Latest reviews in Aldgate, London, United Kingdom

Story Deli - by kellytron

kellytron — Thu, 24 Jul 2008 23:05:14 +0000

Review by kellytron

Rating: 4.00

Phone: 020 7247 3137

Great coffee, great pizza, some good looking breakfast and some decent looking customers too.Great coffee, great pizza, some good looking breakfast and some decent looking customers too.

Rich Mix - by kellytron

kellytron — Thu, 24 Jul 2008 22:56:51 +0000

Review by kellytron

Rating: 4.00

Phone: 020 7613 7498

Website: http://www.richmix.org.uk

Tags: cultural, modern art, art

Great tickets when compared to most places and almost half that of the west end (Â£7 for an adult), a nice mix of hollywood and arthouse flicks and comfy couches to wait on before your movie starts. I'm yet to check out any of the exhibitions but as my local, I struggle to find a complaint.Great tickets when compared to most places and almost half that of the west end (Â£7 for an adult), a nice mix of hollywood and arthouse flicks and comfy couches to wait on before your movie starts. I'm yet to check out any of the exhibitions but as my local, I struggle to find a complaint.

Nags Head Gentlemens Venue - strip clubs by stevenfrmlondon

stevenfrmlondon — Wed, 23 Jul 2008 23:36:00 +0000

Review by stevenfrmlondon

Rating: 5.00

Phone: 020 7426 0830

Tags: cool, underground, friendly

went to this place for my birthday with some mates after work, got some gorgeous woman working there. one girl called lolita was amazing, she was doing some crazy moves on the pole. Been to a few strip clubs in shoreditch, i love them all. nags was the same as white horse and browns, they've got a pub element with stripers and you dont feel pressured fromthe girls for private dancing. got to go back and see if this lolita girls still working there. her private dances are pretty steamy as well. if you see her about, get a dance with her. just to finish it off they had a pool table in there as wellwent to this place for my birthday with some mates after work, got some gorgeous woman working there. one girl called lolita was amazing, she was doing some crazy moves on the pole. Been to a few strip clubs in shoreditch, i love them all. nags was the same as white horse and browns, they've got a pub element with stripers and you dont feel pressured fromthe girls for private dancing. got to go back and see if this lolita girls still working there. her private dances are pretty steamy as well. if you see her about, get a dance with her. just to finish it off they had a pool table in there as well

Rosa's - Great by bakerga1

bakerga1 — Wed, 23 Jul 2008 11:19:09 +0000

Review by bakerga1

Rating: 4.00

Phone: 020 7247 5830

Tags: lively, good value, thai

This place is fantastic. I almost do not want to write a review as it may get popular and this would spoil the charm of the place. The food was fantastic I recommend the fried seabass. Also worth noting that it is a bring your own booze restaurantThis place is fantastic. I almost do not want to write a review as it may get popular and this would spoil the charm of the place. The food was fantastic I recommend the fried seabass. Also worth noting that it is a bring your own booze restaurant

Brick Lane Beigel Bake - Best bagels in world (probably) by french_girl

french_girl — Mon, 21 Jul 2008 21:36:56 +0000

Review by french_girl

Rating: 5.00

Phone: 020 7729 0826

Tags: cheap eat, jewish, lively

I love these and the best way to persuade me to take 2 buses and 2 tubes to visit my friend nearby.

Personally I love them with just cream cheese and tomatoe or just butter or with salad cream and cucumber if I'm in a really sulty food mood.

And open 24 hours great. One piece of advice if your taking them home to fill yourself / freeze ask for the ones that are still hot so they are as fresh as they get. Though to be honest the place is so busy the bagels would only ever be a few hours since making / baking.

Plain straight forward service no have a nice day fakenessI love these and the best way to persuade me to take 2 buses and 2 tubes to visit my friend nearby.

Personally I love them with just cream cheese and tomatoe or just butter or with salad cream and cucumber if I'm in a really sulty food mood.

And open 24 hours great. One piece of advice if your taking them home to fill yourself / freeze ask for the ones that are still hot so they are as fresh as they get. Though to be honest the place is so busy the bagels would only ever be a few hours since making / baking.

