The Dove, Hackney, London

Though I am not much of a beer or ale drinker, I will pop in when in the area, as it is such a lovely old pub. Loads of character and anyone who is a beer or ale fan will be spoilt for choice. I haven’t eaten in here; prices seem quite cheap, though I have noticed plates half finished, so maybe food isn’t their thing.
Good in the summer as there are lots of tables outside, and good in the winter, as is dark and cosy inside.

Definitely one of my favourites in Hackney, especially early week when it's a little quieter and you can take 3 hours to have dinner and a couple of bottles of wine. Service is good and food is consistently good, recommend the choccy fondue to share!!

I sort of don't want to write a review about the Dove Freehouse on Broadway Market, because then more people might know about it and it'll get even harder to get a seat at the weekends. Selfish, I know.

The Dove is a local favourite situated on Broadway Market in Hackney. In the summer, it spills out into the street and on a Saturday you'll get some of the best people watching in London standing outside and watching the hipsters go by.

They are famous for their range of Belgian Beers - particularly their Strawberry beer which is so strong they only sell it in half pints! But since I'm not a beer drinker, I love them for their Bloody Mary's which are EPIC. They come in a pint glass and are actually the best I've ever tried, ever (see pic). They make them with port, horseradish and a secret ingredient (I can't tell you, or I'd have to kill you).

On a Sunday, the roasts at the Dove are to die for. Order a whole chicken for £20 to share between two of you and grab a board game from the vast and random selection they have available. It's the perfect way to spend a winter sunday.

Be warned though. Get there before 2pm or you'll be waiting queuing for a seat. I'll be the smug one in the corner who got there early.

Being a local, this is one of my favorite places to enjoy a Belgium beer and a nice (much filling) European-style dish. Staff are welcoming, provide good advice for the less connoisseur that want a change from English Lager and challenge their palate! They have loads of draft beer (especially kriek lambic) and It will take you years before you overcome their 100 something beer menu (could be a hobby tough)! They also organize beer tasting event so 100% chance you'll find the liquid that rocks your world!

Food is filling and nicely presented, dishes are varied (mediterranean, English but also Asian). Better to get there when hungry! Also very cheap (£20 for a 2-people dinner, beer included)!

This is a funny little place: Good because everyone there seems happy to be there and Bad because the management is just so darn surly! But, all in all, I will return.

The food is pretty good. I had the stilton burger (about £7) and tasted the muscles (about £9) - nothing to write home about, but certainly tasty. The ambiance was warm and clientele jovial and happy to be ensconced in one of the pub's nooks. The service was prompt and efficient, despite the 'tude.

The managing staff/owners are surly and that can be off putting. The female manager/owner was rather curt when we rocked up asking for a table for six. I felt she was doing us a favour by allowing us to patronise her establishment. The male manager/owner practically frisbeed the plates to our table with a very good scowl. But, we really didn't care. The place had a nice vibe, we needed something to eat, and although we requested no chips with the burgers that most of us ordered, when the dish was served, it had chips. When we pointed this out, the waitress (a katoy from Chiang Rai, who, on first impression, seemed standoffish and cold, but turned out to be very sweet and friendly once we were friendly to her) said she hadn't charged us for them. So, good stuff!

And as everyone has pointed out, there is a huge selection of Belgian beers, ales and lambics. This is a sister venue to The Dovetail in Clerkenwell.

Very nice - great atmosphere.

On a rainy Sunday evening, this pack was packed and cosy. The selection of Belgian beers was impressive and having been in Belgium numerous times, all the usual suspects are on the menu. But unlike a Belgian bar, the beers didn't necessarily come in the right glasses!

The food menu was game heavy with only a few choices for vegetarians. I had the mixed game pie with mashed potatoes (£13.95) and thought it was tasty and reasonably priced. The apple pie with custard was fantastic!

With stacks of board games and a jazz duo on the Sunday night, I would recommend The Dove and will also be returning to try some more beers and other menu items.

Really nice pub on the other side of London Fields. They have some great beers here, and food's not bad. See if the toilets confuse you...

Fantastic, oldy pub! Great beers and nice atmosphere.

Yeah this place rules - if for no other reason than the beer selection is the best east of the square-mile. On the menu are a selection of trappist ales, wheatbeers, and the rest of the best from the continent.

A fine cloudy afternoon spent sipping on the deadly De Koninck Triples [8%]. What more could your heart desire?

Having never eaten there I cannot comment on the food but the lovely old building and the friendly atmosphere make this a must.

The staff are friendly and they have a good range of beers.

Good range of beers, mediocre food. Lived in London Fields for 8 years before Broadway Market went all twatty and of course went here in 2001 when the Observer and Time Out were raving about it at a time when the only other redeeming feature of Broadway market was cheap crack.
Since then I have been back for a cherry beer from time to time but baffled why people love this place so much, its grotty inside and all the food comes with iceburg lettuce like a throwback from the 70’s served by transexual Thai’s from the basement.
This place is nice on a Saturday lunchtime when you have just spent £200 on organic celery and olives from the farmers market and you can wash it all down with a glass of draught cherry beer, as for eating here, I’d rather eat at one of Michael Barrymoore’s pool parties.

