more Shoreditch inspiration in Your Ultimate Shoreditch Guide
Lyle’s | £££
Lyle’s was met with near mass-hysteria when it opened back in 2014, partly because it was headed up by Young Turks founder James Lowe; and partly because a very small part of the population were expecting an entire restaurant devoted to Golden Syrup. While the latter turned out to be misinformed, the wünderchef and his team are still plating up some of the most delicate and elegant modern European dishes in the city… READ MORE
Details: The Tea Building, 56 Shoreditch High Street, E1 6JJ | Open weekdays 8am-11pm, Sat 12-11pm
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The Clove Club | ££££
The Clove Club hasn’t got much going for it. If you discount the fact that it ranks as one of the World’s 50 Best, has held its Michelin star for years, and reached no. 2 in the list of the UK’s best restaurants, that is. Oh, and the fact that it also boasts a former Young Turks founder as its head chef. But apart from that, it’s just your run-of-the-mill, regularly evolving tasting menu restaurant. READ MORE
Details: Shoreditch Town Hall, 380 Old Street, EC1V 9LT | Open Mon-Sat, reservations must be made in advance HERE
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Som Saa | £££
Once housed in an East London railway arch with exposed brick walls and reclaimed furniture, Som Saa can now be found in an East London warehouse with exposed brick walls and reclaimed furniture. Their miraculous transformation from pop up to permanent came about thanks to their critically lauded flair for Thai cuisine, which they now serve up alongside equally excellent cocktails. READ MORE
Details: 43A Commercial Street, E1 6BD | Open for lunch Tues-Sun, 12-2.30pm, dinner Mon-Sat 6-10.30pm
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Lahpet | ££
Lahpet is easily the best Burmese restaurant in London. And sure, there may not be a lot of competition. But Lahpet is ready to make up for our heretofore lack by presenting gorgeous dishes like split pea tofu fritters; dried shrimp dumplings; and pork and mustard green curry. And yes, while you should be prepared for pangs of momentary angst at not having discovered it sooner, this will be replaced immediately by feelings of deep, deep joy. READ MORE
Details: 58 Bethnal Green Rd, E1 6JW | Weekday dinner 5.30-11pm, lunch T-F 12-3pm, Sat 12-11pm, Sun 12-9pm
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Leroy | £££
First, there was Ellory. Now, there’s Leroy; its remixed, Michelin-starred, second incarnation after upping sticks from London Fields to down sticks in Shoreditch instead. The menu’s been given a distinctly stronger Parisian slant here, like cheese and wine-drenched scallops and confit chicken skewers; all designed to share alongside a bottle of good wine.
Which ultimately means that you’ll Roley out of there. READ MORE
Details: 18 Phipp Street, EC2A 4NU | Dinner Mon-Sat 6-10.30pm, lunch Tues-Sat 12-2pm
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Nuala | £££
Nuala is the first restaurant from Niall Davidson – a chef who can count The Chiltern Firehouse, St. John and Belgium’s In De Wulf amongst his alma maters. And let’s face it, that would still be impressive for a chef who wasn’t 29. Specialising in open-fire cooking, his cosy, leather-couched spot is an ode to quality produce – tuck into bone marrow doughnuts and clams cooked in cider before heading downstairs for a whisky-based nightcap. READ MORE
Details: 70-74 City Road, EC1 2BJ | Open T-F 9-11pm, Sat 5-11pm
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St. Leonard’s | £££
Fire! Ice! Cognac! Three things that could be potentially dangerous in the hands of anyone else but Andrew Clarke (Salt Yard, The Square) and Jackson Boxer (Brunswick House, The Chess Club). Their joint Shoreditch foray takes only the freshest ingredients each day, and either scorches them on the log-burning hearth, or sets them on ice and serves them up raw. READ MORE
Details: 70 Leonard Street, EC2A 4QX | Open Mon-Sat, 12pm-12am
