Run by the Jaguarshoes Collective, a grioup of artists and creatives who seem to have their fingers in just about every pie in east London, is The Old Shoreditch Station. Coffeehouse-cum-shop-cum bar, this is a venue for every occasion.
Retaining what appears to be the original fixtures and fittings in some instances, the Old Station at times reflects a pub and at others feels more like the local creative studio due to the abundance of laptops on tables and sketch books propped up. It has presence to it and the dark wash of it all relaxes you into the mind set that this really could be a good place to come and eat, drink and ‘do work’ – even when drinking might lead from coffee to a beer. Filled with the young and beautiful, it’s not the kind of place that your mum might come to on her own – unless your mum happens to be a hotshot fashion editor, or something... Still, it’s a cozy place to come and have coffee by day and in the evening it encounters no problems whatsoever in turning its setting into an intimate little bar. Tables are lit by candle light, it doesn’t get too crowded (by Shoreditch standards) and it seems to be a friendly place, dare that be said. Once in a while you might find it to be the setting of a hot new exhibition or the host of an intimate gig so it’s always worth heading in for a surprise.
There is a small selection of draught beer on tap, along with a range of cocktails and an impressive selection of whisky. The coffee is fairtrade and a tasty blend, the tea is herbal and organic and there are pastries, cakes and other delicious little morsels that look well worth sampling.
The Old Shoreditch Station manages to retain an icy cool about it while somehow feeling rather warm and inclusive. Go figure. Excellent place.