Food Review: Apothecary East, London

6th April 2023

By Rachel Ducker

At its home in Shoreditch, Apothecary East is a Japanese Izakaya inspired by the taverns of Tokyo.

With a reputation for fashionable and quirky places to eat and drink, just a few minutes from Old Street station, the venue has been thoughtfully established, serving unique cocktails, snacks and small plates – ideal for those who love to share.

For those unfamiliar, ‘izakaya’ this translates as ‘stay-drink-place’, and is essentially a Japanese version of a pub – but with much better food than some of our olde worlde taverns!

Customers are met with the natural woods and large circular green leather booths, which will impress. It has a relaxed vibe due to its mood lighting, whilst Japanese-style screens, gives guests the choice of where to sit in a relaxed bar area or the dining room.

What we shared…

To start we nibbled on lotus root crisps and edamame beans. Many of the dishes are built around vegetables, with a large range of vegetarian and vegan options, which was ideal for me. I had the vegan platter which included a Tofu Salad, Miso Glazed Aubergine, Smokey Tenderstem Broccoli and Avocado and Cucumber Sushi Rolls. We also order a few extra sides including the vegetable gyoza and some miso soup. Although the menu has minimal dishes the outcome is exquisite flavours and tastes.

The grilled cauliflower with black sesame was a favourite, as was the miso glazed aubergine, plus easy to eat with chopsticks!

A nice aspect of the minimalist cuisine is that you will not leave feeling over full so there was of course room for the yuzu baked cheesecake.

Cocktails…

The menu is full of interesting takes on cocktails including a ‘Zen Garden’ combining Roku gin, green tea and lime cordial, or their take on the famous cosmopolitan; the Maiko – which as they describe is ‘a Sex and the City drink, but bolder, richer and more complex… more of a Samantha’. This features a mix of Absolut vodka, triple sec, beetroot, pomegranate and lime. It was truly moorish!

Things to look out for…

On Friday and Saturday nights there is a live DJ.

A 22-cover private dining room is also available to hire. This comes with its own record player and sound system, where guests can blast out their own vinyl or select from Apothecary’s in-house record library.