Dog Friendly Hackney: The Best Walks, Pubs, Cafés, Markets & Things To Do With Your Dog
By the Islington Local Guide editorial team
If you have a dog and you live anywhere near East London, Hackney is the borough you end up gravitating towards. It has the big green spaces, the canal, and an unusually high concentration of pubs and cafes that actively want your dog through the door rather than tolerating it on the step. You can spend a whole Saturday here without ever leaving the dog at home, and plenty of us do.
This is a proper local guide, written from experience rather than scraped from listings. We have pulled together the best dog walks in Hackney, the dog-friendly pubs and cafes worth your time, the markets that suit a four-legged companion and the ones to approach with caution, and a few honest warnings along the way. The borough strings together beautifully: London Fields runs into Broadway Market, the canal carries you out to Victoria Park and Hackney Wick, and Stoke Newington and Clapton sit just up the road with their own settled, neighbourhood feel.
One standing rule before we start: always check a venue’s current dog policy before you make a special trip. Hackney’s hospitality scene moves quickly, and a pub that welcomes dogs throughout one month can restrict them to the garden the next. Where we know a place is genuinely dog-friendly, we have said so. Where a policy is worth confirming, we have flagged it.
The best dog-friendly areas in Hackney
London Fields
The spiritual home of the Hackney dog walk. London Fields is the park, the social hub and the gateway to Broadway Market, and on a weekday morning it is all dog walkers, joggers and coffee. At weekends it fills up fast, especially when the sun is out, so an early start suits a calmer dog. The cafes and pubs around the edges are some of the most dog-welcoming in the borough.
Broadway Market
Broadway Market is the Saturday classic, a street of independent traders, street food and good coffee that runs down to the canal. It is wonderful with a confident dog and a lot for a nervous one at peak time, so the trick is to come early, before the crowd thickens around midday. The shops and pubs along it are open most days, so a quieter weekday visit works just as well.
Hackney Central
Mare Street and the streets around it are the practical heart of the borough, with cafes, independent shops and a clutch of excellent backstreet pubs a short walk from London Fields and Hackney Downs. It is less of a destination and more of a place you pass through, which means the locals’ pubs here are some of the most relaxed for a dog.
Dalston
Dalston is busier and more night-time in character, with Ridley Road Market, casual restaurants and a strong run of independent pubs and bars. By day it is perfectly easy with a dog, particularly around the quieter De Beauvoir edge. By night it is more about people than pooches, so daytime is the call.
Stoke Newington
Stokey has the most village-like feel of anywhere in the borough. Church Street is a row of independent cafes, shops and pubs, and Clissold Park sits at the top of it. It is genuinely one of the best corners of dog-friendly East London, with a relaxed pace that suits a long, unhurried Sunday.
Clapton
Clapton has come into its own, with Chatsworth Road and Lower Clapton leading the way. There are neighbourhood cafes, easygoing pubs and quick access to the River Lea and the marshes, which makes it a favourite for owners who want a proper walk on the doorstep rather than a manicured park.
Hackney Wick
Hackney Wick is the creative, canal-side end of the borough, all warehouses, breweries and waterside food. The towpath runs through it, Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park is right next door, and Crate Brewery anchors a cluster of dog-friendly drinking and eating by the water. Good for a long canal walk that ends with pizza and a pint.
Haggerston & De Beauvoir
These quieter pockets sit along the Regent’s Canal between Islington and Hackney proper. De Beauvoir in particular is leafy and calm, with handsome streets and a couple of good locals like the Talbot. The canal here is the obvious walking spine, carrying you east towards Broadway Market and beyond.
Hoxton & Shoreditch
On the borough’s southern edge, Hoxton and Shoreditch are busier and more design-led, with plenty of dog-friendly bars, cafes and restaurants among the studios and shops. They are best treated as a daytime add-on to a canal walk rather than a destination for a nervous dog at the weekend.
The best dog walks in Hackney
London Fields
Hackney’s everyday walk. London Fields is open, flat and sociable, with a steady flow of other dogs and cafes on every edge for afterwards. Weekday mornings are calm and friendly; sunny weekends turn it into one of the busiest greens in London, so time your visit accordingly. Broadway Market is a two-minute stroll away when you are done.
