London's hottest hipster hangouts all begin with H

The hipster migration is happening and London’s cool kids have long ditched Hoxton and are moving to Harringay, Holloway, Haggerston, Hornsey and Hackney Wick

You don’t need your A-Z any longer: for the only letter that matters in London is H. H is for hipsters who are sending an H-bomb through the streets of the capital — flattening the streets of Dalston and Peckham in a stampede to move to the new Hotspots: Holloway, Harringay, Hornsey, Hackney Wick and Haggerston.

Out move the families and the postnatal Pilates classes; in move the vegan crunk nights and riot grrrlz wearing jewellery that’s like a mix of religious iconography with a kind of Saved By the Bell vibe. This isn’t just about gentrification, though — the usual narrative of kids priced off the Tube network by rocketing rents and hyper-modern developments — in fact, these hotspots have plenty to offer: they’re options themselves rather than the result of a lack thereof.

“There’s a collective of seriously great pubs,” comments one twentysomething writer who lives in Harringay, “like The Harringay Arms and the charmingly down-and-out Nicholas Nickleby. There are delis and petite eateries on every corner. You have to elbow kool kids and fixies out of the way to grab brunch at The Front Room — though it’s worth the altercation with skinny limbs. And the Arctic Monkeys are playing in Finsbury Park later this year — further proof, if required, that it’s sweeping the floor with the rest of London.”

The Proud Archivist in Haggerston

Indeed, Harringay and its close environs (much of which fall into Haringey borough, confusingly enough) are attracting twentysomethings by the classful. At the cavernous Old Dairy on Stroud Green Road young artist types gather for life-drawing classes on Wednesdays, and young poor types take advantage of the BYOB at the restaurant on Mondays. The ivy-clad Faltering Fullback is seemingly London’s favourite pub; mention the name and residents and non-residents alike wax lyrical about the Thai food, the smoking terrace and the huge barn hall at the back, which is especially rammed on Fridays. On Green Lanes, Turkish fare is delicious and genuinely — not London — cheap. Gokyuzu is the best of an exceptional bunch.

In April, Haringey (the borough, keep up) is hosting its first film festival: inHOUSE Film Festival at the Manor House Warehouse will celebrate the borough’s creativity through a series of shorts, music and fashion videos. Fittingly, the theme is “Transformation”.

Move a little further south to Holloway, where Vagabond is a distillation of the local flavour: an independent, arty coffee shop full of the young and hip, drawn to an area that’s acquiring a reputation for being like Camden was 10 years ago. The Lamb on Holloway Road promises beer and liquor but does much more than that: pizza from the local Sorrento Pizzas with Serious Pig pork scratchings for dessert.

Local neighbour Hornsey offers a gloriously higgledy-piggledy brunch option in the form of The Haberdashery; by night, try the cocktails. On the first Friday of the month the whole place becomes a giant vintage market, and on the second it hosts a six-course supper-club banquet.

Boulangerie Bon Matin

And then there are the East End Hs. Hackneyites love The Hackney Pearl on Prince Edward Road — for dinner, it’s the menu that launched a thousand Instapics. Haggerstonites will be counting down to the reopening of spring pop-up Smokey Tails, which offers smoked meats, frozen cocktails and a killer barbecue sauce.

Mare Street is the east’s version of Islington’s Upper Street which, of course, means it’s a lot cooler. Last month, Mare Street institution The Cock Tavern was named Britain’s most beard-friendly boozer, entrenching it in London lore as a hipsters’ nirvana. Then, of course, there’s Victoria Park — resplendent in spring with technicolour blooms and the sartorial choices of fashion students — where you can actually host barbecues in the summer.

Say Hello to the new London: there’s a Helluva world out there.

HARRINGAY

The Salisbury

The Salisbury is housed in an imposing, three-storey, Grade II-listed building; go for the architecture but stay for the real ale.

1 Grand Parade, Green Lanes, N4

Blend

Sleek and minimal coffee joint that still has the charm of the local area.

587 Green Lanes, N8, localblend.co.uk

Jam in a Jar

Jam in a Jar does a bit of everything —while away an afternoon or head there after hours for live music.

599 Green Lanes, Harringay Ladder, N8, facebook.com/jaminajar.co.uk

HOLLOWAY

The Spoke

Bikes are not only welcome but actively encouraged at The Spoke, which runs the gamut from delicious morning coffee to burgers and pints in the evening.

710 Holloway Road, N19, thespokelondon.com

Le Peche Mignon

Nestled unexpectedly close to the Emirates, Le Peche Mignon is a French cafe/deli. The outdoor seating will be hotly contested come spring.

6 Ronalds Road, N5, lepechemignon.co.uk

Oak & Pastor

Hidden on an unassuming road connecting Kentish Town and Archway, the Oak & Pastor runs regular comedy and DJ nights.

86 Junction Road, N19, oakandpastor.com

Le Peche Mignon, Holloway

HORNSEY

Rub Diner

Rub specialises in slow-cooked food and American delicacies — the milkshakes will satisfy those hunting an authentic diner experience.

121 Stroud Green Road, N4, facebook.com/RubDiner

Boulangerie Bon Matin

The intoxicating scent of French pastries makes Finsbury Park commuters late every morning.

178 Tollington Park, N4, boulangeriebonmatin.co.uk

The Three Compasses

Hornsey’s oldest pub and a local institution.

62 High Street, N8, threecompasses.com

HAGGERSTON

Trip Space

These converted arches include an events space (hosting events including yoga classes and storytelling) and a restaurant, the excellent and reasonably priced Trip Kitchen.

339-340 Acton Mews, E8, tripspace.co.uk

The Proud Archivist

Typically Haggerston, The Proud Archivist has its finger in a series of stylish pies: it’s a gallery and events space that also hosts a bar and café/restaurant.

2-10 Hertford Road, N1, theproudarchivist.co.uk

Tonkotsu East

The east London outpost of the legendary Soho ramen joint.

1a Dunston Street, E8, tonkotsu.co.uk

HACKNEY WICK

The Lauriston

In summer, overspill revellers tip into Victoria Park; the pub will take orders and deliver you pizza by “deli-bike”.

162 Victoria Park Road, E9, thelauriston.com

Number 90

The grand opening is this weekend but Number 90 has already been nominated for Best Local Business at 2014’s The Mayor of Hackney’s Business Awards. It looks like a New York loft, is part cafe/restaurant, part gallery — and is likely to become a new Hackney Wick institution.

90 Main Yard, Wallis Road, E9, 90mainyard.co.uk/restaurant

The Counter Cafe

Breakfasts are the stuff of legend.

Stour Space, 7 Roach Road, E3, thecountercafe.co.uk

Create a FREE account to continue reading

eros

Registration is a free and easy way to support our journalism.

Join our community where you can: comment on stories; sign up to newsletters; enter competitions and access content on our app.

Your email address

Must be at least 6 characters, include an upper and lower case character and a number

You must be at least 18 years old to create an account

* Required fields

Already have an account? SIGN IN

By clicking Create Account you confirm that your data has been entered correctly and you have read and agree to our Terms of use , Cookie policy and Privacy policy .

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged in