Rising above the Olympic Park and with Westfield Stratford and Stratford International Station just steps away, The Stratford, Autograph Collection, is a confident player in East London’s growing cultural and hospitality scene. Equal parts statement hotel and functional base, it balances urban convenience with polished design and an increasingly ambitious food offering.
The Stratford, located for convenience
Located five minutes from the main Stratford transport hub, The Stratford is ideally positioned for guests looking to explore both the city and the newer draws of East London. With Stratford International station just next door and fast connections via the DLR, Jubilee, and Central lines, it’s exceptionally well connected, yet it also sits on the quieter edge of the Westfield complex, avoiding the congestion and foot traffic that can crowd the area.
Check-in was smooth and friendly. Viyan at the front desk made a warm and professional first impression, welcoming us into a hotel that blends New York loft-inspired grandeur with Scandinavian clarity. The triple-height lobby sets the tone: clean lines, vast glass panes, and sculptural furniture softened by real plants and tactile finishes. There’s a clear narrative here of regeneration, growth, and grounded elegance and it runs subtly throughout the property.
Accommodation at The Stratford
Our Deluxe King Room offered a calming palette of greys, solid furniture with a satisfying weight, and thoughtfully integrated details. A living-sitting area provided comfort beyond the bed, with a large desk and soft lighting. Real plants added a touch of life without clutter and there was a little npte inviting us to plant seeds on the property or take some home. The king bed offered exceptional comfort, and the sleek bathroom came with a generous shower, soft robes, fluffy towels and slippers.
Everything had been placed with function in mind, while the addition of international cable channels and plug-in options ensured the room worked for longer stays as well as overnight visits. There’s even an option to take a piece of the place home. Plants in the lobby are for sale, tying into the hotel’s quiet theme of planting roots in a fast-changing district.
Guests can make use of a 24-hour gym, grab breakfast and enjoy free high-speed internet throughout the property. There are also dining options at the Kitchen E20 restaurant and Lounge in the lobby area, as well as the Kokin destination restaurant, where we were lucky enough to dine.
Dining at Kokin
The standout experience of the stay was dinner at Kokin, The Stratford’s new Japanese restaurant led by Chef Daisuke Shimoyama. With a background that includes Michelin-starred kitchens in Tokyo and London, Chef Shimoyama brings serious pedigree, but Kokin is no stuffy fine-dining room. Instead, it’s warm, naturally influenced, and elemental, where much of the food is kissed by open flame and presented with a precise theatricality.
Service throughout the night was excellent. Sota, our waiter, was knowledgeable, attentive, and genuine in his enthusiasm. Zoe, the restaurant manager, ran the floor with poise, creating a space that felt relaxed and welcoming even as ambitious plates landed at each table.
The meal began with a beautifully arranged collection of small bites, served on a bed of summer foliage. Each item was sculptural, delicate, and seasonally tuned. The chawanmushi in a porcelain bowl – a steamed savoury egg custard infused with wood-fired anago eel – was silky and subtly smoky. An oyster presented in its shell was layered with an apple-smoked celeriac purée and crowned with a shimmering nabansu jelly, a combination of brine and earth that dissolved gently on the tongue. A skewer of grilled tuna came beside an egg yolk curry sauce that was rich and unexpected, while a small glass dish held a smooth tofu cream topped with chopped langoustine, bringing a briny sweetness against the neutral base. There was also saba sushi: three pieces of vinegared, gently smoked mackerel that balanced salt, sour and umami beautifully.
We paired the meal with a 2023 Grüner Veltliner from Loimer, a wine with enough minerality and acidity to hold its own against the smoky, layered dishes.
Next came a selection of seafood that felt like a study in texture and purity. A piece of sea bream flaked with the touch of a fork, and the chutoro – medium fatty tuna – was velvety and rich without heaviness. Having opted to skip the chutoro, my own red prawn was a highlight: sweet and translucent, its deep-fried head served alongside in crunchy, tempura form. There was also a piece of cuttlefish so tender and creamy it blurred the line between solid and liquid in the mouth. I’ve never put anything like that in my mouth and I’d happily go back to The Stratford just for this mouthful.
From here, the menu grew heartier and bolder. The wood-fire grilled tuna collar was a revelation. Taken from Portuguese wild bluefin, it had the fatty depth of short rib beef but with all the oceanic intensity of the fish. Charred at the edges and finished with an aged ponzu sauce, it was tender, umami-rich, and unforgettable.
The wagyu beef that followed was equally indulgent. Cooked over charcoal, its texture was flawless, melting, luscious… but for me, the smoke overtook the subtler marbling of the meat. While others might savour the drama of its intensity, I found it edged too far into the dominant flavour profile.
The final savoury dish was an interactive experiment: a DIY hand-roll course called ‘Temae Sushi’. It arrived as a bowl of warm, smoked sushi rice alongside slices of tuna and glistening orange pearls of ikura salmon roe. Sheets of crisp nori were provided for wrapping. While charming in theory, the reality was messy and not particularly rewarding unless you happen to be trained in sushi assembly.
Dessert brought yet another twist – wood-fired ice cream with fermented raspberries. The texture was lovely, and the tang of the berries added interest, but again the smoke dominated. For me, it pushed the flavour too close to the grilled wagyu and disrupted the sweet, creamy balance. A polarising end to an otherwise remarkable meal.
Summing up The Stratford
The Stratford is far more than a place to crash between trains and shopping trips. It’s an elegant, well-designed hotel that embraces East London’s energy while offering a calm, grown-up retreat from it. The interiors suggest quiet luxury rather than trend-chasing, and the presence of a restaurant like Kokin only raises its standing. Some dishes may challenge more traditional palates (not everyone likes eel!) but the quality and imagination on display are impossible to ignore.
For travellers seeking both access and atmosphere, and for locals wanting to experience what Stratford might become, this is a stay that makes a statement.
The Stratford, Autograph Collection
20 International Way
Olympic Park
Stratford City E20 1FD
United Kingdom
