There are so many cool places to eat and drink in Hackney Wick. Between the breweries, canalside terraces and endless stream of creative spaces, there’s always new to try. But sometimes, it’s the ones that have been around the longest that are the best. Barge East is one of those places.
I’ve lived in Hackney for around five years now and honestly, this place has been on my list for just as long. We’ve sat outside on the terrace loads of times for drinks in the summer, watching people fight for a spot in their canalside garden, but somehow we’d never actually booked dinner inside the boat itself. Safe to say, I’m annoyed we left it this long.
Moored along the canal just a minute or two from Hackney Wick station, Barge East sits inside a beautifully restored Dutch barge dating back to 1905. From the outside, it looks quite relaxed and understated. But head downstairs into the barge and the whole atmosphere jumps up a notch.
Inside the barge feels surprisingly romantic
Walking down into the restaurant genuinely feels a bit like stepping into a submarine. But in a good way.
It’s dark, atmospheric and feels very East London. Exposed interiors, an open kitchen, bartenders shaking cocktails in the corner, chefs humming along to Olivia Dean in the background. Nothing feels too polished or overly formal, yet the food coming out of the kitchen is fine dining in every sense.
One table has couples on a date night drinking natural wine, another has someone’s dog curled up under the table wrapped in a blanket. Everyone working there seemed happy to be there too, which sounds like such a small thing but honestly makes all the difference. The staff were so warm and chatty from the moment we arrived, talking us through the menu, sharing recommendations and generally just making the whole evening feel really relaxed.
Start outside if the weather holds out
If you can, definitely arrive early enough for a drink outside first.
The terrace and garden are honestly one of the nicest spots in Hackney Wick on a sunny evening. They grow herbs and edible plants used throughout the kitchen and there’s this lovely after-work buzz as everyone spills outside with spritzes and beers while runners and cyclists pass along the canal.
We started with a Hugo Spritz and a local East London Jim and Tonic while soaking up the last bit of sun before heading downstairs for dinner. And honestly, even if we’d stayed outside and just eaten from the terrace menu, I probably still would have been happy. It smelled and looked so good!
Seasonal small plates that completely stole the show
The menu had only recently changed when we visited, so everything felt really fresh and spring-led. And genuinely, narrowing down what to order was difficult because every table seemed to have something we instantly wanted as well.
The wildfarmed focaccia is absolutely non-negotiable. It arrived warm with garlic butter and was honestly one of those bits of bread you fully intend to “just nibble at” before accidentally demolishing it within about three minutes. Salty, soft and ridiculously moreish.
We also ordered the ham hock croquette, which came perfectly crisp on the outside with a rich, slow-cooked filling in the middle, alongside a deep-fried British asparagus taco topped with this really bright, fresh dressing that screamed spring. It was probably one of the most inventive things we ate all evening and looked so vibrant on the plate.
You could really tell the chefs genuinely love food. Everything felt creative without trying too hard.
The kind of mains you end up talking about afterwards
For mains, we shared the corn-fed chicken with polenta, wild garlic and armagnac prunes, alongside the hake chowder with chorizo, baby leek and new potatoes.
The fish itself was beautifully cooked, but honestly it was the sauce we couldn’t stop talking about afterwards. Smoky from the chorizo, silky, deeply savoury and the sort of sauce you 100% wish there was more of. I could happily have just eaten it with bread alone.
We also ordered the garden herb salad with chicory and parmesan to freshen things up between dishes, although watching a side of potato terrine and wild garlic land on the next table did give us instant ordering regret. So learn from our mistakes.
One of the best desserts in London
By dessert we were absolutely stuffed, but thankfully still talked ourselves into sharing the chocolate torte with tonka bean and Jersey cream. And honestly? One of the best desserts I’ve had in London for a long time.
Rich without being too heavy, somewhere between a molten chocolate cake and the perfect gooey brownie, served with this silky vanilla sauce that tasted almost like melted ice cream poured over the top.
The perfect East London date night
What Barge East does so well is capture the spirit of Hackney Wick without leaning too hard into cliché.
Yes, it’s cool. Yes, it’s creative. But underneath all of that, the food is genuinely excellent and the atmosphere feels warm rather than performative.
It’s definitely more of a treat night out by East London standards, but if you’re looking for somewhere memorable for a date night, birthday dinner or just one of those evenings where you want really good food somewhere that actually feels special, this is exactly the sort of place you leave already planning to come back to.
And next time, we’re definitely ordering those potatoes!
Book your table here.