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Smoking Goat | £££
If you haven’t yet visited this venerated institution, then you should be feeling pretty sheepish. Their Shoreditch branch (a replacement for the original Soho flagship) has a decidedly grittier feel, styled after late-night Thai canteens. As such, the grub here is all in the vein of aharn glam lao (‘drinking food’), and features dishes like smoked brisket with drunken noodles; barbecued pork and pork-fat skewers; and of course, a little smoked goat. READ MORE
Details: 64 Shoreditch High St, E1 6JJ | Open M-W 12-3pm, 5.30-11pm; Th/Fri 10-3pm, 5.30-12.30am; Sat 10am-12.30am; Sun 10am-11pm
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Brat | £££
This is the kind of brat you do want to visit. Michelin starred just six months after opening, it’s the first solo spot from former Kitty Fisher’s chef Tomos Parry, named in honour of what he deems to be “the best fish in the world”, turbot. That’s not all that’s on the menu, though – expect Welsh-meets-Basque cuisine (if it’s even possible to expect what that comprises), alongside a diligently curated wine list. READ MORE
Details: First Floor, 4 Redchurch Street, E1 6JJ | T/W 12-3, 6-10pm; Th-Sa 12-3, 6-11pm; Sun 12-5pm
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Monty’s Deli | ££
Monty’s Deli started life as a small, semi-permanent food stand in Bermondsey. Now it’s a much bigger, more permanent spot in Hoxton, giving them the freedom to make as much of their classic Jewish deli grub as possible in house – babkas, bagels and pastries are baked here, pickles and sauerkraut are fermented here, and the salt beef is cured-on site… and it’s all delicious. READ MORE
Details: 225-227 Hoxton Street, N1 5LH | Dinner Wed-Sat 6-10pm, lunch/brunch Wed-Fri 11am-3pm, Sa/S 11-4pm
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Gunpowder | £££
Gunpowder is pure dynamite. Packed into a tiny, brick-walled room with a bar made from old chairs and lights from repurposed thali dishes, it’s a heady, convivial spot for flavoursome Bengali grub. Don’t miss their venison and vermicelli donut, encrusted in a spiky pastry case… READ MORE
Details: 11 White’s Row, E1 7NF | Open Mon Sat, 12-3pm and 5.30-10.30pm
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Petit Pois Bistro | £££
Petit Pois comes from the team behind preeminent cocktails bars Original Sin and Happiness Forgets – you could say they were peas in a pod. Or, you could skip the terrible jokes and instead tuck into their glorious French comfort food, served up alongside an excellent wine list and (unsurprisingly) very good cocktails. READ MORE
Details: 9 Hoxton Square, N1 6NU | Open daily 12-11pm (10pm Sun)
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Tramshed | £££
Tramshed has to be one of the few restaurants in London where the menu can be found in a tank suspended directly over your head. Mark Hix founded the place with artist pal Damien Hirst, in a vast reclaimed space that used to be (surprise!) a tramshed, and it houses an art gallery in the basement – perfect for an all-in-one date night. We recommend the beef. Or the chicken. READ MORE
Details: 32 Rivington Street, EC2A 3LX | Open M-T 11.30am-11pm, Wed-Sat 11.30am-midnight, Sun 11.30am-9pm
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Rochelle Canteen | £££
Rochelle Canteen isn’t the easiest spot to find – hidden behind a gate with a doorbell in an old primary school playground – but it’s more than worth the mission to track it down. It’s a joint venture (that’s since branched out) from laurelled chefs Margot Henderson and Melanie Arnold, serving produce-led dishes like steamed mussels with chips; chard, chickpea and tomato stew; and rhubarb panna cotta – all of which can be enjoyed al fresco…
Or, as it’s also known, behind the school bike shed. READ MORE
Details: School House, Arnold Circus, E2 7ES | Open daily 9-11am; 12-4.30pm, 6-10pm
Main image: Som Saa
Like dining out in Shoreditch? Then you’ll need our list of the best bars in Shoreditch, too