I had a great time during my stay here. I instantly found the people here to be much friendlier than at my other hostels I've stayed in. I found that the employees also hang out near by as some also are live ins. The only problem I found was it was incredibly dusty, dust bunnies everywhere! fortunately I had a top bunk. The water was freezing most of the time to shower, particularly in the morning, so you might want to time it out mid day if possible, tip from a backpacker hostel life traveler room mate. I stayed in a chill coed room for 3 nights where I found to be partially full. It's really a luck of the draw who you might get to sleep next to if they snore or so, fortunately I only had one night of loud snoring and it was reasonable with the free earbuds they offer at the lobby. The lobby and quad areas are super chill like ideal to mingle and meet people to hang with. It was like staying in a camp / college dorm type experience I guess. I found the location to be ideal, easy access to public transportation and underground. I walked / bussed most of the places I went such as Box Park, Brick Lane, Leadenhall Market, etc. I particularly loved all the street art. There's also a 24/7 market I found convenient to purchase groceries from, which I left in the fridge. The kitchen is neat, small, but everyone seemed to be respectful in not eating anyone else's food unless they put in the Share Shelf if left behind by other travelers. Some people also used the kitchen pots and pans to make their meals. There's breakfast offered, decent eggs, toast, oatmeal, juices, coffee. Had I known I probably would've stayed here longer, i would totally stay here again. read more

This place was disgusting. I'm surprised they can pass health code. The 16- person dorm we were in had no windows and no ventilation, with two attached bathrooms. It was humid and smelled strongly of sweat, mildew, and beer. The trashcan was piled over feeling when I checked in, and was still like that when we came back to the room at 8 PM. We attached a fan to probably in the door with to try and air out the room for three hours, which helped a little bit but only for a short time. Most disturbingly, the room where they keep valuables in bags is left open, unlocked, and on my end at all times. I asked if I could leave my new MacBook air in my backpack there, they gave me a number for it and gave me an other number tab. But when I came back the door was open and people are just grabbing their own bags, this is easy to do since the bag room is not behind the desk, it's beside the (super super grimy) area where people hang out. I thought maybe it was just a temporary thing, but it was like this for two days straight. We decided to leave three days early, and split a hotel. They did give us our money back on some of those days, to be fair. They also emptied the bins when I asked, and were nice about it (the staff were great in general). But I have stayed in hostels in India, and all over Europe, this was one of the worst I've ever seen, and definitely the worst in Europe. They seemingly put very little money back into the hostel itself. It's also really loud with yelling throughout the night, but that's because it's in a party area and not the fault of the hostel. We are all confused as to how to get such good reviews, it's just gross, and unsafe, and I'd not recommend it. read more

Stayed here with 12 friends in a 12 dorm room. For £27 per night the standard was very good. The room was clean and well presented. It was a bit basic but it is a hostel after all. The bathroom (private to the dorm) was also well kept having only been open for a year. If they can maintain the standards then I would certainly stay again. Breakfast was included in the price but I had to dash so have no idea how good/bad it was. read more

I know it is a tad late to review this hostel but I love this hostel. It had a very laid back atmosphere and it is close by to many modes of transport to get around. It also is in a very cool part of town where they are bars, restaurants, and clubs to get around as well. Plus it is quite affordable to stay here however I will have like it they created activities to bring people together to socialize and it was quite difficult to find people to talk to since they were hardly in the room but it is all good. I will not mind staying here again and I love the neighborhood a lot!!! read more

I live in London, so don't normally review hotels or hostels here...but this place is brilliant! One of my friends booked a room for 16 of us (so we could all stay together for some hen night giggles.) It really was a good place to stay! It is cheap and happy with no frills. I love: - They serve bagels from old street in the morning (you have to toast them yourself, and then wash up afterwards...but that's okay) - If you forget a towel, you can buy one at reception for a fiver - There is a large room where you can chill with your friends - They squish lots of beds into each room, but they have weird huge cages that fit under the beds so you can store all your "stuff" there I love less: - The water pressure is rubbish! We didn't have any water in our showers for about an hour in the morning, and then the temperature kept changing from hot to freezing. I told the lady in reception and she just said that happens when too many people have showers all at once. Therefore my pro-tip is have a shower at night, or really early in the morning before everyone wakes up!! read more

TLDR: this cheap hostel could work for you if you don't mind noise, dirt, and feeling like an inconvenience for asking people to do their job. Pros * relatively inexpensive for the area * interesting neighborhood to stay in * Bus stop right out front; 10 minute walk from tub stop * good wifi Cons * very dirty throughout the building and poorly maintained, for example bathroom lights didn't work and paper towels holders were constantly empty * very cramped space, including the rooms, bathrooms, and kitchen / dining area * Very loud, especially on weekend nights when you can hear music and bass until 4 am from the club in the same building. Even when this was not the case, the creaking in the old building when someone walked by was loud enough to awaken me * only drinkable water was in the kitchen, which was supposed to be open from 6:00 to 23:00 but was closed for cleaning at some unspecified points, when even asking to fill up a water bottle resulted in clear annoyance * Some staff members were friendly and helpful but many were rude and seemed annoyed to be asked to do their job. Presumably some of this is due to poor management. For example, after checking in, we found our room had not yet been cleaned because the staff member hadn't had his break yet; we had to wait an hour and then were still missing a duvet. Similarly the next morning we went down to breakfast to find they had changed the hours without telling us (signs went up a day or two later) so were unable to eat or use the kitchen. read more

