London East London

Most of East London’s culinary offerings are packed into the unbeatable Brick Lane. If you’re looking for curry, you’d have to be blind and smell-challenged not to find it. However, if you want to partake in the Shoreditch scene but can’t handle the pressure of choosing just one curry restaurant, here are a few good alternatives.

Nude Espresso, 26 Hanbury St. (078 0422 3590; www.nudeespresso.com) Most good cafes pride themselves on buying exotic coffee beans, but Nude Espresso takes their gimmick a step further, actually roasting the coffee beans themselves. Serving up some of the best coffee in London, the hip Nude Espresso is a welcome break from the myriad curry restaurants hawking their wares on Brick Ln. With its aluminum cups and stylish interior, Nude Espresso gets the aesthetic right while never forgetting what its clients came for: damn good coffee. Aldgate East. Left onto Whitechapel Rd., left onto Osborn St., continue onto Brick Ln.; left onto Hanbury. Credit card min. £6. Wi-Fi available, but they don't allow plugins. Breakfast and lunch entrees £6-7.50. Espresso £2-2.50. Specialty coffee drinks around £3.60. Open M-F 7:30am-6pm, Sa-Su 10am-6pm. Takes credit cards. No wheelchair access. Has internet.

Cafe 1001, 91 Brick Ln. (020 7247 9679 ;www.cafe1001.co.uk) Under the overhang connecting Cafe 1001 to the Truman Ale factory, hip East Enders bask in the British sun's occasional appearances and share in the good coffee served from the cafe's year-round outdoor cart. Inside the cafe, numerous patrons listen to music from the likes of Caetano Veloso and kick back in the warehouse-like space. At night, the salad bar turns into a real bar, and the back room becomes a venue for up-and-coming bands and DJs, and sometimes it even serves as a classroom for aspiring swing dancers. Basically, this cafe is as close as a cafe comes to being a cultural center. Incidentally, Jack the Ripper killed someone out behind the back room, so prostitutes might want to take their business elsewhere. Bloc Party also filmed their video for "The Prayer" here. "East London is a vampire," as the boys would say. Aldgate East. Left onto Whitechapel Rd., left onto Osborn St., continue onto Brick Ln. Credit card min. £4. F, Sa, and Su are club nights from 7pm-midnight, with DJs playing in the back room. Live bands every T (rock) and W (folk and jazz). Swing dancing classes Th 11am-5pm. Coffee £1.20-1.70 for a small, £.40-£2 for a large. Cover charge £3-5 after midnight. Free Wi-Fi. Open daily 7am-midnight, sometimes no closing F-Su (as in, it stays open continuously). Takes credit cards. No wheelchair access. Has internet.

Beigel Bake, 159 Brick Ln. (020 7729 0616) This sparse-looking bakery may not seem appealing to the casual observer, but once the sweet and heavy perfume of their classic, fresh-made bagels has enveloped you, you'll have a harder time passing it by. Aldgate East. Left on Whitechapel Rd, left on Osborn St., continue onto Brick Ln. Filled bagels £.80-1.50. Open 24hr. Takes credit cards. No wheelchair access.