7 Fun Things to do in Shoreditch, London: Weekend Travel Guide

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A fun fact about me, England (or more specifically London) used to be at the top of my travel bucket list when I was but a wee lass and couldn’t even imagine life outside of my hometown. Realistically, I never thought I would get there, but if anyone ever asked, I had an answer. Now here I am, almost fifteen years later, looking up “Things to do in Shoreditch” because I’m spending a spontaneous weekend halfway around the world.

How the heck did I get here??

Well, it all started with this little guy named Bad Bunny. He is, perhaps, one of my boyfriend’s favorite artists. We’ve been to all of his concerts for the last few albums, and last year we even got tickets to his DtMF residency in Puerto Rico. While waiting in line at that concert, we met two fantastic women from London who we really connected with. Immediately after that trip, we went to Pakistan with a group trip and one of the other gals on the trip was a Bad Bunny fan. Also living (near) London.

We didn’t get tickets for the world tour since Bad Bunny had (understandably) decided not to have dates in the US, and our 2026 travel was already a wild whirlwind. Buuuuut….once we started seeing videos and photos from the tour…yeah the FOMO was real. On a whim, we checked tickets for a few cities whose dates didn’t interfere with any of our other travel, and lo and behold…London was open and our friends would also be there.

Safe to say, we bought the tickets.

The second part of this boils down to the fact that we only had enough time (and money) to stay in London for a few days. I have a “bad” desire of always wanting to do and see everything when I travel somewhere, and I just knew 3 days in London was not enough time to really do…much of anything. So I decided to restrict myself to one area and just focus on that. When I floated the idea around, a few of my friends mentioned that there were a lot of things to do in Shoreditch and it was a small but trendy area in London.

They literally all said it exactly like that.

Is the city brainwashing all of you?? But I digress, that was enough consensus for me. With the exception of the concert, I was going to spend the entirety of my short stint in London to be exploring all of the fun and allegedly trendy things to do in Shoreditch. Let’s get into it.

How to Get Around

If you’ve ever traveled to a big city pretty much anywhere in the world (at least outside of the US), then know that public transit is usually the most convenient, cheapest, and sometimes even the fastest. I found this definitely true in London. From the airport, you have two(ish) public transit options into the city. The first is the express train, but it honestly isn’t that faster but is a lot more expensive, so I’d recommend the second option which is the…well, non-express train.

To know which train to take, use a navigation app. I found Google Maps to work really well and got the job done for me. There’s also Citymapper that a lot of people in the UK recommended, as it had even more specific information for London. If you have room in your phone for a new app, feel free to download it and check it out.

If you’re visiting during summer, opt for the Elizabeth Line (or the Lizzie line, as I’ve heard residents call it lol) when it’s an option since it has air conditioning. Once you get yourself to Shoreditch, you really don’t need to hop on a train much, but just a note. My journey from the airport dropped us off about 10 minutes from the hotel, and if we didn’t each have a large checked bag we could’ve walked. But yanno. So we called an Uber for the rest of the way. We didn’t check other rideshare options, but there were plenty of Ubers and we never had to wait too long for them the few times we called during our trip.

Which brings me to the next section!

Where to Stay

I wanted to be close to all the cool things to do in Shoreditch so I wouldn’t have to waste time in traffic and zooming back and forth. So in my humble opinion, the best place to stay in Shoreditch is at The Courthouse Shoreditch! Like the name suggests, it is an old courthouse and jail that was renovated into an upscale hotel. Plusss it’s walkable to pretty much everywhere in Shoreditch and even the larger Hackney area if you’re ambitious (I took public tranzie). There’s a bus stop literally right outside of the hotel, you really can’t beat that.

The Courthouse Shoreditch is a Best Western property, which is great because since I am a diamond Hilton member, I was able to request a status match with Best Western (insider tip) to get exclusive perks. My room at the Courthouse Shoreditch was an upgraded one with a full separate bedroom that proved to be useful when our friend from the Pakistan group trip joined us in getting ready before the Bad Bunny concert.

