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The East End is an area of London.

This area was traditionally a poor area, and mainly populated by various immigrant communities.

The East End is an area made famous by the TV show EastEnders, a BBC soap opera about the life of people living in Albert Square, Walford, which is a fictional location.

The East End is the home of "Cockney Rhyming Slang" a dialect of English where words are substituted for other words which they rhyme with. For example "Apples and Pears" is cockney slang for "Stairs", "Plates of Meat" is slang for "Feet".

Exploring the East End can be a great way to get off of the main tourist track, while staying in walking distance of the historic center of London. A good place to start is to go east from Spitalfield into the nearby Brick Lane neighborhood.

The Tower Hamlets is a district of East London. It stretches stretches from the edge of the City of London along the river to Beckton. The area encompasses the historical docks of the port of London, which declined after the Second World War. The area has been extensively redeveloped since the 1980s, and is now predominantly an area of giant offices and mid to upmarket housing, although elements of its historic purpose can still be found.

For travellers, the major feature of interest is the Canary Wharf development, home to some of London's tallest buildings. However, there are also other areas of Docklands that are of interest to those with more time to explore the area.

Wapping, the part nearest the City, is an area with many cobbled streets and warehouse conversions retaining some of its former character. The area is also dominated by the giant News International facility.

Limehouse extends from the edge of Wapping to Canary Wharf. Bypassed by the Limehouse Link road tunnel, it is a quiet, predominantly residential area, with a few riverside pubs of note.

The Isle of Dogs extends south from the Canary Wharf development and is a mixture of light industrial, office and residential areas, with a large park at Mudchute that contains a City Farm. At Island Gardens there are noteworthy views across the river to Greenwich.

The Royal Docks extend east and are at an earlier stage of redevelopment than most of the rest of Docklands. They are dominated by the giant Excel centre and are the home of London City Airport. Aside from these there are few reasons for travellers to visit them.

The Surrey Docks and Rotherhithe on the south of the river are sometimes included in descriptions of Docklands.

Brick Lane is a small but diverse neighbourhood in the East End of London, named after a long road starting in Whitechapel and running north into Shoreditch. The area has come to be known as "Banglatown" in recent years on account of many of its inhabitants and proprietors originating from the Indian subcontinent (especially Bangladesh), you can see evidence of this on the bilingual road signs which where placed to help immigrants in the 1980s who couldn't speak English. The Hugenots settled in the area which became well know for its silk weaving and was well known throughout the country for this industry. The markets date back to the 16th century, when the area was a stop on the road from London. The neighbourhood, now complete with its own annual festival, is now most famous for its curry restaurants, markets, speciality shops and vibrant but relaxed nightlife.

[edit] Understand

[edit] Mile End area

Mile End is a what is called an "up and coming" neighbourhood about one mile (hence the name) from the City of London along the Whitechapel road. While not as vibrant as its neighbours in Bethnal Green and Brick Lane, it has a charm of its own which makes this district worth a visit.

This Mile End area is rich in history and contains some very interesting relics of London's industrial past. The district was created just at the time when London was expanding at its fastest rate and as such contains areas which are a microcosm of the Victorian city. It also suffered greatly from German bombing in WWII and the slum clearances of the 1960s which saw many fine Victorian houses bulldozed to be replaced by sub-standard communal housing.

[edit] Whitechapel area

Whitechapel is in the area of East London that runs from the edge of Bishopsgate in the West to Cavell Street in the East, and from Commercial Road in the South moving far into Brick Lane in the North. It became particularly notorious in 19th Century for the gruesome murders of Jack the Ripper (once known as 'Whitechapel Murderer'), in the days when poverty and prostitution were common in this area. It is still a largely working class area but has since attracted a large Bangaledshi community that has made Brick Lane what it is today, plus many aspiring artists who moved here for the cheaper rents and central location. Tracey Emin (one of the not so Young British Artists (YBAs) of the 1990s) has a studio in this area, and can be seen wandering around in the day. The Royal London Hospital gazes across at Whitechapel tube and is famous for nursing Joseph Carey Merrick (the 'Elephant Man') in his final years.

