London Restaurants - East London

13 Rookwood Way, Fish Island, London E3 2XT

Neighbourhood restaurant Inis is part of Fish Island's The Trampery campus and its menu focuses both on British and Irish cuisine. Expect produce and dishes from both sides of the Irish Sea with dishes like whiskey smoked salmon as well as a proper Irish breakfast (which means both black and white pudding).

52 Wilton Way, London E8 1BG

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.

1 Mare St, London E8 4RP

Miga is a "modern Korean kitchen" and it's a family affair coming from two brothers and their chef father. Originally starting in New Malden, their mother currently has a takeaway in Morden while their father runs the kitchen at this restaurant in Hackney, with a modern approach to Korean cooking. An immediate hit when it opened, it's now lauded as one of London's best Korean restaurants.

Abbot Street Car Park, London, E8 3DP

Acme Food Cult is from chef Andrew Clarke and, as the name suggests, it's all about cooking over fire on an impressive grill with a big, but not sole, focus on vegetables. You'll find it right next to 40FT Brewery, be sure to have some of their beer along with the food. It's also an excellent space for alfresco dining, with a space on the fully-covered terrace much sought after, particularly at weekends, when they do a great Sunday lunch.

Canal Place, 32 Andrews Rd, London E8 4RL

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.

129A Pritchard’s Road, London E2 9AP

Sune (pronounced "soon-er") comes from hospitality power couple Honey Spencer and Charlie Sims. 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.

120 Morning Ln, London E9 6LH

Dalla 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.

78 Lower Clapton Road, Lower Clapton, London E5 0RN

After building up a devoted following at Peckham's Market, Abby Lee moved her Malaysian restaurant to a permanent space in East London, which cemented her as one of the city's best chefs. Here, it's all about modern Malaysian food and the place to be is up at the counter. If it's on, the Lor Bak (five-spice pork and prawn bean curd roll) is a must but you'll want to roam through as much of the menu as you can.

322-324 Acton Mews, London E8 4EA

Taking two railway arches in Haggerston, Planque is a wine bar, restaurant, members' club and store, with a key focus on natural and low-intervention wines. And most importantly it has Seb Myers (ex P Franco and Chiltern Firehouse) running the kitchen and serving up a modern take on French food. Small-medium plates are the order of the day, although there's a great set lunch deal here on Saturdays.

17 Bohemia Pl, London E8 1DU

Inside Hackney Church Brewery, you'll find Elliot Cunningham's Lagom. Part inspired by his Swedish heritage, it's a live-fire cooking affair over wood. Most of the globally-inspired dishes on offer here are worth trying, the smoked beef bun in particular, if it's on. However, the Lagom smashburger is lauded as one of London's very best - so get the burger first, but make sure to roam the rest of the menu too.

Arch 255 Paradise Row, London E2 9LQ

Tasca is from chef Josh Dallaway and sommelier Sinead Murdoch. They're in charge of the kitchen at East London bar Cav, with Tasca. It takes inspiration from their travels through Spain and France, from which they've brought back elements of classic dishes and given them a modern London twist. Expect a parade of excellent small plates and a particularly good European wine list that celebrates female-founded vineyards and female winemakers.

23-27 Wadeson Street, London E2 9DR

A true London trailblazer, Pablo Flack and David Waddington's Bistrotheque has been a staple of the Hackney dining scene for over 20 years. The menu remains French-inspired through a modern European lens and these days the brunch remains one of its biggest draws.

YY Building, 30 South Colonnade, Canary Wharf, London E14 5HX

Barbarella is the Canary Wharf restaurant by the Big Mamma group, known for places like Gloria and Circolo Popolare. Like those restaurants, this is a flamboyant affair, not least on the first floor where the ceiling and tabletops are all mirrored, giving quite the impressive overall effect. The food is Italian but with a few luxe Big Mamma touches, with plenty of caviar and truffle on offer, but at a price which doesn't break the bank.

6 Frobisher Passage, London E14 5HA

This is the Canary Wharf outpost for modern Indian restaurant group Kricket. The food here combines British ingredients with Indian cuisine with signature dishes including their samphire pakoras and Keralan fried chicken. You'll also find grills, curries and Tandoor-cooked dishes as well as a special Sunday lunch with specials on the grill. They also have a separate cocktail bar next door, Soma, that's well worth a look.

Wood Wharf, 10 Water St, London E14 5GX

Taking a big floating space just beside the Canary Wharf Hawksmoor, Maeceline is a grand French brasserie which also happens to be very good value. Dishes run from the very French (escargots) to the more standard (steak frites) with standout dishes like their uncut sheets of ravioli. That good spread on the menu means it's a great place to take the more fussy of eaters but still get a great meal out. Plus - there's unlimited bread.

Five Park Drive, Wood Wharf, London E14 9GG

After success in St James, the Fallow team have gone much bigger with this huge restaurant in Canary Wharf's Wood Wharf. It sticks to the seasonal, local and no-waste ethos that they started with Fallow, which adding completely different dishes to the menu. Here, skewers and mixed grills are the signatures and there's a much larger outdoor space as well as multiple private hire spaces.

