Farley Macallan

Farley Macallan | Hackney Wine Bar
By Sarah Jappy

NOTE: Sadly, Farley Macallan is now closed.

Grapes were put on this earth to be turned into booze.

You could say it’s their raisin d’etre.

And the people at Farley Macallan understand that.

You see, they’re on a mission “to reinvent the local” with their Hackney wine bar. A neon sign above the bar – one of few decorative flourishes, along with admirable polar-bear cushions – proclaims exactly that. This is fitting, since Farley occupies the big beast of a building that once housed Restaurant Fix.

Work by local artists is exhibited; there’s also a boxy basement event space for hire and after-parties as en vogue as the area’s Hackney Walk rebrand. The space serves coffee by day, and the wine by night. Here’s the breakdown:

THE CAFE

The Workers’ Café space adjacent to the wine bar is similarly minimalist and distraction-free, and for a monthly membership fee, reliable WiFi and all-you-can-drink filter coffee are there for the taking.

THE WINE BAR

The list is curated by Mark Kerr-Sheppard, ex-Majestic Wine, and is split into three sections: Easy (read: beginner); Biodynamic & Organic (experimental; hopefully hangover-free); and Focus (fancy).

Food – matched to the wine, not vice versa – comes courtesy of E5 Smokehouse. Canter through small plates like grilled broccoli with smoked tomato, hemp and London feta; cauliflower fritters with curried yoghurt and cucumber; and raw beef with pickled St. George and nori, for example.

Hackney beers from Five Points Brewing Co, cheese from Raw Cheese Power on Chatsworth Road Market and cured meats from Islington’s Cobble Lane complete the London line-up.

If you need a quick fix. 

NOTE: Farley Macallan is now closed.

Farley Macallan | 177–179 Morning Lane, E9 6LH

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