Plain straight forward service no have a nice day fakeness

Gaucho Broadgate - very nice, sexy and romantic by ttzwolf

ttzwolf — Sat, 19 Jul 2008 18:24:11 +0000

Review by ttzwolf

Rating: 5.00

Phone: 020 7256 6877

Website: http://www.gauchosgrill.com

Tags: lively, american, romantic

A nice place to bring a date to - beautiful decor, staff who are also attentive, food is great and nice ambient overall.
A nice place to bring a date to - beautiful decor, staff who are also attentive, food is great and nice ambient overall.

The Market Trader - City Pub by floral

floral — Fri, 11 Jul 2008 15:55:10 +0000

Review by floral

Rating: 3.00

Phone: 020 7247 3459

Website: http://www.thorleytaverns.com

Tags: relaxed, friendly, food

Nice pub on Petticoat Lane near the city which explains the popularity with the lunchtime and afterwork crowd. Has a really nice feel about it and as it's a bit off the beaten track, not as busy as more central city pubs which can get a bit boistrous. Nice food too, but not Thai food.Nice pub on Petticoat Lane near the city which explains the popularity with the lunchtime and afterwork crowd. Has a really nice feel about it and as it's a bit off the beaten track, not as busy as more central city pubs which can get a bit boistrous. Nice food too, but not Thai food.

Coffee @ Brick Lane - Top Coffee Shop by subterranean

subterranean — Tue, 08 Jul 2008 13:54:18 +0000

Review by subterranean

Rating: 4.00

Phone: 020 7247 6735

Tags: cosy, quick bite, lively

Reminds me a lot of a coffee shops in San Francisco. Very good feel to the place - relaxed atmosphere for hanging with with a good book, the paper, using your laptop or just whiling away the hours listening to the Dylan tunes they play. Oh, and good chairs - lots of knackered comfy leather chairs and sofa....always a plus.Reminds me a lot of a coffee shops in San Francisco. Very good feel to the place - relaxed atmosphere for hanging with with a good book, the paper, using your laptop or just whiling away the hours listening to the Dylan tunes they play. Oh, and good chairs - lots of knackered comfy leather chairs and sofa....always a plus.

Les Trois Garcons - One off by gastro1

gastro1 — Mon, 07 Jul 2008 16:20:58 +0000

Review by gastro1

Rating: 4.00

Phone: 020 7613 1924

Website: http://www.lestroisgarcons.com

Tags: french, expensive, lively

Top food in very uniquely decorated restaurant.

A good venue for a romantic dinner for two as well as a place to come with a group of friends.

Good ingredients well prepared.

Top food in very uniquely decorated restaurant.

A good venue for a romantic dinner for two as well as a place to come with a group of friends.

Good ingredients well prepared.

The Brown Bear - Nice 'Pub' - Minging Burgers by snowbadger

snowbadger — Thu, 03 Jul 2008 14:31:48 +0000

Review by snowbadger

Rating: 2.00

Phone: 020 7481 3792

Tags: traditional pub, relaxed, food

If you want a drink in a trad pub. Good.

Thai food might also be good.

I just had a pint of London Pride, which was nice and a homemade rump burger.

Not sure what was going on there, but it tasted like someone had spilled either MSG or cumin into the pot. Maybe both.

It's the first burger I've failed to eat.

Not overtly horrible, just too strong, whatever it was.

Don't get me wrong though, beer was good, pub was nice.
If you want a drink in a trad pub. Good.

Thai food might also be good.

I just had a pint of London Pride, which was nice and a homemade rump burger.

Not sure what was going on there, but it tasted like someone had spilled either MSG or cumin into the pot. Maybe both.

It's the first burger I've failed to eat.

Not overtly horrible, just too strong, whatever it was.

Don't get me wrong though, beer was good, pub was nice.

Leon - pricey nonsense by gavinedwardsuk

gavinedwardsuk — Thu, 19 Jun 2008 14:11:07 +0000

Review by gavinedwardsuk

Rating: 2.00

Phone: 020 7247 4369

Website: http://www.leonrestaurants.co.uk

Tags: takeaway, international, free wifi

Leon milkshakes are awesome but i was disappointed with the chicken wrap and lemon quencher.

Expensive, small and only averagely tasty. Seating area was nice, clean and service was fairly quick but i'm not at all convinced so far.....

and Leon, if you sell a chicken wrap it would be nice to see more than a very mild spattering of Chicken! i know cabbage is cheap, so call it a cabbage wrap instead.Leon milkshakes are awesome but i was disappointed with the chicken wrap and lemon quencher.

