Bars & Pubs

Still as painfully trendy as the day it first opened, this bar - the result of two shops being banged together - offers a fast-track education in what made (and continues to make) Shoreditch cool. Grungey but glam scruffs lounge on the battered sofas, surrounded by scrawled-on walls and lots of tatty art; bar staff look like they have modelling contracts on the side; the background music is self-consciously edgy. Drinks - Belgian beers, lots of bottled lager, cocktails - are nothing special but the laid-back vibe and cosy party cellar make up for it in spades.

Time Out Bars, Pubs & Clubs Guide 2008/9