'''Shoreditch''' is an 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.

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 (closed until 2010).

See

  • comment website. ww.commentart.com. the commentart.com website provides a comprehensive list of art exhibitions, events, public art, and where to shop, eat, drink, and stay in East London
  • Bunhill Fields. unhill Road. earest tube: Old Street; bus: 55, 205, 243 (among others). ttp://www.cityoflondon.gov.uk/living_environment/open_spaces/bunhill.htm. awn-dusk. ree. 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 [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_blake William Blake], [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Daniel_Defoe Daniel Defoe] and [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Bunyan John Bunyan]. The watchful eye will notice that the paved way across the field is actually made up of tombstones.

  • White Cube. oxton Square. outh side. Art gallery with exhibitions by major British and international artists.

    Do

  • East London Art Walks. omment art walks. 0 Rivington Street EC2A 3DU. ld Street Tube exit 3. 20 7739 1743 / 07799 776 016. ww.commentart.com. aturday 3 p.m.. _5/4. 1.526000. 0.082402. A friendly, qualified art guide will take you round a selection of the most interesting exhibitions on at the moment and also talk about the history of contemporary art in East London.
  • [http://www.soundmap.co.uk/bricklane.aspx '''Brick Lane Audio Tour'''], ''Journey into the incredible layered past and vibrant present of Brick Lane with author and once local resident, Tarquin Hall.'' Download the audio tour from '''www.soundmap.co.uk'''
  • 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. 04 Kingsland Road, E2. 44 (0)20 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.

  • Song Que Cafe. ingsland Road. Rated by Zagats as the best Vietnamese on Kingsland Road.

  • Viet Hoa. You must try the salted prawns!

    Drink

    Pubs

  • Anda Da Bridge. 2-44 Kingsland Road, E2 8DA. 44 (0)20 7739 3863. ormal 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.

  • Bar Kick. 26 - 127 Shoreditch High Street, E1 6JE. 871 332 2959. ormal pub hours. 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.

  • Catch. 2 Kingsland Road, E2 8DA. 44 (0)20 7729 6097. -Th normal pub hours, F-Sa until 2AM. 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.

  • The Foundry. 6 Great Eastern Street, EC2A 3JL. 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.

  • The Masque Haunt. 68?172 Old Street. 44 (0)20 7251 4195. ttp://www.jdwetherspoon.co.uk/pubfinder/details.php?OutletNumber=410. o?Sa 9am?11.30pm; Su 9am?11pm. If you're into pubs and pub food, and especially the J.D. Wetherspoon concept, this is a very good spot. It is priced a notch under it's more central sister pubs. The extensive menu consists of a good selection of general healthier pub food (pastas, salads, vegetarian burger, etc), but also traditional food like potato & mash, fish & chips. For a good deal, go for the 2 for 1 at __6.99. Also, check out either the Sunday club (roast), Steak club (tuesday), and Curry club (thursday) for a nice treat - as of 2006.

  • The Bricklayers Arms. 3 Charlotte Road. 44 (0)20 7739 5245. Unfortunately this has now been sold and is currently closed.

    Clubs

  • 333. 33 Old Street. 44 (0)20 7739 5949. ttp://www.333mother.com.

  • Cargo. Rivington Street. 44 (0)20 7739 3440.

  • The Comedy Cafe. 6/68 Rivington Street. 44 (0)20 7739 5706. ttp://www.comedycafe.fsnet.co.uk. -Th 7PM-midnight F-Sa 6PM-1AM. dmission: W free, F __12, Sa __15. 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.

  • Herbal. 0-14 Kingsland Road. 44 (0)20 7613 4462. ttp://www.herbaluk.com. u-Th & Su 9PM-2AM, F-Sa 9PM-3AM (times may vary according to night, check with the club). ntry prices can vary from free to over __10 but most nights are much cheaper if you arrive before 10:30PM. A two floor club that currently hosts residencies from some big artists and labels such as Hospital Records, Grooverider's Grace, Shy FX's Digital Soundboy, Jazzie B's Soul II Soul, Liverpool's Chibuku Shake Shake, Goldie's Metalheadz, and Kila Kela's Spit Kingdom. Downstairs is an open dancefloor, but upstairs is more of a stylish bar and there is a lovely roof terrace perfect for cooling down after breaking a sweat in the club. Drinks are reasonably priced for the area although it's certainly not cheap! There is no dress code however suits may feel a bit out of place.

  • SOSHO. Tabernacle Street, EC1. 44 (0)2079200701. ttp://www.sosholondon.com. u noon-midnight, W-Th noon-1AM, F noon-3AM, Sa 7PM-4AM, Su 9PM-6AM. Sosho is a former photographic studio and warehouse space converted into a two floor restaurant, bar, lounge and club with a 24 hour licence, midway between the city and central Shoreditch. Sosho is light and airy during the day time, candle lit and loungey in the evening. Serve carefully sourced and 'proper food', with world class cocktails and great music on one of East London_fs best sound system. With a 24 hour licence it is a late night drinking and DJ bar during the week and a cutting edge clubbing venue at the weekend.

  • Tabernacle. 5-61 Tabernacle Street. 44 (0)20 7253 5555. -Th:noon-midnight, Fr: noon-1AM, Sat: 6PM-1AM, Sun: 11:30AM-10:30PM. ttp://www.urbanpath.com/london/cocktail-bars/tabernacle.htm. Nice, stylish lounge bar for the urban 20- to 30-something. Good atmoshpere. Good selection of drinks. For a nice, smoothing choice ask for Apple and Cranberry sling. There's dancing in the basement. Make sure to get there before doors close at midnight.

    Sleep

    Contact