Stoke Newington Area Guide

Stoke Newington is a district in the London Borough of Hackney. It is 5 miles (8 km) north-east of Charing Cross. Stoke Newington can be roughly defined by the N16 postcode area (though this also includes parts of Stamford Hill and the almost extinct district of Shacklewell). Its southern boundary with Dalston is quite ill-defined too. For one small district, Stoke Newington is endowed with a generous amount of open space. To its north, there is the extensive West Reservoir, now a non-working facility, but open for leisure and surrounded by green space. South of there is Clissold Park, an extensive swathe of parkland complete with a small menagerie, aviary and Clissold Mansion, a Grade II Listed building. Stoke Newington is a very multicultural area.

Highlights and attractions

There are few places in London that offer the zest, charm and charisma of Stoke Newington. Church Street is the area's lively epicentre, with packed-out bars and pubs never too far away. Stokie's shops overflow with indie labels and vintage goods and its restaurants are noteworthy for their diversity as well as their quality. Of course, much of N16's success is down to the remarkably strong presence of independent business in the area, making it a truly distinctive part of the capital.

Commuting

Rail: Stoke Newington station is served by the West Anglia line with regular services into Liverpool Street. The Overground line runs through both Dalston Junction and Dalston Kingsland, giving easy access south and north of the river and to Shoreditch and Docklands.

Bus: The area is very well served with buses, including the 67 to Aldgate, 73 to Victoria, 76 and 243 to Waterloo and 149 to London Bridge.

Road: The main route through Stoke Newington is the busy A10. Hackney Council has put forward a proposal to abolish the gyratory system, which local residents hope will ease the congestion.

Cycle: Locals can follow a picturesque cycle route that meanders along canals, taking in the Olympic site and Broadway Market.

Local transport

• Stoke Newington Railway Station - within a mile
• Rectory Road Railway Station - within a mile
• Stamford Hill Railway Station - within a mile
• Clapton Railway Station - within a mile
• Manor House Underground Station - within a mile
• Dalston Kingsland Railway Station - 1 mile S
• Hackney Downs Railway Station - 1 mile SE
• Canonbury Railway Station - 1 mile SW
• South Tottenham Railway Station - 1 mile N
• Finsbury Park Station (Railway Station) - 1 mile W
• Finsbury Park Underground Station - 1 mile W
• Arsenal Underground Station - 1 mile W
• Seven Sisters Station (Railway Station) - 1 mile N
• Harringay Green Lanes Railway Station - 1 mile NW
• Hackney Central Railway Station - 1 mile SE
• Drayton Park Railway Station - 1 mile SW
• Seven Sisters Underground Station - 1 mile N
• Harringay Railway Station - 2 miles NW
• Highbury & Islington Underground Station - 2 miles SW
• Highbury & Islington Station (Railway Station) - 2 miles SW
• Holloway Road Underground Station - 2 miles SW
• London Fields Railway Station - 2 miles SE
• Essex Road Railway Station - 2 miles SW
• Homerton Railway Station - 2 miles SE
• Crouch Hill Railway Station - 2 miles W

Nearby points of interest

• St Thomas Church - within a mile
• Springfield Park - within a mile
• Arsenal Stadium - 1 mile W
• Emirates Stadium - 1 mile W
• Clapton Park - 2 miles SE
• Tottenham Hotspur FC (Stadium) - 3 miles N
• St Giles-without-Cripplegate (Church) - 3 miles S
• St Botolph-without-Bishopsgate (Church) - 3 miles S
• St Alphage London Wall (Ruin) - 3 miles S
• St Bartholomew-the-Great (Church) - 3 miles S
• All Hallows-on-the-Wall (Church) - 3 miles S
• St Bartholomew-the-Less (Church) - 3 miles S
• St Alban (Tower) - 3 miles S
• Dutch Church, Austin Friars - 3 miles S
• St Botolph's Aldersgate (Church) - 3 miles S
• Postman's Park - 3 miles S
• St Anne and St Agnes (Church) - 3 miles S
• City Temple (Church) - 3 miles S
• Christ Church Greyfriars (Ruin) - 3 miles S
• St Andrew Undershaft (Church) - 3 miles S
• Elim Pentecostal Church - 3 miles E
• St Andrew, Holborn (Church) - 3 miles S
• Leytonstone United Free Church - 3 miles E
• Bow (Castle) - 3 miles SE
• St Paul's Cathedral (Church) - 4 miles S

Food and drinks

Church Street, Stoke Newington’s main artery, flourishes with cafes, restaurants and independent shops. The Blue Legume, marked out mid-way down the street by a huge aubergine hanging sign, is a modestly priced Stokey original. The highlight of its hearty Mediterranean cuisine is its lunchtime salad selection.

