Ah, Dalston.
A charmingly chaotic corner of London sandwiched between Shoreditch and Stoke Newington, Dalston’s an increasingly vivid mélange of the old and the new – a neighbourhood on the front line of gentrification, which has (thus far) lost none of its charm. A place where Turkish mangals neighbour secret underground bars, and art-deco cinemas overlook sprawling urban gardens. Here you will, of course, find natural wine and artisan sourdough being sold around every other corner – because this is East London, after all – but also drag nights, old pubs, excellent coffee shops and jazz clubs.
There’s A LOT to see and experience in Dalston, soooo we’ve bundled up the very best of it into one extensive, jam-packed itinerary for your reading pleasure.
THE MORNING
For a day in high-energy Dalston, you’ll be needing a high-carb breakfast. And luckily for you, Dusty Knuckle is just around the corner from Dalston Junction (which is conveniently slap bang in the middle of everything). If you don’t already know (which, if you have an instagram account, is unlikely) Dusty Knuckle makes some of the best baked goods in the business. Its Dalston bakery / café is housed in a former car park, with tables and chairs perched under a makeshift shelter. From the cloud-like focaccia to the Morning Bun – plus anything sandwiched between two thickly-cut slices of its signature potato sourdough – the name of the game here is to basically eat as much as you can, because it’s all great.
If, however, you’ve been to Dusty Knuckle and fancy somewhere different, there’s also the excellent Albers. Technically in Islington but only a short walk from the overground, this is a café and casual lunch spot by day and a rather lovely restaurant by night. The airy and light-filled space lends itself nicely to having a leisurely morning coffee; consider it a relaxing repose before heading into the riot that is Ridley Road Market.
Established in the 1880’s Ridley Road Market is located just off Kingsland High Street. The road is defined by the market, which is open 9:30am-4pm, six days a week (Monday to Saturday). Here you’ll find stalls piled high with fruit and vegetables – some recognisable, others that might be new to you – spices and herbs. There are also local halal butchers and fishmongers slicing and shelling their goods into blue plastic bags for punters of all ages. Fresh produce aside, Ridley Road is where you can pick up cheap tupperware, vintage clothes, second-hand books and old records. There are bricks and mortar shops that punctuate the market vendors, selling everything from kente cloth and sacks of rice to Ethiopian street food and stone-baked breads. In short, if you can’t find it at Ridley Road Market, it ain’t – bar several exceptions – worth having.
After filling your bag with old clothes and fish, why not then wander down the road and stop by Ararat Breads? This hole-in-the-wall bakery only does one type of bread: naan-style flatbreads served plain, with meat or with cheese. Every day from 7am, they fire up the rotating oven, flatten out the dough, put the rounds through the ferocious heat before rolling up the blistered flatbreads with your choice of filling…
Once you’ve taken in the market, head to Dalston Eastern Curve Garden. A flower-laden oasis just off the busy main drag of Kingsland High Street, the community garden’s been growing and thriving since 2010. More than just a green space however, it has an arms-wide-open approach to connecting Hackney residents, particularly people who are vulnerable or isolated. That said, everyone is welcome and it’s free so you can wander around the pots of tulips, pause for a drink at the Pavilion café or even bring a picnic and camp out in this bucolic corner for an hour or two.
LUNCH
This is when things get a little tricky. Dalston has always been one of the best places to eat in the city, with plenty of Caribbean jerk spots, Turkish ocakbaşı and West African eateries. You can sink your fork into all sorts of food cultures and eat from plates piled high with rice and peas, mixed grilled or yesimir wot and still have change from £20. Today, the pool of fantastic restaurants in Dalston continues to expand, giving diners an even tougher decision…
But fear not, we’re here to snap you out of any kind of decision paralysis.The trick is to pick a point on the compass and commit. Heading East from Dalston Junction station, you have natural wines and ferments at Little Duck – The Pickelery and a fusion of Italian meets Japanese at Angelina both on Dalston Lane. If live-fire cooking is more your bag, just around the corner from Dalston Easter Curve Garden is where you’ll find ACME Fire Cult. Here grilled food (mostly vegetables) and excellent cocktails are the order of play, plus one of the best breweries in London, 40FT is just opposite.