Victoria Park
One of the best dog walks in East London, and deservedly popular. Victoria Park gives you wide paths, big open lawns, two lakes and a proper sense of space, with cafes inside and the canal running along one side. Dogs can go off-lead across much of the open parkland, but keep them on the lead near the lakes, the roads and the enclosed gardens, and follow the signs. A full loop is roughly three miles.
Clissold Park
The green heart of Stoke Newington, and one of the best dog-friendly spaces this side of the borough. Wide lawns, mature trees, a couple of ponds, a small deer and animal enclosure, and a good cafe in the old house at the centre. It has a real neighbourhood feel, and Church Street’s shops and pubs are right outside the gates.
Hackney Marshes
When your dog needs more room than a park can offer, the Marshes deliver. This is wide, flat, open space along the River Lea, criss-crossed with football pitches at weekends but huge enough to find a quiet route. Ideal for a long walk and a dog that likes to stretch out and cover ground.
River Lea and the Lee Navigation
The Lea is the borough’s great waterside walk, and you can join it at Hackney Wick, Clapton or Springfield Park and follow it for as long as your legs allow. North of here it opens out into Walthamstow Marshes and Tottenham Marshes, where the city falls away and it starts to feel genuinely wild. Keep dogs close to the water’s edge in check, and watch for cyclists and the occasional grazing cattle on the marshes in summer.
Regent’s Canal
The canal ties the whole borough together. Pick it up around Haggerston or Broadway Market and follow it east past London Fields, on towards Victoria Park and out to Hackney Wick. It is flat, scenic and lined with houseboats, and it drops you at a string of dog-friendly stops along the way. The towpath is narrow and shared with fast cyclists, so a short lead is essential, and there is open water with no barrier for long stretches.
Springfield Park
A lovely, slightly under-the-radar park on the slope above the River Lea in Upper Clapton, with some of the best views in the borough and a cafe in the old house. It runs straight down to the water and the marina, so you can fold it into a longer riverside walk or just enjoy it as a quieter local green space.
Walthamstow Marshes
Just over the Lea, Walthamstow Marshes is a designated nature reserve with a wild, open character that feels a world away from the city. It is brilliant for a longer walk, though as a nature reserve it asks for dogs to be kept under close control, especially in spring and summer when ground-nesting birds and grazing cattle are about.
Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park
A natural extension from Hackney Wick. The Olympic Park is all wide paths, waterways and big modern landscaping, with plenty of room to walk and very few tight spots. It is a good fair-weather option when you want space and smooth, easy paths, and it links straight back to the canal.
Practical advice for walks
The best dog-friendly cafés in Hackney
Hackney’s cafe culture and its dog culture are basically the same thing. So much of it spills onto the pavement that outdoor tables are the norm, and a good number welcome dogs inside too. As ever, indoor policies tighten when it is busy, so a quick check never hurts.
Climpson & Sons, Broadway Market
Best for an outdoor coffee. One of the pioneers of London’s coffee scene, roasting just down the road in London Fields and serving the crowds on Broadway Market since 2002. Dogs settle happily on the wooden benches out front while you drink. Order the Broadway Blend as a flat white, come on a weekday morning if you want it calm, and walk it off on London Fields or down to the canal.
Pavilion Café, Victoria Park
Best for a post-walk brunch. Sitting right by the boating lake in Victoria Park, this is the natural reward after a lap of the park. There is generous outdoor seating, water bowls are provided, and the kitchen does proper breakfasts, hearty lunches and good cake. Come mid-morning after a walk, order a full breakfast and a coffee, and you are already in the middle of one of East London’s best dog walks.
Pophams, London Fields & Victoria Park Village
Best for a pastry stop. A cult bakery turned small London chain, with branches by London Fields and in Victoria Park Village. The bacon and maple pastry is the order, the coffee is smooth, and the pavement tables suit a dog on a sunny morning. Get there early, because the best pastries go fast. Both branches sit within easy reach of a green walk.