Anyways, back to the hotel. I think they’re most known in the area for their rooftop restaurant, and while it is a great view, I didn’t actually eat there because it was so hot lol. But I did eat at the restaurant downstairs! Food was great but even cooler was that you get to eat in the old courthouse jail cell area where they cells have been converted into little seating areas. I didn’t eat in there because, yanno, bad lighting for photos, BUT super cool and again, great food.

The beds were comfortable, staff were all super friendly, and the location really could not be beat. If you want to be close to all the cool things to do in Shoreditch, definitely stay here. Plus, if you just want to stay in, there are a lot of amenities in the hotel too. There’s a spa, a movie theater with weekly showings, and even a bowling alley! I invited some of my British Instagram friends over to bowl and we had a blast catching up.

There’s a ton to do just at the hotel. You might even come across a few history tours that stop by the hotel! In fact, I would go so far as to say that staying here is one of the best things to do in Shoreditch, hahah.

What to Eat

Truthfully….when it came to foodie destinations, London never once crossed my mind. England as a whole didn’t even make the top 100 for food countries. But, yanno, after actually spending some time in London and eating at a few places, I can confidently say that London has some pretty bangin’ food.

ENGLISH CUISINE – now that’s a different story. But thank goodness for immigrants cuz y’all really brought the flavor to London!! There’s a fantastic spread of Indian and South Asian restaurants all throughout the city that really got me excited to visit more South Asian countries just to retaste some of those dishes.

So before we get into all the activities and things to do in Shoreditch, let’s tackle food.

Breakfast/Cafes

Sooooo, imma be real…I just ate the complimentary breakfast at The Courtyard Shoreditch hotel every morning hahah. I’M SORRY but can you blame me? London is expensive, okay?!? The hotel breakfast was pretty solid! Not revolutionary or anything, but it tasted good and got the job done. Aside from that, I’d also recommend Artist Cafe just down the street. I mostly went for tea and a snack, but their breakfast options smelled absolutely divine. Easily one of the best cafes in Shoreditch!

I was also recommended that Dishoom (more on them later) has a fantastic breakfast menu. I didn’t get to try it, but if you want a proper full breakfast, then hit them up and lemme know how it is!

Lunch/Dinner

Now lunch vs dinner is kinda arbitrary, so I’m smooshing them together here. I’ll start with the smaller bites in the list then move on to the heavier meals. All delicious though!

• Cafe Caribbean Shoreditch: a great option if you’re at Spitalfields Market, but their line gets really long (for good reason)
• 2 Nigerian Boys: also at Spitalfields Market, and I’m told some of the best Nigerian food in Shoreditch. I obviously have a small sample size, but I’d believe the claim!
• The Cajun Boil: honestly they had me with Viet-Cajun fusion seafood. You simply can’t top that. Loved the crab dip, the wings, and split a mini boil
• Phat For Life: omg I’m so sad I swung by just for a bite because there was soo much I wanted to order on the menu. Because I’m me I got the wings (phenommm) but I’d love to try their burgers and a cheesesteak next time
• Smoking Goat: wow, this was really a surprise for me because I chose it on a whim when the restaurant I wanted to go to was closed. Ordered 2 apps and 2 entrees to share, a good amount for two people, and loved every single one. I believe they change up their menu seasonally and it isn’t too big, but I trust it’ll be just as good when you go
• Dishoom: wow, now I know Dishoom is kinda a big deal around London, but it’s not overhyped at all. It really is THAT GIRL. I actually want to go back to London just to try more things on this menu. Their food focuses on dishes from India’s Bombay region, and the staff were able to offer great recommendations since I didn’t know what anything was haha. Eating at Dishoom is easily one of the best things to do in Shoreditch, 10/10

Desserts/Snacks

There’s probably a lot more sweet treats to find around the neighborhood, but between hopping around the fun things to do in Shoreditch, I actually only went to two spots. Both were great, and both were actually at Spitalfields Market. The first is more on the “Insta-famous” side, so expect a line, but I do think they walk-the-walk too. Humble Crumble serves one of England’s most popular desserts, crumbles, and they’re really good. They’re also really sweet, so if that’s not exactly your thing, I’d recommend getting a small or maybe even splitting one with someone.

