Happiness Forgets in Hackney

Impeccable cocktails, fabulous service, playful banter, and wonderful suggestions in the area? Why not go to Happiness Forgets and have the best time of your life. Excellent cocktails and really excellent bartender. Blew our mind on our first day in London.

My favorite place in London to have a good drink. Warm environment and you feel at home, courteous and competent staff, I had two wonderful drinks. Whenever I'm in town for work I always stop by here. Highly recommended!

I was considering giving this one star for the sole purpose of gatekeeping it because I still want to be able to show up without a booking and get a table. Great place, outstanding service, prices are London prices but I’ve never had a bad drink here.

One of the best cocktail bars in London. Drinks vary from classic cocktails to interesting twists and you can always ask the bartender to help you with the choice. The vibe is great and the music is juuuust at the perfect level! Not too loud not too quiet! Cannot recommend enough

Beautiful drinks, with a beautiful girl. Sometimes in life you just have to appreciate where you are and what you have. Thank you Happiness forgets for making it one of those times.

Super cozy atmosphere, really well crafted cocktails and kind service. What else do you need?

Everything a cocktail bar should be. I look forward to returning.

Great speak easy for cocktails, good date spot. Lovely ambiance and service.

Amazing service and one of the best cocktails in the city - Brighter Later. Thanks Keelan!!

Brilliant cozy little cocktail bar. The staff is super helpful and knowledgeable, the cocktails are incredible. Being here gives you a great opportunity to try something new risk free, because all of the cocktails are well balanced, interesting and delicious. The place itself is uncomplicated, not too loud, unpretentious and comfortable, which makes it a fantastic choice for a date or a catch up with a friend.

Can’t comment on food as we did not eat there. Cocktails are very good and have a very interesting combination of flavors. It is located in an underground level, so it can turn out a little closed environment.

The atmosphere is night for a night out on the weekend, good drinks, and great service

An absolute gem to come across on our trip to London. Lovely cocktails and amazing staff. Had lovely conversation with Johan and Elliot (hope I spelt your names correctly!)

Came here for some pre-dinner cocktails and the staff were really welcoming and super helpful. They have a really interesting list of drinks and all the ones we drank tasted amazing. If there’s something else you want to try not listed, they’ll also make that for you too!

One of our favorites in London. We're here pretty regularly, and it's always a pleasure to visit - incredibly friendly and relaxing place to spend an evening, and the cocktails are just amazing. The menu changes often (and the new one is lovely) so it's worth many a return visit.

Great service and knowledgeable staff. Super helpful and courteous. I chose a drink I wouldn’t always go for and they said upfront that if I didn’t like it they would change it for me! Well worth checking out - thank you!

Honestly such a hidden gem, literally must have walked past here multiple times but it’s tucked away under some stairs so missed it. Such a good vibe in here

Super knowledgeable guys pouring amazing drinks

a lovely, quaint bar with stellar cocktails, service and atmosphere. will definitely be returning soon!

Surprisingly good speak easy bar, conveniently located a few steps away from Shoreditch night life spots. We tried a few different cocktails, and I would highly reccomend to try the tomato/basil one (cannot remember the name), it was pretty unique in flavour. Shout out to the lovely girl who was serving us, super sociable and good service.

Tiny, lovely bar to get cocktails. The staff are really friendly and down to earth - great recommendations when I wanted 'the driest cocktail on the menu' and my friend wanted 'a great gin based drink'. Good portions of bar snacks. There's a no standing rule thing so reserve a place just to be safe. The bar itself is comfy and well thought out. Bathroom was really clean and well stocked with stuff. A welcoming, well priced, place to get a delicious drink.

Visited on a Thursday evening and had a great time! Enjoyed the Tokyo Collins especially as well as the Mojito I ordered. Great for 2-4 pax imo

Service charge when sat at bar?

Delicious drinks. Great service. Dope music.

Had the best cocktails (Mellow yellow and Egg Nog - I fell in love!!) gonna come back just for those! 🥰

Some of the best cocktails I’ve ever drank, Elliot is very knowledgeable and friendly. If you know what you like don’t forget to ask, as they might do improved versions of it. Also the food there was surprisingly good, amazing Burrata and everything else

