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The best things to do in east London

Explore all the very best restaurants, bars, museums and attractions with our guide to east London

Written by
Things To Do Editors
&
Paula Akpan
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No matter what your view on the scenester’s paradise of east London, it’s likely you’ll still have been lured there at least once or twice. Finding yourself on a Shoreditch side street in the early hours of the morning, a handful of craft beers down and searching for night buses home is a London right of passage, after all.

But, amid the gimmicky themed cafes and ping pong bars, east London packs in some of the city’s very best museums, historic houses, markets, restaurants and green spaces. Plus, there are more than a few London institutions here: from teeth-stickingly chewy, late-night bagels on Brick Lane, full English breakfasts with a side of Italian/cockney banter at E Pellici and Columbia Road’s flower market (aka the best way to spend a Sunday morning in London). 

Whether you’re looking for brilliant restaurants like Lyles and Pidgin, lovely green spaces like Dalston East Curve Garden and Walthamstow Wetlands, or dazzling London history like Dennis Severs’ House and the Museum of the Home. Whatever your tastes, here’s our edit of the most enticing attractions, as picked by east London-loving Time Out editors.

RECOMMENDED: 101 best things to do in London

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The best things to do in east London

  • Shopping
  • Markets and fairs
  • Bethnal Green

What is it? One of London’s most visually appealing markets that overflows with bucketfuls of beautiful flowers every Sunday.

Why go? Because it’s a weekend institution in east London, and one of the best places to buy flowers, bedding plants and even a banana tree – if you’ve got the patio space at home. Turn up early to avoid the crowds or late to pick up a bunch of bargains. 

  • Museums
  • Isle of Dogs

What is it? A 200-year-old warehouse that tells the actually pretty interesting story of the Thames and the people who settled alongside it. 

Why go? To understand the rich history of the area, from Roman times right through to the rise of Canary Wharf. Lose yourself in historic photographs and source material from the Port of London Authority Archive, Metropolitan Fire Brigade footage and captured Nazi footage and testimonies that explore the port’s role in top-secret wartime projects. 

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Brick Lane Beigel Bake
  • Restaurants
  • Jewish
  • Brick Lane

What is it? Tasty to-go items that've been served up at this charmingly scruffy bakery since 1977. 

Why go? After wonderfully cheap curry, Brick Lane’s second greatest contribution to London’s gastronomic index is the salt beef beigel (or bagel). It’s salty, it’s beefy, the mustard will singe a layer of skin from the inside of your throat (you have been warned) and it’s an absolute classic. That’s why they’re consumed by everyone from night-shifting taxi drivers to savvy tourists.

Read all about the history of Brick Lane’s bagel shops.

  • Cinemas
  • Homerton

What is it? A restored, boutique cinema with an art deco bar.

Why go? Homerton’s cinema has had more iterations than Madonna: it’s been a bingo hall, a shoe factory and a snooker club. That was until a local couple stepped in and restored it to its 1913 cinematic glory. It has a gorgeous curved ceiling covered in ornate gold plasterwork and just 80 seats – all of which are bum-hugging velvet armchairs.

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  • Restaurants
  • British
  • Bethnal Green

What is it? Proof that all caffs are not equal.

Why go? This greasy spoon has provided carbs and protein in eggy, meaty and pan-fried form to the good people of east London since 1900. Traces of bygone eras, like art deco interior details and Formica tables have earned it Grade II-listed status – but what diners love best is that the fry-ups, grills and Italian dishes are still served by the same family. 

  • Attractions
  • Parks and gardens
  • Victoria Park

What is it? Known as the ‘People’s Park’, Victoria Park is one of London’s favourite open spaces.

Why go? In the summer it’s often taken over by festivals while in the autumn park-goers are treated to epic fireworks displays. But that’s not all: parts of the park are Grade II-listed, there are two expansive lakes (one with a Chinese pagoda island), a boating pond and the Pavilion Café, where you can grab a bite to eat. 

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  • Museums
  • History
  • Hoxton

What is it? Formerly called the Geffrye Museum, the newly refurbed Museum of the Home, is situated in a collection of eighteenth-century almshouses and offers a vivid physical history of the English interior.

Why go? Displaying original furniture, paintings, textiles and decorative arts, the museum recreates a sequence of typical middle-class living rooms from 1600 to the present. It’s an interesting way to take in domestic history.

  • 5 out of 5 stars
  • Restaurants
  • British
  • Hackney
  • price 3 of 4
  • Recommended

What is it? One of London’s most effortlessly immaculate new restaurants from head chef Max Rocha, with a vibe that’s at once chic neighbourhood bistro and heartfelt tribute to his Dublin roots.   


