Yes, you read it right – you can enjoy an eventful visit to Shoreditch with as little as a fiver.London’s answer to San Francisco’s Silicon Valley attracts tens of innovative startups to set up their headquarters in this tech-focused neighbourhood. And with new waves of ultra-creative people, come new cafes, bars and hip venues. Sounds amusing, indeed, but isn’t Shoreditch a heavily overpriced hub for all-things hipster?
Surprise, surprise, not necessarily!
Shoreditch is surely well-known for its rich cultural offering, featuring tens (if not hundreds!) of trendy spots but is £5 enough to make the most out of it? Well, no. We won’t lie or try to make you believe that you can become the Great Emperor of Shoreditch equipped with nothing more but a few coins in your pocket. But! Having quite a lot of proven track experience of living on a shoestring (ah, these good old student times!), we know how to have a great time in Shoreditch even when penniless!
Here are some well-tested ideas of how to best enjoy the Shoreditch adventure for £5!
1. Enjoy a speciality coffee
We love it, we crave it and we quietly substitute it for a good, old English ‘cuppa’. Coffee. Our faithful partner in good and bad times. Luckily for you, Shoreditch is the capital’s centre for high-quality, ethically sourced and delicious coffee. Whether you’re a coffee bean connoisseur or you’re simply looking for a strong caffeine kick, you will find it all when visiting Shoreditch. While strolling through Spitalfields Market, pay a visit to Department of Coffee and Social Affairs. This tiny in size coffeeshop has plenty to offer. Once a hidden gem, today the company features multiple locations across the city. Don’t worry – it’s far from losing its artisan spirit and becoming a factory-like, coffeeshop chain!
Not interested in markets? Fair enough, let’s pass to more industrial neighbourhoods. Time for Old Street’s best-known spot! The Grind! Located in the middle of the roundabout, it has been cheering up busy Londoners with freshly roasted espresso shots by day and delicious cocktails by night since 2011.
The list goes on and on, featuring real winners in the coffee industry such as Nude Coffee Roasters or The Attendant. A fiver might be a bit too little to spoil yourself with a nice hot drink and lunch menu, but it will be more than enough to enjoy a proper coffee that will once for good make you divorce your favourite coffeeshop chain.
2. Channel your competitive streak
If coffee is not really your thing, you might want to explore a more vibrant, and definitely louder side of Shoreditch.
Visit Matchbox located at Shoreditch High Street for some real live sports experience. The bar regularly broadcasts sports events, featuring a list of football championships, golf, rugby and F1 racing. Check out their website for more details! Pretty much next- door to Matchbox, you can pop by at Bar Kick, where you can end up overhearing enthusiastic crowds cheering their favourite teams and making bets on their picks.
If you, too, would like to try your luck with as little as £5, you can still easily do so! Choose one of the UK’s £5 minimum deposit casinos and, if you’re lucky enough, you might then add some zeros to your fiver! It’s rare to see online casinos allowing players to deposit as little as £5 but as UK-based player, you can find an option that doesn’t require you to invest huge amounts of money to enjoy a proper gambling experience.
The rules vary depending on the casino of your personal choice you but all of the £5 minimum deposit casinos will let you have a go and hopefully boost your bankroll. Not too bad for £5 only! What’s even better – you can play games for real money without the need of visiting any of the brick-and-mortar casinos. Simply go online wherever you are and enjoy the game on the screen of your mobile phone or a laptop. Make sure you read the terms and conditions before you gamble to avoid any disappointments!
3. Stuff your face with bagels!
If you’re not a coffee, sports or casino lover, then for sure you must be a foodie. Hey, who isn’t?! Even if you’re a new kid on the block, you must have heard about the legendary bagels sold on Brick Lane. Established in 1974 Beigel Bake has served hungry Londoners for over 40 years, winning the title of the best bagel shop across entire London. As the city has suffered huge increases in prices across all sectors, the bagel café kept their prices affordable for masses. No surprise there’s always a queue in this super small shop! So, what’s on the plate?
When you plan your purchase wisely, you can actually throw a mini bagel party for a fiver. The simple options such as cream cheese and chives or egg mayo can cost you around £1.50. Fancy some toppings? Add crispy bacon or some salmon – no worries, you will still pay within your budget limits! The more ‘pro’ bagel choices including the signature salt beef bagel accompanied by a famous pickle cost around £4. You can’t go wrong with Beigel Bake, so don’t overthink your decisions. No matter what your final choice will be, your taste buds will surely be satisfied.
Awake your inner child! Even with money being an issue, we could continue adding ideas to this list for days. But those three suggestions should inspire you to have a think and look around – there are hundreds of possibilities to enjoy Shoreditch with little or even no money. Come on, all in all, East London requires you to leave your comfort zone and try new things!
Hopefully, the walls covered in graffiti and fashionable folks passing by on their fixie bikes will wake creative spirit in you and you’ll £5 will turn out to be just a right amount of money to have an unforgettable time in Shoreditch.
