Halfway through our first cocktails at Martello Hall, my companion pointed out a woman jubilantly unwrapping a Le Creuset casserole dish. Which goes some way to describing the kind of crowd haunting this upmarket new spot. It sees what was formerly the divey London Fields pub brought bang up to scratch, with a copper-topped bar, wooden benches, and stripped ceilings and walls with the plaster peeping through. So far, so Hackney.
What makes this place particularly worth a visit is the impressive drinks, including a regularly changing array of 12 wines on tap, gin distilled on site and a swell cocktail list.
An Apples & Pears Collins with pear vodka and homemade elderflower syrup was refreshing and tangy, like sucking on a citrusy peardrop. A Mexican Negroni with El Jimador tequila and Aperitivo Berto was rich and strong – a knockout. Should you come here hungry, you can munch on superlative, crispy-based wood-fired pizzas, with interesting toppings like honey and truffled pecorino (pizzas and snacks are also served through a hatch at the side of the building).
Table service was a tad iffy and forgetful, but so ridiculously good-natured that all was forgiven. If you’re squiffy enough from the great drinks – which is what you should really come here for anyway – you probably won’t mind.