If there’s one thing I’ve learned after eight years of living in Walthamstow, it’s this: never underestimate E17.
I’m turning 45 next month, and I’ve now lived here longer than I’ve continuously lived anywhere else. That’s exactly 17.7777% of my life (yes, I did the maths). And despite London’s habit of tempting you elsewhere, I have absolutely no intention of leaving.
There are plenty of reasons why. The wetlands. The parks. The diversity. The creativity. The sense of community. The transport links that make getting almost anywhere ridiculously easy. And then there’s the food.
Apparently, Walthamstow’s earliest recorded name in the Domesday Book means “the place of welcome.” Honestly, it couldn’t be more fitting. It’s the kind of neighbourhood that quietly gets under your skin – and once it does, it’s very difficult to imagine living anywhere else.
For coffee
A friend once told me he didn’t want to move to Walthamstow because he wanted to live somewhere he could get “a decent flat white within a five-minute walk.”
Greg, mate…
Within five minutes of my house alone, I can choose between Suba Bakery, Cronera and Incoming Coffee. Three genuinely excellent coffee shops, each doing brilliant brews in their own way.
Suba gets bonus points for selling fantastic single-origin beans and hosting occasional coffee tastings if you fancy disappearing down a caffeine rabbit hole.
For a bakery
This is the hardest category because Walthamstow is quietly becoming one of London’s best bakery neighbourhoods.
But if you’re only making one stop, make it Lucky Yu Bakery.
Former St John pastry chef, and practising doctor Hai Lin Leung runs the bakery from a tiny hatch in the side of her house near Lloyd Park. It’s one of those wonderfully Walthamstow businesses that could only exist because neighbours tell neighbours. Check Instagram before heading over because opening hours, pre-orders and specials change regularly.
Then there’s Cronera. Owner Dmitri is from Tbilisi, and every Friday and Saturday he makes khachapuri so good I genuinely wish it was available seven days a week. Fortunately, his walnut rolls don’t make you wait until the weekend.
For a proper pub
The Queens Arms is my local in every sense of the word.
In fact, apart from the hospital, it was the very first place my son ever visited – when he was just six days old.
These days it’s where we meet friends in the sunshine, take visiting family for lunch or solve the eternal parenting dilemma of “child wants mac ‘n’ cheese, parent wants fish and chips.”
If we’re judging purely on food, though, The Raglan takes the crown. It’s also a favourite of Andi Oliver, which tells you everything you need to know.
Whoever first thought, “Let’s combine an Irish pub with Indian flavours,” deserves some kind of medal. Masala-spiced roast potatoes. Brilliant curries. Perfect Guinness. It’s spectacular – and probably a good thing it’s not quite within stumbling distance of my house.
For dinner
If someone asked me to recommend just one restaurant in Walthamstow, I’d send them straight to The Lacy Nook.
We’ve been fans ever since Elena was cooking beef cevapi flatbread sandwiches outside The Anchor & Hope by the River Lea eight years ago. Watching her grow into one of the neighbourhood’s most-loved restaurateurs has been such a joy.
Everything about The Lacy Nook feels generous – the Balkan-inspired food, the atmosphere, the hospitality. It’s the kind of restaurant you leave planning your next visit before you’ve even paid the bill.
I’m also a huge fan of Etles Uyghur Restaurant. But here’s my slightly controversial take: I actually love its sibling restaurant, Muku’s Hot Pot, even more.
As someone devoted to communal bubbling pots of Sichuan broth, I wasn’t convinced individual hot pots could ever compare.
I was completely wrong.
It’s comforting, delicious, brilliantly priced and especially great if you’re visiting as a family.
When I don’t feel like cooking, Raya Asian Street Food is usually the answer. Roti. Rendang. Char kway teow. Job done.
For stocking the cupboards
Eat 17 and Bora & Sons on Orford Road are where I buy everything from everyday essentials to the sort of treats that somehow leap into your shopping basket.
The International Supermarket near St James Street is indispensable for ingredients you won’t easily find elsewhere.
Delight Wedlinka on Hoe Street is my destination for Polish sausages, cured meats and excellent pierogi.
And if it’s Sunday, there’s a very good chance you’ll find me wandering around the High Street Farmers’ Market with a coffee in one hand and far more vegetables than I intended to buy in the other.
For wine
Whenever I need a bottle but don’t know what I want, Mikey and the team at Home Tipple somehow always know exactly what I should be drinking.
I also love Gnarly Vines – not just for its brilliant selection of Georgian wines, but because hidden behind the shop is one of Walthamstow’s loveliest secret gardens.
Order a Yard Sale pizza, open a bottle of Pheasant’s Tears saperavi and settle into that hidden courtyard.
Honestly, that’s Walthamstow at its very best.