The Cornershop Bar, Shoreditch, E1

With PSM’s review as an aide memoire, I recalled that I hadn’t reviewed this place which strictly speaking isn’t a shop conversion in the truest sense, as it’s the King’s Arms, dating back to the mid-18th century, rebuilt in the late 19th and in shop use for 30+ years before reopening as a bar around 2003. Arriving a little after 9.30 the other Saturday evening, we were told by the two bouncers that there was a £10 entry charge to experience the pounding music, audible from the pavement, no mention of which can be found on their website; I muttering ‘Sod that’, we sauntered off meaning that I shall never encounter the poseurs’ paradise which this obviously is, though by the sounds of it, I missed nothing.

Official site of The Cornershop Bar - www.thecornershopbar.co.uk

Official site of The Cornershop Bar - www.thecornershopbar.co.uk

This is a good sized street corner pub/hipster bar set in a former shop unit, hence the name. Inside, the place has a roughly square room layout with bare boards, loads of tables and chairs through the centre, some high tables and stools to the front and rear and a decent amount of pavement seating out the front. The servery runs along the left-hand wall and sports a very plain counter in front of an impressive, high bar back which has been decorated with bespoke pub posters and murals and a load of seemingly random adornments, such as a large set of animal horns. A DJ booth to the right suggests raucous late nights and a long wall of mirrors along the back of the room should be ideal for poseurs to preen in front of. Lots of TV screens were on around the room, showing live football with the sound off and loud music playing over the top. A staircase descends to what I assume is an overspill seating area or function room, but it was roped off, so I'll probably never find out. There's no cask, obviously, so I had to pick from the usual hipster craft keg options from the likes of Beavertown, Camden and Goose Island, which sat alongside various mainstream brands. I took a pint of something from Goose Island, which was fine. There were very few other punters in attendance and the place had a really odd vibe in general, although I couldn't quite put my finger on what made it feel that way. For me, this was a typical Shoreditch poseurs bar, masquerading as some sort of ill conceived craft beer pub. I rarely feel uncomfortable or out of place in pubs, but something didn't sit well with me in here, and with expensive, uninteresting beer on tap, there's nothing that'll convince me that a return visit should be made.

Was called JAM