Shoreditch’s Mama Shelter is kind of like a sexy cousin to some of the corporate hotels of the city. This is certainly a hotel that has a vibe; everything about it is achingly hip, from its photoshoot-ready interiors to its sultry-lit lobby, resplendent with cabinets of merch for you to buy into the lifestyle yourself.
At the Cambridge Heath end of Hackney Road, the Paris brand opened its first London property in 2019 to much fanfare and now boasts 16 properties worldwide, with Dijon and Dubai the latest on the way. The London outpost feature 194 rooms, full of cutting-edge design elements specially crafted by Dion & Arles, the Parisian design studio behind the brand’s aesthetic. Rooms are - helpfully - labelled Small, Medium and Large, comfortable spaces with Queen size beds and a touch of the playful about them.
Downstairs, a 100 cover restaurant provides the buzzy hub this end of Bethnal Green was lacking. Popular not just with hotel guests, the restaurant, cocktail bar and karaoke booths have a host of activations going on throughout the year to ensure it’s the place to be. This summer they’re collaborating with award-winning CBD drinks brand INTUNE for monthly Sunday Live Music Sessions at Mama’s Bar, kicking off on 11th June, inviting grass roots musicians to perform while the bar’s expert mixologists create some cracking serves.
Back to the restaurant though. The all day menu has something for everyone, from nibbles and hearty mains to some seriously indulgent desserts. We recommend the seared yellowfin tuna, with beetroot aioli, beans and bruschetta, followed by a brilliantly crispy chicken schnitzel, crunchy and delicious on a bed of green beans. If you have room. The dark chocolate fondant with raspberry sorbet and pistachio brittle will surely finish you off, in more ways than one.
It’s easy for somewhere with as much personality as Mama Shelter to fail when it comes down to the actual delivery, but this is a hotel brand that does exactly what it says on the tin. The stay, the interiors, the vibe, the food; everything is spot on. We can’t wait to see where they land next.