Great drinks amazing staff Especially Anna

AVOID this place if you're looking for a nice calming drink with a friend and think this will be the place. Firstly, I would like to start by saying I have been coming on and off to this bar for 10 years and have never had a problem. I decided to introduce my friend to this place, thinking it would be a cool place to take her, but on arrival we were greeted with the most disgusting attitude from the two women working that day- I won’t name names but the girl with the short brown hair and the head bartender. Brown hair being the one who created it by having a little gossip about my friend and I are whilst blatantly staring at us and whispering within the first minute we sat down. It is shocking to me that a bar like this would hire someone like her who can be no more than 25 years old with the mindset of an insecure and jealous teenager, not an adult. From walking in.. She looked us up and down as if we were an inconvenience being there, walked over to get the menus, stared at us, whispered something to bartender, who then laughed incredibly loudly and obnoxiously. We both immediately felt uncomfortable and I calmly addressed it when brown hair returned to our table with the menus, asking if she blatantly gossips about all the customers, both women denied it as if we were stupid. When I asked her about what it was and gave her a chance to be honest. She stuttered and said “oh.. it was.. we have been speaking about the presentation of the place ALLLL day” what a weird and obvious lie. It would have been much cooler if they admitted to making a stupid mistake, instead they only made us feel uncomfortable and felt like we should leave to enjoy our day elsewhere. I really think the hiring team should look better at the people they hire, who care more about judging customers they feel some type of strange way towards and what my friend and I could only describe as jealousy and unnecessary judgement towards two people who just wanted to enjoy a drink and focus on kinder people who are mature and focused on doing their job. They not only are pushing business out of the door that day but also a loyal customer. On top of this it was my friends birthday which made the experience even worse. Won’t be returning and emails to the business are being ignored too.

Such a cosy neighborhood bar in Hoxton! 11 pounds per glass for all concoctions. I am not very convinced with their drinks, but it's just a lovely place welcomed by lovely lady and a bar man! It's in the basement! Instead of ordering classics, you can ask for their signatures.

Hands down the best cocktail bar in London. Great atmosphere, attentive staff, friendly bartender, and delicious drinks - all at an unbelievable £11 price.

Can't really say that I get it. It is just another basement bar that also just so happens to be very far away from everything. Decent vibes but nothing really extraordinary or new. Shrug!

Great little cocktail lounge. In a nice quiet square, but only a few blocks from Old Street, it's definitely worth walking a few blocks. Very knowledgeable staff and yummy drinks.

Best smelling toilets in Hackney! This is such a cool little place with great cocktails. Have ordered from the list and off menu — always well crafted. And of course, be sure to stop into the loo. It smells divine (no jokes it is a delightful lemon verbena style scent ).

Today, I visited this spot with my friends for drinks. The location was pleasant, with a cozy atmosphere and nice cocktails. However, the service was disappointing. The waitress was extremely sarcastic, and our table was sticky… When we politely requested it to be cleaned as it was sticking in our clothes, she became upset and responded rudely. Later, when I took out a small package of chocolates, the barman straight away showed up to inform us we couldn’t have a chocolate (!) as they had in the menu offering olives and almonds. He then returned to the bar to flirt and kiss with a girl, which was probably allowed while working (???) Overall, despite the cozy ambiance, the rude service, particularly from these two individuals, would prevent me from returning.

Visited in January 2024: Cosy bar, but lacked some attention from server. The barmaid and server were too focused on 2 of the guests at the bar losing some focus on the rest of the clients. Me and my partner both had a shaken cocktail that should have definitely been double strained. The chunks of ice in our cocktail didn't help the flavours slthat already had some issues of being perfectly in balance. We visited on a week day, on our next visit we will try visiting at a busier time, as this might have been the reason for a lower focus.

That’s truly a hidden gem among bars in London. Located in a cool area, it’s difficult to spot, but very warm once you get in. The atmosphere makes it very cozy and the quality of the cocktails, as well as the service offered by the bartenders and the waiters, take your experience to a whole different level. Must visit!

Garden gimlet and Longshot are aaaaaabsolutely phenomenal Amazing place for a date too:)

Hard to find! Needs a better entrance! That aside, cocktails are amazing, friendly staff, we had a fabulous waitress! Maybe too dark inside for some 🖤🕶️

Lovely venue to grab a drink! 🍹 The stuff is very friendly and the cocktails were tasty. My friend and I almost missed it, since it's below the level of the road, but we were so glad we managed to spot the stairs!

Lovely cocktail bar, nice atmosphere, good service and nice cocktails. Not the best cocktails I've ever had, but it's a nice vibe and staff are very friendly.

Fantastic, well balanced cocktails that seemed quite reasonably priced to me. Priced similarly to great cocktails in the north of England. Cool hidden lounge that's out of the way, great date spot!

Excellent speakeasy. I thoroughly enjoyed the Racketeer drink and being at the bar. The bartenders were super friendly and hospitable. This was a highlight of my trip.