The second is The Acai Girls, because y’all know the Southern Californian in me NEEDS a juice. I obviously haven’t tried every acai spot in London or even in Shoreditch, but this was a very solid option. The acai was good and the fruit wasn’t frozen, which is…apparently very hard to find in Europe hahah. But I digress. The Acai Girls also has some bowls and toasts if you’d like a refreshing bite.

Drinks

In all truth and transparency, I’m not the biggest drinker. That said, there are a TON of sports bars in Shoreditch, thankfully within walking distance of The Courthouse Shoreditch too! When I visited, it was actually the tail end of the 2026 World Cup (and England was playing) and the streets were absolutely lit. It looked like such a fun time, and if you’re a sports person I’d say catching a game at one of the many sports bars is one of the best things to do in Shoreditch.

While I didn’t go to any sports bars (the game was happening during the concert unfortunately!), I do appreciate a lounge with a good vibe, so I have two recommendations for ya on that front! The first is The Blues Kitchen. It’s more on the restaurant side, but with live music and fantastic (and affordable) cocktails and mocktails. I think they also have karaoke rooms you can book, which would be really fun with friends.

Old Street Records is another spot with live music, but less of a restaurant (though they do have personal pizzas) and more of a place to hear local artists and sip drinky dranks. Then last but not least is Seed Library, which came highly recommended by more than a few friends in London. Seed Library is a really cute neighborhood bar that feels really cool without being pretentious. They have a creative drink menu with a good selection of mocktails too. I unfortunately didn’t get a chance to check out Hijingo Bingo, which is like a bar bingo situation, but it does look like a lot of wild fun too.

If you’re traveling alone or would just like a group to bar hop with, I did see a Shoreditch pub crawl tour that could be fun! If you end up doing it, let me know how your night goes!

Things to do in Shoreditch

Okayyy now we’re getting into the nitty gritty! Now that you’ve booked your stay and made reservations, what are you going to do? In no particular order, here are all the things to do in Shoreditch that really built out my experience in London.

BOXPARK Shoreditch

Well, I lied, maybe there is somewhat of an order because I’m starting with Boxpark – argueably the most recommended of the things to do in Shoreditch. I think at this point, Boxpark and Brick Lane (I’ll cover that next) have become almost synonymous with Shoreditch from what I hear. It’s basically a multiuse shopping center made out of shipping containers. On the bottom floor, there are a lot of small shops, while on the top floor you’ll find food booths and an event space.

If you go on any old day, I’ll be honest, Boxpark is…okay. Like it’s nice to casually browse and maybe pick up a trinket or quick bite. I think the real magic of Boxpark is with their events, because they have lots of watch parties, dance classes, karaoke and DJ nights, and even events to meet and make new friends. There wasn’t an event during my few days in town, but I can see them definitely being a highlight of things to do in Shoreditch.

Shopping on Brick Lane

The next most recommended of the things to do in Shoreditch was Brick Lane. Literally everyone and their optometrist was like ‘check out Brick Lane, ya gotta go to Brick Lane, Shoreditch is Brick Lane’ and….honestly, they’re onto something!! I think the main reason Shoreditch gets the title of trendy is because of Brick Lane.

Now, Brick Lane has a few different things going on, like restaurants and cafes and whatnot – idk probably a lot of other stuff too. But the real draw is the shops. Shopping on Brick Lane is one of the best things to do in Shoreditch. If you’re not the biggest shopper, then you’ll still enjoy a quick window shop down the street. In that case maybe budget for an hour or so.

