Nick Page/Unsplash

Area Guides

Shoreditch

The first thing you’ll notice when exploring Shoreditch is that there are, in fact, no shores or ditches.

Turns out it’s named after an ancient landowning family, the ‘Soerdiches’… which definitely could have ended up as something much worse.

And despite its murky past (plague, squalor, Bedlam, etc.) and grumblings about its future (hipster beards, avocados, avocados with beards), Shoreditch is known as one of London’s most creative, unusual neighbourhoods. Streets are packed with independent boutiques flogging hand-made and artisanal wares. Unmarked doorways lead to award-winning, world-class cocktail bars. Old warehouses are reborn as arenas for crazy golf, shuffleboard and ping pong. There are endless things to do in Shoreditch, and endless places to refuel at afterwards.

Whether it’s your first time exploring, or you’re returning to find the places that are a little off the beaten track, we’ve got recommendations by the bucketload…

The Best Restaurants

View All | Map View

9.2

Amazing

Restaurants | Shoreditch

Brat A Michelin starred, open-fire cooking spot from Tomos Parry, the former Kitty Fisher’s head chef.

9.3

Amazing

Restaurants | Shoreditch

Rochelle Canteen A subtly secret restaurant located inside a repurposed bike shed in an old Victorian schoolyard….

9.4

Amazing

Restaurants | Bethnal Green

Brawn A modern classic, serving European small plates and natural & organic wines in a relaxed, low-key setting.

8.7

Area Guides

Shoreditch

The Best Restaurants

Brat A Michelin starred, open-fire cooking spot from Tomos Parry, the former Kitty Fisher’s head chef.

Rochelle Canteen A subtly secret restaurant located inside a repurposed bike shed in an old Victorian schoolyard….

Brawn A modern classic, serving European small plates and natural & organic wines in a relaxed, low-key setting.

Popolo Exceptionally delicious Italian sharing plates in the heart of Shoreditch.

Bubala An unmissable East London restaurant serving mouthwatering vegetarian dishes inspired by the Levant.

Manteca Nose-to-tail dining meets fresh pasta, with excellent results.

The Clove Club This is just one of those restaurants that everyone ought to cross off their London Restaurant Bucket List.

Lyle’s A white, minimalist dining room serving up some of the finest tasting menus you can find in London.

Beigel Bake Probably the best, cheapest salt beef bagel in London….

St. John Bread and Wine A smaller, Bib Gourmand-garlanded take on the iconic nose-to-tail institution.

Smoking Goat Shoreditch Shoreditch’s revered Thai eatery, serving ‘drinking food’ in a smoky warehouse corner plot.

Cycene An intimate dining experience led by ex-Portland chef Theo Clench….

Counter 71 An excellent chef’s table from the former head man at Fenn….

Pearly Queen Cornerstone chef Tom Brown’s vibey seafood bar, with stellar cocktails & oysters.

Lahpet Burmese dining: the definition of comfort food. And this is the best place to find it in London….

Padella Shoreditch Legendary fresh pasta (that won’t break the bank), served in an airy, industrial setting.

Smokestak Smoking’s bad for you. Unless you’re smoking hot, or smoking meat. And if it’s meat you’re after, we’ve got just the place.

Som Saa Top-level Thai dishes and cocktails in an industrial Spitalfields setting.

Bistro Freddie An intimate modern bistro tucked away in a corner of Shoreditch….

Gunpowder A Bengali restaurant in Spitalfields serving some of the most delicious Indian cooking in London….

Zapote First-class Mexican food at an independent debut from a pair of industry veterans….

TT Restaurant Live fire cooking on the roof of an old Victorian police station turned multi-storey cocktail establishment….

BAO Noodle Shop Combining noodles with shaved ice cocktails and yoghurt soda? Sounds cultured….

Dishoom Shoreditch A place to enjoy traditional Parsi and Bombay-style dishes, in dimly lit retro surrounds, or on the shaded verandah.

Gloria A decadent, vivacious Italian trattoria in Shoreditch known for its OTT portions, cocktails & decor….

The Best Bars

The Nightjar A genuine, Prohibition era speakeasy with live music every night, and award-winning cocktails.

TT A cocktail bar, bottle shop, rooftop restaurant and cinema, all packed into a converted police station.

Seed Library A subterranean cocktail cave with twists on the classics.

Lowcountry A whiskey-soaked, subterranean cocktail bar sitting beneath an outstanding restaurant….

Tayer + Elementary An experimental cocktail bar with two sides.

Passione Vino An intimate wine bar & shop, with Italian dishes and candlelight.

