Route Haggerston in Hackney

Lovely experience - friendly staff, decent price, amazing vibe and great food.

I rented out Route Haggerston on a Saturday evening for my 30th birthday party. It was a perfect venue: indoor and outdoor space (with seating), nice decor and light, great bar. Miltos was a fantastic event organiser and was so flexible with my needs: I rented some speakers and had them set up (they have speakers but I wanted lots of dancing), put up some photos for decoration, brought some nibbles as well as purchasing food from Route catering (which was delicious!), had my 30 balloons delivered during the day.. The bar staff were so much fun and friendly and all my guests commented what a great venue it was. Would highly recommend - thank you Miltos and team!!

Nice location, good food and nice people.

I’ve visited this place a couple of times and really enjoyed it. The food is delicious, and there’s a good variety to choose from. I especially love that the breakfast menu is available until 5 PM! The service is generally good, though it could be a bit quicker. Overall, I enjoy dining here and will definitely be coming back!

Not commenting about the food because we didn’t get any. We sat there for almost an hour and waited for our food. Turns out there was a problem with the system and the order never went into the kitchen. Nobody informed until we asked. And then they apologised, which was good. But we had to leave because we were really irritated with the service.

Never got the food after waiting for 40 mins so can’t say what the food is like. They did not even realise or notice. We asked once when the order didn’t arrive for 20 mins. The server went in to check but never came back. Asked again after 15 more mins and then were told our order never went through. No apology or regret - just a ‘our printers are not working’.

Really great food, served quickly and always friendly staff

I absolutely loved this place! Emily was amazing!!

Emily blew me away… So professional, and genuine!

Great breakfast! I highly recommend the mediterranean option which has Turkish sausage, borek, mucver and more. A classic Turkish breakfast plate.

Staff are real people. Absolutely best service I have ever experienced. And also really great ingredients.

+50 Stars. Great vegan food and the service was amazing. The others guests that had a breakfast enjoyed the food too!! Will definitely go there again. Thanks

came with a couple of friends for brunch and tea. the service and atmosphere was amazing and there was plenty of seats considering cafes are usually really full on weekends in the area. there was plenty of options on the menu and really cool salads. if you are a salad fan, definitely visit cafe route. their drinks and smoothies also are really good!

Great vibes, cakes and service, and the homemade chai is to die for ❤️

I’ve just turned up for a reservation to find the place is closed. Nothing on the website or door to indicate it’s closed.

Really nice and friendly place to go, lots of

Terrible customer service. Slow, rude and unprofessional. Took 20mins to get our coffees and the cafe wasn’t busy. Food was very average and overpriced.

Great vibes and service, average food for the price honestly. We had the salmon platter and the lamb platter - salmon was very average, lamb was better. Both relatively small and leaves you hungry, which is not okay for the price. However, its quality food which I guess is hard for this city.

Vegan shakshouka is very poor value for money. Suggest including more than one small sausage in the dish considering what you’re charging.

The customer service here is the worst I've had in London. The manager is extremely rude & does not understand customer service. While waiting for 2 friends to order and receive their food inside, a friend and I sat at their picnic tables. To which the manager came and told us we could not since we each had a container of food. We told him we understood but were waiting for our friends inside and then would leave. He told us "no this is a food business you need to leave " to which we replied yes we understand but we are waiting for our friend who are inside your business ordering food and then we will leave. He got snappy with us and had an awful attitude about the situation which could have easily been diffused by waiting 5 minutes for them to get their food which they had ordered for takeaway. Unfortunately I have eaten here twice before and had less than amazing experiences both times as well as the food was not great then (the reason I was not ordering anything today) Overall I wouldn't waste my money here

Nice service and brilliant atmosphere

Really good pastries, even better customer service. Best part was being based near my local canal

Customer service very rude, not the way to approach customers. I’ve worked in hospitality for years but the manager clearly doesn’t understand customer service. He approached my group of friends with hostility and anger to a situation that could’ve been diffused quickly and easily but instead blew it out of proportion. The food also isn’t great - I wouldn’t waste my money here when I can get better food without all the fafe

We’ve been here about 4/5 times since moving close by and every single time they manage to screw up our order. The staff keep on getting simple orders wrong like not giving us the right coffee we ordered. This time they forgot about our order and kept us waiting for 25 minutes before telling us they forgot and didn’t even provide us with an apology or anything. Really disappointing and won’t be back. I’ve never been to a restaurant which consistently screws up our orders as much as this place. Atleast the food is good.

The food is incredible! Favourite lunch place to go. Prices are decent for the current economy but worth it for the flavour.

Amazing coffee place, and amazing stuff, highly recommend

Wonderful food and service. Get the 4 hour slow cooked lamb!

