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COFFEE TRAWL #5 – HACKNEY PIRATES

07/08/2015
Hackney pirates
One thing I love about working for myself, is the ability to shut up shop – pompous chat for “put my laptop down and ignore emails, posts and the general blogosphere” – and escape the world for a little while. We all know that blogging can be stressful at times; add in to the mix that most of us full timers spend most of our time all alone, staring at the same four walls all day long (bar events, meetings, shoots etc. which are a total god send) so it’s no surprise that sometimes you just need to leave your pitt home, get into the fresh air and of course… top up on that coffee that you’re living off. #ThatCaffeineLifeThough
For today’s continuance of my coffee trawl – a blogging series totally invented to indulge my coffee/lunching habit – the other half and I (who had a day off of work, huzzah!) – headed to somewhere a little different for a caffeine hit. Move over minimalist, nordic inspired coffee shops, and enter Hackney Pirates. A cafe, shop and enterprising charity working to develop the literary confidence of young people in Hackney. To say this is a coffee shop with a difference is just a slight understatement.
On to the cafe…
Hackney pirates
Hackney pirates
Hackney pirates
Hackney pirates
Hackney pirates
Hackney piratesHackney pirates
Hackney pirates
As you will no doubt see from the above photo’s, Hackney Pirates really did go hard or go home with their interiors. From the whole cafe having curved edges to mimic the shape of a boat, to the globed lights and trunks, just being in the cafe is a bit of an experience in itself. *Cue many “oh my god this is so cool” and many eye rolls from said other half.
Hackney pirates
matcha green tea latte
matcha green tea latte
matcha green tea latte
matcha green tea latte
matcha green tea latte

After perusing the menu for a time that was more embarrassing than Mark Wright’s attempts to get Ed Sheeran to perform at his wedding, I finally settled on a Matcha green tea latte which was easily the best I’ve ever had. Sweet, but not overly so, and despite being a “proper matcha latte” it wasn’t too gritty/powdery either… it even got the thumbs up from my boyfriend who is very much a “what’s this green shit stuff?” kinda guy. Nuff said…

Let’s just take a moment to appreciate that I want to shoot myself in the face for using “nuff said” as much as you want to. [insert guilty/but sod it, yolo… emoji here].

For what it’s worth, the latte – which I tried, because I am that girlfriend that tries at least half of their boyfs meals/drinks (the fact that he puts up with it is enough reason to marry him in itself) – was perfect too. Strong/creamy/not bitter/whatever actual coffee connoisseurs would say.

One reason that I was drawn to Hackney Pirates – other than the fact that it was voted in the top 10 coffee shops in the UK by Shortlist – was that the food (and more importantly, the gluten free menu) looked so tasty. Dan opted for the sandwich of the month which was the Wiltshire ham and diyonnaise and I’m 99% sure he chose it because I wouldn’t be able to eat it 😉 Either way, he said it was delicious and would highly recommend.

goats cheese, pesto and beetroot salad
goats cheese, pesto and beetroot salad
goats cheese, pesto and beetroot salad
After mentioning to the lovely Andrew who worked at Hackney Pirates that I had coeliac disease, he spent quite a while going through all of the options of what I could and couldn’t have. In the end, I went for the Goats cheese, pesto and beetroot salad and it was genuinely one of the best salads I’ve had. Those three things individually are some of my favourite things so combined together… cue all the slightly dodgy, grunting sound effects which basically meant I loved it and not that I’m having sex with my salad.

Just in case you needed further proof that we both loved – and demolished – our lunch…

hackney pirates coffee
hackney pirates coffee
hackney pirates coffee
Another element that I loved about Hackney Pirates was the fact that they’re also a shop. Stocking the most gorgeous cards, books, art, jewellery… it’s fair to say that I spent a good while browsing everything. Everything they sell is made locally and of course, any money made goes right back into the charity. 
I just felt really uplifted speaking to the managers (and maybe owners? totally not sure and forgot to ask #ShitBloggerSays) of the store, their passion for what they do was so evident and it’s amazing to see/hear that so many young children – plus their parents and teachers too – have said that it’s helped them so much. I’ll leave a link here because let’s face it, that’s going to explain exactly what they do 10x better than I will, but yes… all the admiration coming from me.

