Not so long ago, Shoreditch was an area I hardly visited. But now, it’s home to some of the capitals best restaurants, street food markets, hotels and an atmosphere which every tourist and Londoner wants to soak up – including me. With all that in mind, we recently spent a night in this part of town which was a fantastic way to experience it instead of heading back home to Chelsea after dinner as usual (the latter an area still not great for food).
When it comes to luxury hotels, Shoreditch now has its fair share but one of its most famous is the Courthouse Hotel. A five-star property with a lot of history. Set within a Grade II Baroque building which was once the Old Street Magistrates Court and Police Station. This listed building has in the past held high-profile cases such as the London mobsters, the Kray Twins and has sentenced notorious criminals. You can really feels its history from the grand hallway and staircase as you enter is absolutely magnificent.
After a swift check-in, we made our way up to the room via the lift and through what looked like an unused members bar (which was a little odd), but which would make a terrific seasonal pop-up. The hotel features 86 guest rooms and 42 suites – we were staying in one of the latter I believe. Boasting a contemporary design after undergoing a recent multi million conversion of this historical building, the rooms are modern, spacious and well equipped.
Our room even had its very own lounge and whilst we didn’t get to use it much, it’s a great space for those staying more than one night. The perfect place to watch a movie, order room service and sip on a few too many glasses of something sparkling (we did manage to do that). All especially more enjoyable during these cold Winter months.
The bathroom was like the bedroom, huge and had everything we needed in it. An excellent walk-in shower which was powerful, large sink basin big enough for two to share and great spa amenities which I believe were own brand, though don’t quote me on that.
Before dinner, we popped into the hotels main bar, the Jailhouse Bar. It’s an absolutely fantastic space and really caught me by surprise. It was a little quiet, but with a space this good I feel like I need to let the whole of Shoreditch know. Set within the former Police Station of the Old Street Magistrate’s Court, this really shouldn’t be missed when staying. My Negroni cocktail was excellent and the mixologist behind the bar offered us some of the finest service during our stay which I can still recall.
There’s even former prison holding cells in the bar which you and your friends can sip drinks inside and soak up a little of the history. The Jailhouse Bar also offers Afternoon Tea every day from 12pm and starts from £19.75 per person. Bargain!
If you’re lucky enough to stay here during the warmer months, head up to the hotels roof terrace bar – Upper 5th Shoreditch. With a panoramic view overlooking the City of London skyline, Upper 5th Shoreditch can squeeze in up to 150 guests, has a BBQ kitchen during the Summer, music and delicious wine list. For a five-star hotel I really don’t like drinking out of the plastic glasses you’re given here, but as a space I really love it and this isn’t my first time to this roof terrace bar so I’ll definitely be back.
The dining room here is without a doubt this hotels best feature because it’s absolutely stunning and you can really feel its courthouse history. Famous British faces (wearing judges wigs) adorn the walls of the restaurant, big mirrors towards the ceiling open up the room and the lighting is so perfectly placed it creates a lovely ambience.
The food here is simple (in a good way) and we enjoyed every single dish we ate. Sometimes food doesn’t need to be complicated or overly complex to be good, as long as the ingredients shine and I thought they did here. To start, Scottish smoked salmon with capers, shallots, chives and watercress. As well as the goats cheese curd with heritage beetroot, cauliflower cous cous and hazelnut pesto. We really enjoyed both of these dishes.
For main courses, a perfectly cooked piece of rib-eye steak with mixed leaves and chips. The steak had a really lovely flavour, was well seasoned and the chips were great (so great we ate a few too many to photograph!). Perhaps better still was the rump of Scottish lamb with heritage beetroot, celeriac puree and lotus crisp. I wasn’t a fan of the slate serving plate, it’s a bit dated now – but the actual food on it was beautiful. The lamb, again was perfectly cooked, the celeriac puree was sweet and lingering in flavour and the beetroot added a touch of sweetness and earthiness.
Dessert was a good old classic Eton mess which we had no complaints about and a pineapple carpaccio with coconut sorbet was as delicious as it was refreshing. I’d definitely come back to this restaurant if in the area because not only did we have a lovely meal but it was great value too.
The next morning, breakfast of course! The breakfast was buffet style, but for a five-star hotel I’d have liked freshly cooked options straight from the kitchen to choose from, but what was on offer from the buffet that we did have I thought was of great quality. Hot foods, cold cuts, bread selection and a full continental selection was on offer. I didn’t like the juices, but that’s personal taste most likely as I’ve got a bit of a fresh juice obsession when staying at hotels.
We had a lovely stay at the Courthouse Hotel in Shoreditch and in particular, a really lovely meal in its restaurant. The hotel is modern and large, equipped with a swimming pool and sauna (which we didn’t quite get around to visiting), offering spa treatments galore and the beds in the bedrooms are insanely comfortable meaning you’ll have a lovely nights sleep. There are definitely some improvements this hotel can take to becoming a full-fledged luxury five-star hotel in Shoreditch, but it’s still lovely as it is and that rooftop in the Summer is a real game changer.
NB: My stay was complimentary. All views are as always, my own. My views are not influenced by anyone other than my own palate and slightly poor eyesight.
