The restaurants assail your senses with the smell of spices and Bengali cooking. The bhangra music that flows out of the cafes is also Bengali but the Jewish bakery, Beigal Bake, is testament to the area’s Jewish history, and it buzzes with satisfied customers 24/7. There's quite a buzz at the Old Truman Brewery too, an 11-acre site that is now jammed full of fashion designers, artists, photographic studios, gallery space and bars.
An East End institution, the Brick Lane Music Hall offers a great night's entertainment in the tradition of Victorian music hall, a great example of East End hospitality. In September, the area's newest migrants, the Bangladeshis, lead the revelries at a recently established Curry Festival of food and culture.
Must see and do
- Brick Lane Market, Brick Lane, London
- Brick Lane Music Hall, Brick Lane, London