Hackney, British, Modern Restaurant Guide

No journalistic round-up of East End restaurants is complete without mention of this unassuming-looking Hackney eight-year-old (est 2015), which has been a darling of London’s fooderati ever since winning (and quickly losing) a Michelin star in the years after its opening. But feedback in our annual diners’ poll – while positive – was, surprisingly, too limited this year for a reliable rating on its experimental tasting menu of funky small plates.

2023 Review: This “outstanding” four-year-old is an “engaging but cramped little venue” whose “absolute bargain of a menu” from co-owner Johnnie Crow (ex-Harwood Arms and Anglo), makes it “well worth the trip up to Hackney (booking essential!)”. The meal is structured around one type of meat each month – chicken, game, wagyu – to minimise waste, and “service is personal, enthusiastic and charming”. “You’re unlikely to find much better value in town, with some truly stellar dishes given the mid-range price-point”.

2023 Review: “Great value and unusual tasting menus, nice wines & lovely service” win all-round applause for this yearling in a Hackney Downs warehouse from Anthony Lyon (of Lyon’s in Crouch End). Head chef Giuseppe Pepe (ex-Pidgin and Marksman) is responsible for the seasonal, minimal-waste menu, and his “food is beautifully presented and served”.

“Wow!” “Andy Beynon continues to produce superb, good-value cuisine in a relaxed and intimate setting” at his small venue, near London Fields: “an immersive experience, where the chefs prepare the food around you as you sit at the bar”. “There are no waiters: the chefs cover service, chat about the food and ferry each new course from the nearby open preparation areas”; and the team gives the impression of being “super keen and far from weary, jaded or sitting on their laurels”. “Sustainable fish is the clear focus here, and everything is on point in each exceptional dish”.

“Such a treat on a summer’s day” – ace chef Tomos Parry’s railway arch pop-up-turned-permanent in London Fields “feels like a (rather smoky) house party”, serving “great grilled meat and fish in a tent” – “the only issue is trying to limit the number of dishes one orders, and the quandary of whether to have THAT turbot or try something else!”.

This “cool hangar of a restaurant in Hackney” (part of the design-conscious Barworks group) sits in a repurposed and eclectically decorated 1960s office block and also incorporates a coffee shop, deli, barber and tattoo parlour. “Recommended for large groups – the food is very good for the price” and includes a range of global favourites plus sourdough pizza, to be eaten in the spacious ‘Open Kitchen’ or the cosier ‘Dining Room’.

“Any restaurant with five orange wines gets my vote!” – initial reports give a green light to this early 2023 newcomer in London Fields: the successor to ‘Hot 4 U’, a wacky former meal delivery service for hipsters that was born of the pandemic. “The small menu highlights some imaginative dishes” from chef Matthew Scott and there’s an “extensive wine list” curated by Charlie Carr.