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A day of hopping around Hackney Wick restaurants is a happy way to spend an afternoon in East London. Once an area of industry and derelict sites along the canal, Hackney Wick has emerged as one of the most interesting places to explore, from countless craft beer bars to brunch cafes with waterside views of Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park.
Canalside culture, warehouse apartment spaces and food and drink galore should make the Hackney Wick restaurant and cafe scene high on your London hit-list.
One of our favourite East London neighbourhoods to explore, here is a guide to all the best Hackney Wick restaurants and cafes (updated in 2023):
Table of Contents
Where to eat – best Hackney Wick restaurants
1. Barge East – a floating restaurant in Hackney Wick!
This historic 120 year old dutch barge moored on the River Lee has recently been lovingly restored into a cute floating bar and restaurant overlooking the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park.
You can dine onboard Barge East either in the intimate and rustic lower deck, or outdoors on theawesome covered deck with unspoilt views of the canal.
During the week, Barge East Hackney Wick offer a 4 course set dinner menu using seasonal British ingredients with dishes such as barbecued cuttlefish, spiced aubergine and seared pork neck.
On Saturdays you can enjoy a 2 or 3 course bottomless brunch, whilst on Sundays you can order a roast dinner.
The restaurant also spills out onto the banks of the canal with an alfresco beer garden serving a range of drinks, plus a burger street food menu.
Barge East celebrates its 5th birthday in Hackney Wick in 2023! Here is to another five years.
2. Number 90 Bar and Restaurant
This spacious bar/restaurant is located right by the canal with a beautiful outdoor terrace. The Number 90 menu offers a range of burgers, fries, chicken wings and cocktails – the TNG beef burger with activated charcoal bun was a winner for us, as was the grilled Korean burger.
On Sundays you can order a roast dinner at Bar 90 which is served all day.
We recommend you head to Hackney Wick on a Thursday night as Bar 90 sometimes has a 2 for 1 burger offer. We may want to pre-book a table as this is a very popular Hackney Wick restaurant on the water, especially on warm summer’s nights.
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3. Randy’s Wing Bar (Hackney Wick)
A large menu of American style gourmet chicken wings and cocktails are served up at this lively canalside Hackney Wick restaurant, alongside loaded fries, burgers and more.
Portion sizes are generous and there is both indoor and outdoor dining areas. We recommend the buffalo wings drizzled at Randy’s Wings Hackney Wick restaurant with blue cheese sauce – absolutely delicious!
Head down to Randy’s Wings on a Monday to enjoy all you can eat wings for £25 or Beer and Burger Friday when you get a free can of craft beer from London brewery favourite Two Tribes (based out of King’s Cross)
View Randy’s Wing Bar’s 2023 menu >
4. KraPow at Lord Napier Star
This Thai street food residency is located in the recently relaunched Hackney Wick pub the Lord Napier Star.
The KraPow kitchen residency menu is inspired by cuisine from Northern Thailand and you can expect delicious traditional offerings such as KraPow Moo (chilli and Thai basil pork mince), drunken noodles and deep fried crispy pork belly, plus pub classics with a Thai twist such as KraPow burgers and Thai fries.
KraPow Hackney Wick restaurant menu 2023 >
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5. CRATE Brewery & Pizzeria
Located in an old factory, CRATE Hackney Wick is a micro-brewery that has a small but awesome stone baked pizza menu which you can enjoy alongside their range of craft beer.
The pizzas are thin and crispy with exciting flavours such as Middle Eastern Lamb and Sage and Truffle. Crate Brewery’s outdoor dining area by the river is a great spot during the summer months and can get absolutely packed – pre-book a table to avoid disappointment.
Not only is CRATE one of Hackney Wick’s best restaurants to grab a pizza, it is also one of the Wick’s best breweries >
6. Breakfast Club, Hackney Wick
This all day breakfast chain restaurant is always a winner with a huge menu of English and American brunch classics.
The Hackney Wick restaurant has a cool 1980s retro interior, and offers two separate menus – one for breakfast and another for lunch/dinner. You can expect to find all day fry ups, pancakes, benedicts, burgers, burritos, mac n cheese and more!
The Breakfast Club Hackney Wick is normally open from 8am until around 4pm, but on Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays the opening hours are extended until 9pm.
View the Hackney Wick Breakfast Club’s menu 2023 >
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7. All My Friends
Some ‘friendly’ advice – get some food and a brew with a view at All My Friends, a new (ish) bar and restaurant in Hackney Wick from the brains behind former Tottenham superclub ‘The Cause’.
