Guide to the best cafés in Hackney

Franze & Evans Cafe in Shoreditch is a family-run spot specialising in homemade breakfast dishes and modern brunch plates in a relaxed and welcoming space. The front counter is lined with tasty delights, like refreshing salads, homemade cakes and more. You can also feast on a selection of hot dishes made fresh in-house.

Climpson & Sons is a speciality coffee roaster in London that came about due to the desire to bring speciality coffee to London. Their fancy café in Broadway Market offers fresh pastries and filled focaccia from The Dusty Knuckle, all made with produce sourced from local businesses.

Wilton Way Deli & Wines is a popular delicatessen in Hackney, serving a variety of local and international products in a trendy space. Pick up all the cupboard essentials, like pasta, olive oil, meat and fish, or sit and enjoy a coffee, sandwich or salad in-house or to take away.

This organic bakery is set across three railway arches in the heart of Hackney. They use locally-sourced ingredients for all of their homemade bakes, including bread made with heritage wheat, pastries, cookies and other sweet treats. They even host sourdough and pizza-making classes.

This small food and drink spot in De Beauvoir serves artisanal treats from small independent suppliers, focusing on seasonal treats and snacks. The menu is crafted using ingredients that the deli is famous for, alongside a daily changing menu of specials. Enjoy dishes like smashed avo with pickled carrots, toasted seeds and coriander cress on Dusty Knuckle sourdough and sweetcorn fritters with a poached egg, feta, spring onions and watercress with a tomato relish.

You could go to Mare Street Market just for the aesthetics; think quirky decor with hanging light fixtures, potted plants and foliage, and striking ornaments scattered about. There’s an open kitchen and a cosy dining room where you can enjoy internationally-inspired food, including pizza. They also serve breakfast, brunch and coffee, and there’s usually a resident DJ spinning the freshest tunes on the weekend.

Thingy Cafe is a calming sanctuary down a quiet street in Hackney Wick. You’ll probably notice their lush garden before you spot the actual café building; it’s set amongst luscious greenery with scattered tables for al fresco coffee and cake in the summer sunshine. You can enjoy a hot bite to eat, like homemade soup, focaccia sandwiches and home-baked sweet treats, and they also host a range of events like comedy nights and more.

Set within creative Hackney Wick, between bright graffitied walls and colourful murals, you’ll find an ethical coffee shop. Everything served at this independent café is ethically sourced and fair trade, including coffee from Ecuador, Colombia, Brazil and Sumatra, all roasted in Sussex for optimum freshness. The excellent coffee is accompanied by delicious vegan and vegetarian food, including their famous Ethical ‘Beefy’ Burgers.

If you want to sip on excellent coffee, listen to fresh vinyl and hang out in a relaxing space with like-minded music lovers, then Lion Coffee + Records is where you want to be. This quirky Hackney spot was opened by husband and wife duo Mairead and Chris, who share a mutual love of music after having met and worked in the industry. Sip on quality coffee and browse the selection of vinyl stacked on the handcrafted wooden record shelves. If you swing by at night, you can also enjoy a cocktail from the bar tucked away at the back of the café.

215 Hackney is a cosy café and coffee shop located moments from the breathtaking Abney Park Cemetery (one of London’s Magnificent Seven), a lovely spot to wander around with a coffee in hand. They serve a menu of Middle Eastern-inspired cuisine and coffee, ensuring the produce they use is sourced as locally as possible, with much of it coming from Stoke Newington. The best bit? The owners have committed to donating 20% of all profits made to Warchild, a charity that helps children affected by wars worldwide.

This creative space is set inside the old Clapton Tram Depot, where they serve a menu of light bites, coffee, bar, wine, beers and more in a trendy, East London-style setting. The space is bright with parquet flooring, exposed, distressed brickwork, luscious hanging plants and old beams, making it the perfect spot for a video or photoshoot (you can even hire it out).

This multi-functioning space is made by creatives for creatives and comprises a coffee and wine shop, two photography studios and two co-working spaces that provide affordable desk and event spaces for like-minded people to get together, work and drink good coffee while letting the creative juices flow.

This independent East London café is more than just a coffee shop; it also functions as an art gallery and community space designed for exhibitions and performances and to provide studio space for local creatives. They serve a tasty menu of classic breakfast, brunch and lunch dishes, like sandwiches, cakes, sweet treats and more.

This coffee shop and community hub is a trendy spot to enjoy coffee and a bite to eat with friends or while catching up on some work. They serve an all-day menu of breakfast rolls, sandwiches, soups, pizzas and more, alongside all the classic hot drinks. They have cafés across London, but the one in Shoreditch is particularly trendy: think hanging plants, exposed brickwork, tall ceilings and a warm and welcoming roster of staff.

You’ll find Wacka on Leonard Street in Shoreditch, serving their own roasted speciality coffee side-by-side with snacks and light bites, like sandwiches, cakes, cookies and more. It’s only a small café, but it’s cosy and maxes out on trendiness - the branding is on-point.

This café is one for the keen photographers among us. It was created by Rapid Eye Darkroom in 2019 out of a love and passion for darkroom practice and photo books. The community café and gallery also serves a menu of snacks, like toasties, soups and salads, alongside hot drinks, with beers served in the evening.

This quaint café in the village-like Well Street Market, serves a menu of classic breakfast and brunch dishes in a cosy, stylish setting. Some of the dishes you can expect to see are baked eggs, loaded baps and pastries from the legendary Dusty Knuckle Bakery. They also host a variety of pop-up events and dinners by local chefs which are well worth looking out for.

Kahaila is more than just another Hackney café; it functions as a church and coffee shop where everyone is welcome to relax and take a break from the bustling city streets. They welcome people from all walks of life with open arms whilst also working as a charity that addresses issues that affect the local community, nationally and beyond. They serve a menu of light bites, cakes and coffee using produce that’s been ethically and locally sourced (where possible).

Juni is the inaugural London venture of a brother-and-sister team who launched a Scandinavian-influenced brunch brand in the East Midlands. Their Hackney café offers a variety of brunch options, pastries, cakes, hot beverages, juices, and alcoholic drinks in a snug, urban atmosphere. The feel-good vibes are enhanced by the warm hospitality of the staff and a smashing soundtrack.