This theatre is a little gem of entertainment on Hoxton Street. The theatre shabby and…read moreunprepossessing but that's part of its character and charm. The facility itself is small and intimate, with little separation from the performers on stage. There's a small bar attached. The show I went to was called 'Shakespeare in Hackney; or 'tis a mad world in Hoxton'. Jack Klaff (Star Wars, For Your Eyes Only, etc.) did a one-man reading of an anonymous poem written in the time of Shakespeare about a pub in Hackney known as 'Pimlyco'. The whole poem was about drinking and this magical marginal world of London where people are transformed (by beer) and the audience was served a surprise beer during the performance (free!). The performance was followed by a lecture by a university academic about the poem and its possible relation to Shakespeare's Tempest. It had all the good bits of a conference paper - a well-informed argument by a passionate scholar - without any of the pretention and stuffiness. This show was a fun, interesting and affordable (only £6, or £4 concessions) way to spend a week night. I definitely will be looking into what other shows this theatre has in the future -- I saw something about a circus? -- and will maybe even do some exploring in the 'mad world' of Hoxton.

Hoxton Hall was one of a number of venues I had the pleasure to dance in at a recent dance weekend…read moreaway in London. I am, very admittedly, a dance-floor snob. Give me sprung wood, unsprung (smooth) floorboards, laminate, Marley, grass and at the very end of the dance pleasure spectrum, lino and concrete and footpath. I have danced on them all., and know my preferences. The main auditorium at Hoxton Hall has a floor that was a pleasure to dance on with acoustics to match. Built in the 1800s a two tier gallery runs overhead, allowing you to watch the dance-floor/gig/play from a height. It's got a slightly grungy appeal, but I think they are still undertaking restoration work on the building. We used the second dance studio area too which was good also, but nothing compaired to the main hall. There was also a bar available on the night and the staff were lovely. This is the kind of place I'm delighted still exists; and I believe is one of only two remaining music halls still existant in London, amazingly. I would have loved to time machine back and seen it in its heyday!

First of all: It's Harold Pinter! I had the pleasure to see Absent Friends. Great play, great…read moreactors. There's a nice bar in the foyer and the stage design is great. Very nice place to go.

Alfie was great at my birthday dinner party. He interacted well with our friends and made sure…read moreeveryone was drawn even though he was over the time agreed. His sketches are good fun and our guests left with a nice memento from an excellent evening. Communication up to the event was also spot on.

Alfie was brilliant! Very talented, pleasure to work with, and a wonderful addition to our event…read more We felt really satisfied and all our guests enjoyed their caricatures.

I like the vibe of this place- open, airy, lots of tables and couches and other assorted seating…read more It's located on a back street up near Dalston Junction, which is nice because you can sit outside without inhaling bus exhaust or getting run over by said bus. They have good coffee and tea and apple ginger juice in pretty bottles. The people who work there are very forgiving of hours spent on their free Internet. My only gripe is that it's nice to have a food option should one get hungry ( and let's be honest, I'm pretty much always hungry). Apparently they'll be getting real food soon. For now, my poor stomach will have to be content with cookies, mini quiche thingies, croissants, and the like, as well as excitingly flavored chips. And by chips I think I mean crisps. And by flavored I think I mean flavoured. Look how hard I'm trying! If I get killed by a bus looking the wrong way crossing the street I will be very angry with you, London. Thank God the street outside Cafe Oto is bus-free. I'm safe for now...

This cafe is a Hackney council supported venue working to promote new, underground and…read moreinternational music and culture within the community and as such deserves a big pat on the back. The great thing about Dalston is that over the years it has seen the development of many new cultural projects and is home to creative collectives who truly contribute something to the vibrant melting pot of people living in the area. Cafe Oto has a jam packed programme of musical treats over the coming months, mostly featuring international artists I have never heard of which is not only exciting to me, but proof that the cafe is working successfully towards their goal of getting exposure for talented non commercial artists. The atmosphere here hums with creativity, it is large and light with a grand piano and free WiFi. It's a little off the beaten track and a great place to relax or work over a couple of beers or a nice cake.

I'm really not a fan of Hackney at all. In my 6/7 years in London town I've visited Hackney three…read moretimes and unless there is a good reason, I'm not interested in visiting this borough at all. However, there is a shining beacon of light in this grubby little place - the Hackney Empire. This place features a variety of music and comedy performances. The venue itself is really beautiful. It's draped in red and gold and the stage and sound are absolutely superb. I really love this venue, shame it's in Hackney but, still, a great place for comedy and music...

By far the most exciting building in Hackney Central. It would be hard to miss it as the 'Hackney…read moreEmpire' sign is erected on the side of the building, standing out like Hackney's saw thumb. Hosting a variety of events from such fields as music, dance, comedy and family entertainment, it is sure to have something for everyone. I went to see a band there a while ago, and the interior of the theatre blew me away. I always thought it would be nice to go, and it is great to know such a culturally rich theatre exists in Hackney. I obtained 'Orthello' tickets for a young persons rate of 5 pounds. I suggest trying to get your hands on some, as seeing the Royal Shakespeare Company perform at Hackney Empire will be magical.

