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Stoke Newington
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Stoke Newington
Mixing east London cool with cosmopolitan north London, Stoke Newington is without doubt one of our favourite London neighbourhoods. Close enough to Dalston that you can pop in if you need to but far enough away from the carnage to stay sane, N16 is full of leafy quiet streets, cute cafes, and one of London’s best green spaces, Clissold Park.
Our favourite places to eat in ‘Stokey’ as it’s affectionately known include The Good Egg, Perilla, Primeur and the best of all Turkish restaurants, Cirrick II. If you’re cooking at home, there are so many places to pick up ingredients including the incredible Stoke Newington Fruit and Veg, and the organic butchers Meat N16. It’s also home to some of the best pubs in London, including The Shakespeare, The Axe, The Auld Shillelagh, and The Three Crowns.
Residents are famously hostile to big brands and chains moving in so you’ll find a wealth of independent shops including Hub, Mint Vintage, and Search & Rescue.
Previously Head Chef at the Michelin-starred Galvin at Windows, Joo Won ran Cálong as a “side-hustle”, popping up across London for the past four years – so it’s exciting to see it finally put down roots. Now settled into the old Rubedo site on Stoke Newington Church Street, the new space has a relaxed vibe, blending Joo’s Korean heritage with European and French techniques, seasonal British ingredients, and a standout selection of natural wines. His Korean-inspired dishes hit all the right notes—perfectly balanced in salt, acid, fat, and heat. You’d be mad not to start with the kimchi fritters and chilli mayo, plus a round of pollock croquettes for good measure. Don’t miss the the sea trout hoe with sesame, plum soy, and rhubarb; the pressed brawn with bossam mooli; the grilled pork jeyuk with a spicy gem ssamjang salad; and the clay pot rice.
From the same people behind End of the Road festival, 13th Floor Coffee is a coffee truck parked outside St Mary’s church in Stoke Newington. They use Coffee by Tate, which not only had the ideal flavour combo they were after, but also supports female-led farms as part of Tate’s Gender Equality Project. As well as being a spot for your daily cup of joe, you can also treat yourself to one of their regularly changing bakes – there are plenty of vegan options too.
Cadet on Newington Green has been set up by an all-star team; Francis Roberts and Tom Beattie of wine importers Beattie & Roberts, and charcutier George Jephson. Having worked at several of London’s best wine bars between them, Tom and Francis started their own importing business a couple of years ago, and the wine list at Cadet is made up entirely of their own selection – no bad thing at all when they are one of the most respected specialist importers in London today. You can also buy the wines to take home too. On the food front, there’s a combination of George’s incredible charcuterie and seasonal small plates from the kitchen, like a stew of borlotti beans enriched with lamb fat and garlic; fresh tomato, sliced white peach and fennel pollen; mussels with cucumber and dulse; and oysters with gooseberries.
Clarence Tavern is the true definition of a ‘neighbourhood pub’ with a lunch and dinner offering that spans way beyond the realms of your average pub grub. Heady pub bangers are chalked up on the blackboard for you to dither and deliberate over each day. Some recent standouts have been braised pork shoulder with grilled radicchio & pickled damson, roast skate wing with purple sprouting broccoli & bernaise butter and fennel, Swiss chard & St James gratin. There are plenty of dishes for two like slow-cooked lamb and gratin dauphinois for couples who can’t resist the temptation of their partner’s plate. Not to mention orange wine by the litre for grape lovers who can’t get enough of the skin contact.
Housed in an old 1920s garage (the faded Barnes Motors sign is still visible on the outside), Primeur is one of the best restaurants in Stoke Newington. Heavily influenced by the French bistronomy movement which promoted good simple food served in unpretentious surroundings, the space is pretty bare, with white walls and big wooden sharing tables – and when the weather’s nice, the old garage doors open right up. The menu is chalked up on a blackboard each day, you might find dishes such as rabbit, white beans, carrots and mustard, or hake with butter sauce. Whatever you choose, Primeur is nearly always on point. The wines are all low-intervention, with lots available by the glass, making it a great place to try some more unusual varieties and styles. The team also have Westerns Laundry and Jolene but Primeur is where it all began.
The Shakespeare is a local’s local where everyone knows everyone. Hidden in the middle of a residential street you’ll find beer by the bucket load, wine by the barrel load and a jukebox – yes a flipping real one – that will rock your socks off. There’s a beer garden, tables out the front and you can even bring in your pizzas from next door and eat them in the pub.
Built in 1936 for Truman’s Brewery and now Grade II-listed, the Army & Navy is a proper old-school boozer. Not much has changed in terms of the look of this pub – yes there’s still carpet on the floor – except there are TVs inside now showing sports, and the big garden has been given lots of covering so you can enjoy drinks al fresco whatever the weather. The Army & Navy also hosts a cracking karaoke night so you can belt out your faves after sinking a few reasonably priced pints of Murphy’s. And if you have a feeling that you recognise the pub even if you haven’t been in before, it was used a filming location for Baby Reindeer.
Run by Ben Marks and Matt Emmerson, Perilla is all about fine dining quality food – without the fuss. The restaurant itself is tastefully stripped back, with raw plaster walls, exposed brick and wooden furniture. The modern European menu, which changes seasonally, showcases the kitchen’s skill – Perilla was one of the first places to popularise cuttlefish ‘bolognese’, alongside dishes like yesterday’s bread soaked in moules mariniére, coq au vin fried chicken, and sourdough ice cream with mushroom salted caramel. The five course tasting menu at £66 also represents exceptional value for the quality of food and service you get.
Luminary Bakery is one of our favourite bakeries in London and not only because they make some of the best cinnamon swirls we’ve ever had. The bakery is a social enterprise designed to offer opportunities for women from an economic and social disadvantage to build a future for themselves – and that means you can feast on cake guilt-free.
The Good Egg has long been a Stokey fave thanks to its Middle Eastern menu, inspired by Tel Aviv street food, and the Jewish delis and bagel shops in NYC and Montreal. In Stokey, the brunch menu features treats bacon & date pitas, egg & cheese bagels, shakshuka, challah French toast, and babka. It’s also open into the evenings, meaning you can feast on sharing plates like labneh with pumpkin seed relish, za’atar fried chicken with chilli honey, lamb shawarma with pickles & hummus and cornbread with zhoug & honey butter.
Just next to Clissold Park, Stokey’s Delicatessen is a neighbourhood deli that stocks a range of artisanal food and drinks. Whether you’re after a coffee, some fresh bread, charcuterie, cheese, fish, pasta, natural wine or spirits, you can find it here.
Search & Rescue is one of our fave shops in Stokey to poke about. Whether you’re looking for presents or bits to fill your home, Search & Rescue has you covered – they literally do everything from ceramics to skincare.
WAVE Stoke Newington is the second outpost of the cafe We Are Vegan Everything. As the name suggests, everything that WAVE serves is plant-based, without compromising on flavour. Expect the likes of the Breakfast Brioche (made with slow-roasted sweet cherry tomatoes, ‘edgy mayo’ aka kala namak tofu and watercress), the ‘Save the Salmon’ Bagel (made with marinated carrots, cream cheese, cucumber, dill and watercress) the gluten-free Mushroom Roll and baked goods. There’s also a selection of healthy, secret recipe milkshakes like salted tahini caramel and mint choc chip, and seasonal specials to keep an eye out for.
STOKE NEWINGTON FARMERS' MARKET
Every Saturday, 10am-2.30pm
ST PAUL'S CHURCH, STOKE NEWINGTON, London N16 7UY
Stoke Newington Farmers’ Market, which is on every Saturday, is one of the best in town. Everything sold is 100% organic and you’ll be able to pick up all your groceries with fruit, veg, meat, bread, cheese, raw milk, chocolate and more on sale. All the produce is also sourced from sustainable farms within 60 miles of London, so you’ll be supporting local in every way possible too.
LU LU SHANGHAI DELICACY & SAKE BAR
24 Stoke Newington Church St, Stoke Newington, London N16 0LU
Searching for a place to get your Chinese fix in Stokey? Lu Lu is the place. The restaurant’s chefs are from Shanghai and there’s a decent dim sum section. The dumplings are all made fresh and by no means are they perfect – the casings are pretty thick but they are tasty and there’s no added MSG. They’re not badly priced either at just under £4 for three. Shout out to their lip-numbing cucumber salad too.
We once heard a rumour that a young lady approached the bar and asked the barmaid, “Do you have prosecco?”. The barmaid nodded and poured Guinness into a champagne flute. Yes, this is an Irish bar through and through. You’ll find characters from all walks with stories; there’s live traditional Irish music; and lots of loud, loud, enjoyable singing. Oh, they like football here too, so it’s not one for a quiet pint.
After past lives as Pollo Feliz (specialising in grilled chicken), a tortilla delivery service and a Netil Market stall, Sonora Taqueria finally landed its first brick-and-mortar site up in Stoke Newington. Founded by Michelle Salazar and Sam Napier, Sonora centres around its menu of Northern Mexican food which includes the likes of carne asada, caramelo, lorenza, adobada, campechano or nopales from the grill, as well as a range of quesadillas and guisados (stewed) dishes. The plates are all made using their absolutely epic handmade flour tortillas. There’s usually a queue for this spot and with good reason.
The Axe is what we like to call a new breed of pub. It’s all about the beer, but with a quirky, forward-thinking mentality that will make beer lovers weep with joy. Expect mind-bending and unpronounceable guest beers that are so rare, so limited, you’ll feel so lucky that you’ll spend a tenner on a lottery ticket. They do support local brews too so check the boards and ask questions, take a seat and enjoy the education.
Array stocks a curated edit of clothing, homeware and bath products – carrying brands such as La Paz, Armor Lux, Wax + Wick Workshop, Heath London, Maison Bengal and Tom Lane – as well as hand-selected vintage objects and mid to late 20th-century British pottery.
The Three Crowns in Stoke Newington came under new management when the team behind The Lexington, a classic London boozer with a Kentucky twist, took over with chef Ousmane Gaye heading up the kitchen and a programme of gigs and club nights. The historic pub has been around since the 17th century, and its latest iteration is a gastropub with a seasonal British menu of dishes like the chorizo scotch egg with tomato & red pepper chutney; a pork chop with potato salad, chayote & apple slaw and red wine jus; and a Beyond Meat burger with slaw, vegan mayonnaise and chips. You’ll find the main bar playing disco, funk, soul and worldwide grooves until 2.30am every Friday and Saturday. While downstairs, their event space, The Waiting Room, regularly holds gigs, jazz nights, drag performances and DJ sets, so keep an eye out for what’s on.
Korat Thai Cafe in Newington Green is one of the best Thai spots we’ve discovered in London. It’s got a big menu but we wade through the more crowd-pleasing dishes to find some gems like the Yam Khao Tod, a crispy rice salad with fresh herbs and leaves, peanuts, chillies and kaffir lime; the Larb Gai, a minced chicken salad with herbs, rice powder, chillies, and fish sauce; the Som Tum, a classic papaya salad (though this could have been a bit spicier); the Sai Krok Isan, the fermented sausage from northern Thailand, made with glass noodles, chillies and pork; and Khao Soi (curry chicken noodle soup), which might just be the best one we’ve had outside Thailand. We’re very impressed with Korat, it’s proper Thai cooking the likes of which you don’t find all too often in London and the £2 corkage just seals the deal. A friendly team too, so we highly recommend it on every level.
Japanese tapas restaurant AUN brings the concept of ‘wakon yosai’ – that means combining two contrasting cuisines, creating Japanese dishes with Western techniques and European ingredients – to Stoke Newington’s Church Street. It’s fair to say AUN executes wakon yosai effortlessly, with the menu featuring small sharing plates including oyster ajillo with crispy nori cracker, aubergine with smoky mustard miso sauce and the AUN haccho dark miso gelato. A unique restaurant that’s a great addition to the Stokey neighbourhood.
The team behind Westerns Laundry and Primeur (no involvement from Dolly here) are responsible for bakery and restaurant Jolene. Bakers Jeremie Cometto-Lingenheim and David Gingell work with farmer Andy Cato to source grain from two UK farms to be milled daily for breads, croissants, buns, madeleines and sausage rolls. There’s a daily changing daytime menu of eggs, toasties, pastas and salads, and come evening, you can expect dishes like grilled cod on the bone with olives and artichokes; T-bone with parmesan and rocket; and bread, apricot and butter pudding. Like Westerns Laundry and Primeur, the wine list feature natural bottles with in-house ferments and juices available for those off the sauce.
In a landscape of fancy French-focused cheese shops, head to Jumi in Newington Green for a Swiss selection. The family behind it have five generations of experience in making cheese, so they seriously know what they’re doing, with a focus on quality all the way from the milking of the cows to the delivery of the produce to customers. Emmental is the name you’ll probably know here – derived from the Emmental Valley in Switzerland, home to acres of green pasture and lots and lots and lots of cows. A name you might not know, though, is blue brain cheese, which is one of the shop’s specialities. Don’t panic! No brains were harmed in the making of this cheese: it’s a reference to the blue mould that grows on this particular variety, which ends up looking a bit like, yup, a brain. And guess what? It’s delicious.
Gallo Nero is a slice of Italy in the heart of Stokey and this place is the real deal. There are actually two branches of Gallo Nero (one on Stokey High Street and one on Newington Green Road) and both have plenty of pasta, sauces, meats, cheeses and more. We’re talking proper Parmigiano Reggiano (26 months matured), slices of salame Napoli and stacks of Sicilian panettone.
This Newington Green wine bar sells only natural, biodynamic and organic vino – handpicking bottles from small producers across the world. They match their selection of raw, honest wine with meats, cheese and bread from artisanal producers including Cobble Lane Cured, Neal’s Yard Dairy and E5 Bakehouse. Now that’s one hell of a charcuterie board.
CLISSOLD PARK
177 Green Lanes, London N5
Beloved by Stokey locals, Clissold Park is a total gem. It’s got tennis courts and a bowling green for when you’re feeling particularly energetic, but the park itself is big enough to get a good stroll in. You can see the whole thing by walking the perimeter, looping in the Grade-II listed Clissold House and the lakes on the way. If that doesn’t earn you a picnic after, nothing does. Plus it’s one of the only urban parks that’s home to animals. Where else are you gonna see goats, deer, swans and terrapins in North London?
It’s no secret that some of the best food you can get in Stokey and Dalston is Turkish, and we LOVE Turkish food. There are so many places to choose from but our fail-safe is Cirrik 19 Numara Bos and in our opinion, it’s the best. The menu mostly focuses on kebabs made from barbecued meats cooked on the charcoal ocakbasi served with an abundance of sides including salad, spicy onions, THOSE balsamic grilled onions, THAT fresh bread (which is unlimited), chilli sauce and garlic mayo. Their speciality is lamb chops, though you can’t really go wrong with their chicken Shish (or anything else for that matter). The place is no frills and concentrates on offering great food and decent service. Go hungry.
If you’re looking for the perfect martini in Stokey, Fontaine’s is the place to find it. In addition to its spesh cabaret and film nights, the glamorous art deco bar, decked out in midnight blue and gold with vintage curiosities and lounge sofas, Fontaine’s has a menu that celebrates this iconic drink in all its forms. Besides the drinks making you googly-eyed, the inside is bound to dazzle you too, it is amazing.
NEWINGTON GREEN FRUIT & VEG
109 Newington Green Rd, London N1 4QY
If you’re in Stokey and you need fruit & veg, this shop is the place to go because both the variety and the quality are on point. Think British staples sitting alongside exotic fruits from all over the world. And this place is cheap, like seriously cheap, so forget paying those crazy supermarket prices for some juicy toms.
BebopALula (The Monarch) is a Stoke Newington pub with a strong 50s rock ‘n’ roll theme and an even stronger happy hour. Running every single day until 9pm, you can get pints, house red or white wine and selected spirits for just £4.50, which will loosen you up nicely for some karaoke. With live music and footy also on the programme, there’s plenty to keep you entertained.
If you’re looking to do a spot of plastic-free shopping in Stokey, Jarr Market is the place to hit up. This zero-waste store features a large pantry of bulk, unpackaged foods including pulses, spices, pasta, rice, cereals, oils, vinegars, plant-based sweets and vegan chocolates. There are also coffee and nut grinders, oat milk and maple syrup on tap, and all sorts of toiletries and cleaning products to stock up on too. Just remember to take your own container to help cut down on plastic and packaging waste.