Hackney

Taking over a former boozer on Columbia Road, Dara Klein's modern trattoria Tiella has been packing them in since day one. We went along to see what all the fuss was about. 

Just under a year ago, the popular Hackney pub The Gun announced it was closing down. Back then, its owners, who also run The Compton Arms in Islington, cited the current economic conditions saying "despite our very best efforts it has become unsustainable to continue trading". Well, where one door closes, another opens and it looks as though the pub is about to get a new lease of life.

It's been bought, according to trade title Propel, by J-Pub Holdings. That in itself doesn't sound particularly exciting until you discover that the man behind that is Kotaro Ogawa, the man behind

After heading up the kitchen at The Pem, Sally Abé's next role was taking over the food at The Bull at Charlbury (by the team behind The Pelican), but now she's back in London with her first solo restaurant, Teal by Sally Abé.

The restaurant, according to Abé, is "about celebrating the best of British food, its history, its flavours, and its stories, while championing women, supporting good causes, and building a restaurant that feels rooted in its community".

As to how that appears on the menu, it'll kick off with snacks like devils and angels on horseback, while bigger

Lagom have been in residency for two and a half years at Hackney Church Brewery, but made the decision to step away at the end of 2025 (we'll be looking out for what they have planned next). They built up a great reputation during their time there, but now it's time for someone else to take up their place. 

So, coming next to the brewery is a brand-new residency from the duo currently known as Peck Peck. That's a Hackney chicken shop that was originally launched by Sutton & Sons, best known for its fish and chips. Since then the team running it, Sal Whitehead and

Set up just over a year ago, Logma became a big hit, originally running occasional Iranian supperclubs at E5 Bakehouse. It comes from Ziad Halub and his partner Farsin Rabiee, who are bringing their respective cuisines to the table for a unique Iraqi/Iranian mix of dishes. 

Now they've taken the next step and have opened a permanent space in Hackney. It's starting up as a cafe with an aim to open a dining room for their bistro later in the month. They say the plan is to serve up "Iranian + Iraqi homemade comfort food we grew up with, made with organic seasonal

In surprising news, chef Gizzi Erskine is returning to Mare Street Market (both Hackney and Kings Cross venues) as Chef Creative Director.

You may recall we reported on Gizzi launching her first restaurant at Mare Street Market back in

Ever since it opened back in 2019, Pophams in Hackney has been equally well known for its evening pasta restaurant as it has been for its bacon and maple swirls. But, very soon, its time is coming to an end. 

Announcing the closure news on Instagram, they have said that, like much of the industry

Spread out across the borough of Hackney on the east side of London, you'll find some of the city's most innovative restaurants. We've rounded up the best.

If you've been to The Pembury Tavern, you might have come across Ace Pizza by Rachel Jones, where its been a hugely popular residency. Well, now she's getting her own place, just off Victoria Park.

Jones has developed her own style of pizza now dubbed "The London-style Pizza". It's designed to have "the chew and char of Neapolitan dough with the structure and

It's been promised for a few weeks and now Lardo's new wine bar is nearly upon us. Bastardo is opening right next door to the popular East London pizzeria, and as their window proclaims, it's focusing on low-intervention wine and "mighty fine snacks". 

Starting with those snacks, they're clearly sharing the same DNA as the main Lardo. So, there will be pizza fritti, sharing "trough plates" of

If you feel that your part of London could do with a few more decent wine bars, then you might feel that one particular part of East London has more than its fair share. Hackney Road is already home to the likes of Sager + Wilde (the OG natural wine bar) and Provisions but it's gearing up for another new opening this summer.

Blinds is a new bar that's opening up in a former blinds shop, hence the name, almost

In Hackney, Forno (from Mitshel Ibrahim, the man behind Ombra) has already been doing some impressive things with pastry. Now it's trying something different in the evenings, launching Brillo. 

Brillo will be taking over the Forno space every Friday, transforming it into "a listening bar of sorts". Each Friday, they'll be cooking pizzas in the ovens,

He already has a Michelin star for his first restaurant, Casa Fofo, now chef Adolfo De Cecco is getting ready to open his second pplace, not too far away on Stoke Newington Road. 

The new place is called Bianca's, named after his daughter, and it's a little bit more of a casual restaurant and wine bar than Casa Fofo. Like the chef's other restaurant, this will focus on

If you've ever fancied the idea of ditching the drudgery of office work and running your own business, we might have the perfect thing for you. Chatsworth Road wine bar Nobody Asked Me has gone up for sale and the owners are offering it as a turnkey opportunity.

"The bar will be sold ready to go and set up for someone to walk in and start serving," said current owner Jamie Isaac. "After 5 1/2 years of

Wilton Way Deli and Wines has built up a strong following in Hackney and now owner Francesca D’Agostino is getting ready to expand with a second opening - but not too far away. She's going as far as the corner of Wilton Road to open Fran's. 

She describes Fran's as an "all-day caff" open from breakfast to the evening, "inspired by the old-style Italian/British cafes