The Bridge

Reviews

• Charlie D.

  star star star star star 5 June 2026

  A live birthday gig brought me here and I'm really glad, as it's quite unassuming from the outside. The interior truly takes quirky to a new level. It feels like you're teleported into a bar in a rural part of America, that's brandishing it's owners travellers trinkets on the wall like a dusty 3D wallpaper.
  As you walk into this beautifully retro American themed bar, you're greeted by an assortment of antiques and bizarre bits and bobs that fill the walls and reminded me of some of the bars in America during my travels.
  Honestly you could look for hours when you explore the several rooms tucked away in this maze of a bar. From obscure to retro, classic to neon lights and signs. Every inch of this place is covered in stuff, but not in a cluttered way somehow.
  The lighting in here is awesome too, with the neon lights giving off eery colour and some old school lights giving off a moody glow, it's relaxing and easy on the eyes in here.
  Take a ganders upstairs and there's an adorable room designed for small groups to gather around small tables and talk the night away on vintage victorian seats. This place is honestly the coolest bar I've been to in London in terms of unique styling.
  They also serve food here but I didn't try it so cannot comment. Though it's not the usual selection of pub food but more of a cafe - and Turkish themed at that.
  This place is a cafe, a coffee shop and bar rolled into one. It has an awesome atmosphere and isn't crazy expensive either. I paid just over a tenner for a double cointreau and coke, which is standard for london.
  But for the experience? Too good. Gather your friends, organise an event, go for a drink and enjoy the experience of this time capsule cafe/bar/thingy.
  Cash only.

• Brad C.

  star star_border star_border star_border star_border 5 June 2026

  Update to my previous review - An amazing location but the people who run it are completely awful. Crazy rules and literally the most expensive place to buy a coffee in the whole of London and not worth it at all. I used to bring clients here all the time but over the years the staff have got ruder and ruder and the service and Drinks have declined so much. The staff treat you like a major inconvenience and the owners have such unfriendly rules that it's just obnoxious. Please do yourself a favour and visit once if you have to (for the gram) but don't ever return. These guys don't deserve your money.

• Meike B.

  star star star star star_border 5 June 2026

  I've been waiting for an excuse to have a closer look at The Bridge for ages.  This intriguing place on busy Kingland Road is squeezed right next to a railway bridge.  It's got a lovely dark and mysterious feel to it and invites to relax with a cup of tea or glass of wine.  What a welcome surprise to find a cafe this close to Shoreditch not lit up by MacBooks.
  
  I'm sure solo guests are made feel very welcome by the staff, but The Bridge just calls out for relaxing company and a good old chat.  I met up with a friend and settled on one of the opulent tables upstairs.  Turkish pizzas come as a bit of a surprise but provide a tasty snack to go with the rather lovely house red.
  
  Everything here is on the kitsch side but it completely works, especially on a rainy Autumn evening.

• Jannies L.

  star star star star star_border 23 May 2026

  Loved this bar! It was gorgeous stairs and every chair/wall was different. We got a couple bottle of wines and just hung out upstairs. The staff were also super nice and fun to talk to! It's super casual and we just ordered at the bar.

• Dennis M.

  star star star star_border star_border 16 May 2026

  To quote Winston Churchill "Success consists of going from failure to failure without loss of enthusiasm."
  
  As I rest my fingers on the dull black qwerty keyboard, I thought of these wise words from W.C. when contemplating my review for The Bridge.
  
  It's a drizzly unusually chilly Wednesday evening in London. I'm rushing passed the lazy hipster walkers blocking my path as I exit Old Street station heading towards Hoxton steadfastly. Per usual, I'm running 7 minutes behind schedule and most likely my friends will be waiting for my arrival silently with impatience. My body temperature is increasing as I scurry through the corner of Old St and Kingsland Rd internally indicating that my body will require an extra beer to compensate for this amount of caloric burning. Parched and yearning for my first humpday sip of crisply carbonated bottled beer, I quickly apologize for my late arrival and we all enter The Bridge.
  
  Instantly I'm transported into the 1920s with gaudy statue replicas, dark red velvet inner lining and dim lighting coming from sources unseen. Following the instructions from the muscular and slightly difficult to comprehend barman, I walked with anticipation to the cooler compartment filled with an average yet satisfactory selection of mainstream and local brands of beer. Reaching for an IPA unknown to me, I offered to pay in exchange for my delayed arrival.
  
  Oh... but what lies here in an artificially lit glass display yearning for my attention?? Seeing the syrupy glimmer emanating from a large sheet of lumpy golden brown flakes, I immediately knew that before me stood a glorious army of baklava! How marvellous, my stomach quickly noted to my brain via quick electric impulses. However, just as fast as the baklava revelation took hold to my eyes, they quickly looked south to see a see of flaky flat sandal shaped pastries.
  
  "Are these bourek?", I ask the good man cutting slices of red velvet cake behind the dark wood counter.
  "Why yes! Let us know what you would like and we'll bring it upstairs to you", kindly replied this Ottoman-food knowledgeable gentlemen.
  
  Longing for that crispy and slightly oily sensation of biting into a virgin bourek, I placed a requisition for a meat bourek. With a slight look of apprehension, the now nervous man carefully yet secretively examined the meat bourek. After his investigation, I was told that there are no meat boureks and that I must settle for one with cheese. The easygoing flexible food lover in me quickly complied although the seed of scepticism for this establishment began to sprout with images of a possibly expired and fuzzy bourek.
  
  "That'll be £22.50 please!" Exclaimed the Turkish Adonis of a barman. Admittedly I was thrown back by the high price for but a mere two bottles of beer, cola and bourek, but often times for quality, one must pay. Regrettably, after some masterful pan frying of the bourek it arrived at our lovely Victorian style table upstairs as I was finishing the 4th sip of my IPA brew. The bourek was severed into several pieces but more note worthy was the inappropriately placed mounds of ketchup, mustard, pickles and unidentifiable substance drowning in what I could guess to be mayonnaise. With heavy reluctance at the sore sight before my eyes, I precariously placed a portion of the triest limp bourek into my mouth.
  
  Sour...
  Why???
  
  I could not fathom the sour taste that was thrust upon me. Had I not had an appetite, I would not have taken another bite. As unfortunate as it is with the splendid and almost grandiose furniture and ambiance of this interesting establishment on Kingsland Rd, I am not able to justify another visit based on beverage prices, selection, and very questionable bar nibblets.
  
  As the famous quote of Winston Churchill wisely illustrates, although this establishment proved to be a failure, my enthusiasm for drinking and eating (albeit in other establishments) have not diminished in the slightest!! And as many wise Yelpers would say, "come here for the ambiance and not for the food and drink"