Our tour of Hackney – from Broadway Market to Victoria Park
Hackney, land of all that is happening, stretches from community-centric Clapton in the north to the beating heart of Shoreditch at its southern tip; from the late nights of Dalston in the west to vibrant Hackney Wick in the east. Contained within its boundaries are also Stoke Newington, lovingly known as ‘Stokey’ by its residents, the many happenings of Haggerston and Hoxton and the weekend hub of London Fields.
The borough has become one of the most popular places to buy a home in London, seeing a boom as yet unrivalled anywhere else in the capital. And it makes sense: good schools; more than 50 parks; everything from neighbourhood cafés and wine bars to Michelin-starred boundary pushers. If you live and work here, you’ll likely never need (or want) to leave. The choice of homes is rich and varied: Victorian terraces, spacious Georgian villas and cleverly converted schools, factories and mews houses.
SEE
1. Broadway Market
Sundays at Broadway Market are the holy grail of east London among locals and in-the-know tourists alike. The vibe is dressed-down-but-with-Prada; there are a lot of pampered pooches. The food stalls (Saturdays only) are varied, ranging from scallop and bacon rolls from Fin and Flounder (who also run a fishmonger on the street, plus the recently opened market stall Bar Flounder around the corner in Netil Market), to Sporeboys’ mushroom risotto.
The shops are certainly worth browsing. Head to Donlon Books for all manner of extraordinary books, rare photography tomes and independent magazines specialising in art, architecture and counterculture. There’s also Bambrows, a hybrid shop-meets-beauty space where you can discover independent brands, get your brows shaped, ears pierced or face brightened with an express facial.
2. Hackney Town Hall
The 1930s Hackney Town Hall is part of the furniture on Mare Street, one of the main arteries of the borough. The symmetrical Portland stone façade, with its arched windows and art deco clock, sits above a big square punctuated by palm trees. If you’re in the area on a Saturday, you’ll often see wedding parties descending the stairs in a flurry of confetti.
3. Rio Cinema
Another piece of history, on another of Hackney’s main thoroughfares (this time, Kingsland Road). Rio is one of London’s first cinemas, converted in 1915 from an auctioneer’s shop. In 1937, architect F.E Bromige – known for his designs of several notable cinemas in north London – refurbished the building, and in 1997 its colourful art deco interior was restored. Its curved exterior, with its backlit lettering, looks more 1950s LA than modern-day Dalston. The programme usually includes one main film each week – from blockbuster hits to arthouse releases.
4. Wilton Way
A microcosm of Hackney on a quiet, residential street near Hackney Central and London Fields. Violet Cakes is where baker Claire Ptak (she of 2018’s Royal Wedding cake fame) whips up organic and seasonally inspired confections, which can be ordered ahead for special occasions, or enjoyed here at her café. You’ll find everything from lilac buttercream-iced chocolate cakes adorned with French violets, to whoopie pies, cinnamon buns and pink-tipped madeleines. Still hungry? There’s also Pidgin, the tiny, Michelin-starred British restaurant that has a weekly changing menu. So much so, that no dish is ever repeated.
For shopping, don’t miss Momosan, a carefully curated selection of objects made by independent craftspeople – from colourful jugs by Jochen Holz to sculptural candles by Ann Vincent, plus plenty more: socks, jewellery, quilts and baby clothes. Finally, swing by Wilton Way Deli for fresh pasta, Genovese pesto and wine to take home.
EAT
5. Bright
From the team behind Clapton organic wine bar P.Franco comes Bright – and the frequently changing menu is just that: bright, clever and joyous. Must-tries include the deep-fried skate wings topped with anchovies, the mix-it-yourself beef tartare, the chocolate and honeycomb tart and the famous deep-fried lasagne. The wine list, like that of its sibling, is low-intervention.
6. Hill & Szrok
By day, a family-run butcher who focuses on small-herd and sustainable farming, with a head-to-tail approach boldly illustrated by the whole carcasses hung in the windows under the blue awning. By night, a restaurant with a simple menu of whatever meat you fancy: pork chops, a T-bone steak, lamb rump or chicken supreme, all served in the white marble-and-tiled space. Starters might include Cantabrian anchovies and fried pig’s head; while sides let the meat do the talking – mustardy dressed greens or grilled hispi cabbage with beef fat and burnt apple.
