Leytonstoner

2 weeks ago | leytonstoner.london | Stephen Emms

Microbrewery Libertalia launched in Leyton Midland’s Tilbury Road in 2023 – and now their sights are set on the former Mammoth, the craft beer bar that closed last summer in E11’s railway arches. “We specifically wanted somewhere close to the brewery to keep that community going,” founder Matt says. “We’ve got a really good group of regulars, and when we heard it was closing, we realised it would be easier and faster for us to take it, and redo it in our own style.

1 month ago | leytonstoner.london | Stephen Emms

Step inside Leyton Midland’s newest arch on any given Friday afternoon and the boys – Jack and James, pictured above – will be very busy indeed. Under its curved aluminium ceiling, dozens of uncooked pasties lie on wooden benches in neat rows, while moveable metal shelves of both cooked and uncooked pies await their fate. The former will end up out west at Queen’s Park Farmers’ Market, while the latter are sold straight from the oven right here in Leyton, when the bakery opens weekly on Saturdays.

1 month ago | leytonstoner.london | Stephen Emms

You wouldn’t necessarily expect the chef at a petite new cafe in Leytonstone to have such a history. But Daddie – yes, it’s just the one name (“like a papa,” he explained) – spent 18 years heading up the kitchen at the renowned Luc’s Brasserie in Leadenhall Market. Such are the surprises of our ever evolving food and drink scene. No.23 is the kind of tucked-away spot that, if discovered on holiday, you’d return to each morning.

1 month ago | leytonstoner.london | Stephen Emms

After writing about Devil’s Botany, the UK’s first absinthe distillery and tasting room the other week (read it here), Burnt Faith was next on the list. Why? Because it’s doing exactly the same thing with brandy – albeit on a much larger scale. Billing itself as the UK’s first dedicated Brandy House, it’s a spirited addition to the many boozy businesses of Blackhorse Road, and yet this repurposed warehouse, tucked away off Blackhorse Lane, is a little harder to find.

2 months ago | leytonstoner.london | Stephen Emms

With the launch of their sister boozer Leyton Engineer still fresh, Remarkable Pubs’ latest coup is the former Spark House on Lea Bridge Road, which opens officially today. When I asked head honcho Jake about the singular name, he explained that The European is a cheeky swipe at the site’s longstanding incarnation as Wetherspoon pub The Drum – and, of course, specifically its notorious pro-Brexit owner. And as I discovered this week, the name also now applies to the distinctly Gallic menu.