Stoke Newington is a leafy Hackney neighbourhood, which is calmer, and less hipster than neighbouring Dalston, but equally full of independent shops, cafés, restaurants and great pubs. Living here is no longer as cheap as it once was, but it’s managed to stave off chain domination and retain a mixed, vibrant community.
The two main areas are Church Street, which gets pretty busy with young families, and the weekend brunch crowd, and the High Street, which is more of a long sprawling high road. There are plenty of things to see and do in both.The basement at Ryan’s Bar is free to hire and great for small comedy and music gigs, and The Waiting Room under The Three Crowns has regular music nights on, usually for £5-£10. Clissold Park is the main green space, replete with ping pong tables, a paddling pool, an aviary and animal enclosure. For an interesting place to walk, head to Abney Park which is a woodland park, nature reserve and cemetery that is full of wildlife and incredibly atmospheric, fitting for a neighbourhood that was once home to Edgar Alan Poe.
