Things to Do on Hackney Road (E2): A Local Guide
By the Islington Local Guide team. Last walked and updated June 2026.
Hackney Road runs east from the top of Shoreditch towards Cambridge Heath, a long stretch of E2 that sits on the border of Hackney and Tower Hamlets. For years it was a road you passed through rather than stopped on. That has changed. Today it holds one of London’s best pubs, a cluster of natural wine bars that helped start a citywide trend, a free city farm with pigs and goats, and the back door to Columbia Road’s Sunday flower market.
I walk this road most weeks, and the honest pitch is this: come for one thing, a roast or a glass of something low-intervention, and you can happily fill half a day without getting in a cab. Here is how I’d spend it, with everything checked and current.
The short version
• Best meal: Sunday roast at the Marksman, London’s first Michelin Pub of the Year.
• Best drink: natural wine at Sager + Wilde, the bar that kicked the whole scene off in 2013.
• Best free thing: feeding time at Hackney City Farm, just off the road on Goldsmiths Row.
• Best Sunday: Columbia Road Flower Market, a two-minute walk from the road.
• Newest opening: Tiella, a modern London trattoria on Columbia Road from chef Dara Klein (January 2026).
Where is Hackney Road, and how do I get there?
Hackney Road is in E2, linking Shoreditch in the west to Cambridge Heath and Bethnal Green in the east. The simplest arrivals are Hoxton on the Windrush line at the Shoreditch end, and Cambridge Heath on the Weaver line at the far end. From Bethnal Green (Central line) it is a short walk north up Cambridge Heath Road, then left onto Hackney Road. Buses 26, 48, 55 and 394 run the length of it.
If you only do one approach, start at the Hoxton end and walk east. The food and wine cluster around the middle and far stretch, and you finish near the farm and Columbia Road.
Where to eat on Hackney Road – Things to Do on Hackney Road
The Marksman
Address: 254 Hackney Road, E2 7SJ
Hours: Tue–Wed 4pm–12am, Thu–Sat 12pm–12am, Sun 12pm–11pm
Good for: Sunday roast, seasonal British cooking, a proper pint downstairs
This is the anchor of the whole road and, in my view, one of the best pubs in London full stop. Run by Tom Harris and Jon Rotheram, both alumni of St. John, it became the first London pub to win Michelin’s Pub of the Year, back in 2017, and it turned ten in 2025. Downstairs is a real boozer with a wood-panelled bar and a jukebox. Upstairs is a calm dining room with a roof terrace that books out fast in summer. The roast is the headline act, but the curried mutton bun and the brown butter and honey tart deserve their reputation too. Book ahead for Sunday, always.
Morito Hackney
Address: 195 Hackney Road, E2 8JL
Good for: tapas, long lunches, Eastern Mediterranean small plates
Sam and Sam Clark, of Moro and the original Morito on Exmouth Market, opened this as their third restaurant in 2016. The cooking pulls from Southern Spain, North Africa and the Eastern Mediterranean, all of it built to share. It is my go-to on the road when there are a few of us and nobody can agree on what to eat. Order more than you think you need and a bottle of sherry to go with it.
Where to drink: the Hackney Road wine mile
If you care about natural and low-intervention wine, this is one of the most concentrated stretches in the city. You could do a short crawl of three or four spots without crossing the road more than twice.
Sager + Wilde
Address: 193 Hackney Road, E2 8JL
Hours: weekdays from 5pm, weekends from noon
The original, open since 2013, and widely credited with starting the modern London wine bar. It is small, light and unfussy, with a list that runs from honest by-the-glass pours to serious bottles. The grilled cheese sandwich is a thing of genuine beauty and the staff will steer you well if you tell them what you like. My single favourite seat on the road.
Equal Parts
Concept: Amaro and aperitivo bar from the Sager + Wilde team
A few doors along from the original bar, this is the same team’s amaro and aperitivo spot. Come for a negroni or something bitter and Italian before dinner, then move on. There is a large oak table downstairs that suits a group.
