The best pubs in Shoreditch for East London boozing

Unfussy British ales and a rustic red-patterned carpet – this is a ‘proper pub’ in the Shoreditch vicinity. Here you’ll find a happy mix of older residents and the area’s chic fashionistas enjoying a perfect old-school pint. A fine, fine establishment. 

Part of the Remarkable Pubs family, who tenderly restore Victorian boozers across the capital, this once shoddy venue is now a lovely place for a pint of Litovel lager. 

This simple-looking pub, which used to serve market and brewery workers from 6am, is also the low-key toast of the art world. Spot pieces Tracey Emin gifted to the pub and learn to love the often brusque service at the bar from landlady Sandra Esquilant and team.

A nice little neighbourhood spot, you'll find The Prince Arthur tucked away on the backstreets of Shoreditch. Stumbling upon it feels like you've been let into a special secret; there's a dedicated darts area, friendly locals, board games, bingo and a regular quiz. Or you can just have a quiet pint. The choice is yours!

Bang in the middle of party land, The Old Blue is a great place to soak up the lingering vestiges of Shoreditch’s wild reputation. Catch up-and-coming live acts on the pub’s first floor, but entry to the pub part is free. 

The Griffin looks like a traditional old blokes boozer because that’s what it once was. The old blokes have left – unless you count ex-clubbers – but it has a noticeably relaxed atmosphere, without the trucks trundling by or superabundance of suits that afflict many other Shoreditch haunts. 

The Wenlock was so loved by locals, they stepped in to save it from development in 2015. Now you’ll find amazing ales served alongside the expected lagers, and banging cheese toasties that punters order with abandon. Hole up by the fireplace for some of London’s best boozing.

The Culpeper (formerly the Princess Alice) occupies a corner site facing Petticoat Lane Market. It was a Truman’s pub for much of the last 130 years, and remains a handsome Victorian inn, with the brewery signage preserved. Now a gastropub where salad leaves and some herbs for the kitchen are grown in planters on the roof garden, but the drinks, service, ambience and, above all, the excellent dishes – tower over any commitment to high-level horticulture.

In 2015, the Well and Bucket returned to pub glory (it had briefly been turned into a Chinese restaurant). It’s a gorgeous-looking boozer, with an impressive array of ales on offer. Just as tantalising is the pub grub, with hearty burgers, fish and chips, katsu curry and the like on offer. 

Get stuck into a craft beer, ale and cider selection to rival any other in Hoxton at this friendly Irish boozer. Tipples made by London brewers – from Tottenham’s Redemption to Hackney’s Pressure Drop – are in great supply, and there are regular folk music sessions if you fancy some trad tunes. 

Popular craft-beer pub Singer Tavern sits on the edge of the City, so watch hip craft-beer bods rub shoulders with suited slickers. The building was once the HQ for Singer sewing machines, and this is honoured with Victorian decor. Loud tunes and a cocktail bar in the basement bring the Tavern up to date.

Party on over at Queen of Hoxton, which has been throwing bashes across its many levels (rooftop included) for yonks. Has it lost its edge? Not with film screenings, gigs, house DJs, drag brunch and even an apres-ski vibe with firepits and a cosy chalet on the roof in winter.

This used to be the hub of all things hip in Shoreditch. It's still a great place for a drink, but you're less likely to see members of the 1990s Young British Artist scene propping up the bar these days.  

It’s always heaving here after work, and that’s in no small part due to The Crown and Shuttle’s ample beer garden, which also serves burgers and chips from a van with a hatch. 

The Fox’s large central bar acts as something of a magnet for the area’s workers as soon as the clock strikes five. It also serves some fine food courtesy of The Coop, who do the likes of gyoza, bao buns, banh mi, karaage chicken, and bento boxes.

This glammy gastropub just off Great Eastern Street has a fancy-pants dining room upstairs. It’s a bit more relaxed on ground level, although undoubtedly one of the area’s more upmarket options thanks to artfully distressed wooden floorboards and sophisticated candlelight.

If you’re looking for a poshed up pub atmosphere, visit the family-run Old Fountain. They do a roaring trade in Sunday roasts, from beef and pork to vegan beetroot wellingtons. Beer here is plentifiul – 28 kinds at last count – and kept extremely well.