EAST
The ESEA Community Centre, formerly known as Hackney Chinese Community Services, has served the East and Southeast Asian community across London since since 1987. Based at the beautiful Old Bath House in De Beauvoir, the centre supports the local community through a programme including a weekly Luncheon Club for older residents, workshops, film nights, food initiatives and cultural events covering everything from Lunar New Year celebrations to language classes. It’s a long-standing support hub for Hackney’s community, advocating for collective action to address shared concerns affecting the ESEA community.
After stints at Spitalfields and Peckham, chef Abby Lee’s Malaysian concept went permanent on Lower Clapton Road, and it’s some of the best Malaysian food in London. The room is small and loud, open kitchen, metal tables, colourful plates, a thumping soundtrack, with the strapline “Malaysian Heat + Juicy Wines” summing it up nicely. Lee grew up in Singapore working in family bakeries before cooking her way through Malaysia and Italy, and the menu reflects that layered Chinese and Indo-Malay influence. Don’t miss the lor bak (crispy pork and prawn roll with a killer chilli vinegar jam) and the otak-otak prawn toast wrapped in betel leaf, plus a rotating cast of curries, a black pepper chicken from Lee’s family recipe in Perak, or a pineapple curry topped with garlic chive dumplings. Wash it down with natural wine or a milk tea.
James Dye (co-owner The Camberwell Arms, Frank’s, and Bambi), Benjy Leibowitz, (formerly of JKS, inHouse and The NoMad in NYC) and Patrick Powell (ex-Allegra, Midland Grand Dining Room and Chiltern Firehouse) have restored historic Shoreditch pub The Knave of Clubs back to its former glory. Patrick and fellow chef Attila Gellen have created a concise menu of dishes that fit the relaxed vibe of the pub, including upgraded pub snacks (like venison sausage rolls and prawn scotch eggs) and rotisserie chicken. The birds, sourced from Turner & George, come in whole or half portions (we recommend getting it with the chermoula spices for an extra citrusy hit), are soft and succulent, and come with insanely crunchy roasties cooked in chicken fat, a sharp green salad, aioli and slices of baguette. The bar is stocked with beers from independent breweries, Guinness and Allsopp’s Double Diamond, plus there’s a short wine list on offer and they do a mean negroni too.
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.
The Palm Tree
Giving the good ol’ Queen Vic a run for her East End money is the long-standing Palm Tree. You either love or hate this old-school boozer – there’s nothing modern here, don’t expect food beyond a bag of nuts and you can definitely get better pints elsewhere. What you do get is a cracking atmosphere, live jazz every weekend from proper old crooners and the landlord is a real character.
Located down by the river in Limehouse, The Grapes has history. There’s been a pub on this site since 1583, Charles Dickens was a fan – there’s even a complete set of Dickens in the back parlour for anyone who wants to catch up on their reading – and now the pub is co-owned by Sir Ian McKellen. They’ve got a separate dining area upstairs but we say find a spot in the bar with a pint of ale and a plate of fish & chips.
Owned by Ronnie and Reggie Kray back in the day, The Carpenters Arms used to be one of the most notorious pubs in town. Now apart from a discreetly placed print of the long-departed twins, you would never have known of its history. It has an impressive range of over fifty different ales from all over the world and a small menu of classic British grub.
This light and airy pub has a decent amount of tables and TV’s scattered around (great for watching the footy), with a strong range of craft beer behind the bar. What sets it apart from other watering holes in the area is the intimate venue downstairs, which regularly hosts comedy and live music, and the sound is bloody good down there too.
With great wine, local ales and even proper coffee as well as a monthly changing gastropub menu, The Castle ticks all the boxes. You’re guaranteed a warm welcome and you can bring the whole fam along too because this place is dog-friendly and baby-friendly.
They’ve got a great little beer garden at the back of lovingly restored The Adam & Eve (plus a covered area for when the rain inevitably comes) but there’s a lot to love inside too…pool tables, sport on the telly, great sausage rolls at the bar, knocks up one of the best Sunday roasts in London and it’s always buzzing on the weekend.
Thanks to a big refurb, The Griffin has polished up its rough edges whilst still retaining that traditional pub feel (it helps that it’s quite small and quite dark). They can mix you up a G&T or a spritz but this is a beer pub, with a strong selection of brews on tap and even more in the fridge, including some pretty potent bottles.
This brick-lined pub, which dates back to the 1850s, may be on the small side but they’ve packed in an enormous selection of Irish whiskeys and poitin behind the bar as well as a contemporary cocktail menu, punch sharing bowls and local brews on tap. Dark and atmospheric, it’s everything you want a pub to be.
Hidden away in the heart of Islington you’ll find The Alma. After being saved by the community back in 2013, this pub is here to stay. It’s plastered with movie posters and film paraphernalia, so there’s a lot for cinema buffs to love here, but they also do a cracking roast, the beer selection is ace and they’ve even got a resident pooch Buster.
It doesn’t look like much from the outside but that’s all part of the charm of this boozer. There’s a big horseshoe bar and some trippy paintings on the walls – what’s that banana one all about? It’s a fave with Hackney locals, especially on the weekends, thanks to the decent pub grub menu and the atmosphere is always on point too.
Bang on the corner of Broadway Market, the Cat & Mutton gets busy quick but with plenty of beers on tap plus wines and cocktails as well as great pub grub, it’s not hard to see why. They keep you entertained too with a weekly pub quiz and DJs on the weekend. If you can’t find a space by the copper bar, head upstairs to the spacious Other Bar.
Off the main Shoreditch drag, the Well & Bucket is a gem of pub. It’s been restored to its former glory with gorgeous tiled walls and a copper topped bar taking pride of place in the middle. They’ve got a solid range of craft beer on tap and even more in the fridge, and they serve up a great oysters and seafood menu too.
It wasn’t long ago that this pub was rough as a badger’s arse, so to speak. Mainly down to being the closest pub to York Hall, where many a boxing fight goes down. HOWEVER it’s still one of our faves because it has an edge. It’s old school, a proper pub. It smells like a pub, feels a like a pub and serves cold beer and banging toasties. And upstairs you’ll not just find the toilets but a barber shop, how about that?
Whoar this is a big pub. HUGE. Just off the roundabout in Clapton, this is a great watering hole with excellent beers, including local brews and guest ales and it also knocks out decent food. You’ll find people drinking both out the front and the back…do check out the beer garden. You can have a bit of a dance with DJs on weekends too. Banging pub.