Provisions
Address: 308 Hackney Road, E2 7SJ
Good for: cheese, charcuterie, organic wine to drink in or take home
A deli and cheese shop by day, a wine bar by night, from Hugo Meyer Esquerré, whose original sits up on Holloway Road. The focus is farmhouse cheese and organic wine, with a strong run of bottles from the south of France. Grab a sandwich and a bottle to take to the farm or Columbia Road, or settle in for a board in the evening.
Blinds
Concept: natural wine and small plates, opened 2025
The newest of the wine bars, set up in a former blinds shop almost opposite Provisions. Expect natural wine from small producers, pies, charcuterie and weekend DJ sets. It is worth a look if you want something that has not been written about to death yet. Check the latest opening hours before you go, as a newer spot.
Hackney City Farm: the best free thing to do
Address: 1a Goldsmiths Row, E2 8QA (just off Hackney Road)
Hours: Tue–Sun 10:00–16:30, closed Mondays except bank holidays
Entry: free, donations welcome
Turn off Hackney Road onto Goldsmiths Row and you reach a working farm in the middle of the city. There are pigs, goats, sheep, ducks, geese, chickens, rabbits and a donkey, plus a garden and orchard. Entry is free. The on-site Frizzante café does a good Italian-leaning brunch, and the Get Loose refill shop sells nuts, grains and oils package-free. There are pottery sessions for adults and children too, which are worth booking. It is the easiest win on the road with kids, and a quietly lovely stop without them.
Columbia Road Flower Market and the Sunday detour
Where: Columbia Road, E2 7RG, two minutes off Hackney Road
When: Sundays, roughly 8am to 3pm
Columbia Road runs just off Hackney Road, and on Sundays it becomes one of the most enjoyable mornings in London. The flower market fills a single short street with sellers calling out prices, framed by around sixty independent shops: galleries, vintage clothing, antiques, delis and bakeries. Get there between 8 and 9am for the calm version and the freshest stems, or roll up near closing for the end-of-day bargains as sellers clear stock. Bring cash to speed things along, though most stalls take cards.
New and notable for 2026- Things to Do on Hackney Road
Tiella
Address: 109 Columbia Road, E2 7RL
Opened: January 2026
Chef Dara Klein, whose residency at the Compton Arms drew a serious following, has taken a former pub on Columbia Road for a modern London trattoria built on Italian and British produce, with a wine list from her wine-importing father. It is the opening I have been most curious about in the area, and an easy add-on to a Columbia Road Sunday.
How to spend a perfect day on Hackney Road
1. Start at the Hoxton end with a coffee, then walk east along Hackney Road.
2. Mid-morning: animals and a wander at Hackney City Farm on Goldsmiths Row.
3. Lunch: tapas at Morito, or a board and a glass at Provisions.
4. Afternoon: a short natural-wine crawl, Sager + Wilde to Equal Parts to Blinds.
5. Dinner: book ahead for the Marksman and finish with a pint downstairs.
6. If it is a Sunday, start instead at Columbia Road Flower Market for 8.30am, then pick up the route.
Hackney Road FAQ- Things to Do on Hackney Road
Is Hackney Road worth visiting?
Yes, for food and drink especially. It holds a Michelin-recognised pub, a row of well-regarded natural wine bars, a free city farm and the entrance to Columbia Road’s Sunday market, all within an easy walk.
What is the best pub on Hackney Road?
The Marksman at 254 Hackney Road. It was the first London pub to win Michelin’s Pub of the Year and is best known for its Sunday roast and roof terrace.
Is there anything to do on Hackney Road with kids?
Hackney City Farm on Goldsmiths Row is free, open Tuesday to Sunday, and has farm animals, a garden and a café, plus children’s pottery sessions.
When is Columbia Road Flower Market on?
Every Sunday, roughly 8am to 3pm. It sits just off Hackney Road, so it pairs naturally with a walk along it.
Where should I go for wine on Hackney Road?
Sager + Wilde is the original and still excellent. Provisions, Equal Parts and the newer Blinds are all within a short walk for a natural-wine crawl.
A note on how we put this together
Every venue here was checked against current listings and the businesses’ own pages before publishing, and nothing goes in unless it is open and worth your time. We live and work across North and East London and visit these places ourselves. If something has changed since we last walked the road, tell us and we will fix it.
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