Also, for the coeliac/gluten free readers out there, above is not me chewing the ear off of the the poor guy working, I was actually checking through an allergen booklet that they’re putting together and am pleased to note that they are very “on it” when it comes to allergies… always such a relief. You go Glen coco Hackney Pirates [insert hand clapping emoji here]

pointed loafers
Shirt: Uniqlo
The most comfortable jeans in existence: American Eagle*
Shoes that I’ve worn to death: Tesco (old, identical here)
Outfit wise, I kept it so simple – basic bitch alert – with an oversized shirt, pointed loafers and jeans that had enough stretch to accommodate as much food and drink as possible 😉
So that brings me to the end of this post. I really hope you enjoyed me taking you out on my little “I’ve been staring at photo’s of myself on screen all day and need to get away from life” journey. I really did have such a lovely time at Hackney Pirates and would highly recommend checking it out for amazing food and coffee, but also some inspiration whilst you’re at it.
As always, thank you so much for reading. I hope you enjoyed this post!
xx

71 responses to “COFFEE TRAWL #5 – HACKNEY PIRATES”

  1. Colleen says:

    Beets? Goat cheese? PESTO?! Oh my God that salad sounds totally divine. What a sick place to get some work done!

    COOCOO FOR COCO

  2. - Karen says:

    Ok, so this place looks flippin' incredible! I've been wanting to make more of an effort to get my coffee fix from somewhere rather than the typical big brands, so this is definitely going on my list! Also, absolute make up goals! 🙂

    Style Sunrise☀

    🙂
    x

  3. Now, this looks like my kinda place! It looks so beautiful and a great place to just sit down and escape from the world 🙂 xx

    Sam // Samantha Betteridge

  4. Oh my gosh I love matcha anyway so that matcha latte looks amazing, and the foooooddd omg, not good when I have already eaten breakfast. You look like a dream as always hun xx

  5. Lauren S says:

    "Not having sex with my salad" CRYING! This place looks AMAZING though, that extra dark hot chic got me salivating…

    Lauren x
    Britton Loves | Lifestyle Food Beauty

  6. East London always has the quirkiest hangouts! The food looks so yummy!

    http://www.duchessoffashion.co.uk

  7. BerryBloomXO says:

    What an unusual, yet super duper cool place?! It looks so quirky and I love how they've made everything look so cosy, too!
    Oh, and yes, after blogging more often this summer, looking at theses same 4 fours is really starting to annoy me! haha!
    xoxo,

    BerryBloomXO.com | Beauty & Lifestyle Blog 
    also on BLOGLOVIN 

  8. Emma Copland says:

    I spend most of my life in Hackney how have I not come across this awesome coffee joint!? I am going to check it out super soon, maybe I will see you there and we can chat all thing blogging over a brew.

    http://www.emmainks.com

  9. The "V60 filter" on the sign made me laugh haha! Great review, the coffee looks so good here!

    http://www.abigailalicex.com/2015/08/places-you-need-to-see-in-your-20s.html

  10. Firstly, cute outfit. Secondly, I need to get my butt to Hackney and go to that cafe. Definitely my kind of spot.

    Jenn | Jennifer Jayne

  11. What an adorable coffee shop, and I love the book selection! Such a perfect midday blogging break!:-)

  12. this looks like such a cozy and lovely place and I'd like to sip on your tasty looking matcha right now

    http://www.thefashionfraction.com

  13. I have never tried a green latte before but it looks amazing!!! Love cool coffee shops!

    <3 Shannon
    Upbeat Soles

  14. Glam O'Clock says:

    Sometimes, I also really need to get the hell out of my house too haha! This place looks lovely! I will definitely try it as I have never tried a green tea latte and just by looking at it I can tell it's delicious! Xx

    Alexandra | Glam O’Clock

  15. Love the globe lampshades, what a quirky and fun place – would definitely try a green tea latte

    Suze | LuxuryColumnist

  16. Ananda Saba says:

    LOVING your eye makeup!! So gorgeous!
    xoxo,
    Ananda
    http://www.superfashionable.com

  17. Stephanie says:

    THe globe lamps are amazing! Love it! That looks like my kind of coffee shop! Love your outfit too. So chic!

