London
Cheap date ideas in Shoreditch and Hackney
Updated
East London is full of dates that cost very little. On a Sunday, buy each other flowers at Columbia Road; on a Saturday, graze Broadway Market and sit out on London Fields. The Regent’s Canal towpath is a free walk past narrowboats towards Victoria Park, where you can take out a boat on the lake in season. The Museum of the Home is free and gets you talking about the homes you grew up in. For a few pounds, there’s a film at the Rio, Dalston’s community-run Art Deco cinema, lengths at London Fields Lido, heated all year, and a salt beef beigel at Beigel Bake on Brick Lane to finish.
Our picks
Columbia Road Flower Market
Columbia Road, between Shoreditch and Bethnal Green
Address: Columbia Road, London E2 7RG- Activity
- Outdoors
- Cheap and cheerful
- Romantic
Squeeze down a Victorian street lined with flower and plant stalls, with small independent shops and cafés behind them.
Why it's a good date: Buy each other a bunch of something and carry it home together. It's a Sunday market and it gets packed, so go early, and bring cash as not every stall takes cards.
Photo: SunDawn, CC BY-SA 4.0 (cropped and resized)
Museum of the Home
Kingsland Road, Hoxton
Address: 136 Kingsland Road, London E2 8EA- Culture
- Free
- Rainy day
Walk through 400 years of living rooms, from a 1600s parlour to a 1990s loft, in a row of old almshouses with gardens behind.
Why it's a good date: It's free, and it gets you talking about the homes you grew up in and the one you'd like. The period gardens out the back are lovely in summer.
Photo: Cmglee, CC BY-SA 4.0 (resized)
Victoria Park
Grove Road, between Hackney and Bethnal Green
Address: Victoria Park, Grove Road, London E3 5TB- Outdoors
- Free
- Best in Spring, Summer, Autumn
- Romantic
Walk round east London's big Victorian park, past its lakes, fountain and pagoda, and take out a pedalo or rowing boat on the boating lake.
Why it's a good date: Plenty of room for a long walk or a picnic, and a turn on the lake is a proper date. The boats are seasonal, so check they're out before you go.
Photo: Matt Brown, CC BY 4.0 (cropped and resized)
Rio Cinema
Kingsland High Street, Dalston
Address: 107 Kingsland High Street, London E8 2PB- Culture
- Rain-proof ☔
- Cheap and cheerful
- Cosy
Watch anything from a new release to an arthouse classic in a community-run Art Deco cinema with a big single screen.
Why it's a good date: A cinema with character, and you're supporting a not-for-profit while you're at it. Take turns picking the film, and walk on to Dalston's bars afterwards.
Photo: Andrew Woodyatt, CC BY-SA 4.0 (cropped and resized)
Broadway Market
Broadway Market, by London Fields
Address: Broadway Market, London E8 4PH- Activity
- Outdoors
- Cheap and cheerful
- Foodie
Graze your way down the Saturday food market, from street-food stalls to bakers and cheesemongers, then sit out on London Fields.
Why it's a good date: Each of you picks a stall and you share everything. It's a short walk to the Regent's Canal, so you can make a whole afternoon of it.
Photo: Bikeboy, CC BY-SA 2.0 (cropped and resized)
Regent's Canal towpath
Regent's Canal, Haggerston
Address: Regent's Canal towpath, Haggerston, London E2 8BS- Outdoors
- Free
- Best in Spring, Summer, Autumn
Walk the towpath past moored narrowboats and old gasholders from Haggerston towards Victoria Park, stopping at canal-side cafés along the way.
Why it's a good date: An easy, flat walk that feels miles from the traffic above, and it costs nothing. Keep to one side: cyclists use the towpath too.
Photo: Stevekeiretsu, CC BY-SA 4.0 (cropped and resized)
Beigel Bake
Brick Lane, Spitalfields
Address: 159 Brick Lane, London E1 6SB- Café
- Rain-proof ☔
- Cheap and cheerful
Queue for a hot salt beef beigel with mustard and pickle, or a classic smoked salmon and cream cheese, at the Brick Lane bakery.
Why it's a good date: Cheap, filling and a proper East End institution. A good last stop after a night out, or eat on the way to Columbia Road.
London Fields Lido
London Fields West Side, Hackney
Address: London Fields West Side, London E8 3EU- Activity
- Outdoors
- Cheap and cheerful
- Active
Swim lengths together in a heated 50-metre outdoor pool on the edge of London Fields.