Great selection of cocktails with great ambiance and friendly staff

What an amazing place! Great cocktails, friendly service. If you are alone, choose to take a seat at the bar counter. Good music as well. Certainly you will have a funny night!

Lovely, cosy and super friendly

The environment is not big and the drinks are delicious

The best cocktail bar in North London, none come close, Mickey River is the greatest cocktail.

Great drinks, venue and service. Definitely a staple whenever in the area. The staff are knowledgable and incredibly helpful- even giving tips on where to go in London. Shout out to Elliott for being awesome!

the place that doesn’t let you sit and enjoy your drink when you’re wearing a football related shirt or jumper. absolute shambles when you’re close to 2024. another level of racism.

One of my favourites anywhere in the world. Benedetta for president! All staff are lovely, top tier service and great drinks. Signatures are class but do go off menu!

I really love this place. I’ve had such a great time there. The staff is lovely and massive thank to our waitress last time we went who sorted out a table for us despite me booking at the wrong time. Only downside is the music which is a bit too loud which makes chatting a bit difficult depending where you sit.

This is a cosy hidden gem, feels a bit like your stepping back in time. Our waiter was very attentive, and our cocktails were reasonably priced (for london) considering how posh they felt. Very old-timey cocktails, with splashes of bitters, brandy and vermouth. And complimentary cucumber water!

Great speakeasy with nice, unique drinks and friendly, helpful staff. We showed up on a Saturday night and were able to find a space for two of us that weren't squeezed between other groups.

Happiness found! Always a good option to come here ☺️

Was a tiny bit hard to find, but once you’re in, prepare to experience beautifully crafted cocktails. Can confidently say I had the best spicy margarita in London here. Wish they had more vegetarian snack options.

One of the great London cocktail bars. Great atmosphere and they know how to make a drink! My preference is bar seating, but it’s a small/intimate place, so any spot inside is good. Highly recommend!

Great cocktails menu and very cosy venue. Staff is very friendly.

Decent quality cocktails although menu feels a bit "dated". Excellent service though very friendly staff.

Lovely barcrew and great special cocktails, they're very friendly and love helping find the right cocktails for you! Also vegan friendly (some cocktails are with egg but they have a vegan replacement)

Kealan was super sweet and made some excellent drinks! Try the Garden Gimlet which is top notch!

Good cocktails, friendly and knowledgeable staff.

Nice and cozy place! Coktails and service are great too!

Lovely staff and very knowledgeable about drinks! They made me an off drinks menu on the fly after asking for a non-alcoholic fruity cocktail.

Fantastic, clandestine experience. Our fellow Irishman was a fountain of knowledge on the various concoctions! Great spot.

Бар их тех времен, когда коктейли делали руками и перед гостем )))) Мне нравится этот бар, нравится атмосфера за барной стойкой. Коктейли хороши и в баре много хорошего алкоголя

The drinks were great, and the atmosphere was really good. Cozy and chill atmosphere with great dim lighting and perfect music volume 👌

My new favourite cocktails in my new favourite cocktail bar. I would try to come up with something more clever, but the drinks are pretty dang strong so...🤷🏻

Came here with a friend after dinner on a Wednesday’s night! The cocktail bar was not super packed nor loud, a great place for us to catch up while grabbing a drink! Staff was very helpful with my cocktail selection and gave very nice recommendations. However, my yuzu cocktail was a bit too mild for me. They also did cocktail on request, overall a nice place for friends or couples to spend time with!

Hidden gem in the heart of Hoxton Square. Great value for money! The service is really good and the cocktails are very nice mixing interesting flavours. I've had the Tokyo Collins last time. Fresh and citrusy. The decoration is also nice and cozy.

Ridiculously good! Awesome vibe, excellent champagne, perfect cocktails!

Lovely place Reasonably priced cocktails The bar man was also great ! Gréât cosy atmosphere ! Well done boys !

My absolute favorite speakeasy in Hoxton - would go as far as saying the East end! the cocktails are excellent and the vibe is immaculate.

Had a friend in town, so we came here for a cocktail before our dinner reservation, and it was great. Table service with a helpful server. I can be a bit fussy as I don't drink often, but the bar staff were super helpful and created a cocktail based on my tastes which was really appreciated. I'd definitely recommend 👌

Awesome cocktails great staff letssss gooo

I just love this little speakeasy cocktail bar hidden away in buzzy Hoxton Square. Great ambience, delicious cocktails, just how I like them, good music and lovely service. Perfect for a date or a drink with friends. They have some good nibbles too. Hands on my favourite cocktail bar in town.

