Shoreditch

Albion
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Last weekend I was desperately looking for a nice simple, not too expensive place to have lunch in Shoreditch (ideally a place I hadn’t been before) and suddenly my friend mentioned that the Boundary (see other post) had another (cheaper) place in the same building… Still not quite sure if it’s from the same owner but it’s a great place to have lunch! Very buzzy, cosy, light and easy. Really like this place. It has some tables outside too and they don’t take reservations so you need to queue.  I ordered the ommelette with green salad and a glass of wine (it’s on their menu like that) for £10,- Great deal, no? 2-4 Boundary Street | +442077291051 | Tube; Shoreditch High Street or a walk from Liverpool Street/Old Street | ££ | Website

Bistroteque

This restaurant is located on a somewhat dodgy side street in Bethnal Green. The whitewashed and industrial interior create quite a cool vibe. The bar downstairs is great for cocktails and dinner is served from an open plan kitchen upstairs. I didn’t think the food was amazing but I really enjoyed the experience as a whole. Perfect start for a night out in East London. 23 – 27 Wadeson Street E2 |Tube: Bethnal Green | £££ | +442089837900 | Website

Boundary Restaurant

This is a British and French cuisine restaurant in Shoreditch…. very cool. I had dinner here quite a while back and can’t remember what I ordered. I do remember that it was delicious and I also found the interior very smart (open kitchen, chic but also funky interior) They have a roof terrace that is absolutely great. You can have a proper barbeque meal at a table or relax on the lounge couches… 2-4 Boundary Street |Shoreditch, London |Tube; Liverpool Street |+442077291051 | £££ | Website 

Bread Street Kitchen

A cool industrial-looking brasserie style restaurant by the Gordon Ramsay team. I loved the interior and especially all the different types of vintage lights and I thought the wine storage decor was done in a really nice way too. The place is spacious and the vibe good. Located in the city, the area isn’t very lively on the weekends. It’s also situated in a shopping mall but that didn’t influence the experience at all (and they do have their own entrance at street level). The food was tasty, you can choose from a raw bar, salads, wood stone oven grilled dishes and a good selection of meat and fish. We were going crrrrazy for the Espresso Martini’s for dessert! 10 Bread Street London EC4M 9AJ | Tube: St Pauls | +4420 3030 4050 | £££ | Website

The Bridge

The upstairs seating area of this little cafe is wonderful. The place looks like nothing but a regular pub from the outside, but the vintage decor upstairs is totally quirky and lovely. Great for a relaxing coffee and cake on Sunday before you head off to get your hands on some (last minute/left over) flowers at Columbia Road Market. Note: It’s also one of the few places in London you can’t pay by creditcard. 15 Kingsland Road, Shoreditch

Cafe 1001
A Cafe / Club. Really cool to have a drink but sometimes it can be hard to find a place to sit (because it’s rather popular) It’s like a big living room with sofa’s and armchairs and in the back is a club. Next to Story Deli

Callooh Callay Bar

Awesome cocktail bar on trendy Rivington Street in Shoreditch. They request you to make a reservation but our little black book managed to get in without  work it baby! Very good mixed crowd comes here and the bar is divided into separate spaces. The first space is small and cozy with loud music, brick walls and 60′s wallpaper. The bar looks glamorous and the cocktails are GOOD.  There is a cocktail and small bites menu in plastic cassette cases (80′s sentiment oh yeah) and the cocktail names are inspired by 80′s songs like “Just Bee Good To Me”. Even though for a place like this I would say that “Eating is Cheating” you could go for snacks like little hamburgers, chips and hotdogs. You get to the second space through a secret door (looks like a mirrored closet) in the back and a third space via a stairwell in the second room. The third room is for members only or you need to book it before 9pm. This room is more quiet and relaxed (the rest is pretty loud but fun) Anyway… great place to start your evening!!! 61 Rivington street, London | +442077394781 | £££ | Tube: Old Street | Website |Map

Favela Chic

Brazilian Dinner and dancing. Food is not super but atmosphere and decor is definitely great. There are umbrellas etc hanging from the ceiling. I did hear a lot about rude and bullying staff and bouncers at the door but I wouldn’t know about that unfortunately.. (not when I was there 2 years ago)…91-93 Great Eastern Street | +442076134228 | Public transport: Old Street | £££ | Website

 Hoi Polloi @ACE Hotel

New all day brasserie spot attached to the ACE Hotel in Shoreditch. I really like that it’s different from anything else I’ve seen lately. The restaurant is quite large and has a bit of a retro & scandinavian feel to it. Everything is very well designed including the newspaper-like menu, and the hipster staff run around in Nike air max. This place has got a cool vibe. Definitely go here if: 1. You need a place to work during the day – they have a little coffee bar as well. 2. If you’re planning a night with friends – start at the ACE Hotel bar, have dinner at Hoi Polloi and end up at the downstairs bar that’s open till late. 3. If you like pickled union rings. They are so good! The best thing, you don’t even have to worry about how to get home, you can just get a room! Ace Hotel |100 Shoreditch High St London | 020 8880 6100 | Tube: Old Street tube, Liverpool Street Station or Shoreditch High Street Overground | Website | £££