All My Friends is a much more laid-back affair, with an incredible terrace overlooking Hackney Wick and nearby Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park – for our money, this has one of the best terrace / bars views in Hackney Wick.
Upstairs, you’ll find a well lit bar area with an industrial feel with a terrace out front and at the rear, plus a DJ booth in the centre of the room.
All My Friend’s kitchen residency in 2023 is currently Sho Foo Doh by Fumio Tanga (who used to run the kitchen at one of our favourite Leytonstone pubs, the Filly Brook) – serving up the best Japanese food in Hackney Wick including some of the finest okonomiyaki in London.
Beers on tap included local favourites like Mammoth Beer (who recently opened a taproom in Leytonstone) and Two Tribes.
8. PEARL Hackney Wick (closed)
UPDATE: PEARL is currently closed
Brunch, coffee and cocktails are served in this cool and vibrant cafe-bar, which is draped with beautiful hanging plants and decorated with vintage furnishings.
Highlights of the menu include Super Greens with Eggs, Huevos Rancheros, Turkish Eggs and Tempeh Katsu, plus a range of colourful lattes.
From 5pm onwards the evening kitchen opens which features burgers from street food residency BAPS, plus craft beers from various independent UK breweries.
9. Cornerstone by Chef Tom Brown
Founded by chef Tom Brown, this Michelin starred Hackney Wick restaurant offers a simple, yet sophisticated menu featuring sharing plates and seafood dishes.
The menu is updated regularly and wine pairing options are available to complement all the food. Expect delicious creations such as Sea Bream Tartare, Citrus Cured Gurnard and Hake Kiev.
ViewCornerstone by Chef Tom Brown’s menu >
10.Kottu House at Howling Hops Brewery
Located inside one of the best drinking spots in Hackney, Kottu House is a street food residency inside Howling Hops Brewery serving some of the best Sri Lankan food in London.
We recommend Kottu House’s signature kottu dish which is made from chopped up flat bread, and stir fried with spices, eggs and vegetables. They also serve stuffed parathas (flat bread with fillings), rice and meat boxes, salads, mutton rolls, battered prawns and much more!
View the Kottu House Hackney Wick menu 2023 >
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11. Gotto Trattoria
Traditional Italian dishes are served up in this lovely independent and family-run waterside restaurant by the team behind the popular Soho restaurant Mele e Pere.
Expect classics such as pizza and fresh hand-rolled pasta, plus signature negroni cocktails, homemade Vermouth and craft beer on tap.
We recommend the delicious Gotto pizza which has San Daniele ham, rocket and truffle oil toppings.
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12. Hackney Bridge Kitchens
This new indoor food court in Hackney Wick is nestled on the banks of the River Lea and home to craft beer, cocktail bars and a variety of mouth watering street food stalls. Hackney Bridge street food restaurant traders include:
WRAP N ROLLA – (banging tortilla wraps)
BAKES N STUFFINGZ (St Lucian jerk chicken)
SIMPLY HOOKED (fish tacos)
RAINBO (Japanese soul food)
HANOI CHAY (plant based Vietnamese)
FILIGRILLZ (Filipino flame-grilled meats)
MADE IN PUGLIA (Neapolitan pizza)
TAMILA (South Indian street food)
Every Tuesday and Wednesday between 12pm – 3pm many of the street food vendors offer dishes for £5.
Also on a weekday (Monday to Friday) from 3pm-7pm there is a 2 for 1 drink offer on house beers, wine, single spirits and selected cocktails from the Hangar Bar, which you can enjoy on their outdoor terrace!
Hackney Wick Hackney Bridge Food Vendors 2023 >
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13. MOTHER Works (closed)
UPDATE: As of October 2022, MOTHER Works is permanently closed
This small canalside Hackney Wick restaurant serves up organic, plant-based and sustainable food, and you can expect to find coffee, cold-pressed juices, bakery treats, loaded açai bowls, buddha bowls and vegan cheeze toasties on their menu.
Swing by on a Saturday or Sunday in the summer months and you can enjoy food from their weekend BBQ menu which includes tacos and burgers, plus margarita cocktails and Beavertown beer on tap.
As sustainability is their philosophy, all theirtakeaway packaging is recyclable and environmentally-friendly.
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14. Colour Factory’s food court
Formerly Mick’s Garage, Colour Factory is a large multi purpose live music venue / events space which also houses a bar and food court during the day.
On-site street food vendors include Pittagoras (Greek), Hogless Roast (vegan hog roasts) and Burger and Chop (burgers and fries).
Colour Factory is located in Queen’s Yard which is a stones throw away from Howling Hops Brewery, Crate brewery and Old Street Brewery so you can do a mini pub crawl!
