Food Scene
The Good Egg Stoke Newington
93 Stoke Newington Church StIt has the best breakfasts/ brunches around
This Japanese restaurant puts modern twists on traditional, home-cooked dishes. The menu boasts all the usual suspects – think melt-in-the-mouth sashimi; piping-hot karage (fried chicken); and succulent charred pork skewers – alongside inventive salads and their own unique sushi roll creations. Interiors-wise, it’s like a Pinterest board come to life, with brushed gold countertops, untreated wooden stools and delicate foliage atop the tables.
69 locals recommend
UCHI
144 Clarence RdThis Japanese restaurant puts modern twists on traditional, home-cooked dishes. The menu boasts all the usual suspects – think melt-in-the-mouth sashimi; piping-hot karage (fried chicken); and succulent charred pork skewers – alongside inventive salads and their own unique sushi roll creations. Interiors-wise, it’s like a Pinterest board come to life, with brushed gold countertops, untreated wooden stools and delicate foliage atop the tables.
its all about the pizza, which Sodo take seriously. All the dough is fermented for 48 hours and then baked at super-hot temperatures so that it’s light and airy with plenty of sourdough tang.
143 locals recommend
Sodo Pizza Clapton
126 Upper Clapton Rdits all about the pizza, which Sodo take seriously. All the dough is fermented for 48 hours and then baked at super-hot temperatures so that it’s light and airy with plenty of sourdough tang.
Serving up dim sum dishes in a fun, informal atmosphere, this dumpling house and sake bar is the first of its kind in Clapton. There are also plenty of veggie-friendly options, and an impressively extensive sake list which can also be enjoyed in the dedicated dive bar downstairs.
115 locals recommend
My Neighbours the Dumplings
165 Lower Clapton RdServing up dim sum dishes in a fun, informal atmosphere, this dumpling house and sake bar is the first of its kind in Clapton. There are also plenty of veggie-friendly options, and an impressively extensive sake list which can also be enjoyed in the dedicated dive bar downstairs.
Another brunch and coffee spot that’s essentially just one big photo-op.
Pancakes are a highlight here, with classic blueberry, bacon and maple for purists; Ribena compote and crème fraiche for the young at heart; and a gluten-free option as well.
9 locals recommend
Café Miami
24 Lower Clapton RdAnother brunch and coffee spot that’s essentially just one big photo-op.
Pancakes are a highlight here, with classic blueberry, bacon and maple for purists; Ribena compote and crème fraiche for the young at heart; and a gluten-free option as well.
Romeo & Giulietta Artisan Gelateria
137 Albion RdHands down the BEST ice ream in London!
This is where you’ll find the best coffee in Clapton, Hackney and even beyond – if you’re a fan of dairy-free milk options, that is, as this café is completely vegan. Lele’s serves breakfast, lunch, afternoon tea and weekend brunch in a cosy light-filled space – think superfood-packed yoghurt pots and salads, hearty full English fry-ups (still vegan, of course), ‘cheesy’ toasties and an array of vegan patisserie delights.
7 locals recommend
Lele's
50 Lower Clapton RdThis is where you’ll find the best coffee in Clapton, Hackney and even beyond – if you’re a fan of dairy-free milk options, that is, as this café is completely vegan. Lele’s serves breakfast, lunch, afternoon tea and weekend brunch in a cosy light-filled space – think superfood-packed yoghurt pots and salads, hearty full English fry-ups (still vegan, of course), ‘cheesy’ toasties and an array of vegan patisserie delights.
Osteria Wolf
110 Stoke Newington High StreetTrendy Local Italian with great brunches
Great Saturday Street food market
2 stops on the over ground from Rectory road to London Fields
1735 locals recommend
Broadway Market
Broadway MarketGreat Saturday Street food market
2 stops on the over ground from Rectory road to London Fields
Vicoli di Napoli Pizzeria
125 Stoke Newington Church StPIZZA!!! and only pizza. but the best one in town.
Delicious and affordable southern Indian vegetarian restaurant.
171 locals recommend
Rasa South Indian Vegetarian Restaurant
55 Stoke Newington Church StDelicious and affordable southern Indian vegetarian restaurant.
Escocesa
67 Stoke Newington Church StLovely Tapas bar with counter seating.
Lardo in Hackney is primarily a pizza place, but also serves some good salads and mains.
205 locals recommend
LARDO
201 Richmond RdLardo in Hackney is primarily a pizza place, but also serves some good salads and mains.
Simple Turkish restaurant with lovely cooked stews, traditional kebabs and meze dishes.