Why go? 
There’s something of St John’s minimal approach in Cecilia’s simple interiors, wooden tables and white washed walls, as well as the cheery but thorough service. The mains are quietly majestic, a successful experiment in making two or three ingredients sing at the top of their lungs. Cafe Cecilia have nailed the whole package. Believe the hype.

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IFS Cloud Cable Car
  • Attractions
  • Towers and viewpoints
  • Royal Docks

What is it? Part tourist attraction, part utterly bodacious public transport option, the IFS Cloud Cable Car (formally sponsored by Emirates Air Line) runs cable cars between Greenwich Peninsula to Royal Docks.

Why go? This one’s not exactly the most popular mode of transport for the daily commute. Thankfully, that means you can treat yourself to a largely unspoiled view of the city without having to pay through the nose for it. With pay-as-you-go, a 20-minute round trip costs £12 (free for kids under five). Bargain. 

Dennis Severs’ House
  • Attractions
  • Historic buildings and sites
  • Spitalfields

What is it? A time capsule attraction in which visitors are immersed in a unique form of theatre.

Why go? Imagine you’ve stepped into a painting by one of the Old Masters. Walking into Dennis Severs’ House is rather like that. In silence, visitors pass through its ‘still life drama’, visiting each room to see evidence of an eighteenth-century silk weaver’s family life without ever meeting a soul: a dinner lies half-eaten, a fire still crackles, a chamber pot needs emptying. 

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Lyle’s
  • Restaurants
  • British
  • Shoreditch

What is it? A surprising and delightful dining experience on Shoreditch High Street.

Why go? For truly excellent food cooked by a zeitgeist chef in a zeitgeist restaurant. If you’re a picky eater, then visit this excellent Shoreditch eatery at lunch: you’ll be able to choose what you like, and in what order. Come in the evening, however, and you’ll get a no-choice four-course set menu of acutely seasonal dishes. 

  • Attractions
  • Olympic Park

What is it? 376ft tall tower, with two spectacular viewing platforms and a tunnel slide.

Why go? Anish Kapoor’s curiously curvaceous ArcelorMittal Orbit was one of the more unexpected sights at the Olympic Park in 2012. But even more thrilling than the architecture? A good hurtle down itIf you dare to take the drop (without closing your eyes) there are clear plastic windows at strategic points so you can see out.   

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The Olympic Pool
  • Sport and fitness
  • Olympic Park

What is it? One of the 2012 Olympic Games’ iconic venues, designed by the late, great starchitect Zaha Hadid.

Why go? To swim in the pool of champions and by some kind of peculiar chlorine-osmosis, perhaps become one yourself. You can use the ten-lane 50m competition pool, which is 3m deep; the training pool, where you can frolic or swim; and the diving pool or a dry-land diving facility for both newcomers and Tom Daley-level twizzlers. 

V&A Museum of Childhood
  • Museums
  • Childhood
  • Bethnal Green

What is it? Home to one of the world’s finest collections of children’s toys, dolls’ houses, games and costumes.

Why go? An afternoon at the V&A’s Museum of Childhood affords all kinds of nostalgia. Remember your old Star Wars, He-Man or Sylvanian Families toys? They’re all here. Besides, who doesn’t love a good meander down memory lane?

 

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Spitalfields City Farm
  • Attractions
  • Farms
  • Spitalfields

What is it? A taste of the countryside in central London.

Why go? To meet the characterful creatures at this welcoming and brilliantly maintained green spot just off Brick Lane. Friendly residents up for a pat include Bayleaf the donkey and a lovable pair of hairy hogs. Plus, the farm shop sells homegrown produce like freshly laid eggs and the range of veg grown is remarkable for the location. 

Wilton’s Music Hall
  • Theatre
  • Performing arts space
  • Wapping

What is it? The oldest music hall in the world.

Why go? If ever there was a venue the term ‘shabby chic’ was invented for, Wilton’s Music Hall is it. Starting life as five humble houses in 1690, the venue has undergone multiple regenerations, including a stint as an alehouse. Now, after a little restoration, it's still standing as the oldest grand music hall in the world. The Grade II-listed building is now home to plays, opera, puppetry, classical music, cabaret, dance and magic shows once more. 

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Boxpark Shoreditch
  • Restaurants
  • Street food
  • Shoreditch

What is it? Refitted shipping containers plonked artfully underneath the elevated Shoreditch High Street Overground station.

Why go? This contemporary shopping and eating mall is filled with labels such as womenswear brands Absence of Colour and Sugar and Style, vintage store Rxtro Store, and interiors shop Blanchouse. If you’re hunting accessories, pop into Astrid & Miyu or for food and drink the eateries Cha-oom, Black Bear Burger and Soft Serve Society are sure to satisfy your appetite. 