View Colour Factory’s street food vendors >
15. Silo London
This awesome innovative zero-waste restaurant in Hackney Wick is environmentally forward thinking, and has a menu filled with creative dishes such as grilled cuttlefish kebab, green pea Naan and pumpkin seed ice cream!
Silo London’s restaurant furnishings and fittings are all created from up-cycled materials, and plates are formed from reconstituted food packaging. Any food that isn’t eaten by their customers is fed into an aerobic digester which generates around 60kg of compost in 24 hours!
Silo London’s Hackney Wick restaurant is open Wednesday to Saturday, 6pm to late (also open for lunch on Saturdays from 1pm).
View Silo London’s 2023 menu >
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16. Grow (canalside bar and restaurant in Hackney Wick)
Another hip, Hackney hangout billed as a community cafe with a canalside terrace, Grow is a fun place that is all about its outside setting, boasting a multi-level garden with views and a predominantly plant based Mediterranean menu (with some ethically sourced meat options too).
We last visited one Sunday afternoon and tried Grow’s Sunday Roast as a guy performed with his drums on the floating stage barge outside – talk about beer and bongos!
Food (and beer) prices at Grow at very reasonable for the area and there are also several indoor areas if the weather is inclement.
Busy as, Grow Hackney Wick also hosts regular open mic sessions, live entertainment and has an environmental and sustainable ethos. If you are still feeling peckish as you leave Grow, there is a local bakery located in Grow Studios just as you leave the bar.
17. Pieminister Pies at White Post
A selection of the best of Britain’s beloved Pieminister Pies are available to order at White Post, a small Hackney Wick cafe and bar which has an outdoor terrace with views of the canal boats. Choose from beef, chicken or vegetarian pie, and pair with either creamy mash, minty mushy peas or gravy!
Hackney Brewery beers are also on tap at White Post – check out Hackney Brewery’s taproom on the Blackhorse Beer Mile in Walthamstow.
18. HWK Coffee & Cocktail Bar
HWK Coffee on Whitepost Lane is a cool as coffee shop with a lush tropical garden courtyard (check out those vines and beautiful tiled tables).
The nearest coffee shop to Hackney Wick Station (cool beans!), HWK obviously gets its name from the local Hackney Wick area and also doubles as an event space and late night bar.
Reminiscent of the Shoreditch street art scene in the immediate area, you’ll often see people enjoying their coffees on the small tables immediately outside HWK soaking up the views and epic art scene; this place was made for cruisey coffee sessions.
19. Doh Life Bakery (closed)
2023 UPDATE: Doh Life is permanently closed
Hackney Wick now has a bakery in the form of Doh Life Bakery, located on White Post Lane with a popular outdoor terrace serving all manner of lunch and brunch options as well as artisan bread, sweet treats and sublime sourdough to takeaway.
Also inside you’ll find their own brand of coffee, fresh fruit and veg to buy ( a great little green grocer style section) plus bags of character – this place is Hackney Wick born and ‘bread’.
20. Burnt Umber Brasserie
Based in the ‘Bagel Factory’ residential apartment complex, Burnt Umber is a brand new cosy cafe cum brasserie that doesn’t just serve bagels but a whole range of fine lunch and brunch fine food fares, from kimchee pancakes to keto crepes.
With a nice outdoor seating area out front and restaurant inside (check out the chandelier!!!) with a deli style counter plus fresh and organic produce to takeaway, Burnt Umber opened in 2021 and is artisan as, a sublime new slice of Hackney Wick life.
Burnt Umber Hackney Wick menu 2023 >
21. The Lock Inn Pub
Overlooking the Lea Canal and our final inclusion on our ‘best restaurants in Hackney Wick’ guide, The Lock Inn is a new neighbourhood gastropub with a fine foodie menu
A recent addition to Here East, The Lock Inn pub is an Italian inspired local pub run by three brothers which specialises in pizza plus hearty pub fare like burgers and Sunday roasts.
You can also get quizzical every Tuesday night at the Lock Inn, with the weekly pub quiz starting at 7.30pm.
The Lock Inn Hackney Wick menu >
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3 Comments
J Chime
February 16, 2022 at 12:40 amNatura on 30 Felstead St is the original Italian restaurant in Hackney Wick – and the best!
CK Travels
February 16, 2022 at 8:41 amYes its been on our list for ages! We are hoping to get down there soon and add it to the blog post. Thanks for the recommendation 🙂
CARA
June 23, 2023 at 10:45 amNatura is the best restaurant in Hackney Wick