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Is there a funnier street name in London? Yes: Mincing Lane or Bishop Butt Close, maybe even Cumming Street or Cold Blow Lane (sounds refreshing), but none of those act as a punchline to a joke that starts: ‘I found the street your mum was born on.’ But insulting people’s mothers isn’t the only reason to visit Hoe Street. You’ve got amazing restaurants, tons of history and some of the best pubs in east London to help convince you too.
Hoe Street essentially cuts Walthamstow in half, with the fancy conservation area that is Walthamstow Village to the east and the rougher bits (including the brilliant Walthamstow Market, Europe’s longest daily outdoor market) to the west. As a result, it ends up having a bit of the best of both.
Like all of Walthamstow, Hoe Street is changing, and fast. Gentrification feels almost like a race, with new cafés, shops and apartment complexes opening up quicker than you can say ‘housing crisis’. But it’s not all sourdough and hot yoga, there’s plenty of realness to keep you going. For every gastropub, there’s a proper local, and for every fancy restaurant there’s a chicken shop. And some of those pubs, restaurants and shops are worth travelling across London for, and that’s not even that difficult, it’s the end of the Victoria Line. Just get drunk, fall asleep on the tube, and hey presto, you’re there!
Drink this
A pint of ale at The Rose and Crown, a proper local pub but with so much to offer. Great beers, awesome pizza and an upstairs theatre area with tons of brilliant comedy.
A cold lager at The Victoria, a dingy-looking pub that is without a doubt the most fun place in the area. There’s cabaret, karaoke, drag and more booze than you can handle. Trust us, it’s amazing.
Craft beer at The Bell, right at the very end of Hoe Street. The most gastro of the Stow’s gastropubs does a cracking roast.
Locally brewed awesomeness at The King William IV, all the way at the other end of Hoe Street on Leyton High Road. It’s been brewing its own craft beer since way before it was cool, and it’s great.
Eat this
Sourdough pizzas at Walthamstow’s branch of pizza masters Sodo.
Ribs and smoked meat at London’s only outpost of Bristol’s awesome Grillstock, which does American barbecue at decent prices.
Amazing veggie breakfasts at The Hornbeam Café, which prioritises health, low-cost living and community spirit.
Okay, it’s technically on High Street, but you can get great Caribbean food at Turtle Bay, with two-for-one cocktails during Happy Hour.
Do this
Stretch it all out at the brand-new and very snazzy yoga and pilates studio East of Eden.
Catch some of the best names in UK comedy in the super-intimate setting Upstairs at the Rose and Crown.
Head round the corner to the beautiful William Morris Gallery, the former home of the innovative nineteenth-century designer, which sits in the grounds of the absolutely lovely Lloyd Park.
Buy this
A growler of craft beer at Clapton Craft with its massive selection of local and international brews.
Knick-knacks for the home and garden from Ruby Stables, a quirky yard full of secondhand furniture, pots, plants and curios.
If you only do one thing…
Grab a drink at Mirth, Marvel and Maud, Walthamstow’s biggest pub, a former cinema that they’re converting into an incredible events space.
By Eddy Frankel, who does, in fact, have hoes in different area codes
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