7. Lardo
Lardo is the sort of Italian neighbourhood restaurant everyone needs when you just don’t want to cook. Here, pizzas are top-drawer, pastas are homemade, cocktails are familiar – Negronis, Margaritas, Martinis – and the vibe reassuringly industrial.
8. Mangal II
East London has a longstanding, vibrant Turkish community – and nowhere can this be tasted better than at Mangal II in Dalston. The restaurant, which has been in operation since 1994, is an institution in the area (artists Gilbert & George famously dined at the restaurant nearly every day for two decades) turning out the city’s best shish and doner kebabs, sweetbreads and more. The pides and onion salad are unmissable too.
9. Cornerstone
The first Michelin star to grace Hackney Wick thanks to Tom Brown, who cut his teeth under Nathan Outlaw – so you can expect seafood at the forefront of this menu of small plates. Notable dishes here include pickled Porthilly oysters with celery, dill and horseradish cream and treacle-cured ling ‘ham’. Brown has fun with his menu, too: think hake pesto kiev and crab crumpets.
SHOP
10. Peanut Vendor
What started as a neighbourhood furniture shop in Newington Green has since graduated to a multi-purpose showroom and coffee shop on the edge of Victoria Park. Peanut Vendor is the baby of furniture dealers Barny Read and Becky Nolan. They specialise in mid-century and late 20th-century pieces, largely sourced from Europe. It’s always an exciting visit – a cursory glance at what’s available now includes an orange replica of Le Corbusier’s LC2 sofa, some postmodern Murano glass table lamps and a pair of 9230 metal chairs designed by Henning Larson for Fritz Hansen.
11. Conservatory Archives
A jungle-like emporium of house plants, located in an old sofa showroom on Lower Clapton Road (old signage still intact). You’ll find all manner of plants, from tiny ferns to indoor trees and everything in between – cacti, monsteras, hanging plants. You won’t want to leave, which is where the café, hidden within the foliage, comes in. If you’re not sure where to start, their projects team offer design solutions for private spaces, including homes and offices.
12. Chase & Sorensen
Here you can find 20th-century vintage and contemporary furniture from Scandinavia: 1970s brass and glass wall lights from Sweden, 1960s boxy walnut side tables from Czechoslovakia, as well as mirrors by AYTM and rainbow-coloured ceramics by Studio Arhoj.
DO
13. Victoria Park
This 200-plus acre park was the first public park built specifically ‘for the people’ – the no-longer-in-existence bathing pond, for example, would have introduced many to swimming for the first time. It still has a place in locals’ hearts today – you can walk, skate, cycle or run around its two halves. You can even go boating on the lake, play tennis, or simply grab a pastry and coffee from Pavilion Café and watch life pass by. On Sundays, you can pick up street food – everything from doughnuts to breakfast muffins – and throughout summer, various music festivals are held here. Head to Victoria Park village afterwards to browse wine shops, delis or stop for lunch or a pint.
14. London Fields Lido
This 50-metre heated lido lies bang in the middle of London Fields, which was saved from demolition in the early 2000s and fully refurbished in 2016. It’s open year-round: in summer, bookings are golden tickets, the pool’s sunbathing deck full to the brim; in winter, you’ll find only the dedicated swimmers, completing lengths in a haze of steam from the 25-degree celsius water.
15. Climpson’s Arch
This is where coffee specialists Climpson & Sons make the magic happen (i.e. roast their beans). They also host a summer residency in their courtyard from some of London’s most loved restaurants (Som Saa, Burnt Ends and Smoking Goat have all done stints here). For the second year in a row, they are playing second home to Tomos Parry’s inimitable fish restaurant Brat. Expect whole turbot, spider crab, bread and more, all cooked on an open grill.
16. Untitled
This bar and restaurant on Kingsland Road is inspired by Andy Warhol’s Factory – so expect plenty of polished concrete, plus a Korean-inspired ‘moon garden’ outside for warmer nights. The cocktail menu can best be described as purist, as many contain only a few ingredients: Jalisco, for example, is simply rose vodka, mezcal and grapefruit, while New Moon has only sake, mineral water and jasmine vodka. The tapas-style menu is exclusively Korean: daikon noodles, a fried chicken sando and catch of the day crudo.
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