Dalston Bars

Based underneath the well-known pizza joint Voodoo Rays, Ray's Bar is a quirky cocktail bar that offers each guest a three-course liquid dinner. With the cocktail menu split into starters, main courses and desserts, the talented bartenders make use of an arsenal of bespoke liqueurs, potent spirits and fresh fruit to create some of London's most creative concoctions. And if things get a bit too fuzzy, you can always grab a slice of pizza from upstairs.

When it comes to the nitty, fun and gritty of live music in London, The Victoria is up where with some of the best of them. Not only a prime indie music space, The Victoria is ever a bustling pub known for their affordable pints, classic interiors and top pub grub.

Three Compasses is a charming pub on Dalston Lane that doesn't conform to what you'd typically expect from a popular bar in zone two. It isn't a super-chic hipster parade with a microbrewery and a room for stroking cats; it takes a much more simple approach - focusing on serving up some of the best burgers in London, pouring the finest ales, offering a plethora of board games, and boasts some of the friendliest bar folk around. 

Restaurant and wine bar Rotorino is a sexy little Italian spot on Kingsland road that serves up authentic and unfussy Italian food and more than 40 types of wine, with half coming from Italy. With low-lit interiors, gold and chrome decor and space for only small groups of people, this is a great place to stop for a drink in East London.

Continually rated as one of the true gems on the east London scene, Ruby’s pulls in crowds from all over the capital to their intimate basement bar confines. The Bar specialises in a seasonal menu of innovative cocktails, with the Lounge focusing more on a wider choice of beers, wines curated from Clapton experts Verden and Vietnamese street food from the Hanoi Kitchen. A hidden treasure perfect for all occasions.

While it may be a slight walk from Dalston, if there's any pub in East London that's worth it, it's Hand Of Glory. Noted for their witchcraft and pagan inspired interiors, head on down for a premium pub meal alongside their Seven Deadly Gins.