Earlier this month we brought you our PBLA Neighborhood guide where we compiled a list of the best places to hang out, grab food, go shopping and more surrounding our Los Angeles studios. Now the time has come for us to shift our gaze to London, a booming city which is renowned for its music culture and iconic scenes.
Our London studios are situated on Orsman Road and Penn Street and are surrounded by a variety of useful and entertaining amenities. If you’re after tranquil cafes, charming markets, food trucks, epic burgers and wings, or just want to go shopping for new trainers, streetwear or records, Point Blank London’s location will be like a dream come true. If you’re thinking about signing up for a course in London or online, more information about what we offer can be acquired via our website here.
Bars & Clubs
Renowned for its nightlife the capital city swarms with music lovers and party goers. There are plenty of bars and clubs to visit in the area, as well as lots to visit a bit further afield. For forward-thinking club nights that feature artists known for challenging stereotypes and pushing genre boundaries, check out Miranda at The Ace Hotel, XOYO, Dalston Superstore, Fabric and Printworks to name a few. For more easy-going casual nights The Stag’s Head, where we hold our regular Open Mic night, is directly opposite the Orsman Road studios, the LGBTQ friendly The Glory is minutes away from this and the fun and colourful The Macbeth is situated past Hoxton Street Market.
Restaurants & Fast Food
Located no more than a five-minute walk from both Orsman Road and Penn Street studios you will find Hoxton Street Market. Packed with street food trucks and quaint spots to eat and drink, it’s very likely this street will become a staple in your daily breaks. It would be difficult to list all of the fantastic places on this road so we’ll name a few and leave it up to you to explore yourself. The homely cafe, Olive, does some of the best pizza’s and hot sandwiches in the area – and they’re incredibly cheap. This place is great for value for money and the staff are extremely friendly. Make sure you check this one out. 100 Hoxton is an Asian/Euro crossover dinner cuisine, with light lunches and weekend brunch. They also offer up cocktails and we’d highly recommend the pork belly.
If you’re looking to explore a bit further out be sure to head down to Shoreditch, it’s only a 10-minute bus ride away and has some unmissable spots. Check out Boxpark for a variety of delicious (but not necessarily so healthy) grub options including burgers, wings, dirty fries and more and visit Keu for Korean sandwiches and rice boxes. Pizza Pilgrims is another great pizza joint and for something a bit swankier, check out the Thai bar and grill, Smoking Goat.
Coffee
Trew Era is slap bang between both studios so it’s perfect to stop off at if you’re walking from one location to the other. It was opened by Russell Brand in 2015 and was funded by the sales of his 2014 book, Revolution. If you’re after great coffee and London’s best Reuben sandwich (according to Time Out) check out Monty’s Deli, a US-influenced cafe which serves Jewish-inspired dishes from breakfast bagels to Shabbat-style dinners.
Shopping
The Big Smoke is renowned for its high street and vintage shops and Shoreditch, the previously mentioned area, is filled with places to freshen up your wardrobe or record collection. For the latest kicks head down to SneakersNStuff where they stock the best trainers in the area. Carhartt and APC are close by at just a short walk down the road toward Boxpark, which as well as food, has a number of pop-up stores on its ground level. Sister Ray, Love Vinyl and Rough Trade East are all available to fulfil your record shopping needs and are just a bus ride away. These are just a few of the trendy places in that area but there are good travel links to the city centre where Oxford Circus and Carnaby Street can be explored.
Everything Else
It’s difficult to fit in everything to check out as the area has just so much to offer. So, honourable mentions which deserve your attention include Old Spitalfields Market for anything from vintage clothing, prints and market stalls to beer and world food vendors. Brick Lane Market is the place to go for an authentic curry and Indian cuisine. Tesco and Coop are a five-minute walk from Penn Street if you’re on a budget for lunch and there is a leisure centre for those pre or post-class workout sessions.
Travel Links
There are a number of easy to find travel links nearby including bus stops and train stations. Haggerston overground station is your best bet for reaching the London Underground. It’s just three stops to Whitechapel which is handy to access the District or Hammersmith and City lines. If you’re in need of more tube links get a bus from stops KL or XL, depending on your location, all the way to Liverpool Street, one of the city’s most reliable and well-connected stations. There is also a cycle docking station for Boris bikes situated on the crossroads between both studios.
You can find a list of local venues and amenities below and see more details about how to find Point Blank in London here.
Bars & Clubs
Miranda Ace Hotel (100 Shoreditch High St)
XOYO (32-37 Cowper St)
Fabric (77A Charterhouse St)
Dalston Superstore (117 Kingsland High St)
Printworks (Surrey Quays Rd)
Dream Bags Jaguar Shoes (32-36 Kingsland Rd)
Bar Kick (127 Shoreditch High St)
The Stag’s Head (55 Orsman Rd)
The Glory (281 Kingsland Rd)
Restaurants
Number 177 (177 Hoxton St)
Olive (120 Hoxton St)
100 Hoxton (100-102 Hoxton St)
F Cooke (150 Hoxton St)
The Barrel Boulangerie (110-112 Hoxton St)
Keu (332 Old St)
Pizza Pilgrims (136 Shoreditch High St)
Smoking Goat (64 Shoreditch High St)
Hoxton Square Bar and Kitchen (2-4 Hoxton Square)
Red Dog Saloon Hoxton (37 Hoxton Square)
Pho Viet (147 Shoreditch High St)
Bird (42-44 Kingsland Rd)
Boxpark (2-10 Bethnal Green Rd)
Fast Food
Papa Johns (202 Hoxton St)
Hoxton Best Kebab (241 Hoxton St)
Belly’s Taste of Jamaica (291 Hoxton St)
Coffee
Trew Era (34 Whitmore Rd)
Monty’s Deli (227-229 Hoxton St)
Shopping
SneakersNStuff (107-108 Shoreditch High St)
Carhartt WIP (191 Shoreditch High St)
APC (15 Redchurch St)
Napapijri (149-150 Shoreditch High St)
Boxpark (2-10 Bethnal Green Rd)
AIDA (133 Shoreditch High St)
Sister Ray Ace (100 Shoreditch High St)
Love Vinyl (5 Pearson St)
Rough Trade East (Old Truman Brewery 91)
Misc
Murdock Barbers (46 Redchurch St)
Rocket Barbershop (401 Hackney Rd,)
NV’s Barbershop (223 Shoreditch High St)
Shoreditch Library (80 Hoxton St)
Hoxton Post Office (101 Hoxton St)
Old Spitalfields Market (16 Horner Square)
Brick Lane Market (91 Brick Ln)
As well as London we also provide courses all around the world, with schools in Los Angeles, Ibiza, Mumbai, and soon to be China, so don’t worry if the UK isn’t a viable option for you.
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When you register with Point Blank, you access an array of free sounds, plugins, online course samples and much more! Simply register below and visit our Free Stuff page to get your hands on a range of exclusive music-making tools and tutorials provided by the team. Fill your boots!
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** Editors note: Things have moved on significantly since this article was published 🙂 Please head to our blog homepage for the very latest updates from Point Blank.