[edit] Brick Lane

Although now largely a Bengali (and other Indian subcontinent) neighbourhood, within living memory this was a Jewish district (and before that, a Huguenot area). As well as some obvious remnants of this history, such as a few remaining bagel delis, there are some subtler ones too, such as small synagogues in the back streets. Many of the larger synagogues have now been converted into mosques.

[edit] Get in

Historically poorly connected to the rest of London, with the development of the Docklands Light Rail (DLR) and the extension of the Jubilee Underground line, transportation has become much easier and more efficient. You may wish to arrive by DLR to experience the views from the train on approach and leave by the Jubilee to see the impressively large station, which has been compared to a cathedral.

Because Canary Wharf is a large office development, it is inadvisable to travel to or from the area during the peak commuting times (8-9am and 5-7pm), unless you enjoy being crushed on to public transport.

Mile End is one of the best-connected stations in London, with access to the Central, Hammersmith and City, and District Lines. It's claimed that Mile End is the only station on the Underground system which can be reached by every other, with only one change. There is also a District Line station at Bow Road and Docklands Light Railway stations at Bow Road and Devons Road.

For the west side of Whitechapel get off at Aldgate East tube (Hammersmith & City & District Lines), to take you directly to the Whitechapel Art Gallery and near the bottom of Brick Lane or Whitechapel tube (Hammersmith & City & District Lines) will take you to the east side of Whitechapel Road. Liverpool Street Rail and Tube station is a 15 minute walk away from Aldgate East.

[edit] By tube/DLR

• Jubilee line to Canary Wharf

• Many of the DLR stations are, unsurprisingly, in Docklands. There are three stations on the Canary Wharf development: West India Quay, Canary Wharf and Heron Quays. Heron Quays is best for interchange with the Jubilee line. The stations are a short distance apart so you don't need to use the DLR to get around within Canary Wharf.

[edit] By rail

[edit] Brick Lane

Travellers to London would probably find it easiest to catch a train or tube to one of the stations listed below, then make the short (5-10 min) walk to Brick Lane:

• Aldgate East Tube station (District line, Hammersmith & City line)
• Liverpool Street National Rail / Tube station (Central line, Circle line, Hammersmith & City line, Metropolitan line)

[edit] Get around

[edit][add listing] See

• Canary Wharf, (tube: Canary Wharf), [1]. a vast shopping, eating, entertainment and (primarily) business complex, home to Britain's tallest skyscraper, One Canada Square. There is a substantial amount of information about the history and the architecture of the development on the website of Canary Wharf Group, the company that owns the development.  edit

• Museum in Docklands, (DLR: West India Quay), [2]. 10am-6pm. Tells the story of the development of the Docklands from Roman and Viking times to the present day. £5.  edit

• The Brick Lane Gallery, 196 Brick Lane | London | E1 6SA, ☎ +44 (o)207 729 9721 (info@thebricklanegallery.com), [3]. Open Daily 12 - 6pm. Free but you can buy the paintings.  edit

• Whitechapel Art Gallery, 80-82 Whitechapel High Street, E1 7QX, 020 7522 7888, [4]. Tue-Sun 11am-6pm, Thur 11am-9pm, closed Mondays. Whitechapel has been a champion of Modern Art since 1901, and has held exhibitions of greats such as Picasso, Pollock and Frida Kahlo and supported British Artists such as Gilbert & George and Lucian Freud. The space continues to hold regular new exhibtions with additional linked events on Thursday evenings. There is a cafe and a small art bookshop. Free entry. There are excellent facilities for disabled people (visual, hearing and physical). Nearest Tube, Aldgate East.

[edit][add listing] Do

• The O2 (formerly the Millennium Dome), (tube: North Greenwich). Concerts, cinema and restaurants.  edit

• Cineworld Cinema, 11 Hertsmere Road (tube: West India Quay).  edit

• Excel, 1 Western Gateway, Royal Victoria Dock (tube: Custom House), ☎ +44 (0)20 7069500 (info@excel-london.co.uk), [5]. Exhibition and conference centre. The venue hosts such public events as the London Boat Show, the British Motor Show and the London Triathlon as well as numerous trade shows. It will be a venue for the 2012 Olympics and Paralympics for sports such as Boxing, Table Tennis and Fencing.  edit

• Walk. If you feel adventurous then spend a sunny Sunday afternoon walking the north bank of the River Thames to Tower Bridge in the City of London.  edit

• Cycle. Hire a bike and cycle around the island. There are lots of cycle paths and great riverside views of the City of London and Greenwich.  edit

• Canary Wharf Ice Rink, (tube: Canary Wharf), [6]. A café and bar, and the only genuine Central Park style skating in London, in the smart Canada Square park surrounding by glittering office tower blocks. Winter only  edit

• Walk up the Regents Canal

• Walk over the Green Bridge: a unique structure that joins Bow Common to Mile End Park with its urban nature reserve, taking the park over the busy A12 road, ensuring uninterrupted greenery for several miles, from the bottom of Bow Common to the top of the beautiful Victoria Park.

