The best pubs in Dalston

Despite its tucked away location, The Prince George is always lively with all walks of Dalston life, shooting the breeze over good old-fashioned pints. A jukebox-led soundtrack of classic cuts and hipster-friendly obscurities adds atmosphere. They’ve upped the ante in the kitchen to fit the cool crowd, so get some good grub with your pints. The pool table too is always popular. 

Along Ridley Road you’ll find this pub, popular with a young crowd. Street food operations take up residencies in the kitchen and craft beer dominates at the bar, many made within the M25. Highlights on the entertainment side of things include DJ nights, a popular pub quiz, and all the big games on mega screens.

On a residential street where Dalston meets Islington, you’ll find this diddy local from the owners of the Pineapple in Kentish Town. A few bits of artful railway ephemera lie around the place, but otherwise, it’s a stripped-back, down-to-earth pub with a special drinks selection and Thai food. Pure and simple pub magic.

In many ways, the Wellington hitches its wagon to tradition. There’s an emphasis on real ales and a slightly ‘old man’ feel to the interior. But then they host trendy foodie pop-ups and a Sunday lunch club. A broad range of spirits and late hours all add value for twenty-to-fortysomething Dalstonians who find the scene on Kingsland High Street too messy for comfort.

It’s a bit of an indie paradise in the Shacklewell, a pub best known for the gigs that go on in the back room. There’s also a rear terrace with patio heaters and tropical murals. Throw crowd of giddy students and creatives, and you’ve got yourself an almost painfully hip hangout.  

A really pleasant pub tucked away from the hectic high street on a residential road. It has a surprising amount of space once you step inside, with seating to be found upstairs and down, including on the balcony, which offers a view down the street to a leafy De Beauvoir Square. Real ales are on offer, as well as board games and a slap-up Sunday roast.

A perennially cool and grungy pub but with a relaxed edge, visit the Victoria for live music (a tradition at this spot for decades) on a backstreet off Dalston Lane. As a pub, it’s decent – an artily thrown-together look, a few local beers, and street food takeovers in the kitchen. They also shine a light on rums from the Caribbean at the bar. 

Named after the former occupants of the building in the 1930s, Farr's School of Dancing is one of the Antic pub family. It serves a wide selection of craft beer and ales in a stripped back setting with a vintage-feel, and keeps punters going to the wee hours with DJ nights, jazz and comedy gigs earlier on in the week.

The Haggeston can be a bit hit and miss – either awkwardly empty or overwhelmingly busy. But at its best, the bar has a vibrant feel, and you can choose to skulk in its dark, dingy interior or fight for a spot in its miniature, ramshackle smoking terrace to the rear.

This pub takes its name from the famed gonzo journalist, but don’t expect too much in the way of mind-bending antics – unless you visit the pub’s trippy toilets, that is. Back in the main room, get settled in among wild taxidermy and drink from a menu of whisky and modish craft beer.