Good coffee and elegant brunches are available on mismatched crockery at Haberdashery on Stoke Newington High Street. The arrival of this and more recent newcomers such as date-night-worthy restaurant and basement bar Haunt, cheerful sourdough pizza chain Franco Manca and posh fish and chip purveyor Sutton and Sons, is changing the pitch of the still rough around the edges thoroughfare. The road’s more up and coming section runs from the corner of Church Street at one end and runs down towards Dalston and includes the brilliant Stoke Newington Bookshop, welcoming Italian deli Gallo Nero and, each Saturday, the Growing Communities organic market at St Paul’s Church.

Here are some of our favourite places to eat and drink:

Jolene

Expect freshly baked pastries and good strong coffee in the mornings, with bigger dishes of hand-rolled pasta and Italian-styled meat and fish come the evenings. The pastries at this bakery, cafe and restaurant are made with unaltered grains from pasture cropping soil, which uses no pesticides, no herbicides, no tilling and no ploughing, using horse-drawn machinery only - these patries are too good to resist.

Fontaine's Bar

Fontaine's is a beautiful female-owned Art Deco cocktail bar in Dalston, East London. Classic cocktails served in vintage glassware, every detail of the bar has been lovingly recreated from 1940s photos, from the downstairs lounge to the glamorous bathrooms! Owned by burlesque starlet Emerald Fontaine, you're guaranteed wall-to-wall glamour!

The Blue Legume

This bright, shiny new Mediterranean restaurant extends the repertoire of the original Stoke Newington branch, which gained renown for its fabulous brunches. Decorative tiles on the floor and gilt-framed mirrors on the ceiling fit in well with the livelier Upper Street location.

Franco Manca

The restaurant is bright and friendly with pretty wooden and marble accents throughout giving pops of whites and chocolate tones. The oven is a main feature of the room; you’ll be warmly greeted by the delicious aroma of freshly baking pizzas. Don’t forget to check out the blackboard for the highlights of the day, according to season, for some yummy meat or vegetables pizza options. Otherwise, there are loads of great pizzas to choose from the main menu, featuring a curation by the chefs that includes British mozzarella and stilton, spiced pancetta, fresh baby kale and crispy onions, all loaded onto a stunning tomato and caramelised onion base.

Shops

It’s Church Street again, and the curio cabinet of a store, Pictures and Light at number 41, is where to find a covetable mix of vintage design objects, pretty tableware and delightful prints. Born out of the same design-oriented stable, Nook is further up the street and sells aesthetically pleasing accessories for the home. Halfway down, and on the other side of the road, Prep specialises in heritage cookware and design-conscious kitchen accessories - think spun iron frying pans and Nordic coffee cups. Another place worth a look is established muso destination Bridgewood and Neitzert, makers and repairers of modern and baroque stringed instruments. You can get your hands on some good threads here too: clothing store Hub spreads its savvy aesthetic across two locations – one for each gender – on opposite sides of Church St. The store stocks mid-range labels, including Lee Scarlett Jeans and ACNE, Farah and Folk, and has a stellar name for clean, sharp contemporary fashion.

Schools

Parents are spoilt for choice in terms of primary education, with many options, including William Patten on Church Street and Grazebrook on Lordship Road. The only state secondary school in the area is Stoke Newington School and Sixth Form, a media arts and science college. There is also a selection of Jewish single-sex faith schools in the neighbouring community of Stamford Hill.

Closest Airports

• London City Airport - 7 miles SE
• Northolt - 15 miles W
• Biggin Hill - 17 miles S
• London Heathrow Terminal 1 - 17 miles W
• London Heathrow Terminal 2 - 17 miles W
• London Heathrow Terminal 4 - 17 miles SW
• London Heathrow Airport - 18 miles W
• London Heathrow Terminal 3 - 18 miles W
• London Heathrow Terminal 5 - 19 miles W
• Luton Airport - 25 miles NW