The Princess of Shoreditch occupies a corner of Paul Street near Old Street, a Victorian pub that holds three AA rosettes, the only London pub to do so. Downstairs is a proper 45-cover pub, while a spiral stair leads to a 30-cover dining room with an ambitious tasting menu.
Who would love it: a drinker who wants a genuine pub at street level and a serious kitchen above, with cocktails that lean on good spirits rather than novelty. Who would not: anyone expecting a cheap-pint local, because this is an elevated gastropub with prices to match the cooking.
The citable fact carries real weight. The pub was awarded three AA rosettes in 2021, as Pub and Bar reported, a recognition that no other London pub holds, with award-winning chef Ruth Hansom running a menu that changes with the market and the day boats from the south coast.
The house cocktails are where the bar earns a spirits drinker's attention. The Shoreditch Old Fashioned is built on coffee-infused Buffalo Trace bourbon, alongside a brown sugar old fashioned and a white negroni, a list that riffs on the classics without losing the backbone. Pale ales from Bristol, Majorcan lagers and Irish stouts hold the taps.
Marcus Webb's read for the connoisseur: order the Shoreditch Old Fashioned. The coffee infusion is handled with restraint, reading as a savory note over the Buffalo Trace rather than a dessert, and it is the clearest sign that the bar takes its spirits as seriously as the kitchen takes its plates.
The crowd is a City-meets-Shoreditch after-work set, drawn by the cooking as much as the drinks, and the corner site keeps it calmer than the noise a few streets east. The downstairs bar takes walk-ins, while the upstairs room rewards a booking.
Best time to go: early evening on a weekday, when the bar is settled and the kitchen is at full attention. The Princess of Shoreditch earns its place as a pub that drinks and eats well above its category, and the rosettes are the receipt.
See where it sits among the best pubs in London and the best bars in Shoreditch, and read our wider guide to the best bars in London for the full picture.
The two-room format is the key to using the place well. Downstairs works as a drop-in pub for a cocktail and a snack with no booking, while the upstairs dining room is the setting for the tasting menu and a longer evening. A drinker can treat the ground floor as a bar in its own right and never climb the stair.
What guests highlight across the reviews is the rare pairing of pub atmosphere with serious cooking and drinks, and the calmer setting away from the Shoreditch crush. The fair caution is the price, since the rosettes and the cocktail program place it well above a standard local, and the bill reflects the ambition on both floors.
Who it is for: a spirits drinker who wants a thoughtful cocktail in a real pub, a diner ready to climb the stair for the tasting menu, and an after-work group that wants quality over a crush. It is not a budget local, so anyone chasing the cheapest pint nearby will find better value a few streets over.
Pair this bar with
For more in the city, compare Discount Suit Company London, Merchant House London and Apartment 195 London.
Sources
The Princess of Shoreditch official site · Pub and Bar: rosettes awarded · Great British Chefs: The Princess of Shoreditch · Google Maps reviews (2026)
Reviewed by Marcus Webb, barsforKings. Published Feb 17, 2026 · Last reviewed Jun 14, 2026.