Always really friendly service n that's why i just keep goin back. Guy with the beard is fast with the coffees

Love this cafe! It’s my local and so pretty by the water

Lovely cafe with nice pastries and coffee, great space if you want to get out of the house and work on your laptop in a nice environment by the canal!

One of the best places of the canal

Great service from a friendly staff in a lovely neighbourhood. Lunch deal menus used to be better but the selection is still good.

Lovely place to sit on the canal!

Great place to eat really nice atmosphere had lunch and spent the day working will be back !

Great place to work from. They have a big space food and coffee is great!

Hangover has handled my hangover at it’s finest!!! Special shout out to Ecren!!!! Thank you

Very lovely staff and great location!

I’m a regular customer here. The food is excellent, the atmosphere is great, however, the staff is quite rude and unprofessional. This also shows in the way they respond to negative reviews.

Excellent food. Excellent value for money. Very friendly and helpful staff and a great view to the canal! I highly recommend it :)

Delicious tea, warm friendly service, beautiful location

Huge fan of the service, decor, quality of coffee and WIFI speed. Lovely spot on the river with a good vibe, connected to a we-work type establishment too. Staff are always helpful & kind.

Great food and drinks and even better service. I go as often as I can and I recommend you doing the same if you’re in the area

Great food, lovely staff and beautiful location! perfect brunch spot :)

Lovely staff - Emily was a star and gave me a tasty pastry to go with my cup of tea.

Love cafe route!! Always have a great time & food

Best coffee in London,staff was very friendly, thank u for good service 🙌

Lovely place, great location. Great food and service.

Great spot. Local to us. We had Sunday brunch and have been a few times. It never disappoints. They even agreed to putting a candle on a small piece of cake for my Son’s 4th Birthday! Highly recommend. Try to get a seat at the front close to the canal. Good to watch the world go by. Book a table in advance to guarantee a spot as it can get busy.

I really enjoy coming to Route Haggerston. The atmosphere is relaxed and comfortable, making it a great spot for brunch or catching up with friends. The staff are always friendly, and it’s got a nice, laid-back vibe. We had a lovely meal, and the coffee was great too. It’s a place where you can sit back, enjoy good food, and take your time. Definitely one of my favorite local spots. Looking forward to visiting again soon.

I came for a cake and tea, the service was lovely, it’s a perfect spot to sit outside and read a book. The cake was great as well!

Hamid, Ecren & Alper were all so amazing! Really friendly & accommodating We had the breakfast and it was very filling and tasty. Highly recommend

light, lovely, wifi, nice coffee, not too loud music, good vibes

Amazing service, lovely place to work! All round fantastic.

Have been going to Route for years and its one of it not my favourite restaurants in Hackney. Lovely atmosphere and staff, food is delicious and reasonably priced for what you get!

Great atmosphere and lovely staff. The food is just average

Always great to eat here, now with New menu

Great food but omg the juice a rip off

Very nice food and service. Everything was delicious and the vibe along the canal is nice

I went for the second time to have lunch there and ordered a matcha latte. I had ordered my lunch twice as it didn’t come, but that can happen. When the matcha arrived it only tasted of milk. I very politely asked if it was matcha as it was white and tasted only of milk. The waiter then told me to go and tell the person making them myself or if not he’d be told off. I couldn’t believe and said it was ok, he took it away in a really bad way, saying “I asked you nicely to do it yourself!”. The people next to me were shocked and I asked if I was wrong, they said I should make a complain to the manager, which I didn’t. I went in and said to cancel my order (it still hadn’t arrived) as I didn’t feel comfortable and left. Terrible experience. Never again and would most certainly not recommend to anyone.

Cute place with good food options

I used to love Cafe Route, the food is great but the service is so bad, they really don't care about you and are not trying to make you feel welcome at all. They're just rude and not helpful.

Great local place and the waitress Emily is incredible. Highly recommend

On a Sunday walk along the canal and wanted to stop for a bite + coffee. Got seated at a table then never had the waitress come up to take out order after waiting 15 minutes (place wasn’t busy). Went up to the counter to order and got ignored by 4 staff members - all just chatting or on their phones. We left without ordering to go somewhere else.

The vibes were good, service was quick and tasted amazing!!! Would go again for sure

Perfect location for a chill breakfast. The food was incredible.

A great spot on the canal for coffee and food. The staff clearly work hard to make sure the service is excellent. Be sure to ask for Hamid when you arrive. 👍🏻

Spent almost £15 for this tiny portion. The other brunch near London field’s portion is much more generous and friendly . Food choices are also limited l, waited at the counter for 5 mins, staffs are not that friendly.