Why it's a good date: It's heated all year, so a swim under the open sky works even when it's cold out. Book a slot ahead, then warm up with a coffee on Broadway Market.
Photo: Peter Smith, CC BY 2.0 (cropped and resized)
Sông Quê Café
Kingsland Road, Shoreditch
Address: Sông Quê Café, 134 Kingsland Road, London E2 8DY- Restaurant
- Rain-proof ☔
- Cheap and cheerful
- Foodie
Share bowls of Vietnamese noodle soup and grilled dishes at the busiest canteen on Kingsland Road's run of Vietnamese restaurants.
Why it's a good date: It's no-frills and always buzzing, and the cooking is the reason people have kept coming back for years. Go early in the evening at weekends, as tables fill fast.
Mien Tay
Kingsland Road, Shoreditch
Address: Mien Tay, 106-108 Kingsland Road, London E2 8DP- Restaurant
- Rain-proof ☔
- Cheap and cheerful
- Foodie
Order a spread of southern Vietnamese grilled meats, noodles and herby salads to share at a family-run spot on Kingsland Road.
Why it's a good date: It's casual and friendly, with a long menu that's made for sharing between two. A good, easy dinner before a drink in Shoreditch or Hoxton.
Upmarket Brick Lane Food Hall
Brick Lane, Spitalfields
Address: Upmarket, 83 Brick Lane, London E1 6QR- Restaurant
- Rain-proof ☔
- Cheap and cheerful
- Foodie
Graze your way round dozens of street food stalls in the old Truman Brewery, picking something different each and swapping halfway.
Why it's a good date: It's a fun, low-stakes date with food from all over the world under one roof, and it's dry when the weather isn't. Weekends are the liveliest, when craft and vintage stalls join the food.
Old Spitalfields Market
Commercial Street, Spitalfields
Address: Old Spitalfields Market, 16 Horner Square, London E1 6EW- Restaurant
- Rain-proof ☔
- Cheap and cheerful
- Foodie
Wander the covered Victorian market and share plates from its street food kitchens, then browse the stalls together.
Why it's a good date: There's a huge choice of cuisines under a glass roof, so it works in any weather and suits fussy and adventurous eaters alike. Most traders are card only.
Netil Market
Westgate Street, London Fields
Address: Netil Market, 13-23 Westgate Street, London E8 3RL- Restaurant
- Outdoors
- Cheap and cheerful
- Best in Spring, Summer, Autumn
- Foodie
Pick up lunch from the small huts and containers of independent food traders just off Broadway Market and eat it in the yard.
Why it's a good date: It's small and properly local, and it pairs well with a wander along Broadway Market and a sit in London Fields. Saturdays are the busiest; traders keep their own hours.
Hackney Bridge
East Bay Lane, Hackney Wick
Address: Hackney Bridge, East Bay Lane, London E15 2SJ- Restaurant
- Cheap and cheerful
- Foodie
Choose from a row of international street food kitchens at a big canalside hub in Hackney Wick and eat by the water.
Why it's a good date: There's room to spread out, a terrace over the canal and something for everyone, plus regular events and DJ nights. Walk along the towpath from Victoria Park to get there.
Crate Brewery
White Post Lane, Hackney Wick
Address: Crate Brewery, The White Building, Unit 7 Queen's Yard, White Post Lane, London E9 5EN- Restaurant
- Cheap and cheerful
- Foodie
Share stone-baked pizzas and beer brewed on site at a canalside brewery in a former print factory in Hackney Wick.
Why it's a good date: On a warm evening the waterside tables are the place to be, and inside it's cosy and loud in the best way. It gets very busy on sunny weekends, so go early.
Arepa & Co
De Beauvoir Crescent, Haggerston
Address: Arepa & Co, 58a De Beauvoir Crescent, London N1 5SB- Restaurant
- Rain-proof ☔
- Cheap and cheerful
- Foodie
Eat Venezuelan arepas and other home-style dishes in a bright room right on the Regent's Canal in Haggerston.
Why it's a good date: Big windows look straight onto the canal, and the food is generous and full of flavour without costing much. Make a towpath walk of it before or after.
Quick answers
When is Columbia Road Flower Market on?
On Sundays. It gets packed, so go early, and bring cash, as not every stall takes cards.
Is London Fields Lido open in winter?
Yes. It's a heated 50-metre outdoor pool, open all year. Book a slot ahead.
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