Ace Hotel lobby bar - review

The buzz: The ultra-hip American hotel brand created by the late Alex Calderwood has its London home on Shoreditch High Street with a super-cool lobby bar.

The deal: It’s simple, urban and nails NYC low-key cool — think freelancers with Macbook Pros, multiple hipsters meeting for cocktails and London-micro-brewed beers. The drinks are excellent and very decently priced at £9 — we recommend a seat in the snug to the right of the bar.

Good for: post-work drinks, birthdays, dates — you name it.

Order: Bijou Basket: a moreish mix of Sipsmith sloe gin, ginger wine, lemon and rhubarb bitters. Or the deliciously tart Wet Luppers: cachaca (what you make caipirinhas with) shaken with Tapatia Blanco (tequila), lime and lemon marmalade and agave.

By the way: You should stay for supper at the Hoi Polloi restaurant and exit through the flower shop.