A famous old pub in Hackney is being turned into a Gail’s Bakery

You can’t swing a cat without hitting five Gail’s in London these days. Love it or hate it, the posh bakery chain has been rapidly rolling out across the capital in 2025, opening outposts in Stoke Newington, Southwark, Primrose Hill, Walthamstow, and Gatwick Airport. 

Now another Gail’s is on the horizon in London, taking over the former site of the Hackney Tap in east London.

The pub on Mare Street closed its doors suddenly in July 2024 with no explanation. The site has remained empty for the past year, but planning permission was requested a few months after the pub’s closure to turn the Grade II-listed building into a food and drink spot. Now Gail’s posters have been spotted in the building’s windows, MyLondon reported. 

Londoners blamed ‘people not getting drunk any more’ on the pub being turned into a bakery, Metro reported. 

‘It is a shame people don’t get drunk anymore. It is sad, we are all prioritising the gym over the pub. It might be good for your physical health but not your mental health,’ one 27-year-old local said. 

He added: ‘Community spaces are being replaced by commercial ones. This is the centre of the community of Hackney, there should be a pub on this street. There should be more social spaces here.

‘It is also a shame we don’t have more independent stores.’

Gail’s has announced on its website that the new outpost on 354 Mare Street, which the bakery is calling the Hackney Castle branch, will open on June 12 2025, serving ‘artisan sourdough breads, pastries, sandwiches, and cakes alongside our specialty House Blend coffee’. The spot will be open daily from 7am to 7pm. 

Gail’s is opening 40 new bakeries across the UK in 2025. 

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