Friends Angelina Volk and Leopold Thun launched this gallery a week after they handed in their university dissertations in 2016. Its opening show was a functioning sauna by Lithuanian artist Augustus Serapinas – who went on to become the youngest ever exhibitor at the Venice Biennale. Emalin now has two Shoreditch outposts (inside a former locksmith shop near Bethnal Green and, since 2024, in the 18th-century Clerk’s House); both are a must-visit on an east London art trail.

Cleo is yet another dining delight along the chock-block Rantzausgade. Offering a touch more of fancy to this Nørrebro culinary highway, Cleo is the spot for a seven serving feast. Dazzling plates, ranging from sea bass crudo to a white asparagus doused in a baksuld hollandaise, are whisked to the intimate wood tables all to be shared (though, a more laid-back fare can still be chosen on the à la carte). The food is exceptional, the decor an interior designers marvel and the outside terrace a prime sun-trap. 

Upstairs through a blink-and-miss-it doorway on Redchurch Street is one of the most exciting restaurants in London. The name comes from an old English term for turbot, so it’s fitting that the flatfish is the star of the show. Inspired by the Basque Country, everything is cooked over a charcoal grill – the smoked potatoes are particularly good, but there aren’t really any misses on the Michelin-starred menu. The London Fields outpost feels marginally cooler. Either way, order the burnt cheesecake for pudding.

Simple, elegant and British through and through. Everything at Lyle's is hyper-seasonal and incredibly delicious. Come at lunch if you're in the mood for a la carte, as it's tasting menu only in the evenings.