5 Water St, London E14 5GX

Originally in Soho, this is the main outpost of the Aegean-inspired restaurant Hovarda. It's on one of the huge floating buildings on Wood Wharf, underneath French restaurant Marceline. As well as serving up a menu of Greek and Turkish food from the kitchen, it's also one of the few late-night bars in the area, open until 2am with DJs and artists on all night (and a great cocktail list).

Unit CR32, 1 Crossrail Pl, London E14 5AR

Din Tai Fung is a Taiwanese restaurant that's hugely successful all over the world, mainly for their xiao long bao (aka soup dumplings) which are always made on-site (from a small kitchen that you can see in all their restaurants). There's much more to the menu than that, with lots of dishes beyond the dumplings, including some must-have lava buns for dessert.

25 N Colonnade, London E14 5HD

This is the Canary Wharf outpost of the popular series of London food halls. As with the others, it gathers together some of London's best food operators with 10 kitchens operating in the hall, all backed up by a central bar. Extremely handy for the Elizabeth Line station. You'll find burgers, kebabs, tacos, bagels and lots more besides. If you're meeting friends and forgot to book somewhere, this is a great option.

1 Water Street, London E14

Hawksmoor really made a splash with their Canary Wharf restaurant - it is actually floating on the river and looks amazing as a result. The same excellent steaks and cocktails that you've come to expect from them are here, as well as their biggest bar yet, The Lowback. 

5 Frobisher Passage, London, E14 4PA

Blacklock's Canary Wharf restaurant continues to do what the group does best. So you can expect a great selection of chops (have them on top of grilled bread, ideally) alongside steak, snacks and great cocktails. Keep room for their white chocolate cheesecake dessert and there's a great Sunday lunch on offer here too.

25 Harbour Wy., London E14 9YN

The compact Deun Deun in Canary Wharf is all about Korean cuisine, with a traditional menu and a particularly great reputation for its Korean fried chicken, made with everything from soy garlic to cheddar cheese powder. You'll also find bibimbap rice dishes, sharing pots, dumplings and more.

255 Paradise Row, London E2 9LE

The people behind bars Dram and Oranj have teamed up for this Bethnal Green opening, which is part cocktail bar, part residency. On the drinks side, you'll find great cocktails and a wine list which celebrates female winemakers. On the food side, that comes from long-term residency Tasca which combines both Spanish and Portuguese influences from an ex Sager & Wild chef. Expect dishes like shellfish escabeche on the menu.

1 Rufus St, London N1 6PE

Italian restaurant Senza Fondo has one key selling point - its bottomless lasagna. That comes in traditional or artichoke varieties (and even in a sandwich) but there is more to the restaurant than layered pasta. You'll also find pizzette, pasta and snacks like deep-fried mozzarella sticks, as well as tiramisu for dessert. All that's assuming you don't overdo it on the lasagna, of course.

5 Dalston Ln, London E8 3DF

One of the earliest interesting wine bars to hit this part of East London, Newcomer Wines started life as a wine shop and bar focusing solely on Austrian wines. They've now expanded to feature natural wines from further afield in Europe. Come the summer, their hidden walled garden is a superb place to enjoy a glass or two.

2-4 Tottenham Rd, London N1 4BZ

Supported by its own natural wine-importing business, Dan’s is one of those wine bars that’s always packed with East Londoners working their way through the impressive catalogue. There’s plenty on by the glass too and it’s always worth seeing what’s on the board that day.

480 Kingsland Rd, London E8 4AE

The team behind Bar Lotus also run several award-winning bars in Shanghai and Chengdu. Here in London, they've gone ultra minimalist with their space. Drinks have a distinct Asian bent - there might be a yuzu margarita or salted plum and shiso highball on offer.

510b Kingsland Rd, London E8 4AB

They now have bars in Crouch End and Soho, but this was the original opening for the Three Sheets team, bringing their eclectic take on cocktail-making to Dalston. Riffing off the name, the drinks list is divided into one, two and three sheets moving from light to strong in terms of alcoholic content. Regardless of the ABV, whatever you end up ordering is going to taste great.

23A Englefield Rd, London N1 4JX

A couple of interesting chefs (ex-Big Jo and Noble Rot) are behind this self-styled cafe with 'quite good grub' on the Dalston/De Beauvoir borders. It may look like a cafe from the outside but the quality of the food and wine offering here is definitely a cut above the usual neighbourhood space. Expect a tight menu, singing from the season's songsheet.

Stamford Works, 3 Gillett St, London N16 8JH

Seasonality and provenance are the foundation of the menu at Jones & Sons. So you know they'll have the best day boat fish, amazing English meat and a strong vegetarian offering. Set in a former factory, they're probably best known for the weekend brunches and Sunday roasts. If you're getting a sense of deja vu when you come, it's probably because this is where the Stephen Graham movie Boiling Point was filmed.