One of London’s pioneering traditional sourdough bakeries, baker Ben McKinnon arguably altered the course of bread history in Hackney over the last decade. Pick up excellent loaves, pastries, Viennoisserie, and a range of hot and cold drinks and enjoy in among the operational bakery. At lunch, there are tarts, sandwiches, salads, and cakes; occasionally there is pizza.

While this exceptional-smelling venue is principally in the business of retail, it also offers a very decent breakfast, brunch, (at a push, lunch) deal: A deliciously chewy bagel filled with its house-smoked salmon, seasoned cream cheese, and the correct amount of pickles and capers. For a fiver, you can commandeer this sandwich and pick up a fresh orange juice or coffee as well.

Michelin-starred Brat, whose original restaurant lives above Smoking Goat in Shoreditch, is named after the old English colloquialism for turbot. During the summer of 2020, it sought to take advantage of an old relationship and the lockdown rules being relaxed outside earlier than in dining rooms, bring the grilled seafood (including whole turbot) sourced from Cornwall, lamb from Wales, beef from the English south west, and mostly grilled seasonal fruit and vegetables to this space off the edge of London Fields. Its stay has been repeatedly extended owing to its success in delivering one of the most European summer style dining experiences in the city. Chef Tomos Parry differentiates himself slightly from other grill chefs, aiming to emulate methods used in the north of Spain — namely the use of wood fire to cook his range of ingredients slowly.

A second site for the brand from Borough Market sees one of the city’s newest modern bistros is turning out good plates of broadly modern European fare and some good pizzas. From the small plate section try the likes of grilled squid, ink, and chilli or veal tartare with tonnato dressing, and olive oil crisps; from the pizza section, an ubergine, friggitelli pepper, and green olive gremolata number or a more classic meat feast: beef ragu, pancetta, basil, and parmesan. Finally, the wood oven offers whole fish and slabs of big meat. Red mullet and mussel vinaigrette; monkfish, sweetcorn, pancetta, and coco beans, or a Middlewhite pork chop, sage, and brown butter for example. Like Bright, a very strong wine list should be well explored.

A multi-use venue is one of the area’s best spots to pick up a decent coffee, breakfast sandwich, bottle of wine, bag of crisps, a pizza, or a plate of simple unfussy seasonal fare. The laid-back service and chilled approach to sitting in and hanging out for a whole day (should you wish) with a laptop, friends, or colleagues lends it a sort of common room, clubby vibe which is good in different ways for different reasons every day of the week.

Just some top coffee from one of the city’s best coffee stands.

From a mono-product street food stall in Netil Market, warm, fluffy steamed pitta “pockets” here are theatrically stuffed, to order, with freshly fried falafel, loads of different salads, a slice of fried potato, hot chilli, tahina, chilli sauce, pickles, and seemingly much else. A sensationally fortifying lunch from one of London’s most popular vegan outfits.

One of the city’s speciality coffee elders still confidently pulls espressos and brews filters from its handsome premises at the top end of Broadway Market itself. Half decent pastries and the likes of “morning buns” from Dusty Knuckle in Dalston are another reason to stop by in the morning. Climpson’s is, as it has long been, a vibe.

Here, in one of the city’s cutest little fast food 2.0 restaurants, find one of London’s few great breakfast menus. Three choices: Japanese breakfast comprising a piece of soy-marinated grilled fish, rice, pickles, and miso soup; a pork and ginger miso soup with either rice or udon noodles; or an “English breakfast” udon bowl, including buttery mushrooms, smoked bacon, spring onion, egg yolk, and soy — it’s like a bowl of carbonara drank a couple of pints of Monster for breakfast. Lunch, too, where a range of Koya’s classic udon and donnburi options are available alongside fried chicken, an excellent green salad, and a special kids menu.

Formerly housed in an arch behind Netil Market, Yeast has moved out to the canal — and acquired a sleek, sizeable stage for its formidable baked goods in the process. Probably best known to Londoners as a wholesale supplier to cafes, it’s now focussed on serving up croissants, glass-like Kouign-amann, and towering brioche feuilletée to the area’s locals and canalside walkers.

Cafe Cecilia was the hottest and trendiest restaurant of 2021. Since it opened in the autumn, it has maintained a steady flow of plaudits from all the coolest places — in part because of chef-owner Max Rocha’s connection to the world of fashion (he is the son of designer John and sister Simone Rocha.) However, there’s a surfeit of substance as well as style in this stark, minimalist cafe-bistro. M. Rocha and his staff belong to a new-school which is a direct descendent of the ingredients-obsessed old-school: those like the River Cafe, Rochelle Canteen, and Quo Vadis. And like peer Anna Tobias’s cooking at Cafe Deco, it is can be a bit beige, but is so often bright, clever, and deserving of the attention it has received this year. Do not miss great steak and chips with peppercorn sauce, nor fruit tart at dessert.