You gotta love The Dove. It has a warm, intimate feel, a real pubs pub. Tucked away in Broadway Market you can snuggle up in one of the many nooks or crannies or just grab a big table and get all your mates crowded round whilst you tuck in to some seriously tasty grub, the burgers are to die for and it’s worth the trip from Manchester for a Sunday roast alone; all washed down with one of the many Belgian beers on offer. My only critisism is that there isn’t a Dove in Manchester but it gains me plenty of points when I can take my mates from home to my best kept secret!

I’ve never met anyone who didn’t love the dove. If I did i’d think they were a bit wrong in the head.
It’s got a great atmosphere and you could easily while away hours on a weekend, drinking beer and playing board games (they have a nice selection of old ones).
The only slight shocks to the system are the overpriced food (when it’s this popular you’re paying for the privilege of getting a table, not the food) and the bizarre translucent toilet doors…

I love the Dove and the Dove loves me. No, seriously. Who could resist the siren call of orange scented trappist ales, Belgian beers you sound stupid trying to pronounce and a warm candlelit polished teak interior that has just the right level of the ‘romance factor’ to meet up with someone you fancy for a first date, while simultaneously not being too schmaltzy (which would of course send said date running for the hills)? Not me. That’s why on my cycle route home my bike always seems to (ahem) ‘break down’ (that’s my excuse and I’m sticking to it!) outside that pub. Then I see the Fruli… I say to myself: “Sorry, I have no willpower. I must enter….”

The possibility of me going teetotal is nil, thanks to that place.

What I like about it most though is the feel you get when you go in; it’s inviting and relaxed, with its gaudy old golden chandeliers and candles stood up in wax-coated bottles, it does have a whiff of the cool about it but it’s friendly; without being crammed with tryhards like the Crown at the top of the road.

This means that when you trip over someone’s bag, accidentally bump someone or ask someone to move their seat in (the place is almost always crammed like a Monday morning on the tube) people still do so gladly, unlike in some other places (mentioning no names, George and Dragon Shoreditch) where you get given the ‘hairy eyeball’ every five seconds.

The beer range is nearly exemplary. It’s not as wide as say De Hems in Soho, but still very respectable. Expect to snag some rare ales, honeyed beers, tropically flavoured wheat beers and frequent guest beers that make you seriously consider finding ways to get that drink on tap. At home.

The great thing about London is that there’s so many different places to go. The downside to this, of course, is that any time you try somewhere new you risk stumbling into a bikers’ den, a brothel, or even one of those horrible laminate floor and chrome bar gastro-pubs. Which is why it’s always such a pleasant surprise when somewhere like The Dove turns up. It’s an intimate little pub in Bethnal Green with an interesting interior, all old wood, odd table decorations and creaking floors. They serve a great line in foreign beers, and have a tempting and wallet-pleasing menu to fill in any remaining gaps in your stomach.

The food at this dark candlelit and be-boothed broadway market gastro pub is delicious, although overpriced, and the waitress will usually refuse to change what’s on the menu (i.e don’t ask to have chips with that instead of mash or whatever as they won’t budge from what is printed), which i think is a shame, but typical of a place like this that has so much passing trade that it can afford to be less than friendly to it’s customers. Another thing irksome is that they recently started charging 50p on top of the overpriced food and drinks if you pay with a card, stating that “if you went to any of the cash points at the shops on this street they’d charge you £2 to get money out”. Despite this contempt for it’s customers i’m still giving the Dove 3 stars as the food is so tasty and the selection of many unusual and rare beers is second to none other that i know of in the area, plus there’s always a buzz outside on the street, all those young beautiful media types. Just avoid the champagne beer! it sounds good but it’s horrid! And costs about 6 quid for a small glass! If in doubt ask the bar staff - one thing they ARE good at is recommending weird lagers.

Delicious food - especially anything fishy.

Good draft cider - quite strong tho in a tramp/doorway kind of way,still, tasty.

Yes, the owner is really weird.

I really enjoy going to this place. The food is lovely and the range of beers is fantastic. It can get busy and the stairs and different levels can make it seem Escher-esque!

Worth a visit, especially for a sunday lunch.

I visited this pub in the afternoon on a weekday. Not the busiest time usually, but it still had a comfortable amount of people in. Enough to stop it feeling empty. The décor is fabulous. Lots of wood, and separate little nooks and crannies to sit in. Carvings and ornaments all over. Though I didn’t stop for a drink the barman I talked to was quick to respond to some enquiries I had, and went to someone else quickly when he couldn’t help. So good service points there.

They do a range of real ale, and do food (with a separate eating area and a tasty looking menu). I have a feeling it’s probably packed at times. I certainly have it on my list of places to go should I need somewhere to take someone down Broadway Market!