4 pubs worth visiting in Hackney (E8)
I've been exploring East London these last few weekends, and I feel like I've been exposed to a whole new world of pubs and parks and good drinking establishments!! So many good ones that I've started creating shortlists of some of the pubs I've visited. You can find detailed write-ups on all these pubs in their own blog entries too.
1. The Cock Tavern. Casual. Craft beers. Good for a first date (largely due to location and ease of access. Average price per pint: £4.20
A small pub situated on Mare Street, a few minutes' walk from Hackney Central Station. It's a small pub where the main focus is the beer selection. There are tables scattered around where you can sit down if you want to to have a chat and drink. But most people are standing in the open space in groups enjoying pints. Beers are great with a lot of crafty pale ale options, but they could do with a few more lagers on draught. There's only 1 lager on draft, but they do have a few bottles of lager. I would think this would be a great first date place since it's casual and low key - you can figure out if you want to spend more time with the person here, and then go somewhere else that has more of a date-friendly atmosphere.
2. The Old Ship Inn. Casual. Good for dates. Good for dinner & food. Outdoor seating. Average price per pint: £4.80
A little hidden from the main road (also on Mare street) you would pass right by this place if you weren't specifically looking for it. There's a corridor with funky art that you need to walk through before you actually get into the pub. You enter the pub through the dining room, which is softly lit by candles and little fairy lights - the bar and more casual seating area for those not wanting dinner - is located toward the back. There's some outdoor seating as well with tables in the back of the pub which would make for a nice outdoor option on warmer days - they also have umbrellas so you could be out there in a little drizzle as well if you wanted to. We ate here - it was easy to get a table for two for a quick dinner, ad the dinner vibe was really nice. The beer selection was good - new ales that I haven't tried as well as a few really nice lagers. Good for dates and conversation. Very casual vibe, and all in all a really nice little find. Cengiz liked this one the best because it's not overly crowded and has nice food. This is definitely one of the nicer pubs I've been to as well. Side note: it's also a little inn, with 10 overnight rooms if you want to stay.
3. The Cat & Mutton. Good for groups. Casual. After work drinks. Cocktails. Average price per pint: ~£5 each
A fairly generic crowd - always busy but not unpleasantly so. I've ended up here twice now - once on a Friday and once on a Saturday. More of a place you'd want to go with a group because of how busy it gets - not really a place for 2 people, as it can be challenging to find a place to sit and have a chat. Upstairs they have more comfortable couches and cozy seating. Both times I've been here, we've always managed to finagle a seat for at least a part of the night when we were here. Also, as mentioned before, there's seating upstairs if downstairs is super crowded, and also with a bar that is less crowded. The last thing about the Cat & Mutton that you may want to be aware of: a high likelihood of being hit on by a city worker who wants to regale you with his 28-year-old gap year adventure when he took a LOA and traveled South America for 3 months, and let's be clear, if he's not directly hitting on you, you may be unable to avoid overhearing it! Tongue-in-cheek, but true nonetheless!
4. The Dove Freehouse. Casual. Belgian beers. Good for groups. Cozy pub. Outdoor seating. Dog friendly. Average price per pint: ~5 each (difficult to tell, as many beers have a high alcohol content and are only served in half-pints)
I love this pub. It's one of my favourites in London to date. An amazing selection of Belgian beers, and I also have a soft spot for a pub that has Kona Beer (specifically, Longboard Lager) on tap. They've got Delerium Leventum (the beer with the pink elephant for those who don't know), Chimay, and authentic Helles style lagers all on draught. If you aren't inspired on your own by the tap selection, talk to the staff and they're super friendly and knowledgeable and can suggest a beer. They encourage you to taste away, so don't let that opportunity go to waste - it's one of the best Belgian selections I've seen in a while all in one place. The pub itself is really cozy - lots of little nooks and crannies with tables set up so you can sit in a corner away from the main bar area. There's also tables outside, and on a nice day the crowd regularly spills out into Broadway Market. As for food, I haven't yet tried it, but they do have a versatile vegetarian menu - we are, after all, in East London.
