London Restaurants - East London

Hawksmoor really made a splash with their Canary Wharf restaurant - it is actually floating on the river and looks amazing as a result. The same excellent steaks and cocktails that you've come to expect from them are here, as well as their biggest bar yet, The Lowback. 

Luke Findlay had been running Supa Ya Ramen as a supperclub, but this is his first permanent restaurant. As with their pop-ups, you can expect what they call "traditionally inauthentic" ramen and this restaurant added lots of extras like roast chicken skin and noodle ice cream with miso caramel for dessert.

Taking two railway arches in Haggerston, Planque is a wine bar, restaurant, members' club and store, with a key focus on natural and low intervention wines. And most importantly it has Seb Myers (ex P Franco and Chiltern Firehouse) running the kitchen and serving up a modern take on French food.

Nest comes from the same team behind West London's Fenn and offers a set, regularly changing menu of small plates with a strong focus on provenance and local, British suppliers. Sustainability is also a big thing here and the wine list concentrates on low/no intervention.

This is Max Rocha's solo restaurant by the canal in Hackney. The chef came from The River Cafe and like many of London's best chefs has also spent time at St John Bread & Wine. It's just breakfast and lunch right now, but dishes like rabbit tagliatelle and sage & anchovy fritti (not to mention Guinness bread ice cream) should make this a very worthwhile trip to the canal.

While the original Pophams is mainly a bakery and cafe, this, their second, also functions as a restaurant. So while you can still buy their bread and pastries here, there's the added draw of the pasta restaurant, with all the pasta made fresh in-house. It should go without saying that the desserts are pretty great as well.

Mao Chow was London’s first all-vegan Chinese spot and it's been a huge hit with Londoners looking for a plant-based menu that thrills. Here you can expect dumplings, noodles and more small plates - all around a noodle bar that just seats 12.

All-day Hackney restaurant Little Duck - The Picklery comes from the same people behind Rawduck and Ducksoup. It's part shop and cafe and they're proud of their fermented food and drink (as the name gives away). On the menu, expect small plates that see those pickles put into action, with a focus on sharing.

Hill and Szrok are one of the most respected butchers in Hackney, on bustling Broadway market. But in the evening, when the meat is all put away, the place transforms into a neighbourhood restaurant with a menu dictated by the produce available. As you can imagine, their meat, sourced from smaller independent farmers, is front and centre.

A longstanding hit near to London Fields, E5 Bakehouse is not only one of London's best bakeries, they're one of the best cafes in the area. They have daily breakfasts and sandwiches or toasties at lunch but the weekend brunches are where it's really at.

One of London's great bakeries, The Dusty Knuckle is best known for its impeccable sourdough - particular the potato variety. That sourdough is used to make amazing sandwiches here, but there are also salads pastries and more. There are a few seats inside, but on a good day you'll want a seat outside in the yard. Look out for their evening events too where you might be able to grab a pizza.

Dom's Subs have quickly gained a reputation as being the creators of some of London's very best sandwiches. They serve up improbably huge stuffed house-baked semolina rolls with excellent meaty and veggy options to take away. It's very much a grab and go spot, but perfect for a takeaway lunch (or even better, delivery).

Campania & Jones serves up Southern Italian food in Hackney, with pasta made fresh daily in its beautiful rustic-looking restaurant. The food is authentic Italian, the portions are generous and it's one of the most popular restaurant near Columbia Road. There's a daily changing menu, so you can always find something new to try.

Song Que is an excellent Vietnamese restaurant on Kingsland Road's strong Vietnamese food scene. Expect authentic cuisine with excellent pho and banh mi, which underlines its longstanding great reputation. If you're looking for the best Vietnamese food in London, this should be on your list.

People's Choice offers pitch perfect Caribbean in Hackney, with some of London's best jerk chicken and lamb chops on offer alongside saltfish patties and lots more. It's takeaway (or delivery) only and has built up a deservedly stellar reputation locally.

This traditional Argentine grill is from Buenos Aires-raised John Rattagan who has brought a bit of his home to the streets of Hackney. Steaks from the parrillada grill.are at the heart of the menu, alongside mixed grills, carpaccio, empanadas, sweetbreads and plenty of Argentine wines.

The Dusty Knuckle's original Dalston bakery and cafe space is stupidly popular - with queues round the block at the weekends. This is their second outpost, with more of the great potato sourdough, pastries, sandwiches and more. Plus it's a pizzeria in the evenings.

BAO have mastered the art of the bao bun - now they've moved onto noodles, with beef noodles being the key draw at this Shoreditch restaurant. But worry not - bao buns are available too.

This East London restaurant from Douglas McMaster is at the forefront of no-waste cooking (and restaurants) in London. McMaster has been involved in the no-waste initiative from the early days and has created a restaurant that both embraces the movement fully and showcases the excellent food that a no waste ethos can produce.

Some of London’s hottest and most creative chefs have spent time doing residencies at this Clapton wine bar. How they manage to turn out some inventive food from the tiniest of kitchen spaces is a longstanding miracle. Follow their Instagram account to keep dibs on who’s currently on induction hob duty.

Casa Fofo saw ex-Pidgin chef Adolfo De Cecco opening his own place in Clapton, carrying on the same approach of a single tasting menu that makes the most of seasonal and local ingredients.

Andy Beynon's London Fields restaurant is all about opening up the kitchen experience. That starts with a huge counter that you gather around for a truly unique tasting menu experience (with a focus on seafood).

This Stradford restaurant comes from chef Patrick Powell, previously Head Chef at the Chiltern Firehouse. He's taken over a huge space in The Stratford, with a new-style fine-dining menu (as well as a more informal menu for the bar and extensive terrace).

The P Franco team took over the former Legs restaurant on Morning Lane with an all counter dining and drinking space. Expect a yakitori-inspired menu with lots of skewers.

It's taken millions to transform the old Savoy Cinema into a modern arts space and the restaurant is every bit as ambitious with former St John executive chef Chris Gillard running things. Expect a menu of modern British cuisine.

This Dalston restaurant has a modern take on Japanese and Italian food - resulting in a creative fusion menu that's inspired by both cuisines, while also pushing the envelope. There are omakase tasting menus alongside a la carte, and it also sports a tiny Tokyo-style cocktail bar.

Two chefs, one from Argentina and the other from Brazil teamed up with Singaporean hotelier Peng Loh for this Latin American and Italian inspired restaurant by way of San Sebastian. It's the kind of international melting pot story that makes London's restaurant scene so great. Michelin clearly agree - they gave it a star in its first year. Tasting menus can be an ordeal, but here there's a great deal of humour, making a trip to Bethnal Green to try Da Terra's inspired dishes a must.

This neighbourhood restaurant and wine bar is from the so-hip-it-hurts group that includes P Franco and Peg. They have much more than an induction hob to work with here, as well as a wine list that's as essential as the one in the original P Franco.

This is Tom Oldroyd's Hackney pub and dining room, serving up a European menu using British produce. The Cornish crab chip butty is a must, as is the Duke burger but it's generally worth trying as much of the menu as you can. They are also giving back by acting as a soup kitchen for the local area.

This is Tom Brown's Hackney Michelin-starred restaurant where the menu is centred around seafood. The menu changes regularly based on day catches, but make sure you have whatever they're serving on a crumpet, as that will be unmissable.