• Jack the Ripper Tour [7]. For those of you with a morbid fascination with this 19th century murderer, this will hopefully feed your curiosity. Approx 2 hours. £6 per person. Book through website.

• Walk up the Regents Canal

• Walk over the Green Bridge: a unique structure that joins Bow Common to Mile End Park with its urban nature reserve, taking the park over the busy A12 road, ensuring uninterrupted greenery for several miles, from the bottom of Bow Common to the top of the beautiful Victoria Park.

[edit][add listing] Buy

Enter the air conditioned shopping mall at 1, Canada Square E14, and you are in an American style air conditioned shopping centre. All the usual High Street shops, plus a John Lewis department store and a Waitrose food store which has the most stunning range of produce.Pleasant upmarket shopping centre, made up of three arcades: Canada, Cabot and Jubilee Place. The three arcades encircle Jubilee Park and the tube station, and house over 200 shops, bars, restaurants and cafes that are open seven days a week. A relaxed shopping environment, especially good for clothes.

• Whitechapel Market, by the Whitechapel tube station, [8]. Open Mon-Sat 8am-6pm. A small street market selling food and spices, clothing, jewellery, carpets and the odd dodgy stereo.

• The Whitechapel end of Brick Lane are filled with South Asian (mainly Bangladeshi) shops and restaurants, selling music, spices, tasty sweets and sari material.

[edit] Brick Lane

For secondhand clothing (male and female) try Beyond Retro (110-112 Cheshire Street [9]) and Rokit (101&107 Brick Lane [10]) but between these you'll find plenty of other interesting clothes shops to distract you.

• Brick Lane Market, (tube: Shoreditch). Su 8AM-2PM. Running from Shoreditch tube station to Bethnal Green Road and spreading out into Sclater St and Cheshire St. Selling second hand clothes, bric-a-brac, books, household goods and electronics.  edit

• Brick Lane Newspaper Co, 157 Brick Lane. Open 7 nights a week. Get tomorrow's newspapers tonight.  edit

• Oh Baby London, 162 Brick Lane, ☎ +44 (0)207 2474949, [11]. 10-6pm. Sweet little shop selling the grooviest baby clothes and accessories.  edit

• Spitalfields Market, (tube: Liverpool Street; just off Bishopgate), [12]. Once a large thriving market, it has slowly been shrunk to a third of its size by development in the area. But, it still features a good variety of clothing, crafts and food stalls/shops. Rather promisingly sellers have set up another market in a new space off Hanbury Street, (between Spitalfields and Brick Lane).  edit

• Tatty Devine, 236 Brick Lane, ☎ +44 (0)20 77399009, [13]. This little shop is hidden up at the quiet end away from the hustle and bustle of the market and curry houses. It specialises in accessories for men and women, such as volume level brooches and newspaper print ties. M-F 10AM-6PM, Sa-Su 11AM-7PM.  edit

