There is no better time to visit East London than in the summer. From May to September, Londoners emerge to sip canned cocktails in parks, languish by the boats on Regent’s Canal and pick over tchotchkes at outdoor markets. But there is plenty of fun to be had inside, too. The area, which was included in The New York Times’ 52 Places to Go in 2025, has undergone a cultural makeover in the years after the 2012 Olympics. Olympic Park, built on a former brownfield site in the district of Stratford, gained a dance theater and an outpost of the Victoria and Albert Museum this year. And the Soho Theater has opened a branch in Walthamstow, an area about 40 minutes from central London. A lot of this itinerary takes place in the many neighborhoods that make up the borough of Hackney, including Dalston, Shoreditch and Hoxton. The neighborhoods are magnets for the more trend-conscious and easily memed set, but there are places where you can still glimpse the area’s industrial roots and vibrant immigrant communities. It is the balance between old and new, established and evolving that makes East London hum.
ITINERARY
Friday
4 p.m. (Book) shop like a local
Start with a literary haul at Burley Fisher Books, an independent bookstore in Haggerston, a neighborhood in the Hackney borough. The shop isn’t large, but there’s a reason it’s a local favorite — and has been twice voted London bookshop of the year at the British Book Awards. You get a real community feel here: A large chalkboard displays handwritten notices of upcoming author talks, and a community printing press sits at the back of the store. (Burley Fisher runs workshops on how to print posters and zines.) In addition to the usual big-bookstore fare, you can find locally made zines and books from independent publishers, including those based in and around East London. And in the basement, a trove of secondhand books, encyclopedias and old magazines demands a long, hard look. Lovers of a well-constructed tote bag should pick up a Burley Fisher one for 12 pounds (about $16) before checking out.
6 p.m. Dine in Dalston
Dalston in Hackney is one of those places where cultures don’t merge as much as they bump and jumble together. It feels alive, always filled with people and the soundtrack of the hissing and braking of big red buses. Have an early dinner in the middle of it all. Head to Andu, an Ethiopian vegan restaurant with decor that’s as comforting as its food. Choose from platters of spiced lentils, beans and vegetables with rice or injera, a spongy and sour Ethiopian bread. Portion sizes are based on the number in your party. A platter for two to three people will cost 30 pounds, but bring notes with you: Andu is cash only. For parties of fewer than six, there’s no need to book ahead.
9 p.m. Catch a performance
On a Friday night, gigs abound in East London. MOTH Club is a good place to start. The hall, stubbornly and delightfully, looks much the same as when it was used in the 1970s as a meeting place for the Memorable Order of Tin Hats, an organization for ex-service members. The walls are still lined with plaques and shields, though the new owners have added a little bit of glamour: a gold glitter ceiling. Come to MOTH for solid comedy nights, DJ sets and off-piste talks. (It once hosted a lecture on Lana Del Rey.) Earth in Dalston is also a good option for an evening performance, with a diverse program of events that include concerts, stand-up comedy and live podcast recordings. Or check out Soho Theater in Walthamstow, a newly opened performance venue and renovated Victorian Music Hall. Similar to its sibling location in Soho, the theater’s program is robust, pulling in the biggest names in British comedy.
Saturday
9:30 a.m. Walk in ‘Vicky’ Park
Start your day in Victoria Park, a green space that holds a special place in the heart of many East Londoners. It’s the stage for dog walks, first dates and festivals. Before starting your walk, head to Blas, a relatively new coffee kiosk in the park, where you can pick up a cold brew. Take a turn around the boating lake, commune with the ducks and get a good look at the Chinese Pagoda. Then meander to your heart’s content, but be sure to stop by the Burdett-Coutts Memorial Drinking Fountain and pick up a pastry at Pavilion bakery. Once you’re done, exit the park onto the canal walkway.
11:30 a.m. Pop by a market
As you head along the canal toward Hoxton, take a detour to Broadway Market in the London Fields neighborhood. On Saturdays, market stalls sell a diverse array of wares: art prints and jewelry; sugar cane juice and blankets; jollof rice and nasi goreng. The permanent stores that line the street are also worth a look. Visit Artwords, a Charli XCX-approved visual arts bookstore. And, for those who love good wine or, at least, wine with a cool label, head to Shrine to the Vine, a shop from the founders of Noble Rot, a magazine and trio of popular restaurants in central London.
