Off the Beaten Track in London: Private Shoreditch Tour

It looks odd on the outside, and to a degree on the inside, but the food and service were excellent and we shall return. The food is all barbecued, but to perfection. Great fun place

Fantastic day out. Understanding more about other parts of London which are “off the beaten track” Highly recommend Great places that we could go back to and explore more

Anthony was awesome. Great tour made better by an actual art enthusiast. Also loved the food recommendations and the best ways to navigate a very large and busy city. Highly recommend the tour and especially Anthony.

Thomas was well informed and pointed out a number of interesting facts of the area. Especially liked the Gilbert & George stories and the "gherkin" building.

Anthony was a fantastic tour guide, taking me all around the East End of London showing me little known but special places, explaining the history and cultural context of each. We saw various street art, saw the progression of neighborhoods as they are being slowly gentrified. Southwark Cathedral is a MUST see on the tour, ending in Borough Market in time for lunch. The tour was great, very flexible, as Anthony was fabulous.

Bringing a teen on a tour is risky. However Gregory didn’t miss a beat. He started gauging both mine and my teen’s interests right away. Brought us into an off the beat bookstore that (especially) the teen loved but we both enjoyed. Went through the alley of Jack the Ripper’s first victim- Polly. Went through a market and got delicious coffee (for me), learned about the area and the people that came together from different cultures and countries to make it what it is today. We saw lots of great street art that we never would have explored without Gregory’s guidance. Teen’s favourite was a giant purple mouse with writing - big mouse is happy (which I never even saw), I enjoyed so much of it that I can’t pinpoint a direct favourite. We ended with a small art gallery showing a display on submarines. Everything was geared towards our interests, when I mentioned liking vintage stuff Gregory brought us into a vintage market. Totally worth both the price and the time (time is more valuable than money!) and we were very tired after an early morning flight but have zero regrets going straight into the tour before we could even check in!!! Highly recommend this tour and Gregory if you value quality content and exploration with a knowledgeable guide.

Fascinating tour of a district of London that we probably never would have visited on our own. Gregory is a very personable, knowledgeable tour guide. He told us about the history of the neighborhood and the many immigrants who have settled there. The street art is the icing on the cake. Gregory knows the artists and their signatures and pointed out many of the distinctive trademarks of these artists. As with many aspects of our London stay, I wish we had more time. There's an amazing craft market and tons of wonderful food. I bought samosas and Turkish Delite to go. Highly recommend this tour and ask for Gregory. He's terrific.

I booked the 'Off the Beaten Track in London: Shoreditch Tour' with Tom as an introduction to East London for my cousin and her two adult daughters who were travelling down from the Midlands for the day. Tom was extremely personable and engaging. He adapted very quickly to the needs and personalities in the groups, finding out where in the Midlands my guests were from, and drawing on his own family history and knowledge of the area to link London's historical and cultural references to those of various Midlands towns and cities. The tour was fast-paced and varied, with Tom weaving together stories about architecture, community, business, art, fashion and music and referencing them to what we saw around us as we toured the area. He showed us lots of places that we want to go back and explore in more depth and was kind enough to take lots of photos for us as a momento of the day. I would thoroughly recommend Tom as a storyteller and guide and have no doubt that all of his tours are as entertaining as this. The only question really is which one to try next......

Thanks Chris and Anthony for a great tour, and for taking the time to speak to us in advance and tailor the tour to meet our expectations and particular requirements. Really friendly and informative, would definitely recommend.

We were disappointed with our experience and ended the tour early. Whilst Anthony was a good host, polite and on time, there was very little content to the activity. He was limited in his knowledge of the areas past and was often repetitive. Activity and social scene on Bricklane doesn't start up until later in the morning and perhaps hampered Anthony's effort, however, he should have had alternative content ready to occupy time and keep our interest. He also needed google maps to direct him around, certainly not the mark of a person who has grown up in the locality. The tour is perhaps best suited to tourists from abroad and is probably better off starting later in the day.