I ordered a bottle of cocktail through the website for my friends Xmas present. They delivered late and in the delivery day my friend was on holiday so he told the driver to return to sender as there was not a safe place to leave. The driver then hung up and told the owner my friend had put the phone down. I have evidence my friend messaged and tried to call him back. I emailed the owner who told me it was tough luck as he had given the bottle to the driver, he will not refund me (I have evidence of this. This is clearly theft and a shameful way to behave. Hopefully this will act as a warning to others about the danger of buying from an immoral individual.

This place is amazing for cocktails. The service is incredible, one of the cocktails was a little bit strong for me and they picked this up from my reaction straight away and offered me a new one!!

I’ve been here with my girlfriend a few times, really nice atmosphere and great cocktails. We most recently came last Thursday/Friday and had a great evening. We had Chelsea waiting on us who was fantastic and really fun - will definitely be back

This is such a cute & romantic bar. The cellar & the fact that it is all candle lit creates such a great atmosphere. The staff are amazing! We arrived 15 minutes early for our booking but were seated immediately. We weren’t too sure on what to have & the bar staff are so skilled that they were able to recommend drinks based on our usual (basic) go to cocktails. The drinks are beautiful, unique & not badly priced at all when you think about the experience you are getting. I would 100% recommend & will be coming back.

We were on a quest to visit 50 best bars in London (not all at once). I was not sure when I entered as I am not a big fan of basement bars but boy oh boy can these guys make a sick cocktail. Try Tokyo Collins first if you there and Country Club after, some complex flavors, I liked it so much I had to get up walk to the bartender and give him compliments in person. He even showed me some of the home made syrups and gave me a little taste of citrus sake. I can't remember the names ( I think the girl was Jaz) I could be wrong but shout out to you guys you are definitely number one on our list yet!

Visited a couple times since I moved in the area and it’s such a nice little hidden gem in the hearth of Hoxton. A serious cocktails business with really nice signature drinks and a boss of a bartender lady that kept rocking our drinks out! My personal favourite was perhaps the Two Barrels! Very well balanced and beautifully served with this clear ice stone, beautifully carved. Upstairs restaurant looks great but that experience is still to come! Would recommend the visit.

What a lovely night catching up with old, long-lost friends. The whole team was so accommodating and the drinks were superb. Jazz was amazing throughout - so we’ll informés on all cocktails both off and on menu! Above and beyond service all night and always with a smile. What an absolute pleasure to spend the night here and especially with Jazz’s hospitality!!! 100% recommend :)

Speakeasy hopped the entire time I was in London, and this was easily one of my favorites. There are no gimmicks to enter, no pretentiousness, just a wonderful speakeasy with incredible drinks. Not too loud, quite comfortable and homey, mysterious vibes, and bartenders that are obviously on top of their game. I told them the type of cocktail I enjoy (whiskey, smokey, not too sweet), and they concocted the perfect drink - the Louis Balfour. Cannot wait to return once I am back in London!

Yep. I can safely say, I have a new fave craft cocktail bar in London. I love intimate basement bars, especially when they have a stellar drinks menu, and this one fits the bill. And if you want something created off-menu, I bet if you give the bartender your desired flavor profile and spirit choice, they'll whip up something amazing for you, just like they did for me. We came here for pre-dinner drinks, and ended up with perfect cocktails, engaging conversation, and just the right atmosphere to build anticipation for dinner. Cheers to that!

I found this place through Topjaw. Was not disappointed: drinks are really amazing and the staff is super nice. Heads up: the place is small and loud on weekdays, so it's not a place to bring a date!

Amazing cocktails prepared by very friendly and attentive staff. Our waitress was lovely and welcoming. We had a little wait before able to come in as the place was full! (Good sign) If it wasn’t for for the extremely rude and rowdy customers on the table next to us, we would have had a perfect experience. However, this wasn’t at fault of the staff or establishment. Would definitely recommend!

We came in here for a couple of cocktails and can not fault a thing. A calm and relaxing atmosphere, all cocktails are very unique and very well thought out. Our service was perfect , We were served by Jack who was very knowledgeable about all the cocktails and happy to make off menu drinks.

I popped into this bar on a recommendation from a bar just down the road. I wasn’t disappointed, the bar is tiny ! And tight and dark and a little uncomfortable but it has an amazing charm to it that makes you feel like you have been going there for years. I had a incredible version of an expresso martini 🍸 and I will definitely be going back for another one.