Expensive, small and only averagely tasty. Seating area was nice, clean and service was fairly quick but i'm not at all convinced so far.....

and Leon, if you sell a chicken wrap it would be nice to see more than a very mild spattering of Chicken! i know cabbage is cheap, so call it a cabbage wrap instead.

Exit Bar - Base Mosquito -Exit Bar by alienbabes

alienbabes — Thu, 19 Jun 2008 00:30:24 +0000

Review by alienbabes

Rating: 5.00

Phone: 020 7377 2088

Tags: jazz, cool, friendly

WOW Mega Party .
Absolutely fantastic live electronica "Base Mosquito" 3 piece band incl percussions at EXIT Bar.

Next event will be 11th of July.

Can't wait.
I am there.

See you too.

A. B. WOW Mega Party .
Absolutely fantastic live electronica "Base Mosquito" 3 piece band incl percussions at EXIT Bar.

Next event will be 11th of July.

Can't wait.
I am there.

See you too.

A. B.

The Ten Bells - Good stock, but Main Strip by snowbadger

snowbadger — Wed, 18 Jun 2008 22:22:00 +0000

Review by snowbadger

Rating: 3.00

Phone: 020 7366 1721

Tags: independent pub, trendy, jazz

I like a bar with a good stock.

Hendricks Gin, Grey Goose vodka, Bulmers Cider, Leffe, Fruli, Grolsch on tap and Illy coffee are all good signs to me.

WHilst on the main strip this bar is pretty decent. Usual Brick Lane mixed bag of folks that make people watching a fun thing to do.

Or there is always reading the graffiti in the toilets which carry some serious pearls of wisdom I can tell you.

Staff were reasonably friendly.I like a bar with a good stock.

Hendricks Gin, Grey Goose vodka, Bulmers Cider, Leffe, Fruli, Grolsch on tap and Illy coffee are all good signs to me.

WHilst on the main strip this bar is pretty decent. Usual Brick Lane mixed bag of folks that make people watching a fun thing to do.

Or there is always reading the graffiti in the toilets which carry some serious pearls of wisdom I can tell you.

Staff were reasonably friendly.

Pride Of Spitalfields - simple, cheap and hearty by gavinedwardsuk

gavinedwardsuk — Tue, 17 Jun 2008 12:33:35 +0000

Review by gavinedwardsuk

Rating: 4.00

Phone: 020 7247 8933

Tags: relaxed, friendly, food

found this after moving office to Brick lane. Was looking for a simple pub, wiht a pie and beer option. Even better i got Chicken Kiev, chips and beans. None of that swanky gastropub hand reared by monks in the hills Ostrich burger with hand massaged rocket.

The beer tasted great, service was quick and friendly and i got to site outside on a nice cobbled street.

Not the place for gastro extravaganza but perfect for a quick simple, cheap bite to eat near brick lane

*UPDATE: Just went back, awesome service, friendly and once again great food and beer..tempted to upgrade to 5 stars!found this after moving office to Brick lane. Was looking for a simple pub, wiht a pie and beer option. Even better i got Chicken Kiev, chips and beans. None of that swanky gastropub hand reared by monks in the hills Ostrich burger with hand massaged rocket.

The beer tasted great, service was quick and friendly and i got to site outside on a nice cobbled street.

Not the place for gastro extravaganza but perfect for a quick simple, cheap bite to eat near brick lane

*UPDATE: Just went back, awesome service, friendly and once again great food and beer..tempted to upgrade to 5 stars!

New Tayyabs - Fantastic pakistani food at superb prices by Niamheen

Niamheen — Tue, 17 Jun 2008 11:03:58 +0000

Review by Niamheen

Rating: 5.00

Phone: 020 7247 9543

Website: http://www.tayyabs.co.uk

Tags: indian, lively, crowded

Fantastic pakistani and punjabi food: lamb chops, masala fish, karahi chicken, dry meat (yes! but itâ¬"s good), dal, thereâ¬"s something for everyone here. There's also daily specials, on a Tuesday I had the quail, and it cost all of Â£6. Fabulous mango lassis.

