For fine goods and morsels and beverage there are no better shops than Marmelo in all of London…read moreTown. Upon the quaint thoroughfare of Francis Road it does reside, like a jewel in the crown of Leyton. Long may its majestic reign abide, as like the evening star in the night sky of London.

A terrific little neighbourhood restaurant where booking is definitely recommend as essentially…read moreit's just two long tables. Don't let that put you off as you can still have a nice intimate dinner as there is plenty of space at the tables. The menu is designed for sharing and there are many great options, it's hard to resist ordering the whole menu. The chargrilled sirloin was the highlight for me along with the heritage tomato dish. To be fair all dishes were very tasty. Vegetarians you are well looked after. Smoked beetroot and spinach ricotta gnocchi sound good? It is! Add some cumin battered baby aubergine with saffron and cardamom yoghurt and you will leave happy! Small but decent selection of wine and beers, no spirits. The menu changes regularly, could even be weekly. I want to move to Leyton because of Marmelo Kitchen

On a two week food and art exploration of London, Paris and Provence, Pidgin was a standout. Off…read morethe London beaten track and with only about 28 seats, this unassuming, casually chic bistro provides only a pre fixe menu that changes frequently. Just come in, let go of preconceived notions, and be fed. The place is a foodie find with imaginative and well presented cuisine accompanied by superb house-made bread and hay-smoked butter, at least hay-smoked on my night - I know, it sounds sorta strange, but was pleasant palate expanding surprise as were all of the courses. Service was knowledgeable, friendly, and extremely capable. The reasonably priced wine list is tiny with well selected, unusual wines that worked perfectly with the courses as suggested by the waiter. Consider starting with their signature barrel aged Negroni served on a single rock - the best Negroni I've ever enjoyed in over 20 years of searching for Negroni perfection. I had early reservations, but the place filled quickly with energetic chic locals, so reservations are suggested.

From the owner: Pidgin is an intimate neighbourhood restaurant serving a weekly changing set four-course menu of…read moremodern European food. Guardian restaurant critic Marina O'Loughlin described Pidgin as "that rare kind of restaurant that delivers way more than you expect". Come and find out for yourself.

Darkhorse lived up to its name with a scrumptious meal and toasty environs in blustery January…read moreStratford. A brisk quick walk from the train station is worth it to get away from the bustle on the edge of a green near suburbia. Also I got to enjoy girls night at the table next door with some lovely English-Irish conversation, so who doesn't love that. They were winding down when I started with Czech beer (on tap and yes the cheapest in the world like our Czech friend says). Well at least the cheapest here, and in a Prague glass.... My fish entree was succulent and the creamy mushroom sauce delightful. Almost as delightful as the ladies who were getting a second wind now, ordering first one, then two desserts "to share". Oh and here come the dessert drinks. Not wanting to feel left out I ordered another Prague glass because it was too cozy to depart. However all good food things must end, but I left with the trio next door still going strong. Some of us have to get up in the morning. The waitress was great and said "you'll come back tomorrow". Sadly I'm headed home, but I'll return when able.

Horrible Horrible Place Guys so avoid at all cost because this Stratford branch staff will charge…read moreyou for what you didn't order.I ordered wine and my date had to leave but guess what? they charged me for the wine and other things that we never ordered or ate.I left afterwards only to find out that I was charged for the beef £50 and other sides that we never ordered,ate or was even served. I am going to contest this with everything I am because this is theft . We ordered no food only a bottle of wine for £37 so why charge me £94 for a whole meal,sides etc. Very Sad

good: authentic Lithuanian food, sampler platter shows off lots of the classics, the food tasted…read moregreat but I will say it does end up blending together after a bit with all the potatoes Service: nice staff, speaks Lithuanian so they think are used to just locals Ambiance: the inside is very large, has some classical vibes haha

Horrible. Just st horrible. Have been to the baltics multiple times and I really love Vederai…read more Hiked out 55 mins on the tube to this place. They brought the Vederai and IT SMELLED HORRIBLE. And tasted worse. When the little boy came by and ask us how we liked the food, I told him it tasted horrible. And he agreed! He said he didn't like it when he had it the other day. The rest of the dishes, dumplings, chicken, etc, were barely passable. Avoid at all costs!!!!!!!

It is a travesty that this is the first review for this place…read more The quiet casual demeanour of Shane's hides a masterful menu. The decor is casual: benches and chairs, older furniture and light fittings made of clothes pegs (which I thought was a delightfully subtle touch). I had the duck egg, bacon, sausage and toast with a flat white and although the dish was simple, the food itself was incredible. That sausage - fat, juicy - was an unexpected delight in a country that sometimes tends to phone that part of the dish in. I was so impressed that I decided to stay longer and order another dish. I ordered the whitebait with wild garlic pesto; something to snack on while reading. It was delicious and tender and just the right amount of fishy. What came as no surprise to me is that this place is run by a Kiwi (New Zealander). Antipodeans just know how to run a great casual restaurant and this place fails to disappoint.

