Shoreditch, Fish & Seafood - Restaurant Guide

With a stylish open kitchen centred on a big wood fired grill, famous Irish chef Richard Corrigan’s easygoing haunt south of Silicon Roundabout is hard to pigeonhole. Casual quality dining is the aim: ‘a fusion of Irish and global flavours, showcasing whole cuts of meat, fish, and veg on the grill, alongside raw seafood and other hearty dishes’ to paraphrase the website (or you can just go to the basement bar, Gibney’s, and sup Guinness). All feedback is upbeat, although in terms of fame this place has never caught fire to match the celebrity of its owner. Top Tip – “perfect for a business lunch near Moorgate or Old Street!”

2022 Review: Hipster haunt, Ace Hotel Shoreditch – and its restaurant Hoi Polloi (RIP) – have gone, but this new Lore Group (Sea Containers et al) opening in autumn 2021 is stepping into its boots and aiming to boost appeal with an expanded rooftop bar and terrace (panoramic views of East London), and a restaurant and wine bar specialising in sustainably sourced seafood. It being EC2, there’s even going to be a take-out hatch (that’s a sign of groovy sophistication these days, apparently…)

Like “an airy penthouse” – this City rooftop venue is “a light-filled space” that’s “tucked on the top floor of South Place Hotel” and part of the Evolv Collection (fka D&D London). Serving a “top range of fish and seafood”, it has retained a Michelin star for over 10 years, making it a culinary flagship for the group. Chef Craig Johnston took over the reins in the kitchen in 2024 and he offers menu options ranging from à la carte to five-course and eight-course tasting menus. Caveats? Unsurprisingly given the location, there’s something of a “corporate vibe” and it can seem “rather expensive for what you get”.

This monochrome June 2025 newcomer is a modern seafood bistro set in the heart of Shoreditch, whose co-founders Madina Kazhimova & Anna Dolgushina (who also run Firebird in Soho) are hoping to provide a ‘fresher, sexy take on the traditional seafood haunts’. Apparently this means dishes such as oysters, crudo, tuna steak or soft serve vanilla ice cream, washed down with loads of martinis, in a ‘rowdy’ [their word, Ed] post-industrial space.