London/Hackney

Hackney is a district of London. Hackney has a diverse population and the area has undergone massive regeneration in recent decades. Hackney is now very fashionable with a thriving arts scene in the south of the district for example.

Understand

Hackney staged some of the events during the 2012 London Summer Olympics such as hockey in the Lea Valley Arena and hosted the world's media. Many of the big events happened in the nearby Olympic Stadium and VeloPark. This was a hot spot for tourists and locals during the action.

In the far north of the district near Stoke Newington, Stamford Hill is the centre of the Hassidic and Adeni Jewish communities in London and the largest in Europe. A visit here certainly provides a very different cultural experience to anywhere else in Britain.

Hackney is also known for its wide open green spaces such as Hackney Marshes, (home of 88 football pitches) being the most notable and known as the spiritual home of grass roots soccer in the UK.

Visitor information

Get in

By bus

Hackney is well served by buses from all over the capital, with the routes converging on Hackney Central, Dalston and Stoke Newington. Bus routes serving Hackney include the 30, 38, 48, 55, 56, 67, 76, 106, 149, 242, 243, 253, 254, 277, 488 and D6

  • 30 bus. From Marble Arch to Hackney Wick via Baker Street. (updated Mar 2023)

By train

The London Overground network has many stations throughout Hackney across different lines:

Chingford Line

The Chingford line goes from Chingford to London Liverpool St via Walthamstow:

East London Line (ELL)

The East London Line (ELL) goes from Highbury & Islington to Croydon:

Enfield & Cheshunt line

The Enfield & Cheshunt line goes from Cheshunt to London Liverpool St via Stratford:

North London Line (NLL)

The North London Line (NLL) goes from Richmond to Stratford via Willesden Junction:

By tube

There are no stations in the district but northern parts can be easily reached from these stations on the Piccadilly line:

Get around

The best way to get around the borough is to walk or get buses. The many parks and green spaces dotted around make Hackney much nicer to walk around than its inner London location would suggest.

See

Landmarks

Parks
  • 🌍 Victoria Park. Commonly called the People's Park, it's huge and hosts summer festivals. On an island in the park is a Chinese pagoda, a reconstruction of a pagoda built in 1842. On Sundays the park hosts a popular street food market. 
  • 🌍 Clissold Park, Greenway Cl, N4 2EY (tube: Manor House  PIC ), . Park with a rich history. It is a former country house and estate and was first opened to the public in 1889. 
  • 🌍 Hackney Downs. Near Clapton Ponds, has free tennis courts and is nice for cycle, though a bit plain and squarish. 
  • 🌍 London Fields, Richmond Rd, Hackney, E8, ☏ +44 20 8356-8428, +44 20 8356-8429, . There are records of a public park at this site going back to the 16th century. Every Saturday, there is a farmers' market selling here, complemented by many others selling hand-made jewellery, gifts, childrenswear and vintage clothing. 
  • 🌍 Woodberry Wetlands (Stoke Newington Reservoirs), 1 Newnton Cl, N4 2RH (tube: Manor House  PIC ), ☏ +44 20 8802-4573. Two former Thames Water reservoirs which are now managed as a nature reserve in urban Hackney by the London Wildlife Trust. Has a small visitor centre. 

Museums
  • 🌍 The Clowns Archive, Holy Trinity Church, Beechwood Rd, E8 3DY, ☏ +44 870 128 4336. Museum of clowning, unique collection of faces on eggs. Open only first Friday of every month from noon-5PM. Free. 
  • 🌍 Museum of the Home (Geffrye Museum), 136 Kingsland Rd, E2 8EA (tube/rail: Old Street  NOR ), ☏ +44 20 7739-9893, . Tu-Sa 10AM-5PM, Su noon-5PM. Furniture museum which charts the evolution of London urban interior design and furnishing since 1600. Free. (updated Nov 2022)
  • 🌍 Hackney Museum, Technology & Learning Centre, 1 Reading Ln, E8 1GQ, ☏ +44 20 8356-3500, fax: +44 20 8356-2563, . Tu W F 9:30AM-5:30PM, Th 9:30AM-8PM; Sa 10AM-5PM. Providing a history of Hackney and periodic exhibitions. 
  • 🌍 Viktor Wynd Museum of Curiosities, 11 Mare St, E8 4RP, ☏ +44 20 7998-3617, . W–F 5-10PM, Sa noon-10PM, Su 3-10PM. A macabre museum modelled on a 17th-century cabinet of curiosities. The museum has no particular theme connecting its exhibits, which are seemingly the most unusual and unnerving objects the owner could find: taxidermy, skulls (human or otherwise), bizarre photographs, strange sex manuals, idols from faraway lands, and similarly eccentric oddities. Upstairs is a bar (free entry) with an emphasis on cocktails and absinthe, and the museum itself is down a gilded spiral staircase beside the counter. The owner has an excellent collection of Leonora Carrington paintings. The space is small, so try to come when it's not too busy (avoid Saturdays). Children are only allowed before 7PM. Museum entry is £10, £6 if you visit the bar too, £2.50 on Thursday evenings. (updated Oct 2020)