I went with a friend and my sister. My sister dines out A LOT asks a lot of questions about the…read morefood and wine and ended up sending a bottle back. A lot of things went wrong and we both received starters instead of mains. The mains and starter had similar ingrediants but instead of a warm main pigeon I got a cold pigeon pate. It was after 22.00 and we considered just eating it but instead asked for it to be corrected. I'm glad we did as all three dishes tasted great, by far the best meal I've had in Hackney for years and the wine was great. The place has a nice decor, nothing extravagant or fussy but just really toned down and cosy. I always check how clean a place is before ordering and even though I can't go into the kitchen I do check food hygien rating with the council. So it wasn't very pleasant when I walked past Shanes this week to see a staff member flat ironing her hair in the restaurant above the set tables, 30 min before the restaurant is to open for dinner. Walked past 10 minutes later and she is brushing her hair standing next to a kitted out table! I mean how gross is that?! She even had a little desk with all her hair appliances, brushes etc as if it was a hairdresser. No need to say we cancelled our reservation for that weekend. 4 star for food, would have been 5 if the service wasn't so patchy. This makes it very difficult as I'm now worried about the hygien and don't feel I can go back.

Excellent authentic Polish food, including amazing pierogies. This is a fairly simple and plain…read morerestaurant, but the food is great. Heads up: it's a bit hard to find, and it seems the name had changed...

From the owner: Polska restauracja Light Bite powstała w 2012 roku. Powstała…read morez zafascynowania kuchnią, z odrobiną realizacji marzeń. Kojarzona jest z dobrą kuchnią i szerokim wyborem pysznych dań, tworzonych ze świeżych i najlepszej jakości składników. Oryginalne, niebanalne a zarazem czerpiące z tradycji kompozycje składają się na menu restauracji Light Bite, tworząc unikalną mieszankę kuchni polskiej i angielskiej.

Definitely one of the best michelin starred restaurants I have ever been to!! Casa Fofo is a super…read morelowkey and cozy restaurant - there is an open kitchen and a few tables. Everyone was very friendly and helpful, and there was a good wine selection. From the first course to the last, everything was very well thought out and delicious, and I really felt there was a lot of effort put into each dish. We opted to add the cheese course, and we were so glad we did - a soft cheese with a really delicious hazelnut praline. The pacing was quite good, we dined in about 3 hours for 11 or so courses. Overall, this was an absolutely great experience and I would have gladly paid even more for the food we ate. I will definitely be returning to Casa Fofo, and I believe it deserves its Michelin star.

Fabulous small restaurant in Hackney with 1 star and set menu. Visited for lunch and was…read moreconsistently impressed with every dish. Would absolutely recommend and plan to return.

VERY highly recommended. I came solo last Saturday at 6 on the dot, ready to eat. I decided to…read moreabstain from drinking as the cocktails are expensive at 9 quid but man they sound good. I ordered the soda bread to start. O.M.G. It is SOOO good. Crispy and well-studded with raisins and served with an amazing soft dollop of salted butter. Three large pieces are served on a wooden board. This is far tastier soda bread than I got in Ireland! Next, I got the courgette ribbon and broad bean salad, ricotta and figs as a starter. It's a decent portion and the salty ricotta plays off the hearty chunks of fig well. This is a seasonal summer dish so grab it before it goes! Finally, the main: courgette linguine, pesto, wild mushrooms, rocket and parm. The rocket is sprinkled atop the tightly wound linguine. It's quite a tasty dish, with the earthy mushrooms and pesto blending well together. This a mainstay. Well-done Floyd's!

Oh God.... everything ably this place is amazing: food, cocktail, ambiance, staff…read more. I went there with my mom and we had a lovely meal to start we shared a soda bread that I can't really explain how good it is, you got to go there and try it yourself for the main I had a courgette linguini with mushroom and it was delightful my mom had the fresh cod fish also really really good! for dessert, strawberry mille-feuille and vanilla panacota with prosecco WOW! I just wish I could dine there everyday, seriously

Delicious cocktails, food and wine; very helpful waitress; nice ambiance, perfect for a special…read moreevening out for 6, a really successful evening

Firstly, slightly hidden / difficult to find…read more Food Steak tartare was really good and well worth getting the entree if you are sharing Normally don't order chicken at restaurants as they tend to not be worth it, but the roasted and Peruvian roasted chicken was good, not exceptional. The jus and the cilantro sauces on the side were ok as well. Service Service was good and attentive. There's an "optional" 15% service charge.