However, if you do enjoy shopping, you could literally spend the entire day here – probably multiple days if you enjoy thrifting. My boyfriend is more into fashion than I am (feel free to follow his fashion account), but I still had a lot of fun looking at the variety of shops. Just a few of my favorites are below, but you’ll also stumble upon others as you walk the blocks.

• Brick Lane Vintage Market – clothes (you could spend a whole day in here alone!!)
• Goodhood London – clothes and home goods
• CUEMARS– art
• Dark Sugars – chocolates
• Libreria Bookshop – books, lol
• Rough Trade East – vinyl records

Platform Shoreditch

I contemplated putting this under the drinks section, but since Platform is more of an activity than strictly drinks, I moved it down as one of the best things to do in Shoreditch because its A LOT of fun. It’s essentially an arcade, but even better because they have console games.

Like, how fun is it to meet up with friends for a game of Smash Bros?? AND you don’t have to clean your house for them to come over??? GENIUS.

They have some snacks as well as an equal amount of alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages so no worries about going out on a weekday. It’s definitely more of a…gamer activity, but I still think it’s worth listing!

Flight Club Shoreditch

Similarly, Flight Club Shoreditch is another one of the best group things to do in Shoreditch. In short, you play darts there. Children 12+ are also allowed before 4:30pm. Even if you’ve never played darts, their setup keeps track of everything for you and there are also different dart mini-games you can play to keep things fresh. The setup even has automatic cameras to capture the replay and you get a video email of the footage after.

I didn’t eat here, but they have a full bar and food menu that looks pretty good!

Spatialfields Market

Another shopping-focused activity, I know, but it really is one of the best things to do in Shoreditch. Spatialfields is like a proper market vibe, with lots of mini booths of food, drinks, clothes, trinkets, and art. We walked through with our friend from the Pakistan group trip before heading over to the concert and we spent a good two hours, which was more than I was expecting. It’s a lot bigger than I imagined.

It’s a cute lil market, more interesting than Boxpark imho, but again I wouldn’t say it’s like the coolest thing on the planet. Yes, I’d list it as one of the best things to do in Shoreditch (clearly), but don’t overhype it in your head. I picked up a pretty cool T-shirt from a small business and since it was unGodly hot, a lottt of iced drinks haha.

Columbia Road Flower Market

SPEAKING OF MARKETS! We slept in after the concert so we didn’t make this one, but every Sunday there’s a huge flower market at Columbia Road Flower Market. From the pictures it looks so pretty. Again, it’s a market so it probably won’t be groundbreaking, but I can see it being a really cute way to spend the morning. If you live in London, I recommend it even more as one of the best things to do in Shoreditch as you can actually take the flowers home.

Street Art Crawl

Last but certainly not least, the last must-add for the things to do in Shoreditch is checking out all of the street art. You’ll see a lot of it while strolling down Brick Lane, but if you know to look out for it, then you’ll really get to appreciate the street artists here.

I wasn’t too intentional with my self-guided street art viewing, but there are a view more official self-guided walking paths out there that take you to the noteworthy murals and pieces around Shoreditch. If you’d rather hear the backstory on the neighborhood’s street art, there are a few Shoreditch street art tours you can join, or even try a spray painting workshop under the guidance of a local street artist!

Conclusion

And that my dear ladies, lads, and lots, hopefully this has helped you plan your own weekend in London filled with fun things to do in Shoreditch. Now the real question…do I think Shoreditch really is the trendiest neighborhood in the city? Mmm, well, I haven’t seen anywhere else besides a peak into Soho, but sure yeah I’ll give trendy to Shoreditch.

I enjoyed that Shoreditch was a very bite-sized neighborhood and wasn’t overwhelming at all. It’s easily connected to the rest of London, so even if you explore outside of Shoreditch, it isn’t a hassle. Plus, the Courthouse Shoreditch was a fantastic stay, so overall I had a great time.

While I only stayed 3 days, it certainly left me itching to see more of London. Have you ever checked out this neighborhood? What other things to do in Shoreditch would you add to this list? Let me know in the comments below!

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