You know what caught me off guard about this place? Walking up to Pindoria House on Mintern Street, I was expecting another generic London conversion – but this studio actually has character. The building’s got that solid brick thing going on that makes you feel like you’re staying somewhere with history, not just crashing in someone’s Airbnb afterthought.
The location is honestly brilliant if you know East London at all. You’re literally across from Shoreditch Park, which I mean, sounds fancy but it’s actually this lovely green space where locals walk their dogs and kids mess around on the playground. What’s clever about being here is you get that village-y Hackney feel – there’s a proper community vibe on these residential streets – but you’re still close enough to all the Shoreditch madness when you want it. I walked to Boxpark in about eight minutes, and getting to Old Street station is dead easy. The 55 bus stops right at the corner too, which locals will tell you is worth its weight in gold for getting around without dealing with the Northern line chaos.
Inside, the studio’s been done up thoughtfully – none of that IKEA-catalog sterility you sometimes get. There’s decent natural light (crucial in London, honestly), and whoever designed it actually understands how people live in small spaces. The kitchen area works for more than just reheating takeaway, though let’s be real, with Dishoom and all those Vietnamese places on Kingsland Road nearby, you might not cook much anyway. I appreciated the little touches like proper blackout curtains – seems basic but you’d be surprised how many places get this wrong – and the heating actually works properly, which in a London winter isn’t always guaranteed. One small thing: the shower pressure could be better, but that’s pretty standard for older conversions around here.
What I really liked was how quiet it stays at night. Shoreditch proper can get pretty rowdy on weekends with all the bars and clubs, but this stretch of Mintern Street feels residential enough that you can actually sleep. You’ll hear the occasional bus or someone walking home, but it’s that good London white noise rather than anything disruptive. The park across the way definitely helps – there’s something about having that green buffer that makes the whole area feel more relaxed. During the day you get families and joggers, and there’s this little café on the park’s edge that does surprisingly good coffee if you’re not in the mood for the Starbucks near Hoxton station. Honestly, for the price point and that 8.2 rating, it delivers exactly what it promises – a proper base in one of London’s most interesting neighborhoods without the tourist-trap premium you’d pay closer to central.