Why you should stay in Shoreditch when visiting London

What I love about London? The city is so versatile like almost no other city in the world and the best area to see and feel this Versatility is Shoreditch. There is almost nothing that does not exist: artists and business people, award-winning cuisine and street food, vintage shops and popular fashion chains, art galleries and street art, special bars, authentic pubs, cool clubs and a lot more. And because Shoreditch is so great, I would like to introduce my favourite London neighbourhood now:

The Point A Hotel is one of the cheapest hotels in Shoreditch (from 65£/night). The rooms are very small, but clean and modern furnished. A room with a window is a little bit more expensive than a room without one. Breakfast costs 9£. The building is located in the centre of Shoreditch and close to Liverpool Street. Thus, it is the perfect location to go out at night in London´s cool East End but also to discover other areas.

Address: 8-10 Paul Street

Tube Stations: Liverpool Street, Old Street or Moorgate

Close to Point A Hotels is the Travelodge London Central City Road hotel (from 49£/night). The rooms are a little bit bigger and it is also possible to book a room for 3 people or a family room. Breakfast costs 8.50£ (free for children). 

Address: 1-23 City Road

Tube Stations: Liverpool Street, Old Street or Moorgate

The hotel Ibis Budget Whitechapel is close to the famous Brick Lane. The rooms (from 49£/night) are small but perfectly adequate for a city trip. The hotel offers double as well as three-bedded rooms and breakfast costs approx. 6£. From this hotel you can easily walk to the famous Brick Lane Market (approx. 5 min.) or to the Tower of London (approx. 20 min.) - one of the most popular tourist attractions in London.

Address: 100 Whitechapel Rd

Tube Stations: Aldgate East or Whitechapel

The Easy Hotel Old Street Barbican is the cheapest one in Shoreditch (from 33£/night). The rooms are very small and basic. For example there is no TV and Wi-Fi is not included. You can book double rooms with and without a window as well as family rooms. There is no breakfast. But don´t worry, there are a lot of breakfast spots in the area. 

Address: 80 Old Street

Tube Stations: Old Street, Barbican or Moorgate

A nice alternative to a hotel is AirBnB. There are a lot of nice and cheap AirBnB accommodations in Shoreditch.

Recommendation: Book a table in advance if possible!

Som Saa offers creative and authentic Thai cuisine. The menu is small but at least this facilitates the selection for you. The food is super delicious but a little bit spicy. Prices range from 8.5£ to 17.5£ per dish. It is recommended to order 4-5 dishes for 2 people, which makes your dinner a bit expensive. Nevertheless, I am sure Thai cuisine lovers will love this restaurant. Link

Address: 43A Commercial Street

The menu at Morito is inspired by South Spain, North Africa and Greece. The dishes are served as tapas. The food is super delicious, nicely arranged and extraordinary - nothing to be found on every corner. The design of the restaurant is simple but nice. Link

Address: 195 Hackney Road

The restaurant itself describes its food as NYC inspired comfort food which means they offer special burgers, hot dogs, chicken wings, tacos and salads. Prices for a main dish range from 7.5£ to 18£. The design at Dirty Bones is very nice and special - a little bit 20 century style. But don´t go there if you are looking for a quiet place to eat because very often there is a bit louder music - old-school hip-hop, funk or soul. Link

Address: 1 Club Row

As indicated by the name, The Diner is a restaurant in the style of an American Diner. They offer delicious burgers at a good price (from 5.95£) as well as hot dogs, salads, burritos and delicious milkshakes. The branch in Shoreditch also offers vegetarian and vegan dishes. Link.

Address: 128-130 Curtain Road

Meraz Cafe is a small inconspicuous restaurant located in a small backstreet close to Brick Lane. Nevertheless, it is one of the most popular Indian restaurants in the area. It serves delicious Indian cuisine like Tandoori Chicken (6.60£), Lamb Tikka (8.75£) or Chicken Curry (6.65£) for over 40 years at very good prices. Link

Address: 56 Hanbury Street

The restaurant Andina offers classical Peruvian dishes like ceviche (from 6£), but also more extraordinary dishes. The food is super delicious and anything but standard. It is served as tapas and it is recommended to order 3 dishes per person. Link

Address: 1 Redchurch Street

When being in London you have to try the typical British dish Fish and Chips. In Shoreditch Poppies is one of the best choices for that. They offer a portion of Fish and Chips with cod or haddock for 12.90£. If you are looking for a fast snack you can also order your fish as take-away. Link

