Highlights of London: Vintage Wares and Cheap Eats in Brick Lane

Shopping and Eating in East London

Bustling with fixie bikes, curry restaurants and outrageous street art - Brick Lane is the ultimate East London experience. Undeniably leftfield and proudly hipster, this is the real London you won't find in the guidebook.

Image by Garry Knight (Flickr/Creative Commons)

Brick Lane has a whole section dedicated exclusively to vintage clothing and accessories from the 1920s to 1980s. Whether you’re looking for a flapper dress, or wanting a pair of retro 70s flares you are bound to find it here.

Any traveller arriving in Brick Lane will be overwhelmed by the eclectic mix of vintage stores, coffee shops and food stalls on offer.

Go shopping for vinyl at Rough Trade East or pick up a vintage leather jacket at the retro clothes parlour Blitz. Have lunch at the infamous Cereal Killer Cafe (see above) or hang out in the UK's first 'happy' cafe at Canvas.

Find out more with our insider tips on where to eat, drink and shop in East London!

Vintage shopping

Image by Blitz (http://www.blitzlondon.co.uk)

Blitz is London's first 'vintage department store' and displays its bewildering range of fashion wares inside an old furniture factory. Spreading over five rooms and two floors, it's a glorious place for all things vintage from clothing to designer shoes. Blitz also includes a mini book store and cafe.

Image by Garry Knight (Flickr/Creative Commons)

Brick Lane is overwhelmed with vintage options, from small independent stores to flea markets selling wares on the street. Another local favourite is Hunky Dory, a treasure trove of mens and womens’ hand-picked clothing and accessories from the 1940s to the 1980s. Here you can pick up some amazing outfits at bargain prices.

Coffee shops

Image by Kristin Hall (http://hallkristin.wordpress.com)

Brick Lane is brimming with coffee shops and is perfect for daytime travellers. You can grab a flat white at Kahaila, a non-profit coffee house dedicated to charity. With its beautiful skylight and vibrant crowd, there is nowhere better to spend a lazy afternoon.

Nude Espresso meanwhile hand selects only the freshest ripest green beans for their London roastery. Located in the Truman Brewery, just off Brick Lane, everything at his trendy coffee shop is done by hand.

Food

Image by Rosa G. (Flickr/Creative Commons)

Everyone must go to Brick Lane's Cereal Killer Cafe at least once in their lifetime. Britain's first speciality Cereal Cafe sell over 120 different types of cereal from around the world. Run by two handsome Belfast hipsters you may have to queue to get in, especially on Sundays, but their applejacks marshmallows cereal dish (£3) is definitely worth the wait.

Image by Olga Berrios (Flickr/Creative Commons)

Even better on Sunday afternoons, Brick Lane Market is packed full of delicious street food grills. From Ramen noodles to spicy Lebanese wraps to Peruvian chicken, you can eat out for only a fiver and go vintage shopping at the same time.

Brick Lane is also renowned for its cheap Indian, Sri Lankan, Pakistani and Bengali restaurants. Famous across London for making your taste buds buzz with excitement, you can get a delicious cheap curry here for under £10.

When to visit Brick Lane

You can visit Brick Lane any day of the week, but the market on Sunday is the big one. It's much quieter on weekdays and here you can experience Brick Lane without any tourists. Grab a salt beef bagel without having to queue and smoke a shisha pipe at one of the local Bangla cafes.

How to get to Brick Lane

Brick Lane is easy to get to from central London. The nearest tube is Aldgate East on the Hammersmith and City line, Liverpool Street station is the nearest train station with National Rail services and Shoreditch High Street overground station is only a short walk away. Once there you can walk around or rent bikes to explore the area.

Where to stay

If you're short of cash then look no further than The Dictionary in nearby Shoreditch. Here you can sleep with different people from all over the world. Likewise the Wombat’s City Hostel is a great place to stay and only a short journey from Liverpool Street station.

*Header image by Mario Sánchez Prada (Flickr/Creative Commons)