This is the first time I have ever written a review but I feel compelled given the experience I had yesterday. My friend and I ordered a round of cocktails...all ok. When it came to the second round, I received a cocktail of a very poor quality. I didn’t drink it and politely asked for it to be exchanged. The barman said no problem without question, so I assumed that my new drink was a replacement. At the end of the night I had been charged for the full drink that was taken away so I queried it. The response I received was the most aggressive and defensive I had ever received in my life. The “manager” at the bar’s explanation was that it was “my problem” that I didn’t like the drink I ordered when I sent it back and you “don’t try things at the supermarket and send them back.” I didn’t realise I was in the supermarket! When I said I was uncomfortable with my response she said “well I won’t talk to you- I’ll talk to your friend.” We did (begrudgingly) get our money back after this rant from the staff member but I have never, ever experienced anything like it. I’m not sure if this person has a background in hospitality but I would suggest some immediate retraining if the owner is reading these reviews.

Cuando buscas algo sencillo en Londres, este es uno de los más populares. Excelentes cócteles y bebidas, muy a menudo ocupados por su gran ambiente y entusiasmo. Un poco caro pero no más que cualquier bar de cócteles en Londres. Puede que esté demasiado ocupado, así que cuando haya espacio, nos quedaríamos en otro lugar. ¡Puede ser ruidoso pero eso es parte del encanto!

If the cocktails weren’t as amazing as they are, the incredible team would still leave me giving Happiness a 5/5. Gian and the team are friendly, fast, and polite, and clearly very well educated on what they do. Great music, great vibes and really great people. Cannot fault it.

Really cool place on Hoxton sq in Shoreditch. Having never been there decided to go with a friend. We could not book in advance so had to wait for some 20 min but that was abs ok as the staff was very friendly and attentative and informed us on when we should be able to be seated.

The title says it all! Very impressed with this speak easy, highly recommend! However, if I am being fussy, they had run out of a lot of fruits meaning I had to have a raspberry cosmopolitan and a raspberry mojito. They still tasted great and additionally we did arrive quite late (just before 10pm) but I would have preferred a classic Cosmo, hence the 4 stars.

Combined cocktails with dinner @ 100 Hoxton, as very close by. This venue is in a quaint little basement, well hidden but a gem of a place, with great Cocktail list and the service is fabulous...highly recommended

Second time in my life I feel I need to write a review. From the moment I stepped foot in this place the waiter made me feel super un-welcomed. I got seated at a table with 2 other friends. A fourth friend reached us for 15 minutes as he was passing by. The waiter got angry at me and made us feel incredibly guilty. Note that we were not loud, we were occupying a very small space, not taking space from any of the other customers and we were paying customers. We ordered drinks the whole night, so definitely not people you want to get rid of. When we asked for the bill, they brought it to our table without the usual aluminium tin, so they accused us of stealing it. Of course we didn't (who would steal an aluminium tin after spending £100+ in a bar?) but as they insisted I told them to feel free to inspect our bags if they wanted to do so. This is a terrible customer experience, felt like they didn't want us there and was also accused to be a thief. They were very rude and as a paying customer who is always very respectful this is unacceptable. Never going again.

We spent an hour sampling the cocktail menu in this place....wow what a find. We lucked out a little as they had some guest bartenders in from Helsinki that brought a one of small menu all the way from Finland with them - “burning heart”is the best cocktail both me and my wife have ever had. Staff take time to explain the different cocktails and help you make choices based on your preferences!

Escondido en un sótano en Hoxton Square, casi pasas por este pequeño lugar, pero no lo hagas, incluso si eso significa hacer cola por un espacio. Pequeño pero perfecto en todos los sentidos, tiene un menú ecléctico e innovador con cócteles perfectamente combinados, y un personal amable y conocedor que realmente sabe lo que hace. Compartimos cuatro cócteles, todos muy diferentes, todos perfectos y terminados con un sazerac, con opción de coñac o centeno. Cuando los demás entienden mal las cosas, esto se lleva a cabo silenciosamente para que todo esté bien.

Este lugar es genial, aunque muy pequeño y oscuro. Tiene un buen ambiente, fresco y acogedor, con un zumbido de personas que se lo pasan bien. Buena lista de cócteles interesantes. Mi hermana ha estado varias veces antes y habían cambiado el menú de cócteles en esta visita. No tenían su cóctel favorito en la lista, pero el barman amablemente lo hizo para ella de todos modos. Personal amable y servicial. Muy ocupado, aunque estuvimos allí un lunes por la noche. Recomendaría reservar con antelación ya que mi hermana suele hacerlo los fines de semana.

Very cool and very busy, even on a Sunday night! Recommend booking! We stopped for a quick beer and the selection was good for those who don’t fancy a cocktail. Staff v friendly too!

A kind of secret bar in a basement on the street. Great atmosphere and good cocktails. I will come back!