• Unto This Last, 230 Brick Lane, ☎ +44 (0)20 76130882, [14]. M-Sa 9AM-7PM, Su 10AM-6PM. This furniture/homeware shop produces pieces computer cut from wood onsite. The highlights are the wall mounted circular CD racks that bulge from the walls and the large donut chairs. They also offer bespoke variations if requested.  edit
• Dragana Perisic, 30 Cheshire Street, London, E2 6EH (Right off of Brick Lane!), ☎ +44 (0)20 77394484, [15]. Tuesday-Sunday from 11am to 6pm. Tactile textiles, obsessive detailing, designed to fit, quality unsurpassed, clothes that look and feel good. Dragana's clothing could never be considered simple, although it is subtle. It is far from elaborate, yet cleverly thought out. It is an imaginative mix of the landscape of her native Yugoslavia and the sophistication of big cities: A melting of both of the worlds she now inhabits. The work now, apart from the garments, includes delicate fabric jewelery, belts and scarves. The Dragana Perisic shop was recommended as one of London’s top 50 boutiques in Timeout.  edit
• The Brick Lane Gallery (The Brick Lane Gallery exhibits an eclectic variety of contemporary art and street art by British and International artists, focusing mainly on exhibiting emerging and mid-career artists. We present an integrated programme of exhibitions, including solo-shows as well as group exhibitions, introducing innovative developments in painting, sculpture, photography, performance, video and works on paper.), 196 Brick Lane | London | E1 6SA (Nearest Tube: Liverpool St or Aldgate East), ☎ +44 (o)207 729 9721 (info@thebricklanegallery.com), [16]. Open Daily 12 - 6pm. Free but you also can buy the paintings.  edit

[edit][add listing] Eat

There are many restaurants in Docklands clustered around the new developments of Canary Wharf. Some of the best are listed below:

• Plateau Restaurant Bar and Grill

4th Floor, Canada Place, Canary Wharf E14. Tel: 020 7715 7100 Modern French restaurant - part of the Conran restaurants group. More informal Bar and Grill includes steak grills and hearty regional french dishes. Two bars.

• First Edition

25 Cabot Square, Canary Wharf, E14. Tel: 020 7513 0300 International cuisine with continental and Far Eastern influences compliment a wide range of fresh seafood. Extensive wine list served by the glass. Private affairs welcome.

• Sri Nam

The North Colonnade, Cabot Square, Canary Wharf, E14. Tel: 020 7715 9515 Fine dining restaurant offering authentic Malaysian, Thai, Chinese, and Singaporean cuisines. A wide variety of drinks, cocktails and snacks are offered. Private dining rooms available by request.

• Itsu

Second floor, Cabot Place East; kiosk - jubilee link, Canada Place, Canary Wharf, E14. Tel:020 7512 5790 Conveyor belt sushi restaurant, more on the side of "fusion" than traditional. Japanese Sushi along with a wide range of dishes reflecting a strong Asian and Vietnamese influence. Take away boxes are available. Fresh cocktails, sake and Japanese beer at the relaxed bar.

• Wagamama

Jubilee Place, Canary Wharf, E14. Tel: 020 7516 9009 Noodle and rice dishes freshly cooked in a well-designed canteen style restaurant. See detailed review in Chains reviews section of London article.

• Carluccios

Nash Court, Canary Wharf, E14. Tel: 020 7719 1749 Authentic Italian Cafe with all Italian dishes developed by Antonio Carluccio himself. There is also a genuine Italian deli with take out lunches, meats, cheeses and a range of branded products and gift items.

• Tiffinbites

22-23 Jubilee Place, Canary Wharf, E14. Fast Indian cuisine where ancient tradition meets 21st century. Lunch and dinner menus as well as a great list of cocktails.

• Nandos

Unit 24-26, Jubilee Place, Canary Wharf, London, E14 4QT. Tel: 020 7513 2864 Traditional Portuguese style food, specializing in their famous Peri-Peri chicken flame grilled to perfection. Family style atmosphere is relaxed and always friendly.

• Gaucho Grill

Westferry Circus, Canary Riverside, Canary Wharf, E14. Tel: 020 7987 9494 The Argentinian cowboy, the gaucho, made famous the tradition of cooking fresh meat over charcoal grills. The large horseshoe bar offers traditional South American cocktails and beer.

• Royal China

Westferry Circus, Canary Riverside, Canary Wharf, E14. Tel: 020 7719 0888 Popular restaurant with a great view of the Thames River. Decorated with Royal China gives a contemporary feel. Enjoy dim-sum as well as an extensive menu.

• Café Rouge

Mackenzie Walk, Canary Wharf, E14. Tel: 020 7537 9696 Waterfront Parisian Bistro. Wide selection of food and wine in a relaxing setting.

• The Fine Line

Fisherman's Walk, Canary Wharf, E14. Tel: 020 7513 0255 Lunchtime menus include a mixture of continental and international meals. A snack menu is available in the evening. Two mezzanine areas at the bar for private party bookings.

