Martello Hall (Bar, Restaurant)

Top 10 things to know about Martello Hall

1) Former pub, The London Fields, has a brand new face. Reborn to a second life as Martello Hall, this Hackney venue is a mirror of the area’s ability to reinvent itself as a trendy hub for everything cool.

2) Martello Hall is an eclectic space with many different faces. During the day, it works like a hot-desk space, offering freelancers their holy trinity: fast WiFi, bottomless coffee and a hip atmosphere. From 6pm, the venue draws in locals for after-work drinks in the main room before some of them move on to the rear restaurant for dinner. Weekends see DJ nights till late.

3) You’ll love Martello Hall’s interior. The attention to little details is remarkable, from the beautiful vintage furniture to the purposely weathered walls. On entering, you’re immediately drawn to the wide room with its very high timber ceiling, marble bar and the promise of a wood-fired oven. Is that the smell of pizza?

4) Pizza is indeed the main character in an eclectic menu combining some Italian street food temptations with unusual sharing plates, spanning from beef with kimchi to merguez Scotch eggs. Original offering, if not very consistent, and all good options to cure a bad hangover.

5) Which takes us to the drinks. With an in-house gin distillery, Martello Hall boasts some seriously good cocktails, like Martello, a refreshing concoction featuring lime ice cubes (genius, eh?). Make sure you also try the Nicola, a drink created by gin expert John Chapple using Martello Hall's own gin. There are also some suitably cool draught beers at the bar.

6) For those of you with a serious sweet tooth, the bomboloni with Nutella is a must-have. Slurp!

7) Service is fast and friendly: the knowledgeable staff entice you with obscure Italian ingredients such as “gremolata” and “finocchiona”.

8) Visit to the toilets, if only to experience the awkward open space between the ladies’ and the gents’.

9) This multifaceted venue has an attractive price list; a rarity given the costs Londoners are used to see at similarly up-and-coming East London bars.

10) Martello Hall’s versatility is a blessing for all the lazy ones among us who can’t be bothered to move from a coffee shop to the pub to the restaurant, and from the restaurant to the cocktail bar. Just sit back and relax, all in one place....read more