Fantastic food, great Nude Espresso coffee, awesome jazz. Perfect Sunday afternoon. Lucky to have…read moreJackdaw in Clapton!

At long last when people ask me whereabouts in E London I live I don't have reply, 'near the Lea…read moreBridge roundabout' .....yay! We visited The Clapton Hart on Sunday. It's got the Dalston trademark Shabby Chic down pat, maybe it's not to everybody's liking but it was comfortable with a convivial, busy atmosphere. We found a cosy corner table and opted for their Sunday roast dinner offering, the beef and the chicken versions. Both meals were delicious with no skimping on the portions either. We washed it down with their house red, a respectable Kiwi cabernet, and all served with a smile by the delightful waitress. What's not to like.. The running of the bar could have been a bit slicker, with folks waiting a while to get served but the 'Hart' is relatively new so we'll let them off - I figure staffing levels teething to be ironed out when they get that sorted.

What I really love about this pub is all the different rooms and areas, you can basically do a pub…read morecrawl around the pub by going to all the different parts of it! This has to be one of my main happy features about a pub, I'm never a fan of large open plan pubs as they lack the cosiness you get with separated areas. It also has a fair sized garden rammed full with picnic tables, but of course the pub is so popular that these easily fill up at the merest hint of sun! Apparently it used to be a hotel - well it does say "hotel" in huge letters in the entrance as you go in, and the very friendly barman said they were considering turning the upstairs into a youth hostel which would probably add to the vibe of the place. It's not all perfect though - it looked like there was a lot of mold on one part of the ceiling when we were there - mold or "mold effect" is probably taking shabby chic a bit far! Much of the toilets were also closed though, and although this could be an unavoidable temporary thing Antic pubs do have a common theme of bad toilets, and not enough wash basins! They seem to have really overlooked this part of their pubs. Maybe they're just trying to be the opposite of Wetherspoons?? The garden was also really smokey, and in the end we had to go inside to get away from the smoke. I guess it's still a rarity for pubs to have non-smoking garden sections but it is needed.

The Biddle Bros. pub has character. The reason it is so charming is because of its somewhat mildly…read moremismatched collection of paraphernalia. From old books, to the plant life, to strange pieces of art, there is no certain theme. Although mildly mismatched, it all comes together to give the place a certain personality. The glass roof/wall in the back room is something that I found very interesting. And as I said, you will not struggle to find something quirky to look at. As a live music venue it is great. The pub is split into two rooms, the room at the back is a designated live music room. Although there is no stage, there is a definite separation between the artist and the crowd, and there is a nice and intimate feeling in the room. The sound is not that great, but for such a small room it doesn't really matter. Apart from the live music, I have to say that the down stairs toilet area really is a feature. There are two small unisex cubicles, and an incredibly large room with nothing but a single sink dropped right in the middle. Talk about quirky minimalism! Just another gem that makes the Biddle Bros. what it is. The staff are a funny bunch. The may seem a little serious, but don't be fooled, they will help you out with anything you need. The live music is in abundance, with something on most nights of the week. Every Tuesday there is an open mic night, which tends to bring an eclectic mix of good musicians.

My new favourite place... why?…read more cos it ticks all the boxes, for me at least. I was a strick NW Londonite, but recently I have had to venture back to my homeland... I was born across the road from the pub. Everyone is lovely in there ranging from the staff to the punters hanging on to the bar, it is an extra-understatingly charming place that is only missing the saw dust as a relic from the Biddle's of fore... a builder's merchant as I understand. The last time I was in there, I was supposed to be playing a gig in the Picture down toward the trendy side of Hackney but as usual the Sunday Overground Service (SOS) was atrocious, I had missed the occassion and was at a loose-end as to what to do now, seeing as I had fought my way to Hackney... But then the idea Biddle's turned up and we just walked in and asked to play a few tunes, and we went down a treat on for quiet sunday... and then we partied hard, staff, clientèle, innocent bystanders, had more fun than any sunday I have ever had or at least can remember. The staff are so accommodating and the Parrot... how can I forget the Parrot. Anyway everyone was welcoming and fun to meet and the best thing is they remember my name... hope that's a good thing. go here.

A very old style English Pub, I like the nostalgia of its old world charm. And I appreciate the…read morevariety of brew and single malt scotch. I can't think of a better way to spend an evening than with friends, good eats and a good drink to relax and destress.

The Cock Tavern is located on Mare St. in Hackney Central. It is by no means a trendy…read moreestablishment, which is not necessarily a bad thing. Hackney has a funny mix of pubs, both classy and not so classy, and both sides of the spectrum have there advantages. The advantage of a place like the Cock Tavern, is that you don't have to deal with a pretentious crowd. The place is often very quite and is a bit of a locals bar. It has a kitschy English pub interior, complete with the dark, cave like atmosphere. If it was my place, I would let as much sunlight in as possible. It is definitely an alright place to have a quite drink with a friend, but not worth going out of your way for.