• Quadrato

Four Seasons Hotel, Canary Wharf, Westferry Circus, Canary Riverside, Canary Wharf, E14. Tel: 020 7510 1857 International classics for breakfast and northern Italian cuisine for lunch and dinner. The Tuscan Sunday Brunch and cocktails at bar Quadrato should not be missed. Watching chef Sebastiano Spriveri at work is a main attraction.

• Waitrose Food and Home

Canada Place, Canary Wharf, E14. Tel: 020 7719 0300 Six different eateries under one roof. Waitrose Steak and Oyster Bar, Salad and Juice Bar, Tapas Bar, Moshi Moshi Sushi Bar and many other options.

• Scu-zi

Westferry Circus, Canary Riverside, Canary Wharf, E14. Tel: 020 7519 6699 The funkiest restaurant and bar on the Thames river. Pastas, pizzas and salads are complimented by a first class selection of wines, spirits and cocktails.

• Zizzi

Westferry Circus, Canary Riverside, Canary Wharf, E14. Tel: 020 7512 9257 Serves authentic pastas and pizzas. During the summer a large riverside terrace affords sweeping views over the River Thames.

Wander up Brick Lane, and you will be pounced on by countless touts trying to persuade you to enter their client's restaurant. Try to go on a recommendation if you can, otherwise take pot luck.

Arguably the best South Asian restaurant in the Whitechapel area is the long established New Tayyabs (83-89, Fieldgate St. London E1 1JU). Located between the East London Mosque and The Royal London Hospital, it serves traditional food in a pleasant if slightly frenetic atmosphere. Outstandly good value and with fast efficient service, this reaturant is head and shoulders above any rival in nearby Brick Lane. Particularly recommended are: the mixed grills to share and the delicious mango or banana lassi drinks which are similar to milkshakes. Finally, when you've finished your delicious meal, the bill will always leave you with a smile on your face! Attention: Book and/or arrive early on Friday or Saturday as the restaurant is so popular you may have to queue.

The best place to eat in Mile End is probably the remarkable gastropub The Crown. See "Drink", below. There's a cluster of good eatereries at Bow Wharf, just a few minutes north of Mile End station. The Fat Cat Cafe and Jongleurs do good food and there's a good Thai restaurant.

• Saucy Kipper fish & chip shop, Roman Road. Makes possibly the finest Fish and Chips in the world.  edit

• Orange Room Cafe, Burdett Road. A good place for chilled-out lunches.  edit

• Mar i Terra, [17]. A small chain of tapas restaurants with a branch by Victoria Park - good Spanish food (now closed).  edit

• Venus in the Park. Good Greek food. One of several restaurants under the Green Bridge (see Do).  edit

• Zeera. A decent, if slightly pretentious, Indian restaurant. One of several restaurants under the Green Bridge (see Do).  edit

• Pellici's - Possibly the best greasy spoon caff in the country (and one of very few left), this old pad, frequented by celebrities from X-Factor winners to the Krays, is well worth the effort. Cheap as chips by the London standard and well worth the value for money.

• Gourmet San - Fantastic Chinese food, as close as you'll get to the real thing in London.

• Tas Firin - Great Turkish grilled food, pretty much for carnivores only.

[edit] Brick Lane

Unfortuntately many of Brick Lane's curry restaurants have become victims of the success of the area. Most restaurants now employ pushy touts, who will hassle you to eat in their client's restaurants. The discounts may sound tempting, but they frequently inflate the prices simply so they can offer you a 'deal'.

The largest concentration is between Woodseer Street and Fournier Street. The old-style, flock wallpaper curry houses have now largely given way to shiny, light wood and aluminium eateries for the tourists and City workers. Whichever style you go for, though, it's always worth checking that they've got a licence to sell alcohol before taking up a table. A lot of the restaurants will allow you to bring you own alcohol along.

Another option for curries is to visit Tooting.

For 24-hour eating, there are the two famous bagel (actually spelled "beigel" and pronounced "bye-gel") shops at the north end of Brick Lane, serving up freshly baked hot bagels at a rapid rate to a varied clientele. Both shops bake their own bagels fresh on site.

