London Homerton Restaurant Guide

2021 Review: “Top vegan food in town, courtesy of Club Mexicana” is to be found at this “cool” east Homerton hostelry: London’s first 100% vegan pub. Even those who feel it’s “hyped” and only “OK if you’re in the area” say “they must be doing something right as it’s packed”.

2023 Review: This “outstanding” four-year-old is an “engaging but cramped little venue” whose “absolute bargain of a menu” from co-owner Johnnie Crow (ex-Harwood Arms and Anglo), makes it “well worth the trip up to Hackney (booking essential!)”. The meal is structured around one type of meat each month – chicken, game, wagyu – to minimise waste, and “service is personal, enthusiastic and charming”. “You’re unlikely to find much better value in town, with some truly stellar dishes given the mid-range price-point”.

2021 Review: “In the heart of Walthamstow Village”, this “great neighbourhood spot” – a Spar supermarket with kitchen attached – wins praise for its “quality” cooking (“the 2019 Harden’s description of pub-type grub underplays its standard and originality”). “Very relaxed and welcoming for young children”, the venture’s best-known innovation is bacon jam, which you can buy by the jar in various flavours. Other branches have opened in Hackney and, most recently, Hammersmith (somewhat better-served areas, so these respective branches are somewhat less of a local lifeline).

Taking over the former Nest site in Hackney’s Morning Lane, this early 2024 newcomer is an informal venue offering communal dining on skewers of grilled meat and other small plates (as inspired by Japan’s izakaya drinking dens, but using British recipes and ingredients). No reports as yet, but while testing influencer fave-raves, The Evening Standard’s Joanna Taylor gave it a big thumbs-up, saying its shots-fuelled style “certainly manages to live up to its name even on Sunday evening”.

On the former site of wine bar Peg in Hackney’s Morning Lane, this neighbourhood newcomer opened in late 2023 with a focus on relatively traditional Italian cooking from chef Mitchell Damota. Co-founder Gennaro Leone also runs a design gallery nearby, so the tiny interior is classily decked out. Reports please!