Walthamstow Wetlands
  • Attractions
  • Lee Valley

What is it? The largest urban wetland in Europe, measuring at an astonishing 211 hectares.

Why go? Consisting of ten reservoirs, it’s a prime wildlife-spotting site, particularly for swans, kestrels and geese. E17’s industrial history gives the area an unusual aesthetic, with old metalworks and even gunpowder mills dotting the fecund green spaces. It’s a place to fish, spy, walk and go on smug couple runs. No need to escape to the countryside: it’s all right here.

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  • Sport and fitness
  • London Fields

What is it? A 50-metre lido that underwent massive regeneration back in 2017.

Why go? Open year-round, London Fields Lido is a glittering open-air pool where you can splash about beneath the sun. Loved by locals, it gets pretty busy during the summer holiday period and although picnicking is not allowed, you can find post-swim grub at one of the on-site cafés. But if you’re visiting in cooler months, don't worry – the lido is nicely heated, too.

Broadway Market
  • Shopping
  • Markets and fairs
  • London Fields

What is it? An eclectic shopping street and market which runs between London Fields and the Regent’s Canal.
Why go? Broadway Market continues to thrive following its clever makeover nearly 15 years ago. A bustling hub for the Hackney hipsters and East End creatives who have settled down and started families, it welcomes around 135 stalls selling a fabulous array of fresh produce, vintage clothes, flowers, coffee, books and groceries. 

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Draughts
  • Things to do
  • Games and hobbies
  • Haggerston

What is it? A board game café with over 500 games, here to rock your geeky world.

Why go? Because board games are for life, not just for Christmas. Not only is Draughts great if you’re already skilled at Carcassonne, Pandemic and Seven Wonders but if you’re a Monopoly fan looking to experiment then step this way – there’s a whole world of serious gaming to get stuck into.

Dalston Eastern Curve Garden
  • Attractions
  • Parks and gardens
  • Dalston

What is it? A leafy sanctuary and garden on an old railway line.

Why go? Hidden behind Dalston’s hectic junction, the Curve Garden has fresh produce which is all maintained by locals. For a peaceful afternoon, sip juice or coffee from the café and take part in a workshop for either gardening or craft. Head there in October for a glut of glittering Halloween pumpkins. 

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  • Museums
  • Art and design
  • Hackney

What is it? A curiosity shop filled with eerily surreal objects. 

Why go? Viktor Wynd is both on the art circuit and determinedly off any beaten track. Peek through the windows and you’ll see a world in which velvet-cloaked Victorians, or perhaps The Mighty Boosh, might reside. Expect a wunderkammer of shells, skulls, taxidermy specimens and assorted oddities.

  • 5 out of 5 stars
  • Restaurants
  • Fusion
  • Homerton
  • price 2 of 4
  • Recommended

What is it? Friendly Indian-Irish fusion food in Hackney, as well as cocktails containing Kerrygold butter. Shankeys, you have our attention.

Why go? Every dish at the fantastic Shankeys is a beautiful, colourful mess, served on floral crockery straight off Grandma’s dresser. And you’ll find poitín (pronounced potcheen): an Irish moonshine that only started being produced legally in 1997 in its Spuds & Butter cocktail and chaat potatoes.

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  • Attractions
  • Historic buildings and sites
  • Hackney

What is it? Built in 1535 for Henry VIII’s first secretary of state, Sir Ralph Sadleir, the red-brick Sutton House is the oldest house in east London.

Why go? Now beautifully restored with authentic original decor and real Tudor kitchens, Sutton House boasts Jacobean and Georgian interiors, as well as an Edwardian chapel, medieval foundations in the cellar and 1980s graffiti under the roof. 

  • Restaurants
  • Contemporary European
  • Hackney
  • price 3 of 4

What is it? A modern British restaurant in Hackney, serving a weekly-changing, no-choice four-course menu.

Why go? Expect laid-back dining and short, no-choice menus. Pidgin translates the best of these qualities – stress-free menu, vibrant atmosphere – into a cute space, with copper-trimmed tables, walls bearing twigs gathered in the New Forest, and a seascape-papered loo complete with the sound of crashing thunder. What’s not to like. 

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  • Attractions
  • Cemeteries
  • Stoke Newington

What is it? Formerly one of the ‘magnificent seven’ garden cemeteries of London and now a woodland memorial park and local nature reserve.

Why go? Managed by the Abney Park Trust, this large, eighteenth-century cemetery often has live music and other events hosted within its grounds. Learn a little more about the residents laid to rest here with one of the park tours, which run around once a month on a donation basis – visit abneypark.org for dates.   