Address: 6-8 Hanbury Street

Rossopomodoro is a typical Italian restaurant. They offer delicious pizza and pasta. A main dish costs approx. 12£. Additional to the delicious food I loved the cosy atmosphere. The kitchen is behind a huge glass window so that you can watch the cook preparing your dishes. The beautiful brick walls and the comfortable furnishings also ensure a pleasant stay. Link

Address: 1 Rufus Street

Of course Pizza Express offers delicious pizzas. The selection is huge; there are Italian, American, gluten-free and vegan pizzas of all kinds as well as pizzas with less than 600 calories with a huge hole in the middle filled with a mixed salad. Moreover, you can choose between a few pasta dishes and salads. Link

Address: 49-51 Curtain Road

Okay, Pret is not a nice restaurant but I just had to mention the British Sandwich Chain because a quick breakfast or lunch at Pret is always a good idea. Additional to sandwiches, they offer salads, soups, sushi, croissants, fruits, delicious coffee and a lot more. The food is always great and super fresh. The employees are very nice and the price/performance ratio is amazing. Link

Address: 192 Shoreditch High Street

The street food at Brick Lane Market is one of the best in London. On Saturdays between 11 am and 6 pm and on Sundays between 11 am and 5 pm there are numerous street stalls at and around Brick Lane offering not only alternative fashion but also a lot of food from all over the world. The selection is huge and everything I tried so far was sooo delicious.

Address: 91 Brick Lane

The Old Spitalfields Market is not only the perfect place to shop, inside the market hall there are also many international street food stalls offering for example Japanese, Jamaican, Italian, Thai, Turkish or African food as well as restaurants like The Diner or Poppies Fish and Chips.

Address: 16 Horner Square

Beigel Bake is a popular traditional bakery at Brick Lane, which is famous for its delicious beigels. It is an institution in Shoreditch since the 70th, opened 24/7. I guess the most popular beigel is the Salted Beef Bagel, but they also offer sweet beigels, croissants, cake, muffins and a lot more at very good prices.

Address: 155 Brick Lane

My favourite market in London is the Old Spitalfields Market. It is located in a Victorian market hall. There are many stalls offering nice cloth and accessories like jewellery or bags but you can also buy a lot of nice art. Like almost every market in London the Old Spitalfields Market also offers delicious street food. Additional to the stalls there are some nice shops and restaurants inside the hall. 

Address: 16 Horner Square

On weekends, Brick Lane is full of street stalls offering great vintage and alternative fashion. At and around this street there are also some small halls where you can find more fashion, art, furnisher, street food and a lot more. It´s the perfect location for vintage lovers and everyone who is looking for something special.

Address: 91 Brick Lane

The Colombia Road Flower Market "just" offers flowers and plants. Nevertheless, it is well-worth visiting. Every Sunday from 8 am to 3 pm the Columbia Road turns into a huge flower market. Although you probably won´t buy a flower bouquet or a houseplant, it is nice to stroll around the market and enjoy the beautiful and colourful flowers.

Address: Columbia Road

The Boxpark founder called this project the first pop-up mall in the world. 2011 this cool, small shopping paradise was built out of 60 containers with the thought of closing it after 5 years. But today it is still open and you can go shopping at two levels in 29 shops as well as eat or drink something in 18 restaurants or bars. During summer it is also very nice to chill at the roof terrace.

Address: 2-10 Bethnal Green Road

Although Urban Outfitters in Shoreditch is only a small version of the store at Oxford Street, you can find extraordinary fashion, beautiful accessories and nice homeware there. 

Address: The Exchange, 6, 132 Commercial Street

The Old Blue Last is not only a beautiful British pub, there are often free concerts as well. At night and on weekends this place is more like a club than a cosy pub, therefore don´t go there if you are looking for a quite place to chat with friends. Opening times: Sunday - Wednesday 12 pm  - 0 am / Thursdays 12 pm - 1 am / Friday and Saturday 12 pm - 2 am

Address: 38 Great Eastern Street

The colourful cocktail bar Barrio Shoreditch has different theme rooms. For example you can sit in an old retro caravan and look at the La Boca quarter in Buenos Aires while drinking a delicious cocktail. In summer the outdoor area is my favourite place. Later at night the bar turns more and more into a club. From Thursday to Sunday Barrio Shoreditch is open until 2 am; on Tuesday and Wednesday until 1 am and on Monday and Sunday until midnight.

