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Shoreditch pub crawl: Best bars to visit, from the Crown and Shuttle to Queen of Hoxton

Shoreditch is one of the most popular night spots in London, with literally hundreds of places to get a drink crammed into this corner of east London. The days have long passed since it was the centre of Hipsterdom — now, the area attracts revellers from far and wide.

There are plenty of organised pub crawls that operate in the area, but each of them will require a hefty chunk of money before taking you on board. Our crawl, which takes in 10 of the best pubs and bars, comes completely free of charge — although bear in mind that some places may charge a small entry fee at the busiest times.

Our crawl starts by Old Street station, on the Northern line, and works its way back towards Shoreditch High Street. None of the pubs should be much more than a five-minute walk from one to the next. To make the crawl even easier, we’ve created a fancy interactive map for you all to follow.

Before we set off, it’s important that we remember to be respectful of our fellow drinkers while inside the pubs, and of the general public while walking between them. Also, try to keep hydrated with a few waters between the pints — your head will thank you the next morning — and grab some food when you can. There are plenty of pubs along the way that do decent grub.

Ready, set, crawl!

The Masque Haunt

Head out of the Tube station, turn onto Old Street itself and make your way to our first pub, the Masque Haunt. It’s a Spoons, and it’s a pretty bang average one — but it will be the cheapest place to drink on our crawl by quite some way, so fill your boots. Lovely carpet in there, too.

What should we drink? The cheapest pint on the menu, of course. Clocking in at £2.59, it’s the Greene King IPA — a lovely 3.6-per-center to ease us into the crawl and get us on our merry way.

168-172 Old Street, EC1V 9BP

Draft House, Old Street

Now, we hope you didn’t drink too much in the first place, because this next one is slightly hidden away. Walk north up Bath Street, turn right onto Peerless Street, continue onto Baldwin Street and then turn right again into the walkway flanked by the Bone Daddies and Honest Burgers restaurants. Draft House is just a few steps down there, on your right. It’s a bright, nicely turned out place, with lots of neon signage and exposed metal. There are also a load of tables ready to welcome a group of crawlers.

What should we drink? The focus here is on craft beers, with a regularly rotating cast of brewers supplying the booze. As such, we wouldn’t want to recommend a specific pint just in case it’s not there by the time you arrive. Instead, our advice is to choose a beer you’ve never heard of and take a punt.

Mews Unit, The Bower, 211 Old Street, EC1V 9NR

Old Fountain

(Flickr/Bob Walker)
(Flickr/Bob Walker)

It’s only a very short stumble out of Draft House and back up onto Baldwin Street to our next pub, the Old Fountain. It’s a proper old-school boozer — run by the same family for half a century, CAMRA-approved ales, traditional interiors, a reliable cast of regulars, and all the rest. That said, it’s not all by-the-numbers here, with some left-field beers behind the bar and an excellent roof terrace.

What should we drink? There’s always something new and interesting to drink at this pub, so our advice again would be to jump in at the deep end and try something unknown. The food here is great too, so it’s a perfect pitstop if any of you are feeling peckish.

3 Baldwin Street, EC1V 9NU

The Prince Arthur

Time to head east now, across City Road and onto Brunswick Place. Walk along this road for a couple of minutes and you’ll find the Prince Arthur. It’s tucked away from the main road and most of the area’s footfall, meaning it doesn’t get quite as rammed as some of its nearby counterparts — although drinkers-in-the-know will be aware of this excellent little boozer, with lots of traditional charm and a sterling atmosphere.

What should we drink? This is a Shepherd Neame pub, which means it’s all about the ales here, so take your pick from one of the well-kept drinks on tap and settle in.