Or head North up Kingsland High Street to one of the best Turkish restaurants in London, Mangal II or its sister restaurant Mangal I. Further up the road, there’s also Corrocchio’s for reliably delicious tacos and agave-based cocktails. Or if it’s a particularly sunny day, make a beeline for the canal and lap up the very best of al-fresco dining at Towpath Café. Rest assured that despite the slightly overwhelming amount of choice, wherever you decide to go, you won’t be disappointed.
AFTERNOON
It’s time to work up an appetite again from wherever you decided to land for lunch. How about a few rounds of Boggle at one of London’s top activity bars, Draughts? The former pie and mash shop – complete with original tiling and art-deco curves – is a shrine to board games. We recommend booking a slot online beforehand, choose a game from the many hundreds available, then settle in for a few rounds of dice-throwing, word-muddling, code-naming, mystery-solving fun.
But it’s FRESH AIR you’re after, eh? In that case walk in the direction of Haggerston towards the canal, where you’ll be greeted by lesser-spotted Moor Hens, flower-bedecked barges and kamikaze cyclists. If you haven’t already been, also make a pit stop at Towpath for a sweet treat and sit watching the comings and goings.
If, however, the weather isn’t in your favour.. well there’s always something good to see at The Rio (one of the best cinemas in London). This 1930s picture palace is one of only a handful of independent cinemas still standing in the city. It’s also the longest operating community cinema and is funded solely by donations from cinema goers. It shows a mix of arthouse and mainstream films across two screens; the resplendent, 400-seat main auditorium and the cosier, 30-seat screen which has its own cocktail bar and lounge. Grab a drink at the Shining-inspired Ludski Bar and immerse yourself in an indie flick or a Hollywood blockbuster.
DINNER
You could always head back in the direction of any of the restaurants you didn’t manage to visit for lunch, but there are a couple more cards we’ve yet to lay down for your dinner options. Like, for example, Oren the petite (yet perfectly-appointed) Israeli restaurant by chef Oded Oren. The food is a celebration of flavours from the Middle East; think stone-baked flatbreads dipped muhummara, pilpelchuma and tahini yoghurt, and that’s just to start. There’s grilled fish and joints of meat, licked with warming spices, stuffed with chermoula or sided with herb-heavy salads. And once all your plates are swiped clean, as tempted as you may be to go to sleep at the table, do instead consider ordering the polenta and almond cake with orange cream or the roasted plums with a vodka sorbet. You can book ahead (and we recommend that you do, as the mezze alone is worth crossing multiple boroughs for).
In the same corner of East Dalston is Casa Fofō. While it may have a Michelin star, this place is also cosy, extremely unassuming, and the regular tasting menu is – we think – one of the best-value London-based, Michelin starred eight courses money can buy. Chef Adolfo De Cecco (Pidgin) doesn’t shy away from fusing cuisines, with each dish a delicious balance of global flavours, keeping your tastebuds poised and ready for anything…
EVENING
Now you’re fed and the night is still young, it’s time to venture towards Kingsland Road. In the last few years, the stretch between Haggerston and Dalston Junction has become a destination for excellent drinking dens. Within 600 yards of one another you have Brilliant Corners, where natural wine flows alongside Japanese food and live music; Three Sheets, where the cocktails list is all hits, no misses; and 392 Kingsland Road, where old vinyl and good-value drinks will lure you into a third, and maybe even a fourth round.
And if you want to end the day as you started, caught up in the swell of one of London’s most vibrant neighbourhoods, there’s always Dalston Jazz bar where live music transitions to a DJ and dancing…
Want to see all our recommendations in the neighbourhood? Check out our Dalston area guide.
