The ultimate neighbourhood guide to Shoreditch

Shoreditch, that East London stretch from Old Street roundabout to Haggerston, has always been good at shedding its skin. What was once a bog (charmingly dubbed ‘soredich’) became Shakespeare’s stage at the long-gone Curtain Theatre, then a cluster of textile warehouses for London’s creatives in the late 20th-century, who coated them in graffiti and painted the way to the area’s gentrification. While it’s still a bastion of Y2K hipsters and the craft coffee movement, the Shoreditch of now is a grown-up place of tech dynamos, envy-inducing apartments and gleaming skyscrapers.

But it’s also where London nightlife is still alive and kicking, remains an urban canvas for street artists (whether legally or not), and its dining scene is one of the most diverse in the city. From the ‘Pho Mile’ of Kingsland Road to the neighbourhood’s Michelin-starred tapas and rooftop Peruvian joints, this postcode hops between continents for each course. You’ve missed pre-cool Shoreditch, but with our guide to the neighbourhood, you can revel in the lively, gritty and hypercreative hub it’s become.

The best breakfasts in Shoreditch

Gourmet globetrotting starts early. Begin at Lantana, a brunch spot on City Road that gives Antipodean reverence to Asian-inflected dishes — try the maple karaage chicken on French toast or the moreish nasi goreng. On Brick Lane, tiny HOKO is a take on Hong Kong’s cha chaan teng tearooms. It requires some sharp elbows to get a table for its signature ‘silk-stocking’ milk tea and more-comforting-than-your-mum macaroni soup with char-siu pork.

The superlatives Momlette throws about in its marketing are well-deserved — if its cronut and bagels are ‘the best’ is up to you, but you can’t deny its unique Bangladeshi options (omelettes wrapped in parathas or a ‘half-English breakfast’ with spicy sausages and masala beans) are as enticing as its yellow shop frontage. For your ‘dippy things’ fix, try Anatolian Kybelle, where shakshuka and cilbir eggs are as restorative as its hangover burrito.

Where to caffeinate

It’s almost illegal to not be carrying a meticulously engineered brew here — luckily, they’re easy to come by. In Spitalfields Market, %Arabica’s aim is to ‘show the world through coffee’ via a globe-spanning selection of beans (some from its own farm) and a minimalist café with a yen for Japanese design. Eastern inspiration is found at Nagare too (named after both a Japanese philosophy of free-flow and a Bruce Lee quote), which sits in a beautifully worn antique shop. Come for the well-travelled roasts, stay for the miso-chocolate cookies and onigiri pop-ups.

Lift stays local with its own roastery in Shoreditch. We love its concrete-and-striplight gallery aesthetic and how seriously staff take each part of the process, from bean origin to latte-art flourish; they make a decent matcha too.

What not to miss in Shoreditch

Visit on a weekend to cast a magpie’s eye over the many markets. On Sunday, Brick Lane Vintage Market takes over The Truman Brewery’s basement, selling 1920s evening gowns, Y2K streetwear, wedding attire and vinyl. While there, check out this always-on venue’s calendar, which is packed with graduate art shows, design festivals and work-out classes. You’ll find several smaller weekend markets on the complex, including the Tea Rooms for antiques (and bijou French café Mada Mada). Then follow your nose to Columbia Road flower market.

In Shoreditch, art isn’t confined to white walls. Your gallery-hop should include bona-fide institution Whitechapel Gallery for exhibitions spotlighting under-represented artists, and lesser-known non-profit galleries like Set 91 and Hundred Years; plus, the adorable, mouse-sized Wee Tiny Gallery hidden below a mobile-phone store at 106a Brick Lane. Go alfresco for street art by GOAT-ed names: Banksy, ROA, Stik, Shepard Fairey. There are as many tours as there are tags but Alternative London offers some Shoreditch history and add-on graffiti workshops; they publish maps if you want to look at your leisure.

Now another kind of goat: Hamish, champion of Spitalfields City Farm’s famous Goat Races (now retired). He’s joined by animals including ferrets, hens and donkeys at this urban green patch. It’s a wholesome day out for all ages, with events like sober quizzes and needlefelting guinea-pigs. To see the Shoreditch of old-old, as it was in the days of the Huguenots, Dennis Severs’ House is a fascinating, as-it-was residence.

And few neighbourhoods cater as well to adults in a state of regression. There’s immersive gaming (Gamebox, NQ64 Arcade); and semi-ironic sports (Shuffle Club, Shoreditch Balls’ neon-lit mini golf) — all best done with cocktail in hand.

Lunching in Shoreditch

Like Spitalfields Farm, Rochelle Canteen surprises with its verdure (except the animals are on your plate this time, as well as hyper-seasonal vegetables). Founded by Margot Henderson (wife of St John visionary Fergus) with son Hector as head chef, its menu has inherited the same no-fuss ethos and its tucked-away walled garden is a warm-weather joy. Another sweet, summer child of an eatery is seasonal Towpath Café at the further reaches of Shoreditch, by Regent’s Canal. The eggs with sage, grilled-cheese toastie and signature olive-oil cake go down very easy, if you can stomach the queue. And if the concept of viral eats doesn’t make you roll your eyes, Dumbo has brought Paris’s smashburger fever to London.

Shopping in Shoreditch

Treasure-hunters, devote time to Atika, London’s largest vintage store, set in a former warehouse. Alongside finding archive fits, you can craft charms and sew-on patches at its ‘soft making’ sessions. Then rummage around in Hunky Dory on Brick Lane and find your next OOTD at super-cool Scrt, whose street wearables fit in with Shoreditch’s splatter.

