East London : Fashion, Food and Shopping

// SMUDGE - Fashion, Food, and Shopping in East London //

The last time I was in London I was 14 and it was the last stop on a two week whirlwind trip around Europe with my family. My experiences in London were barely memorable and honestly pretty lame (well other than the Princess Di Clothing Exhibit), so I was very excited to re-experience London as a “grown adult”.

I spent the two first afternoons doing the “must see sights” like Buckingham Palace and Hyde Park by bike. This really made the experience more enjoyable. I was able to get around much faster and just wizzed by the other tourist when I was done and on to the next spot.

The rest of my days and nights were spent finding out what London is really like for the locals. My favorite part ended up being the East Side of London. It used to be a somewhat shabby area but now has been taken over by artists and hipsters which equals cool $hit and good food everywhere.

Cargo- Hidden behind palm trees in an urban disused railway yard, Cargo is a super chill bar, restaurant, and entertainment venue in the heart of Shoreditch. The decor is tropical mixed with street art ( here is a Banksy on the back wall), the food was delish, the beer was super cold, and the dj was playing 90′s RnB. It was a fun night.

Cereal Killer Cafe- When I found out there was a cafe that specialized in cereal, as a life long cereal lover, I had to check it out. I know it sounds kind of ridiculous spending the price of a box of cereal on a bowl BUT when at home do you have 5 of your favorite cereal open at the same time, have custom flavored milk, plus every sweet topping imaginable? I mean unless you're living with Willy Wonka bowls of cereal like this are only realistic at Cereal Killer Cafe. You can go nuts and order whatever your inner child desires or order one of their “Cereal Cocktails”. I ordered the Double Rainbow which consisted of Fruity Pebbles, Fruit Loops, and Lucky Charm’s marshmallows served with strawberry milk.....sooooo gooood.

Boxpark- Boxpark is a structure made up of shipping containers that consists of pop-up shops or pop-up restaurants in each container. This place is so unique and def. a glance into the future of retail and dinning out. I loved browsing through all the shops then enjoying the free wifi over super bomb pulled pork and hush puppies at the Porkys BBQ pop-up .

My Pie Food Truck- Just moments away from Granary Square in Kings Cross is the KERB street food collective. KERB has fountains, lots of seating, and half a dozen food trucks that change daily. I lucked out and got to experience the My Pie Food Truck. I tasted their award winning chicken and ham pie and the vegetarian roasted sweet potato, goat cheese, and spinach pie. Both pies were fantastic and totally satisfied my savory British pie craving.

Airbnb- My Airbnb for the trip was loacted in East London in Shoreditch and either walking distance or a short Uber ride from all loactions mentioned above ( adorble blue front door included as well ) .