Hackney Wick coffee: Bad Coffee and the canal
Best for a quick coffee on the move. Hackney Wick is more grab-and-go than sit-down, and Bad Coffee near the station does some of the best in the area despite the name. Pick up a cup, walk the canal towards the Olympic Park, and let your dog take in the warehouses and waterside. Ideal when you want a coffee in hand rather than a table.
Stoke Newington Church Street and Chatsworth Road
Best for a relaxed neighbourhood wander. Rather than single one place out, treat these two as cafe streets. Church Street in Stokey and Chatsworth Road in Clapton are both lined with independents that put tables on the pavement and keep a water bowl handy, and most are happy for a calm dog to come in out of the cold. Browse, pick whichever has a free table, and check the indoor policy at the door if the weather has turned.
The best dog-friendly pubs in Hackney
This is where Hackney really shines. As one local guide put it, in this part of London it is rarer to find a pub that is not dog-friendly. The list below is grouped by area and built from places we would happily take a dog to, with honest notes on what to expect. It is not exhaustive, and where a pub keeps dogs to the bar or garden at busy times we have said so. For Sunday lunch, always book and confirm the dog can join you at the table.
London Fields & Broadway Market
The Cat & Mutton. The corner landmark where Broadway Market meets London Fields, a pub since 1729 and now a Young’s house with a loyal local following. Dogs are welcome, and you will usually find a dozing whippet or two on the benches outside. The Sunday roast is a strong one. It gets very busy on sunny Saturdays, so book a table or come early.
Pub on the Park. Exactly what the name says, looking straight onto London Fields. The fairy-lit beer garden is the draw, and they will bring a dog bowl and a treat or two. The perfect place to sit while your dog recovers from a run around the field.
The Prince Arthur. A recently revamped local from the team behind the Chesham Arms, with country-pub fittings, leather chairs and a genuinely warm welcome for dogs, treats included. The Sunday roast here is one to plan a walk around, and there are barbecue snacks the rest of the week.
The Dove. A Broadway Market fixture for Belgian beer, with a rambling, cosy interior and a back conservatory. Dogs are generally welcome in the bar areas; worth a quick check at the door, but a lovely spot for a slow afternoon over something dark and Belgian.
Victoria Park
People’s Park Tavern. Sitting on the edge of Victoria Park with one of the largest beer gardens in London, this is a dog owner’s pub through and through. There is an onsite brewery, a BBQ kitchen, even crazy golf, and the staff bring water bowls and treats to the table. Award-winning for its dog-friendliness, and the obvious meeting point after a park walk.
Homerton, Hackney Central & Hackney Downs
The Chesham Arms. A Victorian backstreet local in Homerton, famously saved by the community as Hackney’s first Asset of Community Value and reopened in 2015. It is very dog-friendly, with fireplaces for winter and a big back garden that is a sun trap in summer. No kitchen, but you can have Yard Sale pizza delivered to your table. A proper local, and a lovely one.
The Kenton. A traditional British pub with a Norwegian twist near Homerton, full of leather armchairs and kitsch, with free biscuits handed out to visiting dogs. Easygoing and genuinely welcoming.
The Pembury Tavern. A cheery, roomy corner pub near Hackney Downs, run by Five Points brewery, with a long bank of beer taps, New York-style pizza and a good Sunday roast. Plenty of space around the tables makes it comfortable with a dog.
The Star by Hackney Downs. A fun, fairground-themed pub with Hackney Downs park right on the doorstep, cocktails and a relaxed welcome for dogs. A handy post-walk stop if you are over this side.
Dalston, De Beauvoir & Haggerston
The Spurstowe Arms. A proper local boozer on the Hackney and Dalston border where, by one account, dogs are practically encouraged. There is a treat of a beer garden out back and an unfussy, welcoming feel. One of the easiest in the area with a dog.
The Talbot. A historic De Beauvoir pub that has served the locals for over 150 years, a few minutes from Dalston Junction. Friendly team, good beer, fresh food and dogs welcome. A natural stop on a canal walk through the quieter De Beauvoir streets.
