Apples & Pears Bar on Brick Lane: what to order and when to go

Go on a Thursday, Friday or Saturday evening. Arrive early for a quiet drink, or after 9pm at the weekend if you want DJs. Apples & Pears is at 26 Osborn Street, E1 6TD, behind a graffiti-covered shutter at the Aldgate East end of Brick Lane. That is the southern tip, so it sits a little outside core Shoreditch. The bar's own site calls it an independent cocktail bar.

What it is

Two floors. The ground floor is a lounge bar with a skylight bar as its centrepiece. Downstairs is a late-night basement with a brick-vaulted ceiling. Both floors reach a small courtyard garden, which the bar says is fully heated all year, so it is workable in November. Expect colourful pop art, neon signs on exposed brick and designer lampshades.

The name is Cockney rhyming slang: apples and pears means stairs. Difford’s Guide calls it a Cockney tribute bar. Yelp says it was established in 2009, though that looks like the bar’s own copy, so treat it as reportedly founded then. An older Square Meal review says it steers clear of cor-blimey Cockney shtick.

What to order

The house cocktail is the Apples & Pears, £14 on the bar’s homepage: Moskovskaya vodka, garam masala caramel, pear liqueur, cloudy apple, lemon and Angostura bitters. It is served “straight up from the stairs”, a nod to the name. London Cocktail Week calls it the house classic and enjoys the humour of the menu.

Other drinks that turn up in listings include No Whey Jose, Cococabana, #Fyrefestival and a Raspresso Martini. The bar describes its drinks as colourful and almost tiki-esque. There is also wine, prosecco and draught Asahi. Menus change, so ask at the bar what is on.

There does not appear to be a kitchen. The bar’s own page says you can order wood-fired pizzas to your table, but that page is old, so ask before you count on dinner.

When to go

• Early evening: quiet. One TripAdvisor reviewer in October 2025 was among the only guests early on a Halloween evening, and the room filled gradually.
• Friday and Saturday after 9pm: DJs and a busier room. Another reviewer calls it “buzzy on weekends”. The bar says it plays soul, funk, old-school hip hop and 80s and 90s party classics at weekends.
• Happy hour: a 2020 flyer offered £10 on selected cocktails, including non-alcoholic ones, from 5pm to 8pm (6pm to 8pm on Saturdays). It is an old flyer, so ask if the deal still runs.

Listings disagree on opening hours. Thursday to Saturday evenings are the reliable core, with a 1am finish on Fridays and Saturdays. Check hours before you go. The bar’s site was promoting a DJ and cocktails night on Saturday 5 December. Its older pages describe it as strictly over 21s, so check that too.

On price, Yelp rates it ££. TripAdvisor gives it 4.5 out of 5 from 94 reviews. Reviewers mention well-made drinks, helpful staff and music that does not drown out conversation.

Booking

The official site has a bookings form, and the reservations team answers 10am to 6pm, Monday to Friday. Use it for groups. The bar’s listed capacity is 120. Whether walk-ins are welcome is not clear, so a group should book. Private hire runs from 30 to 130 guests with no hire fee, only a minimum spend. The basement Underground Speakeasy takes up to 60, with its own bar, DJ booth and sound system.

Getting there

Aldgate East is the nearest station, about 250m and a five-minute walk, according to Thatsup and DesignMyNight. London Bridge and Shoreditch stations are about 20 minutes on foot.

For after: Brick Lane Beigel Bake

Walk north up Brick Lane to Brick Lane Beigel Bake, 159 Brick Lane, E1 6SB. It is open 24 hours, seven days a week, and Wikipedia says it was founded in 1974. Order the salt beef beigel. Prices sit in the £ band. Check the walk on a map, as it is a fair stroll up the lane.