Earl of East is a sensual experience with its signature candles and perfumes, from sultry and smoky to fresh and botanical. The utilitarian becomes beautiful at homewares store Labour and Wait and stationery hub Present & Correct; while House of Hackney is a shrine to maximalism and Leila’s is the sort of fertile deli that looks like a 17th-century Dutch still-life. To stay at the cutting edge, browse niche magazines and design books at Artwords.

Where to drink

Whatever your poison, Shoreditch pours it out. For grape-over-grain types, there’s the Wine House, tucked down a corridor off Shoreditch High Street, with both a secret garden and secret tasting room, and au fait staff to steer you through its 450 wines from 30 countries.

Magician-mixologist Mr Lyan (aka Ryan Chetiyawardana) conjured up yet more cocktail curiosities for Seed Library; a sexy, low-lit retro hangout in the basement of One Hundred Shoreditch hotel. He’s curbed the mad science a bit, but still offers textural trickery (cream Margarita, anyone?) and throws in a few surprise ingredients. On Thursdays and Fridays, Kaso on One Hundred’s rooftop has a ‘Yappy Hour’ for £10 cocktails with weight-in-gold views.

Longstanding favourite Nightjar has an atmosphere as smooth as its drinks, with live jazz and rare spirits, some more than a century old. Even the cocktails come sporting bowlers (the Charlie Chaplin) or in a cigar box (El Presidente), so dress suavely. And for pints, stalwart The Old Blue Last balances an old-school-boozer feel with East End hipness.

Dinner in Shoreditch

Eating out in Shoreditch is a multi-stop odyssey. Begin in Spain for whole suckling pig and porky tapas plates (Legado); flavourbomb Thai (Smoking Goat); Georgia for comforting khachapuris (Aba-Ra!); and Vietnam for plenty of zing (Sông Quê Café).

And it’s worth diverting to Greece for flatbreads and fall-apart meats at Lagana, where you’re also given crayons for doodling on the tablecloths.

Nightlife

The fact that iconic, 24-hour snack stop Beigel Bake has queues down Brick Lane in the wee hours shows you the health of Shoreditch’s late-night fun. Neighbourhood favourite XOYO just had a makeover and is back to thudding beats and dance-hard mixes. 93 Feet East bops along the musical spectrum — from reggaeton to rock — in its former brewery venue and courtyard; and behind Dream Bags Jaguar Shoes’ 1980s shop façades, you’ll find DJs, discos and album drops, plus two-for-one drinks every weekday from 5pm–9pm.

At Bao Noodle Shop, you can chase beefy noodle bowls with a power-ballad in their downstairs karaoke room; but if you want to leave the singing to the professionals then Old Street Records and The Macbeth oblige with indie sets — try the latter’s Portuguese small plates too. Rich Mix might first and foremost be an indie cinema run by a charity, but it’s also a culture hub of talks, music and dance.

Where to stay

Sleep might end up being the last thing on your mind at The Hoxton, Shoreditch, with its lively lobby party zone, DJs and member events (plus a photobooth to pile into and Beigel Bake on call 24/7), but its bedrooms are as stylish as they have been since opening in 2016 (even more so after a 20-year-anniversary makeover). Its rooftop eatery The Llama Inn has Peruvian flavours that come at you like a kick from its namesake beast (the ceviches are delightfully cheek-puckering), powerful Piscos and far-reaching views.

Soho House serves the surplus of creatives in the area well, with Redchurch Townhouse, a stylish resting spot with Fifties- and Seventies-inspired design and a Cecconi’s (also check out the Soho Works spot in the gloriously industrial Tea Building).

Batty Langley’s feels like a stay with a friend, if that friend was a very wealthy noble from the Georgian era. It’s named after a 17th-century writer who advised people on how to dress homes in ‘the most grand taste’ (the influencer of his time), and with the hotel’s four-poster beds, velvets and antiques, the owners today have followed his advice.

Shoreditch essentials

From restaurants and bars to galleries, shopping and hotels, here’s your Shoreditch itinerary at a glance

The best breakfast and coffee spot: Jolene, which is renowned for being good at pretty much everything, from Victoria sponge to house iced-teas. Prepare for the worst in queues but expect the best in morning croissants.

What to do in the morning: Hit Stolen Space, where art is tagged ‘Lowbrow’, but is refreshingly bold and witty. On the weekend, see rising talents of London’s fashion scene at Rinse Showroom, then head to Autograph gallery for explorations of race, human rights and social justice.

Where to have lunch: Italian eatery Manteca’s ‘rapid rigatoni’ lunch menu with salad, pasta and sorbet is a delicious, affordable refuel. Or mix-and-match dips, breads and veggie small plates at Levantine eatery Bubala.

Where to go shopping: For retro fits, try long-loved Rokit on Brick Lane. For next-gen fashion, Goodhood has a fresh crop of streetwear. Rough Trade East’s niche vinyl will thrill music obsessives; take it to the next level by acquiring a custom turntable at Play Vinyl.

What to do in the afternoon: Flight Club’s darts give the classic pub game a glow-up; follow up with a session at futuristic, not-your-nan’s-game Hijingo Bingo.

Where to have dinner: Expand your palate with complex Burmese curries at Lahpet or varenyks and quail Kyiv at rustic Ukrainian spot Tartar Bunar.

The best bar: For funky sips, Oranj peddles natural, low-intervention wines. Its recent move to Dray Walk brought with it outdoor seating, and a programme of chef pop-ups, collabs with local galleries, DJ nights and wine events give it an infectious energy.

Where to stay: Shoreditch House’s rooftop pool, flanked by the brand’s signature striped loungers and day-beds, is as inviting as it ever was.

See our full collection of Shoreditch stays, or branch out in London with our guides including Soho, Kensington and Marylebone