Be prepared to queue every day of the week, if youâ¬"re clever you can book the day before. Ridiculously cheap - starters Â£4.50 (thatâ¬"s for 4 lamb chops or 3 pieces of masala fish) and mains on average Â£6 for small. Trust me, thatâ¬"s all you need! Does it get better? Yes! Itâ¬"s BYO and thereâ¬"s no corkage.

What are you waiting for? Get down there!
Fantastic pakistani and punjabi food: lamb chops, masala fish, karahi chicken, dry meat (yes! but itâ¬"s good), dal, thereâ¬"s something for everyone here. There's also daily specials, on a Tuesday I had the quail, and it cost all of Â£6. Fabulous mango lassis.

Be prepared to queue every day of the week, if youâ¬"re clever you can book the day before. Ridiculously cheap - starters Â£4.50 (thatâ¬"s for 4 lamb chops or 3 pieces of masala fish) and mains on average Â£6 for small. Trust me, thatâ¬"s all you need! Does it get better? Yes! Itâ¬"s BYO and thereâ¬"s no corkage.

What are you waiting for? Get down there!

Mr Cappuccino - Best creamy capuccino in town by ArabellaHowell

ArabellaHowell — Thu, 12 Jun 2008 13:22:40 +0000

Review by ArabellaHowell

Rating: 5.00

Phone: 020 7488 2595

Tags: quick bite, crowded, takeaway

5 stars because the coffee is my all time favourite. Very good beans. Smooth, creamy full bodied latte-like capuccino. Not old fashioned. Does what coffee is supposed to do, with pleasure.
Perfect local and affordable coffee!
The sandwiches are generous. And their "cooked vegetables" filling adds substance and sweetness.
5 stars because the coffee is my all time favourite. Very good beans. Smooth, creamy full bodied latte-like capuccino. Not old fashioned. Does what coffee is supposed to do, with pleasure.
Perfect local and affordable coffee!
The sandwiches are generous. And their "cooked vegetables" filling adds substance and sweetness.

INDO - quirky by kateyay

kateyay — Sat, 31 May 2008 14:38:48 +0000

Review by kateyay

Rating: 4.00

Phone: 020 7247 4926

Tags: cool, relaxed, friendly

the Shoreditch / Hoxton influence can definitely be felt in this little bar, but its tiny tiny size and crowded nature of some evenings can definitely make for an interesting experience.

Lots of different bottled beers and ciders on offer - a pleasing range to suit most tastes. A friend enjoyed a good glass of wine, and had previously ordered food which was tasty and not overpriced.

Definitely the sort of place to go back to, maybe at the start of an evening out - but perhaps not spend too much time later on, as it can get very crowded of a weekend evening.

Have heard a lot about coffee and chilled atmosphere during the day, so will probably return to check this out!the Shoreditch / Hoxton influence can definitely be felt in this little bar, but its tiny tiny size and crowded nature of some evenings can definitely make for an interesting experience.

Lots of different bottled beers and ciders on offer - a pleasing range to suit most tastes. A friend enjoyed a good glass of wine, and had previously ordered food which was tasty and not overpriced.

Definitely the sort of place to go back to, maybe at the start of an evening out - but perhaps not spend too much time later on, as it can get very crowded of a weekend evening.

Have heard a lot about coffee and chilled atmosphere during the day, so will probably return to check this out!

Cafe 1001 - Great little summer evening spot by Sami

Sami — Sat, 17 May 2008 19:08:25 +0000

Review by Sami

Rating: 4.00

Phone: 020 7247 9679

Tags: friendly, relaxed, quick bite

Slight grotty but wicked just the same, Cafe 1001 is a really good place to stop over when you're wandering around the Brick Lane area.

Most evenings you'll find it is absolutely packed as it is also a music venue with a variety of different gigs going on; it can get so busy outside the club that you'll have a hard time navigating through the crowds smoking, chatting and standing around and sitting on the numerous picnic tables just outside the front door.

The burger stand and other food available is pretty good for street food, although on the week-ends you are spoiled for choice as you can go right around the corner to the Sunday Upmarket and sample a variety of world cuisine and do a bit of indie shopping as well.

And any place that serves Red Stripe in "tall boy" cans receives extra brownie points in my book!

It's worth a shot to check their myspace to find out what's on in the evening as they don't update their gig listings on their site too often. Slight grotty but wicked just the same, Cafe 1001 is a really good place to stop over when you're wandering around the Brick Lane area.

