The best of Clapton and Hackney Downs
This east London pocket stretches from Upper to Lower Clapton Road, with Chatsworth Road at its heart. Clapton is quietly sophisticated, lined with brilliant restaurants, delis, natural-wine bars, independent stores and historic buildings repurposed as contemporary arts venues. But it also has a serene airiness to it, provided by a wealth of parks – including Hackney Downs – and fauna-filled nature reserves, such as the Lea River banks and the expanses of Hackney Marshes on its eastern fringes. The slightly scattershot public transport options actually works in the area’s favour – those happy to explore will discover a vibrant, established community that maintains the allure of a hidden gem.
SEE
1. Castle Cinema
This charming independent cinema on Brooksby’s Walk has a tumultuous history. Opened in 1913 as the Castle Electric Theatre, it shut in 1958 before reopening and becoming ever-more dilapidated as a bingo hall, warehouse and snooker club. In 2016, the grandiose space – all pillowy seating, proscenium arches and ersatz Grecian plaster details – was Kickstarted back to cinematic life by the team behind Eat17. Now it shows classics and contemporary arthouse films, as well as running 16mm specials and dementia-friendly screenings. There’s also an Art Deco bar and restaurant for all-day coffee and pre-film beverages.
2. Guts Gallery
A stark 1,500sq ft warehouse next to Hackney Downs station is now home to one London’s most forward-thinking galleries. Founded by Ellie Pennick, Guts rails against the ableism, class bias and racial discrimination that’s long shaped the conventional world of commercial art. Ellie has refashioned the gallery as a safe space for under-represented and marginalised artists, which it ‘champions’, rather than represents. The work exhibited is as provocative and radical as its manifesto.
3. Round Chapel
Opened in 1871 and lauded by architectural historian Nikolaus Pevsner, the Grade II*-listed Round Chapel is a nonconformist delight and one of Hackney’s most resplendent buildings. Along with its circular form, the internal iron pillars were once considered scandalous – more appropriate for a music venue than places of worship. Perhaps that’s why it’s so good as a space for film, music and fashion shoots, gigs and other cultural events.
EAT
4. Lucky and Joy
The Chinese-inspired dishes are as bright as the neon-pink interiors at Lucky and Joy. Ellen Parr and Pete Kelly’s former pop-up was inspired by both NYC’s Chinatown dives and the founders’ own South-East Asian ambles. Think cumin lamb burgers or black-pepper mapo tofu bánh mì at lunch, segueing into dinnertime plates of pickled peanuts, pineapple fried rice, and green beans with minced pork and smoked cod’s roe XO. A short and sweet list of natural wines and inventive cocktails rounds things off.
5. Men
Men is a beautifully designed Japanese noodle bar on Chatsworth Road. Just like its interiors, the menu is minimalist. Expect a precise list of simple variations on ramen, skinny buckwheat soba and udon noodles, as well as rice bowls and ancillary sides of karaage chicken, prawn tempura and pickles. Even more ascetic is the context in which you’ll eat: either standing or as takeaway.
6. Casey’s
Catch-all bakeries with a sideline in groceries are ubiquitous post-Covid. But Casey’s – a slatey-blue shop around the corner from Palm2 (see below). The sourdough is marvellous; the cardamom buns are spoken of in reverent tones; and other provisions, from take-home coffee beans and Northiam Dairy milk to Japanese condiments, Leytonstone-made spelt pasta and other storecupboard essentials, are genuinely well-curated. The take-out sandwiches – cheese toasties with homemade kraut, say, or poached-egg buns with sorrel mayo and parmesan – are also next level.
7. My Neighbours the Dumplings
Chinatown’s parallel axes of Gerrard and Lisle Street might be London’s dumpling Mecca, but this family-run joint is a strong contender for one of the city’s finest. It’s all clattering conviviality, with dumplings (pearlescent prawn har gau or crispy pork and Kaffir lime potstickers), cold plates of mock tea-leaf salad, hot ones of fried turnip cake, and rhubarb jin doi rice balls to end. The drinks are similarly considered, with Hitachino beers and an excellent sake selection. (And yes, it’s named after the Studio Ghibli classic.)
