The gentrification of London’s once grimy East End continues at a pace that even jaded locals find dizzying. And however derided the term ‘hipster’ may be these days, it’s still the most apt description for the swathes of restaurants, concept shops and cafes that are popping up on, it seems, every corner.
Like the Culpeper, a late 19th-century Victorian public house on Commercial Street that a trio of enterprising creatives are turning into a three-in-one. The ground floor pub leads upstairs to a restaurant where sharing plates of stout-braised beef cheek pudding vie with black risotto and squid, and treacle tarts face off poached rhubarb and pistachio ice-cream.
Fully sated, post-prandial treats now include five new bedrooms that have been carved out of the second floor, their rough, homespun décor – courtesy of Gareth Roberts, one of the partners – featuring an appropriately deconstructed palette of distressed concrete, rescued timber planks as headboards, and textured throws by the Norwegian weavers, Mandal Veveri. A particularly nice touch is the stack of books by a neighbourhood chronicler and blogger, The Gentle Author.
Equally welcoming is the rooftop garden – a rarity in London – with its glass-sheathed conservatory, potted herbs and vegetables, views of the Gherkin, and a breakfast menu of Ginger Pig sausages and bacon, home-made granola, and Allpress juices and coffee.
ADDRESS
40 Commercial Street
-
‘David Hockney 25’: inside the artist’s blockbuster Paris show‘David Hockney 25’ opens 9 April at Fondation Louis Vuitton in Paris. Wallpaper’s Hannah Silver soaked up the resolute, colourful homage to the brilliant relentlessness of life
-
How a 17th-century Japanese archive inspired Dimorestudio’s lustrous new textile collection'It’s a meeting point of past and present, East and West,' says 12th-generation fabric maker, Masataka Hosoo.
-
Aesop’s ‘The Second Skin’ is a sensory sanctuary during Salone del Mobile 2025Aesop unveils ‘The Second Skin’ in Milan, a multisensory ‘exploration of dermis and design’ that marks the arrival of the brand’s Eleos Aromatique body cleanser and lotion
-
Corner Corner may be London's most unique entertainment destination yetThe newly-opened venue combines food, jazz and—yes—urban farming beneath one sprawling roof
-
For a taste of Greece, head to this playful new restaurant in London’s ChelseaPachamama Group’s latest venture, Bottarga, dishes up taverna flavours in an edgy bistro-style setting
-
A buzzy Korean pop-up becomes a permanent fixture in East LondonChef Joo Won has turned his Calong pop-up permanent in the arty enclave of Stoke Newington
-
New London restaurant Alba is a sun-soaked affairIts name meaning ‘sunrise’ in Italian, Alba is a new Amalfi-inspired restaurant set to shine in Knightsbridge
-
Now boarding Air Anya: Anya Hindmarch’s ode to aviation’s golden ageAnya Hindmarch’s new London concept store and travel accessories collection celebrate the glamour of 1970s air travel
-
‘A place for carnivores’ – Ibai is a London restaurant that celebrates Basque Country beefA Clerkenwell restaurant where unhurried steak is the star of the show
-
La Môme London finds its home at The Berkeley hotelAll the razzle-dazzle of Cannes and Monte Carlo is wrapped up in this one fabulous dining room and terrace in London
-
The new dawn of the London sandwich shopThe appeal of a quick meal between two slices of bread has long held sway in the UK. We look back on the rise of the sandwich shop and explore the new wave of London venues that are making it a more stylised experience
