The best beer bar I've been to London. Probably at least in part because they have a fair amount of…read morebeer from outside the UK, but they also have a decent selection of UK beer too. Their crown-jewel is probably all the Belgian lambics they have, mostly in bottles, but some on tap. The actual place is a bit divey, but not too bad. The biggest thing was that it was totally packed on a Sunday afternoon when we came and tried to find a seat. We wound up sitting outside even though it was a bit chilly and we were directly downwind from some smokers. Things eventually cleared out and my wife and I found a table inside. They apologized for it, but they only served beer in plastic when we started drinking even when we bought over £50 bottles of rare Beligan lambic. That said, they have the goods. They had a great little food truck with good burgers and they have the beer. I started with a Tilquin cherry lambic that was on tap and I'd never had before that was spectacular while my wife had an Other Half IPA which we love in the states, but is harder to find in the UK. We then moved on to 3F wine-lambic hybrids and a spectacular Saison from Mills Brewing. We'll definitely be back.

Love BMT. That's both a command and a sentence written without the "I". This place is kinda my…read morelocal. There's a bar with a rotating selection of taps, and cases with can upon can and bottle upon bottle of beer. There are also beer snacks, and a food cart outside. I've been countless times and always come away with a special bottle or glass of something tasty. It's a pretty epic beer selection. Sours, stouts, lambics, IPAs, DIPAs, wheat beers, fruit beers, porters, milds, you name it. From all around Europe and the US. Prices range from totally affordable to paycheck burning. But if you buy one of the £45 bottles of bourbon barrel aged imperial stout brewed with peanuts and Canadian maple syrup and oats and coffee and cacao nibs all sealed in wax, you can be sure it'll be worth it. Staff are knowledgeable and friendly. Ask for tasters before deciding at the bar. If you work locally, you're eligible for a small discount upon paying. Ambience is usually chill across the inner and outside tables. Sometimes it gets totally slammed and loud and there's nowhere to sit so be ware. Not a beer drinker? No problem. The place also offers wine, boozy smoothies, and liquor. And of course, jugs of help-yourself water situated atop empty barrels in the main space. Stay hydrated, folks! But most importantly, stay sudsy!

SJQ was my introduction to Dalston, and what an intro it was!…read more As you enter SJQ, there is a welcoming and cozy bar area done up with junky knick knacks and general kitsch. There is an uncoordinated random seating area with no theme to the decor. The basement level is an intimate performance area, where you're very likely to not get a seat. We had to make do with floor seating, but it was nice. The performance wasn't a jazz recital though. The crowd is enthusiastic and keen; all very respectful of the performing artists, and mostly in awe, just like me. The staff is friendly and efficient, cleaning up quickly and quietly in the midst of the performance. The best part about the performance is that it is free, but I have heard that they have had an occasional cover charge in place. Fair enough. The cocktails are relatively cheap at £7.50, definitely worth trying. No beer on tap, but plenty of bottles, along with cider and a range of wines. To sum up, SJQ makes for a great evening, and the unique atmosphere will make your trip to Dalston truly memorable. Not to be missed for the world!

Great hipster atmosphere, great drinks, cool bartenders.... Winning!read more

We only had drinks here but this was a great little dive (ish) bar close to Dalston…read more It's got an eclectic mix of decor and spaces. Enough tables to seat most on all but he busiest of nights. It has that comfy at your childhood home welcoming feel and I imagine would be even more cozy and fun in the winter. Fun, kind staff. Nice go to pub. 5 star please

Love this pub that reopened about a year ago, just off Dalston high street and the Balls Pond Road…read more Quite a rough place previously (apparently) it is now a lovely beer filled pub, serving Thai food. Owned by the same guys who have brought us the awesome Pineapple in Kentish Town. The young landlord is a good bloke and offers about half a dozen ales. In a couple of visits this selection (for example Redemption Big Chief, Brewdog 5am Saint and Purity UBU) has kept me from just staying for just one as I had intended. As have random conversations with other people enjoying the place. How easily a quick pint can lead to an evening pleasantly wasted.

There seems to be some sort of magical effect in operation at The Duke of Wellington: Whenever a…read moreseat is opened up, whether at a table or at the bar, it is instantly filled, and yet one never can tell from whence the people come -- the place never seems to be crowded, and no one ever seems to be waiting for a chair. It's almost as if the punters are a liquid, flowing in at the same rate as they flow out, always finding their own level. That said, I found The Duke of Wellington to be pleasant but entirely unexceptional. The interior decor is minimalist to the point of nonexistence; the exterior is unremarkable, and there is nothing to recommend a visit to its Dalston location.

