Shoreditch & Hoxton

Shoreditch used to be the mecca for hipsters, but now the tourists have found it and you might say that Shoreditch is already passé. But still you can see a lot of hipsters wandering around. Shoreditch has managed to keep some of its rugged appearance even though some of its venues are way beyond gentrification. I write about Hoxton in this same chapter since it's sometimes hard to tell these two areas apart from each other. This area can get really crowded (and drunk) in the weekends, when it's better to move a bit to the east or to the north for more relaxed atmosphere.

Sights:

• Shoreditch is full of street art. And usually really good street art! You can spot it almost anywhere, but the best place to start is the vicinity of Redchurch Street.

Drinking: 

• There are a number of great pubs, bars and clubs in Shoreditch. Here are a few:
• The Bridge is one of my favourite cafés/bars in London. Downstairs looks like New York café and upstairs is cozy and quiet place that is being furnished with over-the-top antique furniture. Best place if you just want to hang out and talk with your friends. They've recently added a number of new rooms in a style of a Turkish bazaar, US diner and motel.
• Dream Bags, Jaguar Shoes is a hipster joint. Its decorations change every few months and they are designed by art students. Good drinks and pizza.
  
• Nightjar is a classic speakeasy with just a picture of a bird in the door and the word Nightjar. You have to know it's there. Nightjar offers jazz music nights but you should book a table on those nights. 
• Dragon Bar is a nice looking bar with dark walls, food and beer. They usually play rock music on the background, which is a nice change for a Shoreditch bar. 
• The Red Lion is not that interesting of a bar when it comes to their selection of drinks or the bar decor. This is, however, a great place when it's sunny out, because there is a great roof top terrace on top.
  
• George & Vulture is a beautiful old-school pub with proper pints of ale. It's got nice large
  
  windows and wooden tables. Jarvis Cocker lives on the same street and he is said to have been seen here sometimes. They sometimes have live music.
• Strongroom Bar & Kitchen is a large pub with a big garden at the back. The garden is really nice during the summer when the vines are climbing round the walls. In the winter it looks a bit too much like a parking lot. They have good beers on tap and burgers and other pub foods. It's fairly expensive, but very nice. They also have DJ's or bands in the weekends.
• Electricity Showrooms is a beautiful and quite large bar with excellent beer selection ranging from American guest beers to local microbrewery ales. The place is a very nice place for hanging out and enjoying beer, although it gets quite busy on the weekends. 
• Old Fountain is a great old-school pub with really good selection of craft beers on tap. they also have a small roof terrace.
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• Brewdog have a lot nicer pubs in other places. This place is small and always crowded. Even so, it's a good place to enjoy great beer, including seasonal rarities.
• Well and Bucket is a beautifully decorated Victorian style retro pub with a great beer selection and a small beer garden in the back. this place may get quite crowded especially during the weekends, but in quieter times, it's a great place for a pint. 
• Howl at the Moon is a great and cozy pub with comfy armchairs and good beer selection. The ceiling is made out of coffee bags and this is a good place for coffee as well during the day.

Eating:

• Shoreditch has some really good restaurants. Pizza East is considered best place to have pizza in East London. It can be a bit crowded though.
• Fairly good Turkish Clay Oven food at Tas Firin. Vegetarian dishes don't have enough protein though. 
• Kêu! serves amazing Vietnamese baguettes! The vegetarian option of tofu and mushrooms was delicious! Hot and sweet spices and warm crunchy baguettes! Delicious!
• On Kingsland Road you can find a lot of Vietnamese restaurants. Some of them are good and some not so. Loong Kee is one of the best ones. Generous portions with great value! Try the Vietnamese crispy pancake. If you want a bit more festive looking place, go to Ahn Dao, the food is just as good, but the prices are a bit higher. Still very affordable! The vermicelli salad with tofu was fantastic!
•  Floripa is a Brazilian restaurant serving delicious Brazilian food and great cocktails. There are terrific options for vegetarians as well. On Sundays they serve roast, which is a combination of Brazilian and English kitchen. There's also live music from time to time. Unfortunately on weekends the music is so loud that sitting there is not pleasant.
• The Barrel Boulangerie is a French style bakery with all sorts of baked treats. They also have quite delicious and affordable pizza!
• Dishoom is one of the greatest Indian restaurants I've ever been to. They have a couple of restaurants in London and one of them is in the heart of Shoreditch. It's mainly modernised versions of old classics, but it's so incredibly tasty. Be prepared to queue unless you're there at a very non-popular time.

Art: 

• Rivington Place is a medium sized art gallery  in two storeys with changing exhibitions. They usually have exhibitions which are societally significant. There's also a cafe! 

Entertainment:

• Rich Mix offers affordable cinema with good selection of films, including some art house productions. They also organise parties, gigs, stand-up nights and ping pong competitions. 
• XOYO is a great small concert venue. Upstairs they have some comfortable sofas and the downstairs venue looks like industrial cellar with cool pipes and brick walls.
• The Village Underground is a beautiful music venue under the railway lines. The cavern-like brick walls and high ceiling make this one of the most interesting music venues in London.

Shopping:

• Longdan is a grocery store where you can buy all sorts of asian foods. Whatever you need for your Indian, Vietnamese, Thai or Chinese food, you can find here.
• The Grocery is culinarist's paradise. Delicious cheeses, wines, müeslis, olives, pastes and bakery products. There are a lot of different options for a vegetarian as well. All sorts of tofu, soya and pesto that is suitable for vegetarians. The prices are a bit high, but quality is top notch!
• The City Beverage Company Ltd. has a wine and beer shop on Old Street. You can buy some really tasty drinks, that you can't find in your average Tesco. There's a wide price range from really affordable bottles to really expensive ones.
• Sister Ray opened a new place on Shoreditch High Street. Great selection of rock, pop, soul, folk and funk vinyl!
• Flash Back Records has opened their third store in London to Shoreditch. Excellent range of new and used vinyl and used CD's in two storeys! The staff is friendly and knowledgeable and the prices are as they should be.

Museums:

• Geffrye Museum is a small museum located in old almshouses. This museum shows the history of a London home. It includes periodical rooms showing how the living room has looked like in different decades. There are also great gardens in the back. Entrance is free. 

Cafés:

• Fix 126 is a great little coffee place with brick walls and relaxed atmosphere. They also make absolutely delicious coffee drinks. 
• Origin Coffee Roasters is a nice and quiet café in the backstreets of Shoreditch. The decor is simple in a Scandinavian style and the coffee is absolutely fantastically prepared by professional baristas. 

Areas around Shoreditch: Bethnal Green, Spitalfields, City, Finsbury, Haggerston, De Beauvoir Town