Empire Tavern

Head down to Mare Street in Hackney and you'll find the Empire Tavern doing what good pubs do best—hosting everyone from after-work drinkers to families grabbing Sunday lunch without making a fuss about it. The place has that lived-in warmth you actually want in a pub; stripped-back décor, worn-in corners, and the kind of bar staff who know regulars by name. You'll find proper cask ales on tap, a menu that takes itself seriously enough to source decent ingredients but doesn't get precious about it, and enough space to actually breathe without feeling like you're in a shoebox with 40 strangers.