49 Brunswick Place, N1 6EB

The Bricklayers Arms

(Sky Moore-Clube)
(Sky Moore-Clube)

This is our fifth pub, the halfway point. We reckon five pubs constitutes a crawl and, if you’re calling it a day here, then it’s conveniently located for a quick getaway, sitting pretty much equidistant from Old Street and Shoreditch High Street stations. But be sure to stay for at least a couple here. It was at the centre of Shoreditch’s hipster revolution back in the 90s, but these days it’s still an old-school alehouse, proud of its history and with a winning atmosphere.

What should we drink? The drinks offering here isn’t all that inspiring, so go for one of the classics — a pint of London Pride goes down nicely.

63 Charlotte Road, EC2A 3PE

The Griffin

Still with us? Good stuff. We’re heading further into the belly of the Shoreditch beast now, and onto our next establishment. Head south, cross Great Eastern Street (careful, it’s a busy road) and work your way to the Griffin, which sits on the corner of Leonard Street and Ravey Street. It’s a smart little pub, still every so slightly out of the thick of it, and with more space for bigger groups than you might find elsewhere. It’s open until 1am on Saturdays and there’s often some decent live music.

What should we drink? The beer selection here is pretty great, with a load of interesting options on tap. We’re big fans of the Lucky Jack from Norwegian brewery Lervig. It’s a fruity, tropical-tasting pale ale — if that doesn’t sound like your cup of tea, go for the Camden Hells lager.

93 Leonard Street, EC2A 4RD

The Fox

(Wikimedia Commons/Ewan Munro)
(Wikimedia Commons/Ewan Munro)

Head west along Leonard Street, take the first left onto Paul Street and then walk until you find the Fox. It’s an old-fashioned boozer that has been smartened up with more of a modern feel. There’s a big central bar, meaning that you shouldn’t take too long to get served, and the beer selection is superb.

What should we drink? Again, this is a place that regularly jigs its beer menu, so the joy is in picking something out from the menu when you arrive. If you do find a new favourite, pick up a some extra bottles from the beer fridge and take them on your way (assuming this is your last pub, of course – you'll struggle to get in anywhere else clutching a few road beers).

28 Paul Street, EC2A 4LB

The Old Blue Last

If you're still going, we’re assuming that by this point we’re quite far into the evening. A lot of Shoreditch pubs close relatively early — many before midnight — so we’re moving away from the traditional boozers and onto something a bit different: the Old Blue Last. It’s most definitely a pub, with wood-panelling and a great atmosphere, but it’s also one of the best music venues in the area, with regular live gigs in the room upstairs. It stays open until 2am on weekends.

What should we drink? The Old Blue Last Beer, of course. It’s a clean, easy-drinking lager, perfect for the end of your crawl, should this be the place.

38 Great Eastern Street, EC2A 3ES

Queen of Hoxton

(Luke O'Brien)
(Luke O'Brien)

If the Old Blue Last doesn’t float your boat but you still fancy a drink and dance, you could quite easily skip it entirely and go the Queen of Hoxton. It’s a bar and a club all rolled into one, decent drinks, regular music nights and a popular roof terrace. It stays open until 2am from Thursday to Saturday, but be wary that you’ll have to pay to gain entry to the club events.

What should we drink? There are some beers available here, but the focus is more on cocktails. As luck would have it, there’s a drink on the menu that combines the two: the IPA Sour, which is vodka, cinnamon, IPA and lime.

1 Curtain Road, EC2A 3JX

The Crown and Shuttle

If you want to finish the crawl in a pub that is actually just a pub, go to the Crown and Shuttle. It stays open later than most boozers in the area, not kicking out until 1am on weekends, and it’s conveniently placed — right across the road from Shoreditch High Street station, or, if you’ve missed the last train, less than 10-minute walk from Liverpool Street station. There’s always a good atmosphere inside, too, although it can get pretty packed.

What should we drink? Seeing as we’re in Shoreditch, you might as well celebrate with a local favourite. The Redchurch Brick Lane Lager is named after the nearby hotspot, and is brewed just 10 minutes up the road.

226 Shoreditch High Street, E1 6PJ