Date spot in Shoreditch and Hackney
Columbia Road Flower Market
Squeeze down a Victorian street lined with flower and plant stalls, with small independent shops and cafés behind them.
Columbia Road, between Shoreditch and Bethnal Green
Address: Columbia Road, London E2 7RG- Activity
- Outdoors
- Cheap and cheerful
- Romantic
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)
More from our Shoreditch and Hackney guide
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)
Brat
Redchurch Street, Shoreditch
Address: First Floor, 4 Redchurch Street, London E1 6JL- Restaurant
- Rain-proof ☔
- A treat
- Romantic
- Foodie
Share a whole turbot and other dishes cooked over the wood-fired grill, in a wood-panelled first-floor dining room run by chef Tomos Parry.
Why it's a good date: Save it for an anniversary: the cooking is simple and smoky, and it's all about the fish. Book well ahead, and ask for a seat at the counter if you'd like to watch the grill.
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)
