This post is part of my London Neighbourhood Guides series. Fancy visiting another area of London? Check out my other guides here, which all include information regarding the sights, history, charm, food and drinks of the area you’re curious about.
As I’ve mentioned previously, Hackney is vibrant. And while the Borough of Hackney has a distinct identity compared to the rest of London, it is huge and therefore each neighbourhood has its very own character. Clapton is on the eastern edge of the Borough and this is rather symbolic of what Clapton is like. It’s at the very edge of the gentrification that has swept Hackney. I read this Guardian article on moving to Clapton and there was quite an appropriate quote from a local:
Not as grimy as some of Hackney, nor as yummy mummy as Stoke Newington, it has the best of both worlds: a sense of community along with a slightly radical spirit.
It’s that radical spirit that perhaps distinguishes this part of Hackney from the rest. Homerton is similar to Clapton in that sense, but it’s also slightly quirky in its own right as well. Artsy, eclectic, cool, hip… Hackney’s east part has a lot going for it, so let me walk you through these cool kids on the block. The border of the Borough of Hackney is marked with a bold purple outline below, and the specific neighbourhoods of Hackney Downs and Clapton are highlighted in purple.
Hackney Downs
If you walk eastwards away from Stoke Newington, you run into Hackney Downs, a neighbourhood I like to think of as a transitionary area to Clapton. Hackney Downs is named after the park central to the area. It’s a simple park with just a few amenities, but the large meadows make for the perfect spot for a Sunday picnic. It’s an ideal place to go if you want to get away from the crowds at the larger parks (like Victoria Park or London Fields). And while the park used to be the only thing worth talking about in this area, the neighbourhood has really flourished and attracted a lot of that great Hackney/East London hipster charm.
North of Hackney Downs is Bake Street, a no-frills neighbourhoods cafe that has over the years warranted long queues down the block. To me, it feels like a passion project, but that’s almost not giving it enough credit as the drive and creativity of the team is incredible. Their weekend menu is filled with burgers, particularly smashburgers and hot fried chicken burgers, as well as tacos. The team at Bake Street are very experimental and you can tell they spend a lot of time researching, testing and trialling before putting out a new dish, whether it’s a burrito or a sub. Bake Street also has one of the best young bakers in London, Chloe-Rose Crabtree. She has become famous because of her creme brulee cookies, but all her baked goods are incredible. Oh, and Bake Street’s soft serve ice cream is awesome too. P.S. I used to live across the street from Bake Street and oh how I miss it!
Just west of Hackeny Downs, with a tunnel from the park, is Hackney Downs Studios. This area opened up in 2019 with some shops and restaurants surrounding a large outdoor dining area. We felt so lucky that a wonderful bakery opened up here, the Brunswick East Bakehouse. From the team behind Brunswick East in Dalston, the Bakehouse makes its own house sourdough, pastries, breakfast buns and daily-changing sandwiches and delicious juices.
Also in Hackney Downs Studios is Re:Store where can bring your own containers or buy some in the shop, and fill up on whole foods, nuts and seeds, herbs and spices, tea, coffee, oils, vinegar and household cleaning products. We used to make a trip here every couple of months or so! There’s also Yuzu Space, an artists space founded by a couple of tattoo artists, including my absolute favourite, Georgina Leung. While I haven’t gotten a tattoo, I have bought lots of her designs via phone cases, prints and jewellery. She’s really talented and if I was to get a tattoo someday, it would be from her!
East of Hackney Downs is where you can find some of the best coffee in London. Lodestar opened just a few years ago but serves the most interesting and well-brewed coffee in all of North and East London.
Nearby is Uchi, which has been featured in articles with headlines like, “12 of London’s most Instagrammable restaurants”, “Where To Eat Out In Hackney”, and “London’s best sushi restaurants”. Indeed, Uchi is a prized feature of the area, serving delectable sushi, nigiri, and sashimi. While raw fish is of course the staple of sushi, my favourite pieces from Uchi are actually their veggie versions! They do veggie sushi combos like tempura broccoli + sesame carrot, miso aubergine + sweet potato, and shiso + daikon. They also do simple, veggie nigiri like sesame carrot and eryngii mushroom.
Upper Clapton Road
I lived on the boundary “dividing” (quotes because it’s not like there’s a wall) Stoke Newington and Clapton and absolutely loved that I got the benefits of both neighbourhoods. Stoke Newington is like a quaint, mature village whereas Clapton is its rascally younger brother. Though it’s not too far from Dalston and Shoreditch, Clapton still maintains that off-the-beaten-path feel. Clapton has two main streets: Upper/Lower Clapton Road and Chatsworth Road. Upper Clapton Road is perhaps known as the less “nice” and “wrong” side of Clapton but that’s incredibly subjective. I lived very close by and there are plenty of gems here that escape the lower end of Clapton.