Galleries

Artworks
  • 🌍 Custard Apple, Breadfruit and Soursop by Veronica Ryan. The first permanent artworks to honour the Windrush generation in the UK. (updated Feb 2024)
  • 🌍 Warm Shores by Thomas J Price. Nine-foot-high bronze sculptures celebrating the Windrush Generation. (updated Feb 2024)

Do
  • 🌍 Hackney Empire, 291 Mare St, E8 1EJ (London Overground to Hackney Central; Rail to Hackney Downs; tube: Bethnal Green  CEN  then 10 min by bus no 106 or 154), ☏ +44 20 8985-2424. Historic theatre and music hall, offering an eclectic mix of entertainment. 
  • East London Art Walks (Comment Art Walks), ☏ +44 20 7739-1743, +44 7799 776 016. A friendly, qualified art guide will take you around a selection of the most interesting exhibitions on at the moment and also talk about the history of contemporary art in East London. call for times and meeting points. 
  • 🌍 London Fields Lido, London Fields Westside E8 3EU (London Fields Rail Stn), ☏ +44 20 7254 9038. Lovely old-fashioned outdoor swimming Lido with a 50-metre pool run by Better. £3.35-5.70. (updated Feb 2024)
  • 🌍 Rio Cinema, 107 Kingsland High St, E8 (London Overground to Dalston Kingsland or Dalston Jct), ☏ +44 20 7241-9410, . A splendid old cinema dating back to the 1900s. Specialises in foreign language films, offbeat arthouse productions and children's programming. 
  • Walk Hackney Marshes. Lovely walk along the River Lea and canal which stretches across much of East London and further. A surprisingly rural experience in an otherwise densely built district of London. 
  • 🌍 The Castle Cinema, 64-66 Brooksby's Walk. Independent cinema with two screens, and an art deco bar. (updated Jan 2024)
  • 🌍 Arcola Theatre. (updated Feb 2024)
  • 🌍 Cafe Oto, 18–22 Ashwin St. Intimate venue hosting free jazz, experimental and free improvisation performances. (updated Feb 2024)
  • 🌍 MOTH Club, General Browning Club, 83 Valette St. Intimate venue hosting live music, club nights and comedy. (updated Feb 2024)
  • 🌍 Hackney Picturehouse, 270 Mare St. Cinema with six screens, and a bar serving food. Has accessible screenings, accommodating those with autism or dementia, and sometimes puts on dog friendly screenings. (updated Apr 2024)

Buy
  • 🌍 London Fields Brewery, 365–366 Warburton St, E8 3RR (come out of London Fields station on the Mare Street side, turn right, and continue on for 200 m; it's at the end of the road), ☏ +44 20 7254-7174, . M Tu noon–7PM, W–Su noon–9PM. Every Saturday, London Fields Brewery run brewery tours. Come down and have a guided tour of the brewery and learn how they are making their superbly tasty beers. Also included in the price are tastings of the beers in the BrewHouse, the brewery's very own pop-up bar. £10–25. (updated May 2021)
  • 🌍 Ümit & Son Store, 35 Lower Clapton Rd, E5 0NS (rail: Hackney Central or Hackney Downs), ☏ +44 20 8985-1766. M–Sa 10AM–7PM. DVD, VHS, Videodiscs, 8mm film reels and more are all sold here. Projectors and equipment for some of the less standard formats are available for hire and the shop also offers a video-to-digital transfer service. 
  • 🌍 London Borough of Jam, 51D Chatsworth Rd. Sa Su 11AM-4PM. Boutique jam shop, selling all natural jams free of commercial pectins. (updated Jan 2024)

Shopping centres & markets
  • 🌍 Broadway Market. Market: Sa 9AM–5PM; Street: 24 hours daily, individual business hours vary. Visit on a Saturday. Has a variety of gastropubs and trendy clothes! (updated May 2021)
  • 🌍 Ridley Road Market, Ridley Road, E8 2NP. M–Sa 9AM–3PM. Mix of traditional East-end fruit and veg alongside Afro-Caribbean delicacies, imported films, clothes and household items. Little of interest for the tourist to buy, but a great experience. Watch your pockets in the crowded pavements behind the stalls. There are also market stalls on the side streets surrounding Dalston Kingsland station. 
  • 🌍 Kingsland Shopping Centre, Kingsland High Street, E8 2LX (opposite Dalston Kingsland station), . M–Sa 8AM–10PM, Su & holidays 11AM–5PM, closed Christmas & Easter. The main shopping mall in the borough. (updated May 2021)
  • 🌍 Stamford Hill. The centre of the Hassidic Jewish community and has many kosher bakeries, delis and supermarkets. 
  • 🌍 Stoke Newington Church St. Many small bookshops and antique stores. 
  • 🌍 Chatsworth Road Market. Sunday 11AM-4PM. (updated Feb 2024)

Eat

Stoke Newington (Church Street), Broadway market and Hackney Central have a variety of gastropubs and restaurants. There are many great Turkish and Asian restaurants on Kingsland Road. To the south of Mare Street there are a great number of very reasonable Vietnamese restaurants. Some also have the bonus of being able to bring your own alcohol, which brings down cost considerably.