• Brick Lane Beigel Bake, 159 Brick Lane, E1 6SB, ☎ +44 (0)20 7729 0616. 24 hours. Closer to Bethnal Green Road and with a white sign. A local institution, Beigel Bake is more celebrated of the two and rated by some as the freshest most delicious bagel you'll ever have. Their salt beef is more highly rated than Beigel Shop and a salt beef bagel with mustard and pickle is highly recommended for a post-clubbing snack.  edit
• Britain's First & Best Beigel Shop, 155 Brick Lane, E1 6SB, ☎ +44 (0)20 7729 0826. 24 hours. Further from Bethnal Green Road and with a yellow sign. While less celebrated than its near neighbour, Beigel Shop is still well worth a visit. While Beigel Bake is a local institution, it is reflected in its limited range. As a result, Beigel Shop works harder for your cash, providing a wider range of fillings and an excellent sausage roll, making it the preferred destination for those who aren't enamoured with salt beef.  edit
• Bengal Village, 75 Brick Lane, E1 6QL. Definitely one of the best places in Brick Lane. Very good food, good value, pleasant atmosphere and good service!!  edit

[edit][add listing] Drink

Many of the bars on the Canary Wharf development are indistinguishable chain bars, although they are very popular with office workers on weekday evenings, particularly Thursday and Friday. Most are closed at weekends, but there are usually one or two open if you want to visit then; the area is generally very quiet at this time, which you may or may not consider a good thing! Nearly all have outside areas adjacent to the water which can be pleasant in summer.

• Fisherman's Walk, to the north of North Colonnade, has three adjacent bars: The Cat & Canary, The Fine Line and Davy's.
• Immediately across the dock, West India Quay has several bars. There is a Wetherspoons pub at the west end which, although the view is not so good, is probably the cheapest pub in Canary Wharf.
• Mackenzie Walk, to the south of South Colonnade, has a number of bars and restaurants.

The following are two 'real' pubs.

• The Gun on the far eastern edge of Canary Wharf - 18th-century pub with real fires, a terrace where you can sit and stare at the Millennium Dome over the river, and pistachio nuts behind the bar. A haven of warmth after a trek through JG Ballard-style Docklands wasteland (empty streets, vast satellite dishes and rusting industrial machinery).
• The Spinnaker near South Quay - nothing particularly to recommend this place, except that it is a real pub, a rarity in Docklands!

Waitrose's wine bar is also a pleasant and good-value place to sit and sip, though it closes when Waitrose does (i.e. around 9pm).

• The Palm Tree. A traditional East End boozer. No, it's the traditional East End boozer. Now set in the middle of Mile End Park, originally it was surrounded by houses and a factory. Its incongruous surroundings only add to the charm, however. You may recognise the interior from the number of film and TV appearances the pub has made as an "authentic" location. On Saturday nights the locals crowd into the front bar for a sing-song and the back bar is jammed with trendy students from Queen Mary's college. The presence of a student population mean this wonderful pub never has the threatening air of some East End locals and it attracts a mixed crowd.  edit

• The Morgan Arms, Coborn Road. Was a worthy winner of the Evening Standard London Pub of the Year award recently. The attached restaurant also serves some tasty, albeit pricey fare.  edit

[edit] Brick Lane

• Coffee @ Brick Lane, 154 and 157 Brick Lane E2 6RU, ☎ +44 (0)20 72476735. On the corner of Buxton Street and Brick Lane is now closed.  edit

• Verge Bar, corner of Brick Lane and Bethnal Green Road (opposite the funky LCB Surf shop), ☎ 020 7739 0552. It is open everyday for food, flat whites, espresso and cocktails. It has outside seating for you to watch the exciting Brick Lane World go by or you can relax on a sofa inside a gaze out of the huge windows that open to the Brick Lane. A grand spot to relax with the papers and their excellent Bloody Mary on Sunday Morning.  edit

• Vibe Bar, 91 Brick Lane, E1, ☎ +44 (0)20 7426 0491, [18]. M-Th 7.30PM-11.30PM, F-Sa 7.30PM-1AM. The main advantage of this place is the huge courtyard which is usually packed out in the summer, and directly competes with cooler neighbour, 93 Feet East opposite. But inside although dingy, spreads out into some nooks where you can hide away for a chat from the booming speakers. Plenty of varied DJ nights and live bands. No dress code. Free entry except F-Sa after 8PM.  edit

