One Night Out In Hackney

My next trip, after spending theme nights out in Shoreditch, Croydon and Camden, is Hackney. A rather small area with welcoming and usually tiny venues possessing a special custom vibe and therefore providing themselves with the love of London’s citizens and tourists. If you happen to share no love for Hackney venues just because you don’t know them yet or you are an eager tourist looking forward to a trip around – it may prove pretty useful to read my lines. In London, you need many personal opinions for whatever unknown you are considering to do, I’d be glad to at least try and give you an impartial, as possible as it is, view to some of Hackney’s most famous places during the evening/night.

Destination One: Climpson and Sons

Climpson And Sons Cafe

As usual, the first stop of my journey is a place with food service because without a dinner I’d most definitely not be impartial to my following experiences during the night. And I can guess the same goes for you. Firstly, Climpson and Sons is famous for its coffee. And for a reason – a special staff has been selected so as to gather the most competent coffee makers. Every step of the production of the coffee on your table is executed with great care; the employees brew the coffee beans themselves picking the best quality possible to find, taking extra care of them until they’re ready to be harvested, roasting them with even more care and then doing their magic behind the counter to serve you a precious cup.  Aside from London’s favorite coffee Climpson and Sons has a nice food menu – that’s the reason me and my friends came at the first place. And the most advantage of this menu Londoners take is on weekends. Saturday and Sunday, sometimes even Friday, the place is packed – it is hard to find a place to sit, you will most likely wait for your order even though the waiter/bartender has been quick to take it and there is not enough time for extra effort concerning the service. I can’t say that Climpson and Sons offers an unpleasant stay but with the economy of sugar and water for washing ceramic cups is not for everyone especially at dinner. The coffee/diner’s staff is very amiable and attentive, their coffee is justifiably a praise you’re sick of hearing again and again and their light meals are quite nice. Most of the venue’s customers are regulars for years now. But I think the best occasions for a visit to the Climpson and Sons are during the week, if you are passing by and have spare time or to grab a coffee to go.
Have a look at the Cafe’s offers: Menu

Destination Two: Violet Cakes

Violet Cakes Bakery

As I said, most of Climpson and Sons’ meals are light and my aim is to gain enough energy for a long and eventful night of which I can remember all and then tell you about it in every little detail. So to be sure I have the necessary amount of energy I suggested we go to another famous Hackney’s venue – Violet Cakes. For many years now, Violet Cakes has been on the top list of delicious treats’ producers, there are not many Londoners left who are unacquainted with its miracles.  Now I don’t need to go on about the sweet works of art – we all enjoyed them so much that we did not stop enjoying them until our pants were about 4 sizes smaller than recommended. The bakery is a must in terms of food. But to be honest, I am not very impressed by the venue itself. Outside it’s a small white square with a few ordinary square tables and chairs and the same goes for inside it. It reminds me of a hospital rather than a sweet little bakery and I wasn’t the only one with views that Violet Cakes just…doesn’t host any mood; it rather counts on the very high chances that its customers won’t be able or willing to move their eyes away from the showcase. There are enough places to sit, a few of them outside, intimate enough tables, plenty of space between the lines of tables, nice service and it is worth visiting Violet Cakes just for the opportunity of tasting heaven’s desserts, yet I think it would be beneficial for both sides if they did something about the bakery’s décor.

Destination Three: The Nest

The Nest Club

After eating enough so as to reach the peak of our laziness we thought ‘The Nest’ sounds appropriately cosy to relax at. Well, it only sounds like it. Don’t get the wrong idea, it’s not some opposition of cosy an enjoyable, it’s just a venue where you do not relax – and that’s its charm. The place is always jammed with party beasts, almost every day (and I mean it, it’s not just the weekend nights) there is an event at The Nest. If you happen to know about the former being of this venue – Bardens Boudor – you can get the idea of what Nest’s music is like: a scene for new talents with their extravagant genre mixtures. I hear that owners take great pride in their pursue of future stars who deserve attention at the present too.  The industrial yet neat look of the club is perfectly in tune with the music programme and the type of visitors. As for the service and drinks – nothing memorable, a wide enough range of pure spirits – sold for rather high prices…- and the staff works just like you’d expect in a nightclub. The whole experience in The Nest definitely helps you wake up and I respect their idea for seeking stars-wanna-be DJs but to be honest we were looking for something more impressive.

Destination Four: Dance Tunnel

Dance Tunnel Club

Leaving with a corner of a dissatisfaction in our hearts we decided to try one last time for the evening and find a novel enough club to please us. So we headed to the Dance Tunnel and used up what was left of our strength.Well, the club wasn’t all too different from the previous one – electro and house music, almost missing light, industrial vibe, many events. I am pretty sure the club’s name includes ‘dance’ in it because the venue is famous for hosting parties at which nobody takes a break from dancing at any time of the night and if that is the night you are looking for – I recommend Dance Tunnel.

With the places Hackney offers I am sure a night out to plan is not the easiest task. My night could only cover four venues but who knows, with a few more I might be able to provide you with enough ‘must-sees’. For now you at least have an opinion on these destinations – think carefully and decide whether some of them are what you hope to find.