The best restaurants in Hackney

Once home to Pidgin, Sesta is a Neighbourhood-focused restaurant in Hackney from an ex-Pidgin duo - chef Drew Snaith and GM Hannah Kowalski. Here, the emphasis is on a seasonal menu but one that has a focus on comfort food that should attract both locals and people who loved Pidgin. Expect a strong natural wine list here too.

This is the second space for Tomos Parry's hit restaurant Brat, taking over the (covered) courtyard of the Climpson's Arch roastery. Expect a similar menu to the Shoreditch original - plenty of Galician steaks, grilled fish and lots of Basque influence throughout.

This is a revamped pub from two St John veterans, Tom Harris and Jon Rotheram is both one of Hackney's best pub and best restaurants. Downstairs in the pub, make sure to get one of their excellent beef and barley buns, while upstairs it's an actual crime to leave without trying their brown butter & honey tart, one of London's best desserts. Their Sunday roasts are exceptional too.

Setting up shop in a Hackney backstreet, Pidgin saw supperclub host James Ramsden team up with Sam Herlihy to create the kind of place that won plaudits from critics and locals alike. Pidgin has a weekly changing set menu that is about as seasonal as it gets. A perfect neighbourhood restaurant, in that you could come back week after week and never have the same dish twice, it's also worth crossing town for. 

This is the East London expansion from the same people behind Moro (and the original Clerkenwell Morito). The restaurant draws influence from Southern Spain, North Africa and the Eastern Mediterranean in a regularly changing small plates menu. The same approach can be seen in the wine list, which also roams the Med.

This East London restaurant from Douglas McMaster is at the forefront of no-waste cooking (and restaurants) in London. McMaster has been involved in the no-waste initiative from the early days and has created a restaurant that both embraces the movement fully and showcases the excellent food that a no waste ethos can produce.

This is Max Rocha's solo restaurant by the canal in Hackney. The chef came from The River Cafe and like many of London's best chefs has also spent time at St John Bread & Wine. The bright dining room overlooking the canal is a great place to sit and try some of their weekly specials alongside what are now signature dishes like the deep-fried bread and butter pudding.

Acme Food Cult is a team up between chefs Andrew Clarke and Daniel Watkins and, as the name suggests, it's all about cooking over fire on an impressive grill. You'll find it right next to 40FT Brewery, so expect to spot beer as an ingredient in dishes as well as on the drinks list.

This Dalston restaurant has a modern take on Japanese and Italian food - resulting in a creative fusion menu that's inspired by both cuisines, while also pushing the envelope. There are omakase tasting menus alongside a la carte, and it also sports a tiny Tokyo-style cocktail bar.

Sune (pronounced "soon-er") comes from hospitality power couple Honey Spencer and Charlie Sims, with ex-Pidgin Head Chef Michael Robins in the kitchen. Set within a sunlit-filled space near Broadway Market, the seasonal all-day menu is big on inventive comfort food while the wine list, curated by Honey Spencer, evolves with the seasons, offering selections from her extensive producer network.

Former chef at renowned spots like Brat and Scully and popular supperclub chef after those, Whyte Rushen has gone permanent in Hackney. Here you can expect a menu that's as eclectic as his pop-up offerings and if his smashed burger is on the menu, that's a must-have.

Shankey's is a great neighbourhood restaurant serving up a particularly interesting mix of Irish and Indian-influenced dishes and drinks. Irish-born Eoghan is the cocktail genius behind the Celtic-infused cocktail list while chef Sacha Henry is responsible for a mix of small and sharing plates of Indian food.

Head to Morning Lane if you want to see what the lovechild of a Japanese izakaya and British seasonal restaurant looks like. With a charcoal grill being the focus of the kitchen here, there's plenty of great produce being served on sticks. Tables are communal so you'll probably leave having made new friends.

Bruno comes from Michael Sager, best known for Sager + Wilde, and it's a small neighbourhood wine bar in Victoria Park. With a supply of wines largely sourced from his own collection, there are over 200 to choose from and they're available to take away too. If you're stopping in, the food includes filled pretzels alongside baked Vacherin . Look out for chef residencies as well.

Dalla took over from Peg on Morning Lane and is a collaboration among three Italian friends with diverse backgrounds. Gennaro Leone, focusing on design, joins forces with Mitchell Damota, ex-head chef at P Franco, and chef Gianmarco Leone, formerly at Claridge's. Together, they aim to offer homestyle Italian cuisine, rediscovering old recipes in a contemporary setting.

This is essentially the wine bar formerly known as P Franco, saved after once feared to be closing for good. The name may have changed but the management and ethos remain the same. Expect a focus on natural wines that are paired with some of London's more interesting chef residencies, all creating wonders from induction hobs at the back of the bar.

Leo's comes from the people behind Juliet's Quality Food in Tooting and this Clapton restaurant has them collaborating with ex-Bright chef Giuseppe Belvedere. An all-day bar and restaurant, it serves up a regularly changing menu that draws on Giuseppe’s Sardinian heritage, using the best possible produce from the British Isles and the continent.

Run by the team that was once Hot 4 U, Papi sees chef Matthew Scott team up with Charlie Carr from Wingnut Wines. While also having a big focus on sustainability and zero-waste, it's key to point out that 'fun' is a big part of the vibe of the restaurant. Expect a regularly changing menu, great wines and a small bar downstairs too.

This family-run Dalston ocakbasi was transformed into one of London's most exciting restaurants when ownership passed to the original owners' sons. Now you can expect thrilling modern Turkish food through an East London lens.

After building up a devoted following at Peckham's Market, Abby Lee has moved her Malaysian restaurant to a permanent space in East London. As before, it's all about Modern malaysian food but with a bigger menu. If they're on, the Lor Bak (five-spice pork and prawn bean curd roll) is a must. 

This is a family-run Chinese dumpling house and sake bar that started as a pop-up and has become hugely popular in Clapton (it also has a sister site in Victoria Park). The specialities are their hand-rolled dumplings made fresh every day. Alongside those dumplings, there's a big range of sake from small family-run Japanese breweries.

Freddie Janssen's Dalston cafe has become a big hit in East London. Here you can expect an globally-influenced menu with popular dishes like their kimcheese croissant or the Snackmuffin (their own take on another certain breakfast muffin). Mainly open during weekdays keep an eye out for special dinner services too.

Bake Street has achieved almost legendary status, primarily for its weekend brunch menu. That's when they put their Nashville fried chicken sandwich on the menu which has become one of London's cult dishes (along with their creme brulee cookies). To those add lamb birria tacos and more. Good luck in grabbing a table (there are no reservations and they only have outside seating).

This little cafe down on the canal in Hackney is one of London's best waterside spots. Run by Laura Jackson and Lori de Mori the food is always seasonal and delicious and, because there's no booking, landing a table here feels very much like winning in life.

Gabriel Waterhouse's Water House Project started as a supper club before becoming a pop-up restaurant and then finding this permanent location. Sticking to the supperclub roots, there's a monthly-changing tasting menu, with a bit of Nordic influence throughout.

Facing Heaven is Julian Denis' sequel to Mao Chow, moving just around the corner from the previous restaurant. The vegan menu takes influences from Cantonese, Yunnan and Shaanxi cuisines as well as adding in a few Puerto-Rican, American and Portuguese flavours into the mix. They have hot pots at the weekend too.

Lardo is an East London restaurant with what they call a contemporary Italian menu. In practice that means some of London's best pizza, with regularly changing specials on the menu too. Alongside those are antipasti and a wine list that focuses on low-intervention wines.

Tom Brown's Michelin-starred restaurant in Hackney features a menu that's centred around seafood. That menu changes regularly based on day catches, but make sure you have whatever they're serving on a crumpet, as that will be unmissable.

This is Tom Oldroyd's Hackney pub and dining room, serving up a European menu using British produce. The Cornish crab chip butty is a must, as is the Duke burger but it's generally worth trying as much of the menu as you can. They are also giving back by acting as a soup kitchen for the local area.

Andy Beynon's London Fields restaurant is all about opening up the kitchen experience. That starts with a huge counter that you gather around for a truly unique tasting menu experience (with a focus on seafood).

Casa Fofo saw ex-Pidgin chef Adolfo De Cecco opening his own place in Clapton, carrying on the same approach of a single tasting menu that makes the most of seasonal and local ingredients. He and his team are clearly doing something right as they've been given a star by Michelin.

Campania & Jones serves up Southern Italian food in Hackney, with pasta made fresh daily in its beautiful rustic-looking restaurant. The food is authentic Italian, the portions are generous and it's one of the most popular restaurant near Columbia Road. There's a daily changing menu, so you can always find something new to try.

Hill and Szrok are one of the most respected butchers in Hackney, on bustling Broadway market. But in the evening, when the meat is all put away, the place transforms into a neighbourhood restaurant with a menu dictated by the produce available. As you can imagine, their meat, sourced from smaller independent farmers, is front and centre.

All-day Hackney restaurant Little Duck - The Picklery comes from the same people behind Rawduck and Ducksoup. It's part shop and cafe and they're proud of their fermented food and drink (as the name gives away). On the menu, expect small plates that see those pickles put into action, with a focus on sharing.

While the original Pophams is mainly a bakery and cafe, this, their second, also functions as a restaurant. So while you can still buy their bread and pastries here, there's the added draw of the pasta restaurant, with all the pasta made fresh in-house. It should go without saying that the desserts are pretty great as well.

Song Que is an excellent Vietnamese restaurant on Kingsland Road's strong Vietnamese food scene. Expect authentic cuisine with excellent pho and banh mi, which underlines its longstanding great reputation. If you're looking for the best Vietnamese food in London, this should be on your list.

One of London's great bakeries, The Dusty Knuckle is best known for its impeccable sourdough - particular the potato variety. That sourdough is used to make amazing sandwiches here, but there are also salads pastries and more. There are a few seats inside, but on a good day you'll want a seat outside in the yard. Look out for their evening events too where you might be able to grab a pizza.

People's Choice offers pitch perfect Caribbean in Hackney, with some of London's best jerk chicken and lamb chops on offer alongside saltfish patties and lots more. It's takeaway (or delivery) only and has built up a deservedly stellar reputation locally.

This traditional Argentine grill is from Buenos Aires-raised John Rattagan who has brought a bit of his home to the streets of Hackney. Steaks from the parrillada grill.are at the heart of the menu, alongside mixed grills, carpaccio, empanadas, sweetbreads and plenty of Argentine wines.

This neighbourhood restaurant and wine bar is from the so-hip-it-hurts group that includes P Franco and Peg. They have much more than an induction hob to work with here, as well as a wine list that's as essential as the one in the original P Franco.