On Sunday I meet a few friends in Hackney for a drink at the Wellington. I had not checked out…read morethis pub before but really enjoyed it. The pub feels part of the neighbourhood and I noticed people taking advantage of the comfy chairs and reading the paper while sipping a pint. The pub is not overbearing and has a low key vibe that I really enjoyed. There is outdoor seating and despite the chill people were taking advantage of that space as well. As far as pubs go, this was a great place to grab a drink and chat with friends. The prices were great and the drinks flowing. I'm not sure if they offer pub grub, I was happy with a few drinks, especially since, as we sat chatting there was talk about turning our get together into a pub crawl. To be honest, I had to nix that idea because after a few minutes in this comfy friendly pub, I was perfectly happy enjoying the Wellington for the evening!

Stopped in for a drink before a show, bartenders were very friendly. They unfortunately had just…read morekicked the one I came in for, but not end of the world. Grabbed a different pour. Space was relaxed, not overcrowded. Would stop in again if in the area and wanted something different than a traditional pub.

Great beer selection, friendly staff! The upstairs is a pretty basic pub, the downstairs seating…read morearea has a cool retro vibe.

Solid brewery in between Victoria park market and Broadway market. You can bring your own food, and…read morethey also sell pizzas on site! The outdoor seating is great for bringing along dogs or parking a baby buggy.

Nice hidden taproom quite difficult to find. They have their beers on tap as well as some from…read moreother craft breweries. Service is really great: as I was undecided and I wanted to taste one of their beers I was offered a taste of all of them to decide. I went for their Session Amber Ale which I enjoyed. Definitely worth to visit!

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.

It might take a little while to find it (hint it's behind the building not inside it) but it's…read moretotally worth it!

This had my two favorite beers in London. Terrific IPAs. Skyway Mosaic was available one day and…read moreVerdant Bloom the next day.

After leaving a different brewery-branded craft beer bar very close by (three guesses...), a friend…read moreand I headed here in search of more delicious beer in a calmer and quieter atmosphere. One of my regular bus routes goes right by the front doors, so from the moment I saw the construction going on and the Goose Island stencils on the windows, I'd been super excited to try this place once it opened. I was looking forward to finally sitting down inside. The brewpub, which occupies a ground-floor unit, is definitely spacious. The bar is on the left as you walk in, with a row of high-top tables to the right. In back up a couple of stairs is another seating area and the brew equipment. This means Goose Island has more space than some other bars in Shoreditch, which helped the atmosphere feel calmer than where we had been before. And we didn't need to shout to hear each other. The friendly bartender helped us sample a number of brews on tap before we made up our minds on a Gillian (strawberry honey gose) and an IPA. We also perused the food menu, and shared an order of fries (£3) which were seriously nothing to write home about. Familiar with the well-designed, internationally-inspired, beer-paired food menus at other Goose Island locations in places like Seoul and Shanghai, I was disappointed to see their London offerings. They've opted for a sort of Chicago-inflected Americana with pizzas, subs, and a few sides. I'd call it rather boring. Sure, the 16" pizzas coming out to other tables smelled good, but for between £14-16, I'd expect something more special. In fact, I'd expected something more special in general. The generic exposed brick design that's probably supposed to mirror "gritty" Chicago felt hollow. The answer that I got when I asked what makes the 312 an "urban" wheat beer (that it's "urban" because it's from Chicago) forced an awkward laugh from my throat. The nicest thing was the bathrooms which, though I deplore gender segregation--come on people, go unisex, it's just a pot to piss in--provided three "F" to one "M" and had great-smelling soap. Kinda sad though if that's what impressed me most. I probably won't be back.

Situation: - Saturday evening/night, last Friday of…read moreDecember in 2018 - Order of an IPA Pros - Friendly service - The IPA was very good - There a decent amount of space of tables on the main level and a few on the slightly higher next level Cons - The layout is okay, it's good if you're with a group

This is a lovely little summer popup themed after a tiki bar like you'd find on a beach while on…read moreholiday. The cocktail selection is not too big, there are 4 cocktails out of which I tried the Mai Tai and the Kon-Tea-Ki. The Mai Tai was the best but my friends also enjoyed the other one (a bit smokey for me) and the Pina Colada (I don't like coconut so I didn't try it). They also have a couple of beers, coconut water and a grapefruit soft drink. The music was very summery and the decor with the wood planks and leaves completed the popup type look. The place itself is quite small, with only a few tables but if you get there early you should be fine. I think it's worth checking out but you need to hurry up because they will close it very soon!