London/Shoreditch

From World travel guide

Shoreditch area in East London and stretches from Old Street station to Kingsland Road, taking in the side streets along the way. This was once an area largely populated by skint artists, but they were scattered once the wave of design and media studios and commercial galleries rolled in.

Although the area is still underdeveloped in many ways, this is one of the best places to go out drinking in London, simply because there are so many different bars, pubs and clubs dotted all over this area and many of these stay open past 11pm.

1 Get in
2 See
3 Do
4 Buy
5 Eat
6 Drink
7 Sleep
8 Contact
9 External links

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Get in

The nearest tube stations are Old Street and Liverpool Street, both stations have overland rail links. Buses (including nightbuses) are well connected to central London. The East London line also runs to Shoreditch tube station during peak hours.

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See

White Cube (south side of Hoxton Square). Art gallery with exhibitions by major British and international artists.
Bunhill Fields, Bunhill Road, [1] (Nearest tube: Old Street) Always open. This small graveyard is a rarity in central London, and seems oddly tranquil in comparison to the nearby bustling streets of the City. Some 120,000 bodies are believed to be buried here - mostly Dissenters - notable among them are the graves of William Blake, Daniel Defoe and John Bunyan. Admission free.

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Do

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Buy

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Eat

Kingsland Road should be renamed 'Little Vietnam', as there is a whole crop of tradtional and very reasonable Vietnamese restaurants. Some also have the bonus of being able to bring your own alcohol, which brings down cost considerably.

Au Lac, 104 Kingsland Road, E2. 020 7033 0588. BYO. The pancakes are recommended as a starter (this was a batter parcel containing chicken and beansprouts, rolled into lettuce leaves, lovely), also the steamed sea bass, which had a delicious sauce. The service is attentive, and they are obviously very proud of their food. More of a restaurant for a group of friends, rather than a romantic meal.

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Drink

Herbal, 12-14 Kingsland Road, 020 7613 4462 [2]. Open Tue-Thur & Sun 2100-0200, Fri & Sat 2100-0300 (times may vary according to night, check with the club). A two floor club mainly playing 'urban music', with DJs such as Soul II Soul, MJ Cole, Groove Armada and Metalheadz. Downstairs is an open dancefloor, but upstairs is more of a stylish bar. Entry can be up to £8, most nights are much cheaper if you arrive before 2230. Drinks are expensive, even for this area. Dress code is 'no suits'.
Catch, 22 Kingsland Road, E2 8DA, 020 7729 6097. Open normal pub hours weekdays, until 0200 Fri/Sat. A slightly shabby but friendly bar on the small strip of bars on Kingsland Road. Downstairs they have limited seating and draught beer, but upstairs is where it's happening. In the week you can catch live bands and on the weekends there's DJs playing xfm music mixed with a bit of cheese. It's also free to get in. Bargain.
Anda Da Bridge, 42-44 Kingsland Road, E2 8DA, 020 7739 3863. Open normal pub hours. At mere spitting distance from 'Jaguar Shoes' and 'Catch' lies this restaurant/bar/cafe. This place couldn't be more different from the other two, whereas they are usually bursting at the seams, this place is buzzing, but not packed. It's a Jamaican bar, so this is reflected in the decor of the place. The music policy is a mixture of old skool hip-hop, soul, jazz. The place is very friendly, the bar staff seemed to be enjoying themselves, and they serve beer (Red Stripe, of course) on draught. More like somewhere you'd expect to stumble across in Brixton.
The Foundry, 86 Great Eastern Street London EC2A 3JL, has entertainment throughout the week ranging from poetry to free jazz, an art gallery in the basement, organic beer, and some of the most horriffic decor in London.
Bar Kick, 126 - 127 Shoreditch High Street, E1 6JE, 0871 332 2959. A two floor bar with plenty of table football machines to thrash away at. If you can't get a table the bar has a few sofas to wait for your turn in the quirky surroundings. It's a friendly place, where there's a mix of trendy boys and girls and suits from the city. Open normal pub hours.
The Comedy Cafe, 66/68 Rivington Street, 020 7739 5706 [3]. Wed/Thur 1900-0000 Fri/Sat 1800-0100. The bar itself is terrible, only serving up a choice of watery beers to hold on to while watching the entertainment. Although they don't have any big name comedians, there's a few lesser knowns that are worth catching before they make it on to TV. Wednesday is an open mic night, this can be excrutiating or hilarious, depending on your luck. Entry Wed - Free, Fri - £12, Sat - £15.
333, 333 Old Street, 020 7739 5949 [4].
Cargo, 3 Rivington Street, (020) 7739 3440.
The Bricklayers Arms, 63 Charlotte Road, (020) 7739 5245.