Most evenings you'll find it is absolutely packed as it is also a music venue with a variety of different gigs going on; it can get so busy outside the club that you'll have a hard time navigating through the crowds smoking, chatting and standing around and sitting on the numerous picnic tables just outside the front door.

The burger stand and other food available is pretty good for street food, although on the week-ends you are spoiled for choice as you can go right around the corner to the Sunday Upmarket and sample a variety of world cuisine and do a bit of indie shopping as well.

And any place that serves Red Stripe in "tall boy" cans receives extra brownie points in my book!

It's worth a shot to check their myspace to find out what's on in the evening as they don't update their gig listings on their site too often.

Giraffe - Went downhill as it got busier by anise

anise — Wed, 14 May 2008 14:32:45 +0000

Review by anise

Rating: 2.00

Phone: 020 3116 2000

Website: http://www.giraffe.net

Tags: lively, good value, crowded

My goodness the staff here are chirpy - one wonders what they put in their coffee. We went here for dinner on a balmy Tuesday evening in May because we were too lazy to go home and cook. The starters were nice enough (chicken and vegetable dumplings and potato wedges were popular) - fairly predictable for this kind of venue but they arrived hot and fairly promptly. The waitress also worked out immediately that we were going to share them around generally, rather than each 'own' a plate and she offered to go and get us side plates, so that was great (I am used to going to the branch of Canteen next door where you may, on a bad day, need to ask for a knife to spread the butter onto your toast. That is if they remembered to give you butter. But that's another story.).

We ordered hamburgers for the main course and this was where it started to go wrong. The accompanying onion rings were cold and the burgers were dry. Not that they had been cooked to death (in fact they were nicely pink), it was just that the meat was not juicy at all. The dryness also extended to the buns. To add insult to injury, the presentation made the burgers so tall they were impossible to eat so we had to dismantle them - taking out the tomato slice and (optional extra) mushroom just to be able to give our poor aching jaws a chance of biting into them. All a bit disappointing really as the point of optional extras is that you want them to be part of the burger. The chips were fine though.My goodness the staff here are chirpy - one wonders what they put in their coffee. We went here for dinner on a balmy Tuesday evening in May because we were too lazy to go home and cook. The starters were nice enough (chicken and vegetable dumplings and potato wedges were popular) - fairly predictable for this kind of venue but they arrived hot and fairly promptly. The waitress also worked out immediately that we were going to share them around generally, rather than each 'own' a plate and she offered to go and get us side plates, so that was great (I am used to going to the branch of Canteen next door where you may, on a bad day, need to ask for a knife to spread the butter onto your toast. That is if they remembered to give you butter. But that's another story.).

We ordered hamburgers for the main course and this was where it started to go wrong. The accompanying onion rings were cold and the burgers were dry. Not that they had been cooked to death (in fact they were nicely pink), it was just that the meat was not juicy at all. The dryness also extended to the buns. To add insult to injury, the presentation made the burgers so tall they were impossible to eat so we had to dismantle them - taking out the tomato slice and (optional extra) mushroom just to be able to give our poor aching jaws a chance of biting into them. All a bit disappointing really as the point of optional extras is that you want them to be part of the burger. The chips were fine though.

Verde & Company - In London, there is no better! by Goosestep

Goosestep — Mon, 28 Apr 2008 11:15:24 +0000

Review by Goosestep

Rating: 5.00

Phone: 020 7247 1924

Website: http://www.verde-and-company-ltd.co.uk/

Tags: cosy, coffee, quick bite

These guys love what they do and it reflects in the food and service. They use the best quality produce and it's always fresh. The quantities they dish out are always generous. Sambos and salads are all extremely tastey and very healthy. The staff are always friendly and very courteous. They have definitely set the standard for London Liverpool Street!

10/10

ps coffee is good but it could be better if they add a 'flat white' to the menu (check out 'Flat White' and 'Milk Bar' in Soho). When they do this i'll give them 11/10.These guys love what they do and it reflects in the food and service. They use the best quality produce and it's always fresh. The quantities they dish out are always generous. Sambos and salads are all extremely tastey and very healthy. The staff are always friendly and very courteous. They have definitely set the standard for London Liverpool Street!

10/10

ps coffee is good but it could be better if they add a 'flat white' to the menu (check out 'Flat White' and 'Milk Bar' in Soho). When they do this i'll give them 11/10.