Lounge Bohemia A 60s-styled subterranean cocktail bar beneath a Shoreditch kebab shop.

Umbrella Workshop An experimental, hidden cocktail bar from the people behind one of the city’s best speakeasies….

Discount Suit Company The journey to a good bar is an experiential cog of fundamental importance, one which ought never be overlooked nor undervalued.

Cave Cuvée An intimate, subterranean natural wine bar & bottle shop on the cusp of Bethnal Green….

Swift Shoreditch One of Soho’s best drinkeries moves east.

Happiness Forgets A secret underground bar in Hoxton serving killer cocktails.

Black Rock Is it a bar? Because there’s a gigantic tree-trunk that’s been split in half, and filled with whiskey, but there’s no ‘bar’….

The Culpeper A Spitalfields local that is just as enterprising as its 17th century namesake….

Callooh Callay A bustling Victorian-inspired bar, inside which lives the actual legitimate speakeasy wardrobe to Narnia.

Found A compact, subterranean hidden bar with no-fuss, brilliantly made cocktails.

Old St. Records A two-storey Shoreditch warehouse filled with live bands and DJs.

The Blues Kitchen Shoreditch Alligator tails, frozen Mai Tais, snake venom, Texan BBQ, and live blues. Every night of the week.

The Best Pubs In Shoreditch Historic candlelit taverns, artfully dilapidated party boozers, live gigs, craft brews and more.

The Best Things To Do

Brick Lane Jazz Festival 2024 Three days of the best in Jazz, with gigs, parties, and more….

Old Spitalfields Market One of London’s oldest, most popular markets, selling street food, vinyl, antiques, crafts and more.

Dennis Severs’ House Explore ten candle-lit rooms frozen in time, hidden behind an ordinary door….

Close-Up Cinema An intimate cinema for arthouse screenings, plus a film library & bar.

Shuffle Club London’s premier shuffleboard bar returns, with three storeys of table shuffleboard, food & drink….

Columbia Road Flower Market Grab blooms by the bucketload on a picturesque Victorian street….

TT Liquor Masterclasses Learn to make cocktails like a pro in a converted 19th century police station.

Rich Mix Movies, theatre, dance, music, and an escape room.

National Centre for Circus Arts One of Europe’s most recognised faculties of circus education.

Your Ultimate Brick Lane Guide Curry houses, vintage shopping, food markets, and the city’s best hot chocolate….

Swingers A cocktail-soaked clubhouse with two 9-hole indoor crazy golf courses and street food.

All Star Lanes Bowling’s back. And it’s brought private karaoke booths, boozy milkshakes and mouthwatering diner food with it.

Flight Club Shoreditch From the competitive minds behind Bounce and All Star Lanes, Flight Club combines darts… with booze.

Bounce Shoreditch A luminous subterranean bunker in Shoreditch housing a 25-foot pizza counter, a cocktail bar, and seventeen ping pong tables.

Museum of the Home Check out a parlour from 1695, a drawing room from 1915….

The Old Blue Last A legendary live music pub that’s hosted Amy Winehouse, Arctic Monkeys and more.

Village Underground A late-night music venue and creative hub set under a railway viaduct.

Escape Plan A thoroughly old fashioned escape room in Shoreditch….

Bar Kick A laid-back Shoreditch bar with championship-quality table football.

Shopping On Columbia Road How to spend a day on East London’s quaintest shopping street….

Candlelit Wine, Drunken Noodles, Arthouse Cinema & Bathtub Cocktails A laid-back Shoreditch date night, for you and a special fwend….

The Best Alfresco Dining

Rochelle Canteen A subtly secret restaurant located inside a repurposed bike shed in an old Victorian schoolyard….

TT Restaurant Live fire cooking on the roof of an old Victorian police station turned multi-storey cocktail establishment….

Dishoom Shoreditch A place to enjoy traditional Parsi and Bombay-style dishes, in dimly lit retro surrounds, or on the shaded verandah.

The Culpeper A Spitalfields local that is just as enterprising as its 17th century namesake….

Smokestak Smoking’s bad for you. Unless you’re smoking hot, or smoking meat. And if it’s meat you’re after, we’ve got just the place.

Old Spitalfields Market One of London’s oldest, most popular markets, selling street food, vinyl, antiques, crafts and more.

The Best Date Ideas

TT Liquor Masterclasses Learn to make cocktails like a pro in a converted 19th century police station.

Cave Cuvée An intimate, subterranean natural wine bar & bottle shop on the cusp of Bethnal Green….