12:45 p.m. Walk through time
London’s history is so rich and so visible that you might wonder What was life like in the past? The Museum of the Home, a small free museum in Hoxton, answers that question. Its subterranean galleries have centuries’ worth of items that make up a home — the furniture people sat on, the televisions they watched, and the lights they turned on and off. The highlight of the museum is its “Rooms Through Time,” re-creations that include rooms in a family home from 1630, a middle-class family’s 1878 town house, a tenement flat from 1913 and a flat shared by three young people in 2005. There’s even an evolving exhibit that predicts what a living room in 2049 might look like. The gardens here are gorgeous, a stunningly peaceful oasis just off the busy Kingsland Road.
1:45 p.m. Explore ‘Pho Mile’
Once you leave the museum, simply turn right and you’re on Pho Mile, the nickname given to this section of Kingsland Road for its concentration of Vietnamese restaurants. Many of the establishments were opened by refugees and are family run. It can be hard to choose from the many options, but all are solid choices. The best-known restaurant on the strip is Song Que Cafe, a large restaurant with a very green facade, walls and menu. Pho is a good choice here (14.50 pounds), as is the stewed caramelized fish (12 pounds) with a side of steamed rice (3.50). Otherwise you can head to Ant House for some bahn mi (16.50 pounds) or BunBunBun for authentic bun cha (15.20).
3 p.m. Take in photography
Visit Autograph, a photography gallery focused on exploring issues of identity and social justice. Autograph was founded in 1988 as the Association of Black Photographers, a group that organized exhibitions and events from an office in Brixton, South London. Autograph moved to this location in 2007. (The building, Rivington Place, was designed by British Ghanian architect David Adjaye.) The gallery is showing two exhibitions by Black British women, “Eileen Perrier: A Thousand Small Stories” and “Dianne Minnicucci: Belonging and Beyond.” (Tickets are free, and there’s no need to call ahead.)
5:30 p.m. Ease into the evening
Listening bars — relaxed, Japanese-inspired establishments that play vinyl records from hi-fi sound systems — are becoming popular in the capital. They’re the perfect place to both unwind and muster some energy before heading into the night. Visit Seed Library, a bar from award-winning mixologist Ryan Chetiyawardana, in the depths of the One Hundred Shoreditch hotel. Order a coriander seed gimlet (15 pounds) or a pink and green daiquiri (16), then sink into a chair and take in the vaguely 1970s vibe and the DJ-spun vinyl. (Booking is recommended.) Another option is Mad Cats, also in the Shoreditch neighborhood. The lights here are low and there’s a good selection of small plates and snacks for a pick-me-up. After a long day of walking, order a refreshing orchard mist (14 pounds), which features lemon, pear and prosecco. Reservations are recommended; it can get busy.
7:30 p.m. Dine in Shoreditch
For dinner, head to Smoking Goat, a Thai barbecue restaurant in Shoreditch. Their fish sauce chili wing (3.90 pounds) is crispy and a perfect balance between sweet and spicy. Make sure you order more than one and save the leftover sauce to pour over the rest of your meal. It’s also hard to go wrong with their braised pork belly (23.50 pounds). Alternatively, head around the corner to Brat, Smoking Goat’s Michelin-starred sister restaurant. Brat serves Basque-inspired cuisine and is big on grilling and fish; ordering the grilled bread with anchovy (10.50 pounds) and the Dover sole (45 pounds) is a must. These restaurants are as popular as they are tasty; be sure to book ahead.
10 p.m. Hear live music
East London is full of bars where you can pop in to hear live music, so round off your evening in one of them. Enjoy an eclectic mix of blues, jazz, reggae, soul and Nigerian highlife at Troy Bar, a small Black-owned venue tucked away near Old Street. The vibe here is pretty chill: Grab a drink, slide into a booth and let the music wash over you. If you’re still peckish, there’s a kitchen that serves tasty Caribbean fare at 7 pounds a plate. For something a little more lively, head over to the Sun Tavern in Bethnal Green, a pub that boasts the largest selection of Irish whiskey in the city.
