Cambridge Heath, British, Modern - Restaurant Guide

“The new kitchen is a joy to watch in action” at Rafael Cagali’s genius venue in Bethnal Green’s “lovely old town hall”, which has lacked ambience in the past, but which emerged from a four-week closure and refurb in early 2025 on which early reports are very positive (the new layout includes a lounge for pre-dinner drinks and snacks). Rafael’s “brilliant” Brazilian- influenced tasting menu here is regularly one of the highest-rated in our annual diners’ poll and the “absolutely gorgeous and surprising dishes” offer “a fun experience whilst also wowing with flavours”. “Service is also a draw from the very knowledgeable staff” and there’s “an amazing wine list and such good advice to go with it”. Allow three hours for the tasting menu which is £245 per person. (“I always say that I cannot get this food anywhere else.....and I leave wanting to come back. That is very special, as is the team.”). Top Tips – there’s also a short tasting menu (Wed-Fri) for £185 per person and three-course set lunch for £110 per person.

2022 Review: The wild and wacky French chain opened this eclectically designed 194-room hotel in late 2019, complete with clashing fabrics, retro gaming machines, füsball and karaoke rooms. The loungy restaurant offers an easy-grazing selection of dishes to suit the tastes of globe-trotting hipsters: initial feedback suggests it's better than you might expect (given all the competing attractions).

This popular and stylish modern hybrid operation in Hackney mixes retail outlets with an all-day café offering breakfast followed by global dishes or pizzas from a menu also available in the Chandelier restaurant. A spinoff market opened in 2023 in the new development at King’s Cross, securing a coup with the launch last year of Island, a surf-and-turf restaurant from top chefs Tom Brown and Mike Carter.

This “bustling place with great small plates and wines” in Cambridge Heath, from Freddie Sheen & Zac Whittle, is “one of the many dotted around the Hackney/Tower Hamlets borders” and “delivers exactly what you want from a good neighbourhood restaurant – tasty dishes, warm service and a comfortable environment”. Three years on from launch, it is “largely a word-of-mouth success and seems always busy still, despite a relative lack of PR compared with others nearby”.

“Perfect local restaurant in a cute location” – across the canal from Hackney’s Broadway Market: a “surprisingly romantic”, Scandi-esque dining room with “inspired dishes, fab wine list and a wonderfully friendly team”, headed by its founders (hospitality power couple Charlie Sims – ex-Noma; plus sommelier and natural wine proponent Honey Spencer). Top Menu Tip – “if the monumental pork chop is on, go for it! (and I don’t even like pork chops)”.