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shoreditch bars, cocktail trading co

The best bars in Shoreditch

Shoreditch has still got it. Check out one of these brilliant bars for proof

Edited by
Leonie Cooper
Written by
Laura Richards
&
Sarah Cohen
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Fancy a big night out? Head to Shoreditch. Want Japanese whisky, Danish craft beer co-owed by Rick Astley or independently produced Italian wine? Shoreditch. In the mood to drink in a jazz-era speakeasy, old police station or quirky cocktail bar? You guessed it: Shoreditch is the place for you. The east London neighbourhood pretty much has it all when it comes to evenings on the town, and we’ve handpicked the bars you should visit next time you’re in the area pining for more than a pint. 

RECOMMENDED: The best restaurants in Shoreditch.

The best bars in Shoreditch

  • 5 out of 5 stars
  • Bars and pubs
  • Cocktail bars
  • Hoxton
  • price 2 of 4

Drift up towards Hoxton and then sneak underground for what is still many a bartender’s favourite bar. Cocktails at Happiness Forgets are faultless, decor is minimal and service is fun. Bag a seat up at the bar for maximum impact.

  • 5 out of 5 stars
  • Bars and pubs
  • Wine bars
  • Shoreditch
  • price 3 of 4

A swanky cocktail joint this is not. It’s more as if someone has turned their garage into a makeshift party venue, complete with white walls, corrugated metal roof, speakers and a mixer shoved up beside the open kitchen and – in a nice nod to the old school wine bar – wax-dripping bottles holding candles on every table. Oranj is a wine bar, but one which also hosts amazing food pop-ups. Recent decents include Ha's Đặc Biệt, a rightly hype-y Vietnamese kitchen direct from New York, as well as Decatur – the much-loved New Orleans-worshipping one man kitchen. A one-stop shop night out.

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Callooh Callay
  • 4 out of 5 stars
  • Bars and pubs
  • Cocktail bars
  • Shoreditch
  • price 2 of 4

A cocktail institution if ever there was one, Callooh Callay has been showing other bars how drinking is done since 2008. Its playful tone and first-rate drinks help keep it relevant despite the changing times. We’ve never had a dull moment at this bar.

TT Liquor
  • 4 out of 5 stars
  • Bars and pubs
  • Cocktail bars
  • Shoreditch

Up towards Hoxton, TT Liquor is a bottle shop and bar curiously set inside a former police station. A night in the cells never looked so good, especially in its wood-panelled drinking parlour. Or head upstairs for supper and cinema clubs that are heavy on the drinks. Cocktails are this bar’s strong point, and drinking a White Russian while watching ‘The Big Lebowski’ may be one of the capital’s most singular sipping experiences.

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  • 3 out of 5 stars
  • Bars and pubs
  • Pubs
  • Hackney Road
  • price 3 of 4

Unless you’re rickrolling it in, you probably won’t want to make it a session at Rick Astley’s bar – pints start at £6 here. But it also happens to be Danish brewer Mikkeller’s first London outpost, where you can try an interesting beer or two in among Swiss cheese plants and mid-century furniture. Quite a stride away from your standard Shoreditch craft beer bar.

  • 4 out of 5 stars
  • Bars and pubs
  • Cocktail bars
  • Hoxton
  • price 2 of 4

And here you were thinking the whole speakeasy thing was so 2010. Well, it kind of is. That’s when Nightjar opened and blew all other speakeasies out of the water. It’s still a bucket-list bar. Book ahead for a night of jazz-era glitz and mind-boggling Prohibition-tinged drinks.

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  • 4 out of 5 stars
  • Bars and pubs
  • Wine bars
  • Spitalfields

The eponymous bottles at this bar are the wine kind and have been sourced from independent producers and small vineyards across Italy. The space is a moodily lit stretch of brick walls, wooden counters and leather stools, and all the waiting staff are sommeliers, fully equipped to chat through vinous options.

Black Rock
  • 4 out of 5 stars
  • Bars and pubs
  • Cocktail bars
  • Moorgate
  • price 3 of 4

You know what all other bars are missing? A massive hunk of oak tree sawn in half, laid flat and used as a vessel for two whisky rivers. And there are plenty more clever things happening with the brown stuff in this dark, brooding basement. Whisky never looked so good.

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Bull in a China Shop
  • 4 out of 5 stars
  • Bars and pubs
  • Cocktail bars
  • Shoreditch
  • price 2 of 4

Japanese whisky is put on a pedestal at Bull in a China Shop, a lively, grungy bar at the foot of Shoreditch High Street. It serves Scotch too, but it’s Nikka From The Barrel you should seek out. Pair it with rotisserie chicken for a unique spin on Shoreditch.

The Cocktail Trading Company
  • 5 out of 5 stars
  • Bars and pubs
  • Cocktail bars
  • Shoreditch
  • price 2 of 4

Forget the cocktail umbrella. CTC goes the extra mile when serving up tipples to fun-loving punters. Expect oddly shaped vessels, props and flames – and never to the detriment of flavour. Come for piano nights, where hip-hop classics get a tuneful twist.

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