Hackney

• Gizzi Erskine is opening a restaurant in Mare Street Market

  After pop-ups, residencies, collaborations and much more, popular chef Gizzi Erskine is finally settling down with her own restaurant in the new Mare Street Market.  

• Harry and Megan choose Hackney's Violet Cakes as their wedding cake baker

  

  Well today is a red letter day for East London bakery Violet Cakes as Kensington Palace announced this morning that she'll be the baker responsible for the royal wedding cake.

  In a formal announcement this morning, Kensington Palace confirmed that Claire Ptak had been chosen by Prince Harry and Megan Markle to make their wedding cake.

  ...

• Daffodil Soup pops up on Hackney Road with homemade vegan sourdough and local honey

  

  Hackneyites are getting a new six-month pop-up that promises modern British and Mediterranean food with a South African twist, by the name of Daffodil Soup.

  It looks like an ethically minded, very East London affair, complete with Walthamstow honey, house granola, nut butters and vegan sourdough, that’ll also be available to take away.

  Some of the more substantial plates on offer

  ...
• Hackney's The Spread Eagle is going completely vegan with Club Mexicana

  

  There's no stopping the vegan train as more and more places are adding vegan dishes to the menu. And one pub is going one step further and becoming totally vegan. Hackney's The Spread Eagle is teaming up with Club Mexicana for a fully vegan menu. 

  And on that menu is:

  • Sopa de tortilla, Corn esquites and pan seared ‘scallops’
  • Deep fried cheeze with Valentina hot sauce
  • Loaded cheezy
  ...
• Tom Brown is opening Cornerstone in Hackney Wick

  Ex Outlaw's chef Tom Brown is going it alone in Hackney with his new restaurant Cornerstone. Expect a seasonal menu, plenty of seafood and counter dining too. 

• Try Seasonal sharing plates in Hackney as Nest goes permanent

  Grab a handful of sharing plates or go for the set menu at Nest’s new Hackney hideaway, where the three friends will be once focus on seasonal dishes that requires the kitchen to get in only one type of meat at a time.

• Tonkotsu, Chick n Sours and more headline guest chef series at Behind The Wall

  

  Don't know about you, but we're loving the various mashups and creative collaborations that are currently going down around London. And one upcoming combo of creative talents in Hackney has particularly caught our eye.

  Hackney cocktail bar Behind This Wall is bringing in some top talent for a series of guest chef nights, called ‘E is the magic number’. It features chefs and restaurateurs from within the E1-E9 postcodes taking over the teeny kitchen and sound

  ...
• Small plates at Every Cloud's Silver Lining in Hackney Walk

  Silver Lining is the new restaurant counterpart to luxury outlet Hackney Walk’s popular Every Cloud cocktail bar. With its cozy environment and creative menu it looks like it could be just the job.

• Get a Snackbar preview as they take over Legs in Hackney

  

  Hackneyites, get ready for “the world’s tastiest snacks” when Morning Lane’s Legs is temporarily taken over by Seb Myers and Freddie Janssen, the duo behind the upcoming Snackbar. 

  It’ll be the latest in their series of residencies, having already taken the helm at kitchens in The Laughing Heart and Our/London, as well as running three-day pop-up at Borough Market. All this before getting ready to open

  ...
• Som Saa return to Climpson's Arch for one weekend and they're bringing Smoking Goat

  

  There's no doubt that Som Saa's restaurant has been a huge success, but if you've been missing the original residency at Climpson's Arch, then you'll want to keep next weekend free. 

  They're heading back to the Arch for one weekend only - and on the Sunday they're joined by Smoking Goat for a double-header. On their unashamedly nostalgic menu, they'll have dishes from the original

  ...
• Chit Chaat Chai comes to Proud East’s Pop-Up India, with Indian street food

  

  The next pop-up to hit Hackney art and gallery space Proud East is Chit Chaat Chai, an Indian street food restaurant from Wandsworth, who’ll be settling in for the duration of the gallery's summer-long Pop-Up India event.

  Chit Chaat Chai’s speciality is chaat, the small sharing plates of Indian food from which they take their name, which they’ll be serving up to visitors throughout the Pop-Up India event with a

  ...
• Sood Family pops up with Italian cuisine in Hackney Wick’s Stour Space

  

  Get down to Hackney Wick’s the Stour Space before the summer’s out, and you’ll be able to enjoy an al fresco canalside aperitif and traditional Italian food, thanks to Sood Family’s new residency.

  The warehouse pop-up sees the Sood Family getting back to their Puglia roots with traditional Italian cuisine that’s been given a modern twist by Michele, a relatively new chef who’s spent the past two years working

  ...
• The Vincent is coming to Hackney Downs from the people behind the Sebright Arms

  All day dining in Hackney Downs from the Sebright Arms team

• Saiphin’s Thai Kitchen in London Fields is the newest project from Rosa’s duo

  

  What: Saiphin’s Thai Kitchen

  In a nutshell: More Thai treats from the duo behind Rosa’s, with takeaway and delivery.

  Summing it all up: The unstoppable force that seem to be the Saiphin and Alex Moore are at it again, this time launching a new brand offshoot they’ve dubbed Saiphin’s Thai Kitchen, which will be dishing out lots of the Rosa’s classics from a new base in London Fields.

• Lucky Chip at Hackney’s The Sebright Arms is back

  

  It’s a happy day in Hackney, as Lucky Chip has just returned to its spiritual home.

  After a rather mouthwatering launch of their The Wall burger with Breddos Tacos (which was all we could think about for days - and still available), Lucky Chip is now back settling into a familiar groove at East End boozer The

  ...