• 93 Feet East, 150 Brick Lane, E1 6QL, ☎ +44 (0)20 7247 6095, [19]. M–Th 5PM–11PM, F 5pm–1AM, Sa noon–1AM, Su noon–10.30PM. This club/bar is made up of three areas: downstairs a loungey bar with low-lit sofa seating everywhere and chilled out music, the main room with a full on sweaty dancefloor (where the headline DJs/bands perform) and an upstairs bar which is mix of the two, plus a large cobbled area outside for the summer. Mon-Thur is mainly live music, and the weekend has the line up of eclectic DJs playing a variety of hip-hop, house and rock music. Charge on the door for gigs, on Fri/Sat usually free before 9pm, £5 after. No dress code.  edit

• LCB Surf Store and Coffee Shop. at the corner of Brick Lane and Bethnal Green. Not only is the coffee delicious, it's always prepared with Fairtrade and Organic Beans, roasted in London by the Tea and Coffee Plant. You can sip a hot Organic breakfast tea with a splash of Organic milk, or eat a sandwich prepared fresh and packed by The Organic Sandwich Co. Surf the web for free with provided computers or log on wirelessly with your laptop. Shop and watch movies while you eat because opposite the cafe is a Surf Shop, complete with surfboards, skateboards, snowboards as well as shoes, watches, men and womens clothing and more. The atmosphere is warm and inviting, smoke free and totally comfortable for chilling out, shopping or surfing the net.  edit

[edit][add listing] Sleep

• City Hotel, 12 Osborn St, E1 6TE (Osborn Street leads directly to Brick Lane from Whitechapel High Street). A fairly average 2 star hotel at typical London prices, however the rooms are clean and provide the basic facilities you need. The area isn't pretty but you are close to where all the action is. Roughly £60/night for a double/twin.

[edit] Budget

Travelodge London Docklands is a gem of a hotel for this area at a highly affordable price for London. It is a modern branch of the ubiquitous budget hotel chain, but is well located almost next to East India DLR station, which has links directly to central London, and is just a few stops from Canary Wharf itself. A fantastic place if you want somewhere comfortable and private in London for a weekend or even a week! The website [20] often has fantastic rates that can be as low as £9 per night. Ask for a room on the front to avoid the busy road at the back.

[edit] Mid-range

• Britannia International ***, 163 Marsh Wall, E14 9SJ (tube: South Quay). Located in the popular Docklands area, this extremely modern hotel.  edit

• Custom House Hotel, 272-283 Victoria Dock Road (tube: Custom House; opposite Excel), ☎ +44 (0)20 74740011 (reservations@customhouse-hotel.co.uk), [21]. £120.  edit

[edit] Splurge

• Hilton Docklands, 265 Rotherhithe Street, SE16 5HW (20 minutes to London City Airport), ☎ +44 (0)20 72311001. Located on the South bank of the River Thames the hotel has a great view of Canary Wharf.  edit

• Marriott West India Quay, 22 Hertsmere Rd, E14 4ED (tube: West India Quay), ☎ +44 (0)20 70931000. Looking out over Canary Wharf's beautiful district, the Marriott combines elegance and comfort to create a welcoming environment.  edit

• Ramada London Docklands Hotel and Suites ****, 2 Festoon Way, Royal Victoria Dock, E16 1RH (tube: Prince Regent), ☎ +44 (0)8701 118779, [22]. Located next to the ExCel exhibition centre this hotel has a waterfront position and offers modern comfortable accommodation and including suites for longer stays.  edit

• Four Seasons Hotel Canary Wharf *****, 46 Westferry Circus, Canary Wharf, London, E14 8RS (tube: Canary Wharf / Westferry), ☎ +44 (0)20 7510 1999, [23]. The most upmarket hotel in the area with views across the Thames or Canary Wharf, offering the kind of 5 star luxury to be expected from this chain.  edit

[edit] Brick Lane

• City Hotel, 12 Osborn St (at the end of Brick Lane; tube: Aldgate 100m), ☎ +44 (0)20 72473313. WiFi £5/day. Normal rate is £140 but you can deals around £60.  edit

[edit] Stay Safe

The East End in the past has had a very bad reputaion due to its high rates of crime and poverty. Today though, The East End is generally much safer, but there are still quite few areas you should keep well away from.

[edit] Contact

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