Budget
  • 🌍 Green Papaya Xi'Viet, 191 Mare St, E8 3QE, ☏ +44 20 8985-5486. Tu–F noon–3PM & 5–11PM, Sa 1–11PM, Su 1–10:30PM, closed M. Offering great Vietnamese food for vegetarians and meat eaters alike. Mains from £5. (updated Apr 2021)
  • 🌍 Mess Cafe, 38 Amhurst Rd, E8 1JN, ☏ +44 20 8985-3194. Great quality caf breakfasts. £4. 
  • 🌍 Sông Quê Café, 134 Kingsland Rd, E2 8DY, ☏ +44 20 7613-3222. M–F noon–3PM & 5:30–11PM, Sa noon–11PM, Su & holidays noon–10:30PM. Rated by Zagat as the best Vietnamese on Kingsland Rd. (updated Apr 2021)
  • 🌍 Viet Hoa, 70-72 Kingsland Rd, E2 8DP, ☏ +44 20 7729-8293. M–F noon–3:30PM & 5:30–11:30PM, Sa Su 12:30–11:30PM. You must try the salted prawns! Mains from £5.30. (updated Apr 2021)
  • 🌍 Victoria Park Market, Bonner Gate W2 9JW. Sundays 10AM–4PM. Lots of street food from around the world at a weekly outdoor market. (updated Nov 2020)
  • 🌍 Sutton and Sons, 90 Stoke Newington High Street, ☏ +44 20 7249-6444, . Su–Th noon–10PM, F Sa noon–10:30PM. Fish and chips to eat in or take away. Offers an excellent vegan menu including "fish" made from banana blossom. In addition to the flagship restaurant in Stoke Newington, has two branches at 218 Graham Rd in Hackney Central and 356 Essex Rd in Islington. £10–15. (updated Dec 2021)
  • 🌍 Black Cat Cafe, 76A Clarence Rd. Independent vegan café. (updated Jan 2024)
  • 🌍 Andu, 528 Kingsland Rd, ☏ +44 20 7254 1780. Ethiopian vegan café, cash only. (updated Feb 2024)
  • 🌍 Temple of Seitan (Temple of Hackney), 10 Morning Lane, E9 6NA. Noon-10PM. London’s first vegan fried chicken shop. (updated Feb 2024)

Mid-range
  • 🌍 Buen Ayre, 50 Broadway Market, E8 4QJ, ☏ +44 20 7275-9900, . M–Th 5–11PM, F–Su noon–11PM. Argentine Grill restaurant. Mains £8-22.50. (updated Apr 2021)
  • 🌍 The Empress (formerly The Empress of India), 130 Lauriston Rd, E9 7LH, ☏ +44 20 8533-5123, . Su M-F noon–10PM, Sa 11AM–10PM. Modern British gastropub in 19th-century surroundings. Mains from £12.50. (updated Apr 2021)
  • 🌍 Il Bacio Express, 90 Stoke Newington Church St, N16 0AP, ☏ +44 20 7249-2344, . M–Th noon–10:30PM, F–Su noon–11PM. A small Sardinian pizza place that has been open since 2000, which serves a variety of pizza and pasta dishes, and has beautiful art on its walls. (updated Apr 2021)
  • 🌍 Lekki, 323 Kingsland Rd, ☏ +44 20 7923-2050. Nigerian restaurant with generous servings. £12–25. (updated Nov 2020)
  • 🌍 Premises Cafe & Bistro, 209 Hackney Road E2 8JL, ☏ +44 20 7684-2230. M–Sa 8AM–11PM, Su 8AM–7PM. Warm café serving a mix of English and Turkish dishes. Several vegetarian and vegan options, including a vegan interpretation of a full English breakfast. Try the fruit smoothies. (updated Jan 2022)
  • 🌍 Bad Manners, St John At Hackney churchyard. Kiosk in the church gardens with outdoor seating, serving coffee and Mexican inspired food dishes. (updated Mar 2024)
  • 🌍 We Are Vegan Everything (WAVE), 11 Dispensary Lane. Vegan café tucked away off Mare St, with plenty of outdoor seating. (updated May 2024)

Drink

Sleep
  • 🌍 Amhurst Hotel, 45 - 47 Amhurst Pk, N16 5DL (train: Stamford Hill  OGD ), ☏ +44 20 8800-7587. Check-in: 1PM, check-out: 11AM. Budget hotel in north London with self-catering facilities. £35. (updated Aug 2023)

Stay safe

Hackney is safe provided you're careful. Most violent crime occurs amongst the gangs in the rougher parts of the borough, which you'll be unlikely to encounter, especially if you stick to the areas where the main entertainment establishments are based. Avoid walking alone at night around Hackney Wick, housing estates and anywhere that looks rough.

Go next
Routes through Hackney
END ← Islington ← East London Line ←  N  S  → East London Line → East End → South London
Camden ← Islington ← North London Line ←  W  E  → North London Line → East London → END


Routes through Hackney
Hertford ← North London ←  N  S  → The City
Chelmsford ← Romford ←  NE  S  → Docklands → Blackwall Tunnel and


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