Starting from the northern end, we have Sodo Pizza. Sodo loves to focus on seasonal produce so you’ll see a lot of fun specials! Perhaps after a delicious pizza, you need a good drink too? The Crooked Billet is a wonder of a place. It has a huge garden that is normally not crowded but during sports events is absolutely insane. If you’re into that, then this pub is the right place. They offer a great selection of beers and also some British food favourites. There’s usually a food truck-like shack around offering some tasty grub too.
Further down the street is TRAM Store, a cafe that serves coffee and brunch. It joins the ever-growing list of converted East London warehouses. If you go through a small alleyway you’ll see a bunch of studios and more warehouses but tucked away in one of them is the Clapton Country Club. It hosts the most lovely Sunday Roast and I cannot recommend them enough.
Lower Clapton Road
Once you pass the Lea Bridge roundabout going south, Upper Clapton Road turns into Lower Clapton Road. Just before you continue down the road, you can veer off to Millfields Park. This is on your way to the River Lea, but the park itself is a lovely one to hang out in. Back onto Lower Clapton Road, you’ll run into Clapton Pond. Back in the days of yore, a natural spring supplied Clapton Pond. The water irrigated the land and supplied water to farmers for themselves and their animals. Today it is a lovely oasis in the middle of all the hubbub of the high street.
For some scrumptious pastries and bread, head to Casey’s, a deli that local produce, like chocolate from Land in Bethnal Green, bread from the Dusty Knuckle in Dalston, and honey from Walthamstow.
There are some unique bars along Upper Clapton Road that are simply institutions in their own right. There’s the Clapton Hart and Biddle Bros. There is also the legendary rock dive bar called Blondies.
There are plenty of other stops along Lower Clapton Road, like Pages of Hackney, an adorable, independent bookshop.
Clapton’s Asia Food Scene
As far as restaurants go, Clapton is hard to beat! We are so lucky to have so many wonderful restaurants and in particular, there is a wonderful Asian restaurant scene going on here.
First, we have My Neighbours the Dumplings. This family-run Chinese dumpling house and Sake bar started as a pop-up and then opened its permanent spot in 2016. Their food is delicious, but my favourite aspect of the restaurant is actually the vibe. It’s a lot of fun to hang out in!
My favourite best-kept secret about Clapton is the Vietnamese restaurant across the street, Hai Cafe. Victor and I discovered this during the holiday season of December 2019. We didn’t have a booking and so, consequently, we kept being turned away from several restaurants. We ran into this tiny place and it became one of our favourite places in all of Hackney. Hai Cafe holds a special place in my heart.
Further down the street is Three Bowls, a Chinese restaurant. They specifically serve Hainanese cuisine, which is is lighter, less oily, and more mildly seasoned than that of the Chinese mainland. I hadn’t realised Hainan was an island so it was fun to try their food specialties!
After pop-ups and residencies across town, Lucky & Joy finally settled down in Clapton in late 2019. It was started by two friends, one a chef and one a drinks expert, after they travelled around China. The menu is inspired by their travels, although the restaurant is very much a modern homage to Chinese restaurants (not literally one). It’s a fun, exciting restaurant to experience and savour.
There’s actually now a new restaurant called Mambow, serving modern Malaysian cuisine. I have yet to try it, but it has taken the world by storm as it’s featured in Time Out, critics reviews and the like. I know the place is tiny so it’s difficult to get a spot, so I’ll just have to be patient! Nonetheless, I’m happy to see another Asian restaurant pop up in Clapton.
Chatsworth Road
More than a decade ago, the main artery through Clapton, Chatsworth Road, was one of the roughest areas in London. And while the effects of gentrification are complicated and often negative, the new Sunday Market helped make the area safer and more focused on community. The road hosts its Sunday Market from 11am to 4pm every Sunday.
Chatsworth Road is one of London’s longest high streets, so there’s so much to discover. All along the road are tons of cute cafes, independent shops and everything else. There’s Leo’s, a truly delightful Italian cafe and restaurant. The aesthetic of this place is so darn pleasing. The front of the place is a cafe where you can have breakfast, a light lunch or a coffee and pastry. The back is the restaurant which serves delicious and comforting dishes. I love Leo’s and I think it’s such a great addition to Clapton.
Across the street is Fink’s Chats, a coffee shop that’s part of the Fink’s Group of cafes. Their original cafe is in Higbury, but since opening in 2005 they now have three other locations, the one in Clapton being one of them. I actually first came here to seek out their famous ice cream sandwiches, but alas they didn’t have them that day. Instead, I had a tequila paloma popsicle that was actually the best thing ever. I’m definitely coming back for that!
And that’s a wrap! Hackeny Downs and Clapton are wonderful neighbourhoods, and lots of wonderful, hip places are popping up in the area all the time. I can’t wait to see how it will grow and flourish, and become even more exciting over the years to come.
More Hackney neighbourhood guides are on the way, stay tuned!
No Comments