Nice enough local pub. They told us it's normally heaving with people but Covid has taken the air…read moreaway. We had the cauliflower wings and fries and the chicken. Overall nice tastes with a very local vibe

My friend and I recently came here to see a show. Not realizing that the show would last over two…read morehours, we were absolutely starved after the show. The pub stops serving food around 10pm -- at least during the week -- but the bartenders were so incredibly nice making an exception for us. They made us two quick cheeseburgers, which happened to be unbelievable. To this day, my friend and I still talk about these dang burgers. Three cheers for Rosemary Branch.

Nested at the top of a rather sinister looking stairwell near Dalston overground, Efes pool hall is…read morea great place to, well, play pool. There's no crowding around the pub table waving an optimistic pound coin at the pool hogs here, At Efes, there are enough tables for everyone, a bar with a reasonable selection of beers and spirits, plus a huge TV playing music videos and a few game machines too. If you like pool it's quite possible to lose a whole morning, afternoon or evening in this place and because it's relatively hidden on the second floor, a bit dark and dingy and supposed to be some sort of members club it's quite fun to hide out there and pretend to be a gangster, if you like that sort of thing. the official closing time is 12am but if you ask very nicely, they may let you stay a little longer.

Great spot. I had this bookmarked because I was researching dive bars, and when I was in Dalston…read moreover the weekend, got a chance to check it out. Entry: This is my only grievance with the place. We got in fine (no cover or anything), but there was a group of 4 guys ahead of us denied entry. Apparently they have a policy not to allow groups of four or more males. One of the four was understandably in disbelief, and the bouncer actually pointed to a sign on the door where they had this written down. Clearly it's a policy to give the bouncers flexibility to prevent access to groups that seem like they might cause trouble but: a) the place is super divey so it's a bit ridiculous that they have strict entry policies b) the group in question seemed quite well-behaved c) it's blatant sexual discrimination d) it's theoretically a pool hall ffs, without gender stereotyping myself, I feel confident in suggesting that generally speaking, more males play pool on a regular basis than females. Basically, weird entry policies and the bouncers are dicks. Location: Lots of fun! So so trashy in the best way possible. Huge projector which had MTV on mute the whole night. Music selection was mostly poppy/rnb. Clearly felt like the manager's playlist without much more thought beyond that. This was reinforced by a bit when there was a few minutes without music. Cash only bar, but well-stocked, and decently priced. (No PBRs sadly but you can't have everything) Music was at a good volume, notable but you could comfortably have a conversation. Some people were dancing at the area at the front (by the screen). Some playing pool. Lots more just hanging out chilling (there's also a seating area at the back. Just a really fun vibe. Notes: When we entered around 0030 I thought the crowd was at quite a good level. Fairly full but loads of space to walk about. Amazingly, it stayed constant pretty much the whole time we were there (till 3). I also felt it was a great crowd generally (friendly, no one was out of hand, another review mentioned this place is full of doucebags, but I'd say that only applies to the bouncers and not even remotely to the crowd)

The Almeida is one of the best producing theatres in London. Some of their shows go to the West End…read moreand Broadway. They champion new work as well as bringing fresh perspectives to revivals. The space is very flexible and can be a proscenium, of thrust, or even in the round, whatever is best for that particular play. They don't shy away from controversial plays and musicals, so this is the place to go if you want to be challenged as well as entertained. Tip: When you book seats downstairs it may say restricted view. That's because this is an old venue with poles holding up the balcony. As you can see in the picture there small and in my experience they don't really get in the way. If that bothers you the seats upstairs are excellent.

It was exciting to see that the Almeida is still going strong, and perhaps entering an even more…read moreadventurous phase, when I returned here during a recent re-visit to London. I attended the theatre several times between 2004 and 2007, and the plays offered strong casts (Eileen Atkins and Imelda Staunton were probably the most notable names I saw live) but not especially challenging dramatic fare. This time around in early 2015, the theatre had been transformed into a would-be video game arcade for Mike Bartlett's provocative new play "Game". The audience was seated on specially constructed benches in a square area around the main "stage" (totally reconfigured into a would-be private living room) and voyeuristically urged to follow the plot of the show, which alternated between onstage and a live video feed that was broadcast simultaneously from different areas of the seats. This performance also pushed the boundaries of more traditional theatregoing in that it was offered twice in one night - a great way for the theatre to make some extra money and for the actors and technical staff to flex their muscles. It's clear that other recent Almeida productions have been more dramatically adventurous. Looking forward to keeping an eye on their future output!

A very intimate theatre stage and rustic very unique. No matter where you sit you will get a good…read moreview. I love the fact they also have a nice cafe area where you can buy a nice homemade sandwich , cake or soup. I went along and saw Raising Martha the play was quite interesting even though I got lost in parts but there was a lot of tongue in cheek jokes that kept me interested in listening out for those. The second part of the play was better than the first.

Located just behind Finsbury Park underground station and bus station, so very good location,…read moretransport-wise. Easy to get to. A bar downstairs and a bar upstairs with space outside, and decent food and drinks. The day I went was a warm day, so they were offering pimms and lemonade for a fiver and we sat outside enjoying the sunshine and people watched, before our show. The Park 90 was a very intimate space and the seating was in a u-shape with the stage in the middle so you were literally next to the actors, and could almost touch them! The setting and props worked really well in the small theatre for this play, The Glass Protege, tickets for the press night was £18 for a pre-drink, show and after party which was a fair price. Show is running until 9 May. Brilliant performances, a sharp script, and unique story, in a lovely fringe theatre. Recommended.