With an in-house salumeria and a focus on nose-to-tail butchery, Manteca also makes hand-rolled pasta. Following years of pop-ups and residencies, chef Chris Leach found a permanent home on the more grown-up side of Shoreditch, and it’s always two-floors-full of date-night couples and Italian expats slurping mussels. We rate the bar seats on the ground floor, along with the Wildfarmed rosemary focaccia, black pepper salami and handkerchief-like fazzoletti with duck ragù.


This candle-lit bistro feels as cosy on a Monday lunchtime as it does on a Friday evening. Though it’s definitely a worthy date-night spot. It’s also probably the biggest success yet from Dominic Hamdy, the founder of Crispin in Spitalfields and Bar Crispin in Soho. The hand-scribbled paper menus list flatbreads drenched in garlic butter, bavette steaks with peppercorn sauce and our pick: the golden pastry-topped chicken pie to share. With chips, of course.