Address: 141-143 Shoreditch High Street

Ballie Ballerson is actually a playground for adults with 3 different ball pits, one million balls and a ball waterfall. The bar offers delicious cocktails and other drinks. Please note: entry is NOT free of charge! I would recommend to buy tickets in advance on the internet. Opening times: Tuesday 6 pm - 10 pm / Wednesday - Thursday 6 pm - 12 am / Friday 18 pm - 2 am / Saturday 4 pm - 2 am / Sunday 1 pm - 3 pm

Address: 97-113 Curtain Road

The Pride of Spitalfield is an authentic British pub in a backstreet close to Brick Lane. The real boss of this pub is a cat called "Lenny the Pub Cat". There is a great selection of beers at good prices and the atmosphere is very nice. Like most typical pubs, The Pride closes at midnight. (Sunday it closes at 10.30 pm, Wednesday at 11 pm)

Address: 3 Heneage Street

The best season to visit Queen of Hoxton is during summer because in summer the beautiful roof terrace is open and allows a great view over Shoreditch. I would recommend starting the evening at the terrace with a nice pint of Lager or Ale when the sun is going down. Opening times: Monday - Wednesday 4 pm - 12 am / Thursday - Saturday 4 pm - 2 am / Sunday 2 pm - 10 pm

Address: 1 - 5 Curtain Road

In Shoreditch, especially at Brick Lane, there are so many cool artworks. Some places you cannot miss as a street art lover are listed below:

• Backyard at Brick Lane (No. 53)
• Hanbury Street (No. 49) ROA big Bird
• Grey Eagle Street
• Overground Station Shoreditch High Street (Wheler Street)
• Rivington Street (No. 83)

You don´t want to search for street art by yourself? Then go on a Street Art Tour. Read here how I liked the tour with Dave.

Do you prefer visiting an art gallery? Then go to Whitechapel Gallery (77-82 Whitechapel High Street), a renowned gallery for modern art. Opening times: Tuesday - Sunday 11 am - 18 pm and Thursday until 9 pm. No entry fee.

From Shoreditch you can walk to some great and famous tourist attractions. For example: 

• St Pauls Cathedral - one of the largest churches in the world (15 minutes*)
• Leadenhall Market - Victorian market hall and Harry Potter location (10 minutes*)
• London Bridge - probably the most famous bascule bridge in the world (15 minutes*)
• Thames - London´s famous river (15 minutes*)
• Skygarden - Skyscraper that offers a fantastic view over London free of charge (10 minutes*)
• The Monument - monument that reminds of a huge fire in 1666 (15 minutes*)
• Borough Market - one of the oldest farmers markets in London (25 minutes*)

* Distance from Liverpool Street

Shoreditch is the perfect area to explore London because there are several Tube, Overground and Bus stations. 

• Central Line

The Central Line stops at Liverpool Street Station. You can use it to go to St. Pauls Cathedral (2 stops / 5 min.), Oxford Street (Oxford Circus 6 stops / 10 min.), Hyde Park (Marble Arch 8 stops / 13 min.) or Notting Hill (11 stops / 18 min.)

• Circle Line

The Circle Line stops at Liverpool Street, Moorgate and Aldgate. With it you can go to Big Ben or Westminster Abbey (Westminster approx. 10 stops / 17 min.), St James Park (approx. 11 stops / 19 min.), which is close to Buckingham Palace or South Kensington (approx. 14 stops / 25 min.); where the Natural History and V&A Museum is located.

• Northern Line 

The Northern Line stops at Old Street and Moorgate. With this line you can go to the famous Camden Market (4 stops/ 10 min.) or to Kings Cross (2 stops / 5 min.). At Kings Cross you can change to the Piccadilly or Victoria Line.

• Metropolitan Line

The Metropolitan Line stops at Liverpool Street, Moorgate and Aldgate. With it you can go to Regents Park, Madame Tussauds or the Sherlock Holmes Museum (Baker Street 7 stops / 14 min.).

Other Tube, Overground and Bus lines in Shoreditch:

• Hammersmith & City Line
• District Line
• Overground (to Dalston or Islington)
• Airport Bus to London Stansted

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