Awesome hostel. Has a friendly atmosphere and is really cool in design (our dorm had a swing!). The staff were extra helpful to us organising a hen do, holding the room for us until we could confirm numbers and organising bits for us. They really had the personal touch which non of the other London hostels cared to offer (and we enquired with them all!) Bar next door is great too (Translate). Again awesome staff and super fun. Plus you get discounts. Only areas for improvement: Water pressure Strong wifi throughout hostel (free would be good too although it's only £1) Shelves and individual lights for each bunk read more

great service! robert is a good guy and helped me find cool spots in the area. i love the staff and will be staying again. shoutout robert!!! read more

An amazing hostel staffed by amazing people! Everyone was really nice, laid back and super accommodating. Has everything you'd need from a hostel. We were in a room of 8 with five others the room facing the road, and being located in very cool shoreditch that means the street gets LOUD. Definitely a spot for people staying out late and sleeping in. read more

A great cheap hostel with connecting coffee shop and bar. They even have umbrellas for those who need. They're good with keeping the food out of dorms and available to pop in at odd times. read more

The dictionary hostel was a decent place to stay, nothing more, nothing less. A buddy and I were in London for the weekend and chose this hostel due to the reasonable price and location. Although the building was quite old. the place had clean beds, showers and bathrooms and friendly staff. This hostel is great if you're looking to experience a vibrant night life due to its central location within Shoreditch. Lastly, it is relatively close to all the major sights such as Big Ben, Buckingham Palace ect... Which are all accessible with a 25-30 minute tube ride. read more

I came in at four in the mornin and they were happy to accommodate me! The beds are cool and the place is clean: exactly what you need!!

Nice location... but dirty smelly rooms with poor ventilation, tiny showers that need maintenance, unfriendly staff (particularly a petite young female that wears glasses) and the reception smells like food. Spend some more money and stay at an Airbnb or the wombats hotel. There's also not an elevator in the building and some of the rooms are really hard to get to, so definitely not recommended if you're traveling with a suitcase that's over 15 kg. Not recommended at all read more

I had the best experience at the dictionary hostel! I'll start with the room. I was in an all female dorm room located on the 2nd floor. The room, bed and bathroom were all super clean. The beds aren't the most comfortable, but you're staying in a hostel so you can't expect the quality of a ritz. The beds have cages underneath for lockable luggage storage, which is nice. The only downside to this room is that all of the outlets are located in one corner, and there are only 4 for an 8 bed dorm. That wasn't a huge deal though, we all took turns and it was fine. Like it says on the website, this is not a hostel for people who want to turn in at 8pm. This is a "party hostel" and it is located in between (and on top of) 2 bars. Thus, it gets very loud at night with the music downstairs. My room (S) was located right on top of the Translate bar below. We could hear the music and people until 3am. This wasn't a problem for me (or any of the girls in my room, really) because I was one of the people staying out until 3am, too. If you can't beat em, join em ;) The staff was super friendly and helpful. The breakfast was good and is served from 8am-10am downstairs. All in all I had a wonderful experience there and when I'm in London again I will definitely be staying at the Dictionary Hostel!! read more

Friendly staff, great bar and kitchen, you'll meet so many awesome people and it's in the middle of a happening spot in northeast London. Would definitely recommend! read more

My first hostel, and it was pretty good experience. You can rent a padlock or towel (They also offer hairdryers or umbrellas, but I forget if you have to pay to use those). The padlock is used for the cage under the bed that holds your stuff, and when I was reading reviews to get a sense of the hostel, I didn't know how big those cages would be, but it was big enough to hold my suitcase. It was three flights of stairs to my room. The hostel also offers a walking tour and a pub crawl though I didn't do any of those. Ten minute walk to the nearest tube station or wait for the no.55 or 243 around the corner (which I wish I could tell myself when I began this trip; if you're walking all day, just use the bus to and from the tube so you're not so tired on your feet). There are many convenience stores nearby so you can get the usual necessities. I showered early and there was totally enough hot water for me. There's earplugs if your roommates snore, which is a pretty good chance they will. Tons of nightlife on the same street; so just be aware if you're not going out at night and you want to get some shuteye. The bed was pretty comfy and clean. Hotel staff were very friendly and helpful with directions. Wifi is a little slow at time when everyone is awake and using it, but it's much better at night as everyone is out partying. You can also pay a pound for better wifi. Free breakfast! read more