20 locals recommend
Somine
131 Kingsland High StSimple Turkish restaurant with lovely cooked stews, traditional kebabs and meze dishes.
Bake Street
58 Evering Rdgreat local coffee and pastries
Esters
55 Kynaston RdGood coffee and food
Wander
214 Stoke Newington High StDelicious small plate Australian owned restaurant
Parks & Nature
Clissold Park Playground
Church StreetGreat Park, lovely playground for kids, good for jogging
Hampstead Heath
Beats any Central London Park, Massive raw and beautiful
Pavilion Cafe
Old Ford RoadLovely very big park with a GREAT playground
Springfield Park
61 Ashtead RdA Lesser known park, locals favourite
Essentials
Whole Foods Market
63-97 Kensington High StStoke Newington Fruit and Veg
39 Stoke Newington Church Stgreat selection at very reasonable prices
Sainsbury's Local
13 Lower Clapton RdAuthentic Italian Deli , has been around for 30 years run by lovely Italian family
12 locals recommend
Gallo Nero
75 Stoke Newington High StAuthentic Italian Deli , has been around for 30 years run by lovely Italian family
Homerton Hospital (Main Entrance) station
Closest hospital A&E
Shine Holistic
52 Stoke Newington Church StLocal hair dresser
Shine on the Green
20 Newington GrnFor a really good massage - ask for Becky
Morrisons
The GroveValue large supermarket
Getting Around
Over ground to Liverpool street ( 12 min) for Shoreditch and city and many Tube connections to central london. Or 3 stops in the opposite direction change towards seven sisters change to Victoria line towards central london (14 min to oxford circus)
17 locals recommend
Rectory Road station
Evering RoadOver ground to Liverpool street ( 12 min) for Shoreditch and city and many Tube connections to central london. Or 3 stops in the opposite direction change towards seven sisters change to Victoria line towards central london (14 min to oxford circus)
Bus routes towards the City, St Pauls and london bridge
67, 76, 149, 243
Rectory Road Brooke Road (Stop L) station
Rectory RoadBus routes towards the City, St Pauls and london bridge
67, 76, 149, 243
Stoke Newington Common
73 Bus to islington and central london
Geldeston Road (Stop UM) station
Bus 106 to east to lower Clapton Road, Mare Street and Whitechapel
Geldeston Road (Stop UM) station
Bus 106 to east to lower Clapton Road, Mare Street and Whitechapel
Shopping
Church Street has every kind of café, restaurant, gastropub and gourmet grocer you could dream of . It has its own Whole Foods store – as well as a selection of secondhand bookshops, trendy furniture stores, independent fashion boutiques and hipster indie boozers. . There’s a farmer’s market every Saturday, and Clissold Park has plenty of space to spread out with friends or family, on a lazy Saturday afternoon.
232 locals recommend
Stoke Newington Church Street
Stoke Newington Church StreetChurch Street has every kind of café, restaurant, gastropub and gourmet grocer you could dream of . It has its own Whole Foods store – as well as a selection of secondhand bookshops, trendy furniture stores, independent fashion boutiques and hipster indie boozers. . There’s a farmer’s market every Saturday, and Clissold Park has plenty of space to spread out with friends or family, on a lazy Saturday afternoon.
Every Saturday 10-2:30
All organic Local Produce:
Raw milk, butter, cheeses, yogurt, cream, eggs and meat from sustainable family farms
Hand-made breads, cakes and chocolates
Fermented foods, kombucha, pickles and hemp products
Lovely organic veg from Kent, Essex and Cambridgeshire, salad leaves, seasonal fruit and exotic mushrooms
Local producers sell homemade cakes, Turkish pancakes and creole fritters to eat there or take away. Or you can enjoy a mushroom sandwich alongside a latte from the cafe.
51 locals recommend
Growing Communities Farmers Market
Stoke Newington RoadEvery Saturday 10-2:30
All organic Local Produce:
Raw milk, butter, cheeses, yogurt, cream, eggs and meat from sustainable family farms
Hand-made breads, cakes and chocolates
Fermented foods, kombucha, pickles and hemp products
Lovely organic veg from Kent, Essex and Cambridgeshire, salad leaves, seasonal fruit and exotic mushrooms
Local producers sell homemade cakes, Turkish pancakes and creole fritters to eat there or take away. Or you can enjoy a mushroom sandwich alongside a latte from the cafe.