  18. This is such a beautiful post. This coffee shop looks is so cozy and nice, love it.

    http://www.elabellaworld.com

  19. Raquel says:

    This is so cute! All of that food made me hungry. Plus you are right, blogging can be super stressful. Everyone assumes it is a relaxing hobby, but it takes a ton of work to maintain a blog!
    Omnivogues

  20. LBG says:

    Exactly the king of place I would look for! The lattes looks so delicious and it would take me forever to pick a sandwich! The decor is so cute too. A really fun post!

    http://leftbankgirl.blogspot.com

  21. Rosy Flynn says:

    The salad! it looks amazing, I'm all over pesto and cheese, like literally all over it – don't judge 🙂

    Rosy / sparklesoflight76.blogspot.co.uk

  22. This is a coffee bar I would ADORE. Looks like there's so much going on there and there's such a story behind it, love-love-love!

    x- Naomi in Wonderland

  23. Rachel-Beth says:

    I love a good coffee shop and this one looks amazing, what fun interior 🙂 The menu looks fab too, would love to try that green tea drink, it looks fab 🙂 I love your simple outfit, it's very classic

    Rachel xx
    http://www.thedailyluxe.net

  24. Sophie says:

    After perusing the menu for a time that was more embarrassing than Mark Wright's attempts to get Ed Sheeran to perform at his wedding —- this just made me laugh so much I couldn't finish the rest of the post. BUT I BET IT WAS GREAT. xxx
    p.s. you are such a beautiful babe
    http://www.fashionnomads.com

  25. mode french says:

    Love this coffee shop 🙂 Bisous from France, *-* Sand. *-*

    http://www.taimemode-fashionblog.com

  26. Amber says:

    Oh fuck me I need to go here! I see from the menu there are vegan/vegetarian options too omg! I've only tried matcha tea, I'd be sooo down for trying that latte! Checked out their site just now, this honestly looks amazing! Pinning it to my London board hehe…
    amber love

  27. Youre so pretty and this cafe looks so cozy! 🙂

    GIRL ABOUT TOWN blog
    Facebook | Instagram | Twitter | Bloglovin

  28. Dany Szelsky says:

    Excellent post! The coffee place looks super fun and the green late looks delicious! I loved your outfit and the way you write is amazing! 😀 😀
    xx,
    Dany | Dew Light

  29. Love the photos! You look amazing!
    Dora
    http://www.BangsBang.com

  30. Rubi Ani says:

    That place looks amazing! I need to venture out from my usual Neros/Starbucks!
    Rubi | Instagram | The Den | http://www.the-den.blogspot.com

  31. crafty-zone says:

    This place looks so cozy and I really like the design of it – what's more it's great to know that it's a store as well, where you can buy something unique 🙂 And I really like your outfit, Elle! 🙂

    http://crafty-zone.blogspot.com/

  32. This is such a lovely little cafe/shop! Lovely photos and the food looks so yummy 🙂 xx

  33. The place looks amazing – as do you in these photos 🙂

    Claire | Stylingo.co.uk | xx

  34. Jordan says:

    This cafe looks so lovely!! I'm a huge goats cheese fan 😀 You look gorgeous as always by the way I'm so into shirts lately!

    hellomissjordan.com xx

  35. Beauty Bloss says:

    I love your writing, you never fail at getting me to literally lol. Looks like a fab place!
    The Beauty Bloss

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