London Area Guide: Shoreditch
The first weekend in January, my husband and I embarked on our annual tradition of spending a weekend in London. Each year we choose a neighbourhood and explore it in depth, slowly trying to get through the mega city that is England’s capital. In 2024, our choice was Shoreditch.
This post is actually going to mark the start of a series coming up over the next few months where I publish my London area guides, which will continue to grow as I explore more of the capital – and I’ve created a dedicated ‘London’ section on the blog especially to house them.
Things to do in Shoreditch
Getting off the train and walking to our hotel, we instantly felt out of place. This place is WAAAY too cool for us – we passed people in full length leather jackets, someone in all red with a feather boa round their neck and someone walking a goat on one side and a pig on the other. Shoreditch is a reflection of its roots in London’s East End. Over the years it’s been well and truly gentrified meaning you now have a mix of expensive developments, luxury hotels and shops, but with a DNA of amazing markets, diversity and individualism. I really liked its unique character.
After recovering from the goat/pig walking, we had a wonderful 36 hours hours exploring this little piece of London and here’s my guide of the best things we found to see and do.
Colombia Road Flower Market
Every Sunday from 8am-2pm, London’s famous flower market hits the streets of Shoreditch. Set against a background of loud London market calling and street musicians, the market is full of gorgeous flowers and plants, lots of lovely little shops/coffee spots and cute arts and crafts galleries. It’s also REALLY good value, so if you’re relatively local it’s definitely worth stocking up – I came home with some lovely winter peonies.
Spitalfields Market
Spitalfields Market is a special place. Lying in the heart of the East End, it initially started as a market on the outskirts of the city in the 1600s. Due to its popularity, more and more people moved nearby and this area of London grew. Today the market is home to independent stores selling everything from books, to clothes, to food, to coffee, to knit wear and lamps. It’s a great place to stroll around for an hour or two, and enjoy breakfast or lunch.
Brick Lane, Beigel Bake & Upmarket
Brick Lane is probably one of the most famous streets in London. The heart of London’s Bangladeshi community, the street signs are in English and Bengali, and the area’s curry houses are truly unbeatable.
The area is also one of London’s true foodie hotspots. Whilst the curries are a highlight, it’s also known for its bagels, with Beigel Bake being the most famous of the Brick Lane bagel offerings. Also along Brick Lane is the incredible Upmarket, a food hall with independent food stalls serving everything from Singaporean, to Korean, Brazilian, Japanese, Chinese, Bao Buns, Mexican, Empanadas and much more. You’ll need to spend at least a few hours here to sample it all!
Shoreditch Street Art
Shoreditch is one of the best areas of London for street art. Where else would you find a glorious mural with tables laid up for public, drop in games of chess?! The best areas to find the street art are King John Court, along Brick Lane and New Inn Yard.
Flight Club
For something a bit different for your trip to Shoreditch, try Flight Club. It’s an amazing place which serves lovely cocktails as you take to a fun competitive game of darts for 2+ people. There are loads of interactive games you can play and even though I was rubbish, I had the best time!
Dishoom
One of my favourite food choices in Shoreditch is Dishoom. Dishoom is now very well known with branches all over London, but it still retains its quality. Based on the Iranian cafes of the 1900s in Bombay, the menu mixes Indian and Middle Eastern cuisine and it’s delicious. For something a little different, the breakfast naans are yum.
Japanese Brunch
A totally unique experience, Nobu (the hotel in which we stayed), in the heart of Shoreditch offers an all you can eat Japanese brunch. As my husband is crazy about sushi I knew we had to try it. It was SO good – the sushi, salads, main meals, miso, edamame, tacos, deserts – everything was just delicious. We spent 2 hours eating, and my favourite dishes (as a non sushi lover) were the veggie tacos, chicken teriyaki and banoffee pie.
Hijingo Bingo
I dislike Bingo. My husband loves a bit of Bingo. So begrudgingly I was dragged in to this Bingo Hall, with my husband promising there was a cocktail bar and the prizes included a European weekend away. Well…I had the BEST time. It’s like Bingo as you’ve never seen it, with multi-sensory live entertainment including lights, live music, a cocktail bar, good food, and awesome prizes. I didn’t win the European holiday but I was converted to a bit of fun Bingo.
Junkyard Golf
Another fun thing to do whilst in Shoreditch, Junkyard Golf is a crazy golf spot offering 4 unique courses to play. We played ‘Gary’ – an all out assault on the senses in a disco setting, and ‘Bozo’ – a circus themed course. Junkyard Golf is set up to be social, with a large bar and bars on the courses too with places to sit as you go round. We found it just a bit too busy and drunk people on a crazy golf course annoyed me. On the plus side, I won and got a hole in one!
Brushfield Street Elephants
The three elephant sculptures on Brushfield Street are so cute and really beautifully done. Make sure you include them on your Shoreditch itinerary for a few photos!
Gloria
Another awesome Shoreditch restaurant, Gloria is famous for its authentic Italian food. We both had pasta for main course, and then had the world famous Lemon Pie for dessert with its 6 inch meringue!
How to get to Shoreditch
Shoreditch is easily reachable from Central London and is about a 30 minute walk north from The City of London (the area of London which is home to The Tower of London).
The closest rail station is Shoreditch High Street, which is on the East London Line. Alternatively, Liverpool Street Station is just across the road, served by the Central, Elizabeth, Circle, Hammersmith & City and Metropolitan tube lines.
Liverpool Street is also easy to get to if you’re coming from outside of London. There are direct trains to/from Cambridge, Reading, Heathrow Airport, Stansted Airport and across town from London Paddington.
Where to stay in Shoreditch
Shoreditch has so many hotels to choose from. We chose Nobu, which was a great option for location and food. The rooms were quite dark though, and I think overpriced for what they were.
Other high end options include The Mondrian and Montcalm East. If you’re looking for a more budget friendly stays, hotels in the area with good reviews include Z Shoreditch, Hart Shoreditch or the local Travelodge or Premier Inn.