SHOP
8. Palm2
Local institutions are rarely as cherished as this sprawling grocer, set just across from Clapton Pond. It’s a perfect amalgam of a classic corner shop, Whole Foods proxy and delicatessen, with every crisp-derivative snack imaginable, freshly cooked lunches, decent coffee, cheese, charcuterie and a plentiful selection of wine. It has legendary status for a reason.
9. Spazio Leone
Spazio Leone is a specialist design store and gallery within Hackney Downs Studios, exhibiting abstract art, artistic furniture and outré lighting. The brainchild of Neapolitan emigré Gennaro Leone, its celebrated for the array of cult Italian pieces for which its founder has a particular penchant. Book an appointment by email or via Instagram to visit the showroom for a browse, shop or to hire something from the assortment of offbeat designs.
10. L' Epicerie 56
This Chatsworth Road deliis a rustic Gallic counterpoint to Casey’s more millennial vibe. Baguettes, loaves and viennoiserie are baked in-house, and the selection of artisan fromage is sourced from established French cheese makers. There’s rosette de Lyon salami and Bayonne ham in the fridge, organic Rocca Maura wines in pour-your-own barrels, colourfully foiled seasonal sweets, and burnished little quiches and sausage rolls to take away at lunchtime. Magnifique.
11. Pages of Hackney
When it comes to neighbourhood bookshops, Clapton has a jewel in Pages of Hackney. The ground floor is crammed with new tomes – leaning towards fiction, feminism, essays and politics, with a helping of nature, children’s books and psychology – while downstairs houses Fields, a brilliant second-hand concession run by crime-lit specialist Patrick Mills. Neat touches include literary events, a monthly paperback subscription service, and a ‘Pay It Forward’ scheme, giving patrons the chance to donate cash to alleviate the cost of books for low-income customers.
12. Chase & Sorensen
This 20th-century Scandi homeware store on Dalston Lane was born out of the founders’ obsession with good ergonomics and faultless design. The pieces are part vintage, part contemporary: the former is stocked by regular drops of classic furniture, lighting and artworks; the latter comprises more colourful decorative prints, candles, textiles and ceramics from young makers and studios.
DO
13. Hackney Marshes and the River Lea
A 40-mile waterway running from the Chiltern Hills to Bow Creek on the Thames, the River Lea’s London stretch is most scenic between Walthamstow’s reservoirs and the Olympic Park – particularly around Hackney Marshes. Heading south from Lea Bridge means you’ll pass the Middlesex filter beds and waterworks reserve – both havens for wildlife, the latter with one of London’s largest bird hides – before passing the marshes’ 80 football pitches, tranquil Wick Woodland and the landscaped pathways of the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park, dominated by the London Stadium and Anish Kapoor’s divisive ArcelorMittal Orbit tower.
14. Chatsworth Market
Chatsworth Road’s market had a hefty 200 stands when it began in the 1930s. The post-war years saw it enter the doldrums and, in 1990, cease completely. But a spirited relaunch in 2011 has seen it become a bustling focal point for the community. The market may be compact, but between the hours of 11am and 4pm on a Sunday, it’s an excellent place to wander. Among plenty of plant stalls are many dedicated to produce and street food. The Green Egg’s pan-Asian soul food and the vegan Ethiopian Fikre Kitchen are particularly enjoyable.
15. Hackney Downs
One of the borough’s key green spaces, Hackney Downs has more to it than just a good parkside pub and an array of sports facilities. Firstly, it’s home to some lovely tiled artworks, installed by the addiction-tackling Hackney Mosaic Project. Spot the hyper-detailed, Roman-inspired display of exotic animals in the children’s playground pavilion and the Wes Anderson-esque portraits of the Hounds of Hackney Downs. Secondly, the park is a dendrophile’s dream, brimming with different species of chestnut, birch, oak, conifer, fruit and flowering trees, a handy map of which was drawn up by local volunteersTree Musketeers.
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