Lovely bar, I felt like I was in an american speakeasy! The lighting was perfect, great decor,…read morethere is plenty of seating and I loved the music. I sat at the bar as all the booths were taken and the staff were really friendly and never let my glass go empty, which is really appreciated as the bar was full. No waving down for another round here! I stuck to the gin cocktails and tried the Bouquet Garni & Stone 75, with Stone 75 being my favourite. The barman was able to offer advice when choosing, so helped me decide on what was best for my taste. So it was perfect. There is a pool table at the front of the bar, which my friend and I had a play at, which was quite cool, you don't often get a pool table in a nice bar and people generally had one game and sat down, nobody hogged the table. I will definitely be returning and it was a great result to discover this place on my first visit to the area.

And, your welcome - because BELIEVE me after a visit to original sin you will be saying thank-you…read moreand singing this joints praises. Hands down my new favourite bar in London (and that is a BIG statement) the staff are absolutely fantastic they know there stuff back to front and inside out. You can order from the well thought out menu or they will whip you up something freestyle to your liking. I have never encountered such incredible mixology, service and genuinely enthusiastic staff. However after 2 tasty tipple I would not suggest trying your hand at the old school pool table - your not going to win there. I almost don't want to post this - just to keep this wee place all to myself!

First visit here to The Number10 Kitchen opposite Clapton Pond. Served a decent cappuccino and…read morecarrot cake by very friendly and welcoming guy. The decor is a sweet nod to shabby chic, with comfy old school settees armchairs to watch the E5 world go by. Prices v reasonable. 2nd visit still all good!

This is my local pub and i love it. It has an amazing local, homely feel, the Landlord is friendly…read moreand there are always the same old men sitting at the bar. This is more than just a shabby local pub however; they do a brilliant quiz on alternate Wednesdays, show sport on large screens, have a great pool table and beer garden. There is a definite young studenty feel that mixes well with the old man vibe here, and the jukebox is crammed with some absolute gems. Also worth noting is that they serve Pie Minister pies - perfect for a winters day! I am proud to call this my local and wouldn't want to drink elsewhere for a quiet pint or two!

'Never judge a book by is cover and always judge a pub by it's locals' - Lizzie Gold (2009)…read more This is such a wonderful pub with hot 'Pieminster Pies' (even if they are microwaved by the crazy bar lady) and reasonably priced beer. It's my local and has a special place in my heart. We decided to have a quiet NYE this year and headed on down here to mix with the various locals. Boy did they get a sight! 5 girls all dressed up in their finest with a gin or two in them already. I have to say it was one of the best nights out I've had in a while, there was a live band and we even got involved with the pool table. Generally they have live music here, the gigs are free and rockabilly in style. It's away from the high street so you get less of the East London pricks you can find in The Three Crowns or Coach and Horses. This is just a proper East London pub full of Old boys with manners - a gem!

My new local pub. Really nice, with a lovely beer garden area to enjoy sunny days (don't worry if…read moreit's not warm enough, they have heaters outside). The staff is lovely and as a pub they have an extra point with the food...because it's yummy! Last year they had a pop-up-summer-hog-pulled-pork-thing that was incredible! And this year I've been trying little bits from their menu....and specially enjoying the Sunday's one. I'm spanish, and their cod bites taste like proper Spanish buñuelos de bacalao!!!

This is quite a special pub in Tottenham, it's certainly got its own character - it's fairly large…read morewith several different rooms and a garden area outside. There were quite a few real ales on when we were there, and a couple of craft beers on tap. They have a 5 star food hygiene rating on the door which is actually reassuring, it shows they obviously take food seriously and that management care about the place. We did go for the food and it was really good, I was surprised actually as they didn't seem to be making an effort to sell themselves on the quality of the food. We were there early evening and the place already had a buzz to it, they'd also had the Rubgy on earlier but was showing outside which was fantastic as you could then choose to go out and watch it or stay in and ignore it as you pleased. Probably the stand out point was the friendliness of the service, we were met by very enthusiastic bar staff who made the visit memorable - hopefully it's always this good here!

I wonder why this hasn't been reviewed yet…read more It's some sort of a hybrid, there's a Turkish cafe vibe all over the place with pools and giant screens with a dash of East London edginess. The decor is plain, dark and not fussed, I think I've seen a bike somewhere in there. There's loads of hipster relevant posters and flyers and a pretty simple drinks menu. I've had a mojito and a beer - both were satisfactory. But the main theme is free pizza with every order. You pop in for a drink and you get a free pizza. What else would one want?