When London emerged from its first lockdown all those months ago, one of the first restaurants to completely reinvent itself was Tomos Parry's Brat. While the original restaurant stayed where it was (with a bit of table rejigging) they complimented it with a sister restaurant at Climpson's Arch, correctly assuming that alfresco dining would be very much a big thing in 2020.  

Brat at Climpsons

They've become a favourite in Borough since opening there (with a popular alfresco opening too) and now Elliot's has soft-launched a second venue in Hackney. 

It's very early days for this one, with the new Elliot's open as delivery and takeaway only, serving up

Throughout December there's now an additional reason to head out to Hackney Wick. Perenially popular restaurant Moro has just started a pop up in Autumn Yard. The yard itself is right on the river Lea opposite the London stadium and is a joint venture between Sam Clark of Moro and Morito and Nina Tolstrup of Studio Mama.

The winter popup at Moro's unit places piri piri chicken and squid at the heart of the

We really are in unusual times. One of the things that regulars of Hackney's oh-so-popular Towpath Cafe know is that it's an ephemeral, seasonal kinda place - opening with the onset of summer and closing as Autumn arrives. But this weekend, owners Lori De Mori and Laura Jackson revealed that, along with most of London's hospitality world, they'd also be reopening.

In a post on Instagram, they said:

With restaurants reopening on 2 December (we hope), there's news of a brand new residency from Rogues London to look forward to. The team, Freddie Sheen and Zac Whittle who originally met at Galvin La Chapelle, have recently popped up in Parlour at Kensal Rise (including a lockdown delivery service) and now they'll be taking over Hackney Coffee Company in the evenings and brunch at

23/10/20 - updated with the opening date and pics

Not happy with a cheese truck, a cheese bar, a cheese conveyor belt and a ...

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If you're minded to find somewhere that gives more than lip service to sustainability and would prefer to give the supermarkets a swerve, then this new Hackney shopping spot might be of interest.

CRATE Brewery along with its neighbour's Silo is gearing up to launch a weekly market, selling everything from freshly milled flour for sourdough making to natural wines and refillable washing up liquids.

Sustainability is the

On top of being chef-owner of Tredwells, Chantelle Nicholson is getting ready to open a three-month pop-up in Hackney called All's Well (where Squeg + Bonez was most recently). 

Hyper seasonal, sustainable plates will be at the heart of the menu which will celebrate produce from across the UK. Organic and biodynamic fruit and vegetables will be delivered bi-weekly from Kent and

updated with bar opening info 29/9/20

During Lockdown, popular restaurant Silver Lining revealed its plans to become the UK's first wine bar focused entirely on orange wine. In its first phase, it opened as a takeaway bottle shop with over 50 varieties of orange wine to choose from.

Now they're opening as a fully functioning wine bar with an entirely orange wine list and serving up seasonal

Over lockdown, Netil Market's Pollo Feliz did a roaring trade in deliveries with East Londoners becoming more than slightly obsessed by their tortillas. So much so, that they've been able to expand with a bigger stall and a new direction. As first reported by Eater, they've become Sonora

You may be wondering does Hackney really need another pizza place? Certainly, the team behind Nebula, which opened at the weekend, are very much hoping it does.

This new pizza, beer and cocktail joint has taken over a space just off Hackney Road near to ABQ Bar and Mama Shelter. It's a large site - with room for 200 pizza lovers. And the fact that it also has a large courtyard won't hurt it at all in the current times.

The team behind it are

One of London's best loved cafes reopens for business today. The announcement that Hackney's Towpath Cafe would reopen will surely be met with joy by its legions of fans. In a post on their website, owners Lori De Mori and Laura Jackson said that from this morning they'd be open Thursday through to Sunday.

In addition to their gorgeous breakfasts and lunch dishes, they'll be doing a dinner service on Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays. "One

27/8/20 - updated with details of an extended residency

After being without Tomos Parry's excellent Brat restaurant for a few months - it returned in two different incarnations. 

Over the past month, one of the huge successes of post-lockdown pivoting has been the Brat x Climpson’s Arch residency. It saw Parry going back to his roots as he had previously been in the kitchen there

One of the big new openings of 2019 has announced its reopening - but it's not quite the same as when it left. Silo, Douglas McMaster's no-waste restaurant in Hackney Wick, is going to temporarily return as a wine bar - the Silo X Wine Bar, to be precise. 

The menu - continuing to be a no-waste affair - has been reconfigured a little and includes: 

• ‘Siloaf’ & aged butter
• Koji quavers & dip and a Soy egg with lava

During the lockdown, Shoreditch's Michelin-starred restaurant Leroy pivoted to create a chicken delivery service in the shape of Royale. But now the restaurant is back up and running, the questions was - what will happen to Royale? Now we know, as they're carrying on serving up chicken, this time in a Hackney residency at the East London Liquor Co. 

The menu remains the same - rotisserie