The most beautiful Sunday Market, flower stalls, small boutiques , great coffee, live music
1660 locals recommend
Columbia Road Flower Market
Columbia RoadThe most beautiful Sunday Market, flower stalls, small boutiques , great coffee, live music
Great Sunday market on the Columbia road - Spitalfields Sunday markets route.
825 locals recommend
Brick Lane Sunday Market
Brick LaneGreat Sunday market on the Columbia road - Spitalfields Sunday markets route.
Old Spitalfields Market
16 Commercial StGreat market, best on Sundays
Hub Womenswear
49 Stoke Newington Church StGreat Local boutique.
The designer outlet hub, located on Morning Lane , offers discounts of up to 70 per cent on high-end must-haves from some of the world’s biggest designers including Burberry and Anya Hindmarch.
32 locals recommend
Hackney Walk
103 Morning LnThe designer outlet hub, located on Morning Lane , offers discounts of up to 70 per cent on high-end must-haves from some of the world’s biggest designers including Burberry and Anya Hindmarch.
Westfield Stratford City
157 Montfichet Rdhuge shopping mall
Drinks & Nightlife
Great Cocktails in an art deco atmosphere, live music and dancing at the basement - excellent night out
18 locals recommend
Fontaine's Bar
176 Stoke Newington RdGreat Cocktails in an art deco atmosphere, live music and dancing at the basement - excellent night out
Great local pub, amazing beer selection and great for Sunday lunch with a nice courtyard at the back
21 locals recommend
The Axe
18 Northwold RdGreat local pub, amazing beer selection and great for Sunday lunch with a nice courtyard at the back
This is one of those rare London pubs that feels like it’s been picked up from the countryside and air-dropped down in the capital. Yes, there are the local craft beers and ubiquitous sharing plates, but the menu is unpretentious – think cider-glazed ribs, Cornish mackerel with smoky grilled veg and a seriously decent Bloody Mary. Inside is sleek thanks to the 1950s wood-panelled walls, but with plenty of rustic touches. Then, there’s the huge rear garden – stretches of decking and grass with a ping pong table, blue-and-white striped booths and a number of seaside-style deck chairs. Needless to say, it gets packed in summer.
107 locals recommend
The Crooked Billet
84 Upper Clapton RdThis is one of those rare London pubs that feels like it’s been picked up from the countryside and air-dropped down in the capital. Yes, there are the local craft beers and ubiquitous sharing plates, but the menu is unpretentious – think cider-glazed ribs, Cornish mackerel with smoky grilled veg and a seriously decent Bloody Mary. Inside is sleek thanks to the 1950s wood-panelled walls, but with plenty of rustic touches. Then, there’s the huge rear garden – stretches of decking and grass with a ping pong table, blue-and-white striped booths and a number of seaside-style deck chairs. Needless to say, it gets packed in summer.
Original Sin
129 Stoke Newington High StNice little underground cocktail bar with a pool table
This large, open space, which opened in 2008 and is tucked away down a side street behind Kingsland High Street, provides a fine home for a wide range of experimental music – including free improv – that exists well outside the mainstream. There's a strong emphasis on the more out-there of underground Japanese artists, but you can expect to encounter everything from Norwegian improv/free jazz/psych-rock power trio Bushmen's Revenge to a talk by minimalist composer Terry Riley.
203 locals recommend
Cafe OTO
18-22 Ashwin StreetThis large, open space, which opened in 2008 and is tucked away down a side street behind Kingsland High Street, provides a fine home for a wide range of experimental music – including free improv – that exists well outside the mainstream. There's a strong emphasis on the more out-there of underground Japanese artists, but you can expect to encounter everything from Norwegian improv/free jazz/psych-rock power trio Bushmen's Revenge to a talk by minimalist composer Terry Riley.
Drawing on a Nordic aesthetic, top quality food and drinks are served alongside an exciting music programme in a unique space of a redeveloped railway station.
148 locals recommend
Oslo Hackney
1A Amhurst RdDrawing on a Nordic aesthetic, top quality food and drinks are served alongside an exciting music programme in a unique space of a redeveloped railway station.
The Hand of Glory is a pub, food and music venue from JaguarShoes Collective sited at the original Amhurst Arms in Hackney Downs.
37 locals recommend
Hand of Glory
240 Amhurst RdThe Hand of Glory is a pub, food and music venue from JaguarShoes Collective sited at the original Amhurst Arms in Hackney Downs.