  • 4 out of 5 stars
  • Restaurants
  • British
  • London Fields
  • price 3 of 4
  • Recommended

What is it? A seasonal sharing plates spot in Hackney, direct from the founder of lockdown foodie faves Hot 4 U.

Why go? Scott has left behind the more childish leanings of Hot 4 U in favour of regeneratively reared meat, sustainable seafood and a sturdy commitment to seasonality. You’ll find lots of fish and seafood – think bream, pollock, clams and langoustine – as well as deeply British and foraging-friendly herbs such as nettle, buckthorn and sorrel. Plus, a star-studded cast of natural wine served with charm, enthusiasm and knowledge. 

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God’s Own Junkyard
  • Art
  • Galleries
  • Walthamstow

What is it? A showcase of the late neon artist Chris Bracey’s personal collection of work.

Why go? Based in a salvage yard in Walthamstow, God’s Own Junkyard contains everything from Bracey’s signage for Soho sex clubs from the ‘60s to his work for the movie industry, including pieces that were used in ‘Captain America’, ‘Eyes Wide Shut’, ‘Byzantium’ and more. Sandwiched in between all of this, you’ll find his artwork, some of which have been exhibited in his gallery shows, and others that were specially commissioned by other artists and clients.

  • Restaurants
  • Thai
  • Shoreditch
  • price 2 of 4

What is it? A Shoreditch spot serving dishes inspired by the late-night canteens of Bangkok.

Why go? Got £3.80 in your pocket? Great. Because that’s all you’ll need for Smoking Goat’s fish sauce chilli wings. Aka the best chicken wings in London. There’s more spiciness where that came from on the menu full of big, bold flavours. 

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Satan's Whiskers
  • Bars and pubs
  • Cocktail bars
  • Bethnal Green
  • price 2 of 4

What is it? An understated bar with a drinks list that changes daily, drawing in faithful booze fans and Tinder dates out to impress. 

Why go? The less intrepid Londoner may be put off by the street view of Satan’s Whiskers: it looks every bit a down-and-out dive bar. Inside though, it breaks the east London bar mould, with hip hop on the stereo, a smartly modish setting, vintage French posters on the wall and some of the best cocktails to be found in Bethnal Green’s burgeoning booze scene. 

Rich Mix
  • Cinemas
  • Independent
  • Shoreditch

What is it? Shoreditch’s independent cultural centre which houses three cinema screens alongside exhibition and performance spaces and a café/bar. 

Why go? Run as a charity, it’s a vibrant arts hub and any given week could see it hosting an assortment of music gigs, theatre shows, art exhibitions, themed festivals and all manner of workshops. Families are well catered for too, with weekly parent and baby cinema screenings and active play sessions for little ones. 

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Blok
  • Sport and fitness
  • Gyms and fitness centres
  • Shoreditch

What is it? An edgy studio (there are venues in both Shoreditch and Clapton) that incorporates food and art into its fitness space.

Why go? This concrete-meets-steel space could be mistaken for a swanky gallery but instead of studying some art, you can take classes in HIIT, pilates, yoga, barre and cardio sessions. Plus there’s a whole load of slightly more unusual choices too, such as sparring, callisthenics, BLOKbeat (with dancing) and BLOKparty (with strobe lighting). The three workout rooms are stripped-back, urban-style spaces while the café does food and smoothies with on-trend ingredients – think turmeric, matcha and activated walnuts.

  • Restaurants
  • Grills
  • Haggerston
  • price 2 of 4

What is it? A hip Middle Eastern and North African grill house in Haggerston from former Ottolenghi and Galvin chef Josh Katz.

Why go? As at many of Haggerston’s other eateries, a Turkish mangal (charcoal grill) is central to the kitchen for searing meats and many veg. But sometimes the pickles, sides and vegetables are more interesting than the meat. Chunks of beetroot are served on whipped feta and garnished with candied orange; grilled asparagus is served with toum, the Levantine version of aioli, then garnished with mustard seeds. 

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BallieBallerson
  • Things to do
  • Dalston

What is it? An adult ‘playpen’ set over two floors.

Why go? Because kidulting’s a thing, ok? Downstairs, you’ll find an underground club with 250,000 glow-in-the-dark balls illuminated by LED lights, with an upstairs UV cocktail bar serving ‘space’-themed drinks. Winner.

  • Sport and fitness
  • Stadiums
  • Olympic Park

What is it? A cycling centre in Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park, which opened to the public in 2014.

Why go? During the Olympics, London went cycle-crazy, probably because we were winning quite a bit. Now the famous Pringle-shaped venue is open to the public, and there’s plenty to encourage you to get back on your bike. The velo park offers a wide programme of events, from classes for first-time riders to major world championships.

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