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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

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9.2

Amazing

Restaurants | Shoreditch

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

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Amazing

Restaurants | Shoreditch

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

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Amazing

Restaurants | Bethnal Green

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

8.2

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.

Plates A vegan fine-dining spot that elevates plant-based cuisine to creative new levels….

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

Café Mission A beautiful restaurant & rooftop terrace above the largest yoga studio in Europe.

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.

Burro e Salvia The OG fresh pasta restaurant….

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….

Hawksmoor Spitalfields The original spot from the steakhouse supremos.

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

Kolamba East Sri Lankan home cooking has found a new home in East London….

Kaso A stylish rooftop restaurant & terrace with a feast of mouthwatering Eastern Mediterranean dishes….

Bun House Disco A new, 1980s Hong Kong eatery….

Lina Stores Shoreditch Fresh pasta in a Grade-II listed former Shoreditch bank….

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

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

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

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

The Best Bars

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

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

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

Tayer + Elementary An experimental cocktail bar with two sides.

Bar Lina Shoreditch A seductive, effortlessly chic cocktail joint in East London.

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.

Mad Cats A beautifully vibey listening bar in Shoreditch….

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.

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’….

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

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

Chiave An elegant, split-personality cocktail bar in Shoreditch….

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

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.

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

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….

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

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

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

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

Sauna & Plunge A modern social wellness centre in Shoreditch….

Yougi Candle-Making Workshops Make your own eco-friendly soy wax candles scented with the nectar of the gods (and natural essential oils).

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.

Boulebar Spitalfields Drink French apéritifs and enjoy bistro fare while playing the deceptively fiendish sport of pétanque….

Quiz Room Finally, an activity bar for people who can’t do sports.

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 Some of London’s best escape rooms, with time-travelling elevators and Blitz-era spirit….

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….