Please note bookings require a £6 per person card authorisation to discourage no-shows. This will only be charged if you fail to show up or give us sufficient notice of cancellation. If you need to cancel your booking please email or call the venue directly with a minimum of 3 hours notice. If you are running late, please call BEFORE your booking time. The Natural Philosopher is open 7 days a week.
Step through The Macsmiths, a functional Mac repair shop on Hackney Road to find East London’s hidden gem.
Through to the bar you'll find an overgrown jungle of plants, art, and antiques amongst the comfortable atmosphere of this cosy venue. The art adorning the walls is very much a talking point but none more so than the sunken bar, a centre piece to a gorgeous venue, reminiscent of an orchestral pit.
The bar has been an East London secret for over 7 years and has been operating under the ownership of award winning bartender Josh Powell since December 2019. His philosophy towards cocktails is to look at the flavours and effects of natural remedies and herbal medicine, often using unusual ingredients from the local area and further afield to find inspiration.
Happy Hour runs EVERY DAY 6-8pm where guests can expect to relax with a selection of classic cocktails available for just £7. The main menu changes seasonally to embrace the various flavours available throughout the year.
The NP Pickleback is a firm favourite with local and industry regulars alike; easily able to convert the most skeptical of pickle haters. Enquire within about Pickleback Club if you're a pickle lover.
We also offer £7 selected drinks on Sundays to those working within the hospitality industry. Just bring a payslip or other proof of employment within a bar, restaurant or hotel.
A small range of bar snacks is on offer with the Truffle and Pecorino Mixed Nuts being a particular highlight.
We also do private hire from 25-48 people. Partial Hire or Full Venue Hire available for birthdays, engagements, Christmas parties, office socials, leaving do's etc. Low minimum spend, no booking fee, just 20% deposit to secure. Send an enquiry today!
Please note bookings require a £6 per person card authorisation to discourage no-shows. This will only be charged if you fail to show up or give us sufficient notice of cancellation. If you need to cancel your booking please email or call the venue directly with a minimum of 3 hours notice. If you are running late, please call BEFORE your booking time. The Natural Philosopher is open 7 days a week.
| Offer | Availability |
|---|---|
|
Happy Hour £7 Selected Classics
£7 Selected Classic Cocktails |
Monday 18:00 – 20:00
Tuesday 18:00 – 20:00 Wednesday 18:00 – 20:00 Thursday 18:00 – 20:00 Friday 18:00 – 20:00 Saturday 18:00 – 20:00 Sunday 18:00 – 20:00 |
|
Sunday Hospitality Staff Offers £7
£7 Selected cocktails for those with proof of working within hospitality |
Sunday 16:00 – 23:30 |
| Day | Open | Close | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Monday | 18:00 | 23:30 | |
| Tuesday | 18:00 | 23:30 | |
| Wednesday | 18:00 | 23:30 | |
| Thursday | 18:00 | 23:30 | |
| Friday | 18:00 | 1:00 | |
| Saturday | 15:00 | 1:00 | |
| Sunday | 16:00 | 23:30 |
Address
The Natural Philosopher, 489, Hackney Road, E2 9ED
Area
Hackney
Nearest Station
Cambridge Heath (Rail)
| Name | Type | Capacity Seated |
Capacity Standing |
Cost | Min spend Midweek* |
Min spend Weekend* |
|
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Dispensary Bar or Whole Venue | Venue Hire | 0 | 0 | - | £850 | £1500 | |
|
We offer private hire of our main bar area for between 25 and 35 guests or full venue private hire for 48 guests. We don't charge a hire fee but instead work with a minimum spend system. Minimum spend is subject to the timings of bookings and which days of the week the hire is for. We're happy to work within budgets where possible. We require a 20% deposit of the minimum spend in advance of the booking to secure the hire and close off any bookings to our regular guests. This deposit can be used to pay for a round of welcome drinks for your party or it can be refunded at the end of the night once minimum spend is reached. If minimum spend is not reached, you will need to pay any difference after deposit on the night. We offer drinks packages to those looking to put a tab behind the bar for office parties, networking or special events, otherwise drinks are paid for individually via bar service. Music playlists can be played via Spotify or Deezer for those wanting to play their own, otherwise our music is a mix of dreamy indie and alternative or Studio 54 disco dependant on the night. As we don't have a kitchen we are unable to offer food, however you're more than welcome to bring food to the venue should you wish. We have some recommendations for restaurants in the area if you'd like somewhere to eat first. We understand that these are difficult times and therefore we can pivot and be flexible within reason. If you need to cancel, you MUST give us a minimum of 24hrs notice. We cannot refund your deposit without sufficient notice of cancellation. We will contact you a week in advance of your booking and again on the day of, to ensure your expected number of guests will be arriving. In order to hit minimum spend it is ideal that the majority of your guests arrive within the first hour of your booking. If you are expecting less guests, then we reserve the right to seat you and your guests instead under a table service system and open up the venue to general admission. |
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* The minimum spends are a guideline only and vary according to the day and time of the year.
Discover The Secret Bethnal Green Spot Serving Signature Elixirs From A Sunken Bar
East London, it’s been a minute. After being confined to the South for however many months (we all lost track after April, didn't we?), I wanted my first post-lockdown visit to this area to be a memorable experience. And damn, The Natural Philosopher was a solid choice. An Aladdin's cave of elixirs…
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