Bake Street

"Although the coffee at this Hackney cafe is good and their homemade pastries, cakes, and cookies quite irresistible (we’re looking at you, crème brûlée cookie), you should visit Bake Street at the weekend. Their fried chicken sandwiches are McDz-like in the best possible way: soft buns, crisp pounded chicken, and completely inhaleable in under a minute. Flavours, be it a Nashville-inspired hot chicken or a spiced fish cutter, are above and beyond anything fast food-related, though. Don’t ignore the smashburger either. Or the birria tacos if they’re on." - rianne shlebak, jake missing, heidi lauth beasley

"Bake Street in Hackney is best-known for its brilliant brunch and weekend menu—for good reason. People travel far and wide to get an 11am Nashville-style hot fried chicken sandwich, or a tom yum bun. Birria consommé, with chunks of meat, is chugged by the cup. Lamb birria tacos—so rich, so soft, and just a little cheesy—taste like they’ve been slow-cooked to D’Angelo. The meat is all halal, and although there’s limited seating out front, you’re only a short stroll away from Stoke Newington Common where you can make a picnic out of it." - rianne shlebak

"This Hackney cafe’s fried chicken sandwiches are McDz-like in the best possible way. Soft buns, crisp, pounded chicken, and completely inhalable in under a minute. Flavours, be it a Nashville hot chicken or a spiced fish cutter, go above and beyond anything fast food-related, though. And for beef-lovers, the smashburger—a weekend-only menu highlight—is a perfectly done job, the kind that deserves a promotion." - jake missing, rianne shlebak, sinead cranna

"Before we get all nerdy over some pickles, you should know that Bake Street, near Clapton, only does their smashburger on the weekend. It’s also a cafe and closes at 4pm, but the burger is so good we’d have no problem starting our day with it. The memory foam-esque brioche bun holds the unbelievably soft and buttery meat. Plus the pickles are perfectly tangy and the fried shallots add an extremely welcome crunch. It’s a perfectly done job, the kind that deserves a promotion." - rianne shlebak, sinead cranna

"Bake Street makes brunch for people who wake up craving dinner. From the moment they open on Tuesday morning to their final crème brûlée cookie sold on Sunday afternoon, you’ll overhear Birkenstock-clad Clapton regulars deciding between which special to get, and change your mind five times as you get closer to the till. Let us help you out. Firstly come for the weekend-only specials. Secondly, do not leave without getting the smashburger or the Nashville hot chicken bun." - jake missing, rianne shlebak, sinead cranna