Food was delicious Coffee amazing Recommend

Food taste good, service and atmosphere is ok but the portion is small and price is expensive

I had a really disappointing experience here. The customer service was poor; despite it not being that busy, I waited 45 minutes to be served. When I ordered a drink, it had clumps and wasn’t well-made. When I politely raised the issue with the staff member who made the drink and showed them the clumps, they responded rudely and defensively. They escalated the matter to the manager, who eventually agreed to change my drink. However, the complaint wasn’t handled discreetly, which made me feel uncomfortable. I simply wanted a replacement without trouble. Overall, due to the poor customer service and experience, I wouldn’t recommend this place.

Awesome little find right by the canal. Delicious food & fab service.

I'd give the food a 6.5-7 out of 10, slightly over priced for what it is/what you get.., atmosphere is good.. Cost £40 plus for two people to have breakfast, personally I think that's way too expensive just to have breakfast for two but then alot of places are over pricing these days which is sad to the point locals struggling to enjoy..

Food was mediocre. Price was high. Specifically the lunch option for which the was a deal to have salads and a main. It just felt over priced for the quality of food. I would have appreciated a little more finesse and sauce. Came expecting a small party for the palette and the eye balls and nose holes. Left having experienced ‘drama school cafeteria trying to be different’. Is that mean? Maybe , I don’t know. I never leave reviews so I don’t know the etiquette.

I love coming to Route for coffee or food! Excited to try the new menu... The garlic parmesan chicken is super tasty, it was recommended by a member of staff when I asked for suggestions. Great salad selection too! My partner had Lamb and said it's delicious.

Great brunch place, big menu with classics and Turkish inspired dishes. Can get a beer as well

I had a mediterranean breakfast and choose chorizo with. The chorizo was burnt, literally it was pices of charcoal. Any way rest of breakfast was realy bad.

Overhyped and expensive. Food was okay and staff aren’t really the most friendly or accommodating either

A1. I wish they’d open on on Bermondsey St and in Clapton.

Great position, good food. Shame they now close early in the evening

Food is great, so is the service if it’s not busy. My second visit, it happened to be very busy and the staff can’t keep up with the volume. Incredibly long wait times, had to remind the waiter for the bill several times. The service element dissipates if busy but otherwise it’s a solid place.

I go to cafe Route from time to time to get gluten free cake slices as a snack. Normally I get the GF chocolate chip cake because it's my fav. I really like this cake and would recommend it to anyone who is gluten free!!

when trying to ask about my food (for dietary needs) the servers response was its just my job and the supervisor said write a review if i wasnt happy. i would have ordered something else but i lost my appetite after being told that i should have looked at google reviews to see what the menu looks like, as if this is instagram and not real life. 2 tablespoons of vanilla yoghurt mixed with chai seeds granola isnt clear on the menu and is not worth £9.50, greek yoghurt might have been. i also ordered at coconut chai latter which was cold and a tea, asked for more milk and warmer. got cold and cows milk. table service but i had to walk to the tablet, not the bar the tablet station. awful customer service. i was also yelled at and told i speak turkish by the supervisor because of my name. ignorant. A real representation of the lack of work ethic and manners in hospitality these days.

Great spot by the canal, super friendly staff

Really enjoy coming to Cafe Route, and would definitely recommend!

Ayten makes the best coffee in East London! Highly recommend

Amazing cafe - especially in summer

Good coffee, friendly staff and amazing canalside location.

Awful, mean portions and overpriced - avoid this place.

It's a nice and cosy place, the food is perfect 👌🏼

Very nice! Excellent food, service and environment. Good prices!

Great place with nice food and excellent service. Huge shout out to Emily, who was so incredibly helpful- thank you!!!

Came here for a cute date the short bald waiter with glasses waiter was super rude and kept pestering literally every 2 minutes for us to order,,, felt very unwelcoming. The bar was closed at 4:30, most of the food on the menus was unavailable and staff treated us like a nuisance,, ended up leaving without ordering even though we had our sights on this place for some time. Waste of a beautiful venue, 0/10 would not recommend

Excellent spot by the Regent's canal. Diverse menu, great breakfast / brunch options and good coffee. Lovely interior, full of daylight & sun. Spacious terrace, ideal for warm days. Very nice staff.

First time in this charming spot, and it’s an absolute must-visit!

Inattentive staff and subpar food; better off going somewhere else in the area

The slowest service. Waited 15 min for a take away coffee because of how slow the service was

We had an amazing meal here, excellent simple tasty healthy food, and fantastic service from Emily who was so attentive! Amazing decaf coffee too!

I come here often to work for an hour when I'm taking my dog to be groomed nearby and it's generally a nice experience, the staff is friendly and the service is quick. Today, however, I've had a waiter come to me at the table while I'm on a call at work insisting for me to pay the bill even after I signaled I couldn't talk at that specific moment, which was extremely inconsiderate. I understand you're afraid of people running out, but I've left my jacket and other things in another table and there are other better ways to approach it.

Fantastic food. Value for money decent. Good vegan options.

My favorite Sunday place, amazing service from Emily!