Sunday
9 a.m. Head to Columbia Road
Columbia Road Flower Market is perhaps one of the most popular attractions in East London. On any given Sunday, people can be seen walking the streets with a bouquet tucked under their arm or wrestling onto a train with a monstera plant. A warning: It gets incredibly busy. Arrive within an hour of its 8 a.m. opening for a less overwhelming experience. Though you may not be able to take any plants home with you if you’re visiting from abroad, Columbia Road is quaint, and the homeware and gift shops that line the edge of the market are worth a visit. Do a little shop crawl and don’t miss Hackney Essentials, a grocery and homeware shop, or Idle Moments, a wine and record shop. If you have time to sit down for a sweet treat, head to the back of Vintage Heaven, an antiques shop, for a scone with jam and clotted cream (3 pounds) or a plum and almond cake (3.50).
11:30 a.m. Try an Irish brunch
“Irish cuisine is beginning to establish itself at last,” writer Karl McDonald declared in Vittles, a popular food Substack, last month. One of the restaurants at this particular vanguard is Inis, in the Fish Island neighborhood. Head here for a full Irish breakfast (18.50 pounds) that includes impressively thick-cut slices of bacon, a deeply flavorful black pudding and an egg atop a roast potato farl. Or, since it’s almost midday, order a pork belly roast with the trimmings (25 pounds). Whatever you order, two things are critical: First, get seated outside for views of the water and optimal people-watching. Second, end your meal with a Guinness cake with custard (9.50 pounds).
1:30 p.m. See a vast museum storehouse
Walk by the River Lea and head toward Stratford, a neighborhood that has undergone a transformation since hosting the 2012 Olympics. Olympic Park is emerging as a cultural heart of the city. Last month, the Victoria and Albert Museum opened the V&A East Storehouse, a project that allows visitors to walk among thousands of objects in the museum’s archives unimpeded by glass cases and close enough to touch. Below your feet, you can see the museum’s employees at work.
KEY STOPS
Explore the Victoria and Albert Museum’s archives at the V&A East Storehouse.
Burley Fisher Books is a small bookstore in Hackney that specializes in independent publishers and zines.
Autograph is a photography gallery in Shoreditch that explores identity and social justice.
Take a stroll along Regent’s Canal.
WHERE TO EAT
Andu is a vegan Ethiopian restaurant in the midst of the Dalston neighborhood’s buzz.
Pick up coffee at Blas and a pastry at Pavilion while walking around Victoria Park.
Song Que Cafe, Ant House and BunBunBun are Vietnamese restaurants on “Pho Mile.”
Seed Library and Mad Cats in Shoreditch are a part of the listening-bar wave.
The chicken wings at Smoking Goat, a Thai restaurant, are among the best in the city.
Brat is a Michelin-starred restaurant in Shoreditch that’s big on grilling.
Troy Bar is a low-key live music venue near Old Street that serves traditional Caribbean fare on the cheap.
Enjoy an Irish breakfast at Inis in the Fish Island neighborhood.
The Sun Tavern in Bethnal Green says it has London’s largest selection of Irish whiskey.
WHERE TO STAY
Stepping into Batty Langley’s, a small hotel in the Spitalfields neighborhood, is like stepping into the past. The rooms are decked out in 18th-century décor, gilded-framed paintings and all. A double room hovers around 399 pounds, about $539, a night.
One Hundred Shoreditch is in the middle of the trendy neighborhood from which it gets its name. Rooms start at about 250 pounds a night.
Mama Shelter, near Bethnal Green station, really leans into quirk. Enjoy the hotel’s maximalism — and its karaoke room — while staying in a double room for around 150 pounds.
Have a look at Airbnb for short-term rentals in the Hoxton neighborhood of Hackney, a relatively quiet area from which most East London hubs are accessible by foot. Alternatively, set up in Islington, a charming town-house-filled neighborhood that’s technically in North London but close enough to East London for your purposes.
This article originally appeared in The New York Times.
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