The Laughing Heart

In East London, cool wine bars are as common as off-licenses. The Laughing Heart is beloved by local creative and meedja types not only for its natural wines, eccentric food (everything from Vietnamese-style steamed mussels to wild mushroom tagliatelle), and friendly rottweiler Hugo, but also for excellent vibes, especially on such a dead stretch of Hackney Road. It’s open until 3am on some nights, and they’ll do you cocktails in the basement if you ask nicely. It’s a good spot if you’re local to the neighbourhood and want an extended hang, or somewhere to drink and grab a snack in the wee hours.