Stoke Newington
The Auld Shillelagh. A legendary Irish pub on Church Street, regularly named among the best in London and crowned Time Out’s top spot for St Patrick’s Day in 2026. The Guinness is exceptional, the welcome is warm, and there is a surprising beer garden out back behind the narrow front. Snug when it is full, in the best way.
The Rose & Crown. A Grade II listed Church Street pub near Clissold Park, with flagstone floors, a real log fire and pavement tables that look onto some of N16’s prettiest buildings. Dog-friendly, with a classic pub menu and Sunday roasts. The ideal pairing with a Clissold Park walk.
Clapton
The Crooked Billet. A restored Clapton local with a beer garden bigger than the pub itself, complete with covered and heated sections for chillier evenings. Dogs and kids are welcome, the menu is broad, and the Sunday roasts are well liked. A genuine all-weather garden pub.
The Elderfield. A lively little backstreet pub in Lower Clapton, CAMRA-listed, with a good range of ales, simple food, board games and a wall of books. Properly behaved dogs are welcome inside and out. It can get busy late, so mind your dog’s paws when the room fills up.
Hackney Wick
Crate Brewery. Hackney Wick’s first craft brewery and pizzeria, in a former print factory right on the canal, and proudly dog-friendly. The canal-side garden is the place to be on a sunny day, with stone-baked pizza and their own beer. It gets crowded when the weather is good, so go off-peak with a nervous dog.
Dog-friendly restaurants & brunch spots in Hackney
Plenty of Hackney’s casual restaurants welcome dogs, especially anywhere with a terrace or pavement seating. The honest rule is that outdoor tables are almost always fine, indoor dining is sometimes fine and sometimes not, and the only way to be sure is to check when you book. Here is how the borough breaks down by occasion.
Best for brunch with your dog
Pavilion Café in Victoria Park for an outdoor brunch by the lake, or Pophams by London Fields for pastries and coffee at a pavement table. Climpson & Sons on Broadway Market covers the coffee-and-something-sweet end of brunch beautifully.
Best for outdoor dining
Broadway Market and the streets around London Fields are the strongest hand, with countless pavement tables in good weather. Over at Victoria Park, the People’s Park Tavern garden doubles as a BBQ kitchen, and in Hackney Wick the canal-side terraces at Crate put pizza and a pint right by the water.
Best for a casual bite
The Pembury Tavern and Crate both do excellent pizza in dog-friendly surroundings, and the Chesham Arms will let you order Yard Sale pizza straight to your table. For a quick weekday bite, the street food at Broadway Market and Netil Market is easy with a dog on a short lead.
Best for Sunday lunch
This is Hackney’s strong suit. The Cat & Mutton, the Prince Arthur, the Crooked Billet, the Pembury Tavern and the Rose & Crown all do a serious roast and all welcome dogs in at least part of the pub. Book ahead, and confirm the dog can sit with you rather than just in the bar.
Best for canal-side food
Hackney Wick is the answer. Crate Brewery anchors the canal-side scene with pizza and beer, and the wider Queen’s Yard cluster and Hackney Bridge nearby give you food traders and waterside seating. Walk the towpath in, eat by the water, walk it off afterwards.
Best for market food
Broadway Market on a Saturday and Netil Market just off it are made for grazing, with traders selling everything from dumplings to doughnuts. Keep your dog on a short lead around the food stalls, go early to beat the crush, and find a quieter spot on London Fields to actually sit and eat.
Dog-friendly markets in Hackney
Markets are some of the best places to take a sociable dog, with the obvious caveat that a packed one is a lot for a nervous dog at peak time. Go early, keep the lead short around food, and choose the quieter edges, and you will both have a good time.
Dog-friendly shopping in Hackney
Shopping with a dog in Hackney is mostly a pleasure, because so much of it happens on foot along market streets and pavement-lined parades. Many independents are happy for a calm dog to come in, and the markets are made for it.
If you are after natural treats and chews, look out for local pet brands and independent market stalls such as Wild & Worthy, which focuses on premium natural treats, chews, supplements and grooming products for dogs and cats. Supporting a small local maker is a nice way to round off a day out, and exactly the kind of independent Hackney does well.
Things to do with your dog in Hackney
Suggested dog-friendly Hackney itineraries
1. London Fields & Broadway Market morning
2. Stoke Newington & Clissold Park Sunday
3. Canal walk to Hackney Wick
4. Clapton & River Lea afternoon
Practical tips for dog owners in Hackney
Dog-friendly Hackney: your questions answered
Is Hackney dog-friendly?
Very. Hackney is one of the most dog-friendly boroughs in London, with big green spaces, canal and riverside walks, a huge number of dog-welcoming pubs and cafes, and weekend markets made for a sociable dog. You are rarely far from somewhere your dog can join you.
What are the best dog walks in Hackney?
Victoria Park is the standout, with wide lawns, lakes and cafes. London Fields is the classic everyday walk, Clissold Park is the best green space near Stoke Newington, and Hackney Marshes and the River Lea give you wide, open space for longer outings. The Regent’s Canal ties them all together.
Are dogs allowed in pubs in Hackney?
Most Hackney pubs welcome dogs, and many keep water bowls and biscuits behind the bar. The Cat & Mutton, People’s Park Tavern, Chesham Arms, Auld Shillelagh, Crooked Billet, Crate Brewery, Spurstowe Arms and the Prince Arthur are all reliable. Some restrict dogs to the bar or garden when busy, so check ahead for Sunday lunch.
Where can I take my dog for brunch in Hackney?
Pavilion Café in Victoria Park is hard to beat for an outdoor brunch by the lake. Pophams by London Fields is great for pastries, and Climpson & Sons on Broadway Market covers the coffee-and-cake end. Most are best for outdoor seating, with indoor space depending on the day.
Is Broadway Market dog-friendly?
Yes, and it is a popular dog walk, but it gets very busy on Saturdays from late morning. Come early, around opening at 9am, for the calmest visit, keep your dog on a short lead around the food stalls, and retreat to London Fields when it fills up.
Is London Fields good for dogs?
It is one of the best everyday dog walks in Hackney. London Fields is open and sociable, with cafes and pubs on every edge and a steady flow of other dogs. Weekday mornings are calm; sunny weekends are very busy, so time your visit to suit your dog.
Are dogs allowed in Victoria Park?
Yes. Dogs are welcome and can go off-lead across much of the open parkland, but should be kept on the lead near the lakes, the roads and the enclosed gardens. Follow the signs, and you have one of East London’s finest dog walks at your disposal.
What are the best dog-friendly pubs in Hackney?
For gardens, the People’s Park Tavern by Victoria Park and the Crooked Billet in Clapton are excellent. For character, the Chesham Arms in Homerton and the Auld Shillelagh in Stoke Newington are hard to beat. The Cat & Mutton, Prince Arthur, Spurstowe Arms and Crate Brewery round out a strong field.
Where can I walk my dog near Hackney Wick?
The Regent’s Canal runs right through Hackney Wick, and you can follow it towards Victoria Park one way or Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park the other. The Olympic Park has wide, easy paths and plenty of space, and Crate Brewery on the canal is the natural dog-friendly finish.
Is Stoke Newington dog-friendly?
Very. Stoke Newington has a village feel, with Clissold Park at the top of Church Street and a row of dog-welcoming cafes, shops and pubs along it. The Auld Shillelagh and the Rose & Crown are both reliable for a dog, and a Clissold Park walk plus a Church Street wander makes a lovely Sunday.
What are the best dog-friendly markets near Hackney?
Broadway Market and Netil Market by London Fields, Chatsworth Road Market in Clapton, and the Victoria Park Sunday market are all easy with a dog. Ridley Road in Dalston and Columbia Road Flower Market are rewarding too, though both get very busy, so go early with a nervous dog.
Where can I buy natural dog treats in Hackney?
Look to the borough’s independent pet shops around Stoke Newington, Clapton and Hackney Central, and keep an eye out for local makers and market stalls such as Wild & Worthy, which specialises in natural treats, chews, supplements and grooming products for dogs and cats.
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