Birthdays in Dalston is a basement bar and music venue that's built up a reputation for hosting the hottest up-and-coming DJs and live bands
74 locals recommend
Birthdays
33-35 Stoke Newington RoadBirthdays in Dalston is a basement bar and music venue that's built up a reputation for hosting the hottest up-and-coming DJs and live bands
Bustling pub/restaurant and art gallery, with live music, DJs and a huge waterside terrace.
90 locals recommend
Number 90 - Bar & Restaurant
94 Wallis RdBustling pub/restaurant and art gallery, with live music, DJs and a huge waterside terrace.
Left through some doors and down the stairs of The Three Crowns pub resides intimate Stoke Newington live music venue and nightclub The Waiting Room
13 locals recommend
The Waiting Room
175 Stoke Newington High StLeft through some doors and down the stairs of The Three Crowns pub resides intimate Stoke Newington live music venue and nightclub The Waiting Room
Rolling Stock is a flourishing arts destination taking pride of place on Kingsland Road. Complete with a bar, kitchen, beer garden and a buzzing underground dance space, it’s a thriving hotspot for all manner of East London creatives.
7 locals recommend
Rolling Stock London
48 Kingsland RdRolling Stock is a flourishing arts destination taking pride of place on Kingsland Road. Complete with a bar, kitchen, beer garden and a buzzing underground dance space, it’s a thriving hotspot for all manner of East London creatives.
The Royal Sovereign is a genuine old school boozer, located between Clapton and Stoke Newington. As well as a decent pint - from a good selection of real ale, cider and lager - it also hosts regular live music nights and DJs. The freshly made stone-baked pizzas are great and there is a large back garden to enjoy in the summertime. Plus it's got its own darts and cricket team, helping to promote the pub's friendly and community focused atmosphere
9 locals recommend
The Royal Sovereign
64 Northwold RoadThe Royal Sovereign is a genuine old school boozer, located between Clapton and Stoke Newington. As well as a decent pint - from a good selection of real ale, cider and lager - it also hosts regular live music nights and DJs. The freshly made stone-baked pizzas are great and there is a large back garden to enjoy in the summertime. Plus it's got its own darts and cricket team, helping to promote the pub's friendly and community focused atmosphere
Arts & Culture
Just a stone’s throw from the bottom of Brick Lane you can find East London’s largest single devotion to contemporary art. The gallery is known for hosting ground breaking thematic exhibitions .
If you get lost, just remember that gallery is instantly recognisable by the permanent Cornelia Parker sculpture that adorns the building’s façade. It takes the form of hundreds of golden leaves.
589 locals recommend
Whitechapel Gallery
77-82 Whitechapel High StJust a stone’s throw from the bottom of Brick Lane you can find East London’s largest single devotion to contemporary art. The gallery is known for hosting ground breaking thematic exhibitions .
If you get lost, just remember that gallery is instantly recognisable by the permanent Cornelia Parker sculpture that adorns the building’s façade. It takes the form of hundreds of golden leaves.
Sadlers Wells Theatre (Stop UB) station
Contemporary Dance performances
From humble beginnings, Space has stepped up to the world stage, with work produced within its studios exhibited at international arts fairs, London's Tate and Serpentine galleries, and the Fourth Plinth.
7 locals recommend
SPACE
131 Mare StFrom humble beginnings, Space has stepped up to the world stage, with work produced within its studios exhibited at international arts fairs, London's Tate and Serpentine galleries, and the Fourth Plinth.
A commercial gallery in Hoxton featuring the work of established and emerging contemporary artists from the USA, Europe and Asia.
95 locals recommend
Victoria Miro Gallery
16 Wharf RdA commercial gallery in Hoxton featuring the work of established and emerging contemporary artists from the USA, Europe and Asia.
Well Hung is a Hoxton-based art gallery and framing business which hosts regular exhibitions with a focus on urban and street art.
Well Hung
239 Hoxton StWell Hung is a Hoxton-based art gallery and framing business which hosts regular exhibitions with a focus on urban and street art.
Hang-Up is a contemporary art gallery in Stoke Newington with a dynamic programme of contemporary and urban art by a roster of exciting artists and makers
7 locals recommend
Hang-Up Gallery
10D Branch PlaceHang-Up is a contemporary art gallery in Stoke Newington with a dynamic programme of contemporary and urban art by a roster of exciting artists and makers
This Dalston theatre has been a pioneering force in both drama and sustainable technology since it was founded in 2000, and has developed a reputation for creative excellence and social conscience
199 locals recommend
Arcola Bar
24 Ashwin StThis Dalston theatre has been a pioneering force in both drama and sustainable technology since it was founded in 2000, and has developed a reputation for creative excellence and social conscience