Bar Nightjar

This East London bar takes you back into the Prohibition era in the early 20s. It feels like you ended up on a movie scene! It’s hidden away just off Old Street roundabout and has a real underground feel to it. We had to wait outside for about 10 minutes before we were taken to our own table. I’m not sure if it’s always the case but I really liked the fact that it wasn’t too crowded. Staff was friendly and suggested their signature cocktail which came in a teapot and was literally (!) steaming away for 5 minutes. Apparently they use dry ice?… Anyway, it’s a cool experience & they serve amazing cocktails. 129 City Road | Tube: Old Street | +44 207 253 4101 | £££ | Website

Dirty Burger | Shoreditch, London

So basically I hit this spot by mistake. As always I am trying to eat healthy and do my exercises but then I ended up strolling through Shoreditch without having had a proper breakfast or lunch. Exactly at the point where I realised I was hungry I came across this place… So Bingo! Well, I have to say that even though the cheeseburger was probably an unhealthy quick fix… It made my day. What a delight! This is not a place where you will have a romantic dinner (but you will probably not pick a burger joint anyway…), or relaxed sit down. The place has a counter where you order your thing and a few stools and bar to sit and wait/ or eat. The concept is simple, the food is great, the location the best. Squeezed in between Pizza East, Lyle’s and Shoreditch House so should you try to get a table at any of these venues and end up on the waiting list forever, you can always go here. Dirty Burger is part of the Soho House group and they just always get it right….(The Oak, Chicken Shop, Pizza East, Soho House, Electric, Deanstreet Townhouse etc) 13 Bethnal Green Rd, London E1 6LA |+2077494525 | Tube: Shoreditch High Street | £ | Map | Website

Loong Kee Vietnamese
This is the best BYO restaurant in London. It serves great tasting food and has uptill now never cost me more than £10.00! Just bring a nice bottle of wine and a little bit of patience, as you might have to wait for a table. My favorite dishes are Crispy Squid with Salt & Chili, Lemonade Beef and Vietnamese fish in clay pot (this one might sound a bit weird but it’s reeeeaally good!). 134 Kingsland Road |Tube: Old Street (a cab from here is best) |£ | +442077298344

Pizza East

This is a super cool place to have a drink before or after dinner. Obviously, it’s a restaurant and pizza’s are okay…. Not divine. The space however, is very industrial but cosy at the same time and very spacious. Don’t miss this place when in Shoreditch! 56 Shoreditch High Street | Tube: Shoreditch High Street |+442077291888 |££| Website

Rootmaster > He’s left for the winter but will hopefully come back soon!

This traditional London Bus is parked just outside Spitalfield Market. You can have a drink or even dinner in this bus! Very cosy but a little bumpy. Elys Yard | Old Truman Brewery |££ |Brick Lane

St John Bread & Wine

A simple and straight forward restaurant with extremely pure and tasty food, relatively well priced too. The staff is superfriendly and the atmosphere is less formal than it’s more established sister restaurant St John Bar and Restaurant. A perfect place to share different dishes and enjoy great wine after a visit to the Spitalfield Market. 94-96 Commercial Street |££ | Tube: Shoreditch High Street / Liverpool Street | Website

Story Deli – Reopened at  a new location!

This place is just the best! I finally checked out their new place at the new location and it was perfect. Same lovely decor, atmosphere and menu (THANK GOD!) The pizza’s are divine (delicious ingredients put on top of a thin layer of crust so you don’t feel too bad when ordering pizza) The decor is airy, organic and cool. The service is relaxed and super friendly. 3 Redchurch Street, Tube: Shoreditch High Street| +447918197352 | website

Sushi-samba

SushiSamba in New York was the favorite hang out of the girls in Sex and the City and was where Samatha threw a dirty Martini in her ex-lovers face!!  London now has it’s own SushiSamba, following the one in New York. The restaurant in London is on the 38th Floor of the Heron Tower in East London which makes it the highest terrace point in London. Stunning panoramic views can be enjoyed on the roof terrace while you are having an aperitive and inside you can enjoy dinner (they do not serve food outside unfortunately) The blend of Brazilian, Peruvian and Japanese kitchen is insanely good. It’s fresh, exciting and original as is the whole interior design.  I have to say that Bishopsgate is not the most romantic street in London, but it’s near the lovely Flowermarket, Broadway Market and Bricklane so you could top off a Bohemian, arty and cultural strolling day in Shoreditch with a fabulous high style dinner! 110 Bishopsgate, London | Tube: Liverpool Street | £££ |+442036407330 | Website | Map

The Wapping Project

This is an old power station turned into a modern restaurant. Super cool. They also have art shows in the exhibition spaces around the main space where the restaurant is. Good kitchen and bubbly service. This is definitely one of my favorite restaurants. A very artistic and original place | Wapping Hydraulic Power Station, Wapping Wal | +442076802080 | Tube: Wapping (but maybe taxi is more convenient) Website

Spitalfields market

A lot of crap but the best atmosphere on a Sunday and the most ‘unforced’ trendy people in London. Best to start of on Colombia Road and walk your way to Brick Lane. Tube: Liverpool Street

Columbia Road Market

Every Sunday Columbia Road is transformed into a colorful and buzzing little flower market. With its cute art galleries, antique shops and a great bunch of pubs and cafes, this market is definitely worth a visit. If you get there around 3pm they’ll be selling beautiful flowers for only a fiver! Tube: Liverpool Street Colombia Road Market