The 20 best things to do in Leyton and Leytonstone

I don’t support Leyton Orient, but I love watching them play. There’s none of the pomp and nonsense of the Premier League; no lengthy VAR waits or even lengthier queues at the station for fans who live miles away. It’s just 9,000-odd locals who love being together for 90-minutes each Saturday. The place thrums with genuine affection, in that quintessentially British, pie-and-mash sort of way. In fact, the club’s half-time pie, mash and liquor is better than anything you’ll find at West Ham or Spurs down the road, and only costs £4.50. An adult ticket starts at £28. And, unlike the Premier League clubs, you can usually get one on the day.

Deeney’s is an institution in Leyton. Scots couple Paddy Dwyer and Carol Deeney started small with a stall on Chatsworth Road in 2012, before going ‘bricks-and-mortar’ on Leyton High Street a few fruitful years later. And I can tell you, there is nothing (Mac)duff about their Macbeth – the haggis toastie to end all toasties. If haggis doesn’t “prick the sides of your intent”, then the Roberto the Bruce Sriracha chicken toastie bangs louder than a Highland drum. There are veggie options, too.

Francis Road is Leyton’s ‘drag’, a pedestrianised row of shops and restaurants where you can stroll, buy or just sit with a glass of wine at Yardarm while you wait for your washing to finish at Francis laundrette. Everyone knows Yardarm round here. It’s a family-run deli and wine bar with a wine selection as long as a midsummer evening in Tuscany and a nice beer garden to drink it in. Another highlight of Francis Road is Dreamhouse Records, an independent coffee and record shop whose owners have probably forgotten more about music than most of us will ever know.

‘Best beer in London, mate’ is a phrase I’ve often heard when talking about this tiny bar in a railway arch beneath Leyton Midland Road station. It’s not the only brewery in an increasingly crowded market in this part of London (Libertalia, in another arch further along, deserves a shoutout), but it’s a solid favourite around here. They have three core beers called Cosmic Dust (session IPA – 3.8%), Termination Shock (pale ale) and Galaxies Apart (NEIPA – 6%), with new ones each week.

How many places do you know where you can get a classic Neapolitan ricotta-ham sandwich and Sicilian cannoli while stocking up on Kewpie mayonnaise and karaage chicken? This is a coffee shop, a wine bar, an Italian deli, an aperitivo bolthole, a Japanese minimarket and supper club all rolled into one. It is genuinely a must visit if you like any of those things. It is as if owners (and husband and wife,) Eihab and Hiromi couldn’t agree whose homeland had better cuisine, so they saved themselves an argument and created this. And honestly, if you like Japanese food, their supper clubs, hosted by chef Megumi Takeyama, put the ‘ooo’ in oishii; the ‘(holy) sh*t’ in shitake.

First opened in 1922, this unassuming red-brick was built for survivors of wars to share stories and drink pints in peace. And it still is that, during the day. But as darkness falls, the stage lights come up, and music fills the building. Every Tuesday, for instance, The East Side Jazz Club takes up residence putting on shows from the cream of Britain’s jazz scene. From sax soloists to interpretive quintets, there is a different act each week. Tickets cost between £12 and £14, depending on the act. And it’s imperative you book as it always sells out far in advance.

This isn’t just another East London wellie brigade. Like a samurai who won’t draw his katana without drawing blood, the gang at LBG put on their boots to get muddy. It was set up by a group of local residents six years ago by accident. ‘We were gardening in the park and I emailed the council to ask if we could put a greenhouse in,’ says co-founder Jon Day. ‘But they gave us the whole space.’ They’ve since cleared more than 200 square metres of tarmac, built raised beds, planted dozens of fruit trees and erected a polytunnel and tea shed. It's volunteer-run, and they put on growing workshops throughout the year for anyone willing to learn. Their motto: ‘All welcome, always free’. Their wildflower meadow is the highlight of spring.

After 10 years in the fashion game, local mum Louise Jackson had reached the end of her runway. But she had a side hustle. In the quiet hours between being pushed and pulled by the demands of The Most Important Industry on Earth, she’d been learning pilates and yoga – Ashtanga Vinyasa, Yin, Pregnancy and Yoga Nidra. She’d become an expert. So, in 2017 she broke out to realise her dream of launching a studio where everyone was kind, and welcoming and not like fashion at all. Pause Studio is a chance to escape the hustle of Leyton High Road and immerse yourself in cool Scandi vibes. Get to grips with Reformer machines, plié in a Barre class, or get stretchy in the yoga studio.

Burnt’s only been around for a year, since local couple Sufia Khan and Abidur Tarafder teamed up with Romanian-born American barbecue expert Tiberius Tudor in 2023. A huge favourite within the local South Asian community, it’s halal and unlicensed, but they don’t care if you bring beers over from one of the taprooms on either side. Aside from the brisket (which is so soft it’ll melt through your fork,) the smash burgers are spectacular, the ‘ribwich’ is indomitable and the chicken-fat fries are some of the best I’ve ever eaten.

I’ll be honest: Leyton/stone does not have a thriving beach volleyball culture. You won’t find crowds of locals in flip flops and Speedos striding down the high street with coloured balls under their arms on Saturdays. But for what it lacks in local interest, it makes up for in top-notch facilities. The company claims to be the “leading” volleyball provider in Britain, with a second site in Worthing. Beach volleyball is bookable from April to September for £25 per hour (£18 for members) for up to eight people. And in truth, it’s as fine a fine-weather activity as you will find this side of the River Lea.