Where to Eat in Hackney If You’re From Delhi

New Delhi — So you’ve maxed out your Hauz Khas Sunday brunch spots and GK-II’s cafes no longer excite you. While you’re planning your next international escape or just stalking menus from across the world, London’s Hackney might be your next culinary daydream. Once gritty, now über-hipster, Hackney’s latest rise as a food hotspot has Delhi foodies taking notes. But what does a chaandni chowk-raised palate make of smoked eel crumpets or fermented cauliflower tacos? Let’s break it down.

Hackney’s Global Plate: Why Delhi Foodies Need to Tune In

Hackney, a borough in East London, has recently become a magnetic field for both next-gen chefs and seasoned restaurateurs who want to shake things up. Inspired by everything from North African brunch culture to Filipino street snacks, the menus here are anything but basic. Unlike Mayfair’s buttoned-up fine dining, Hackney offers intimacy without pretense. The kind of place where you might be served a black garlic tartlet over loud hip-hop and bare wood tables. According to Time Out Worldwide, the best spots range from heritage Ethiopian eateries to Nordic pop-ups where they forage ingredients from nearby wetlands.

For Delhi locals familiar with impulsively grabbing keema samosas from INA Market or spending hours in line at Pandara Road’s classic joints, Hackney flips the script. Here, much of the appeal lies in unfamiliar but thoughtful combinations—think curry-leaf martinis and jackfruit bao. It’s unpredictable, yes, but quietly informed, much like your college roommate who studied at St. Stephen’s but runs a skate shop now.

How This Affects Delhi’s Global Food Game

Delhi NCR’s foodies, especially the millennial and Gen Z crowd, are already on the case. Whether it’s Instagram-saving dishes at Untitled Hackney or noting decor ideas from Café Cecilia, the cross-continental inspiration is real. A chef friend based out of Shahpur Jat, who prefers to keep his identity lowkey, points out, “We’re not copying, we’re decoding what works and remixing it with our vibe.” You can already see this influence at new places near 32nd Avenue in Gurgaon—open kitchens, minimal plating, and a fixation on fermentation. Even a nukkad café near Mayur Vihar Phase 1 metro has started serving a version of ‘sourdough idli.’

Office-goers from Aerocity say they’re craving ‘slower food’—not just for health, but for the cultural clout. Meanwhile, culinary students at IHM Pusa are treating Hackney as a sort of west-end Mecca during internships abroad. What’s happening here is more than just aesthetics—it’s a shift in how Delhi visualizes its own modern palate. As a shopkeeper near CR Park’s Market 1 said, “Hamare yahan bhi ab log kimchi dhoond rahe hain, achar nahi.”

Delhi’s Alternate Timeline: From Paranthe Wali Gali to Pickled Eggs

First off, Delhi’s food scene has never stayed static. From the kebab carts near Jama Masjid to the dosa counters in Saravana Bhawan, our city is constantly reinventing itself. But Hackney’s style of culinary innovation—mixing grandma recipes with modern techniques and casual format—is something we’ve only recently started exploring. Back in the 2000s, the trend was glossy cafes in Khan Market. The 2010s brought rooftop lounges and the microbrewery craze in CyberHub. Now, it’s all about experimental, sustainable dining. Kind of like if Sodabottleopenerwala and Blue Tokai had a philosophy grad kid who opened a 12-seater cafe near Naraina Vihar.

Globally, places like Melbourne’s Fitzroy or Berlin’s Kreuzberg have followed similar trajectories. Once underrated or working-class, now they house stars of the food world. Hackney sits in the same league. And like any good Dilliwala, we need to ask: What can we steal, adapt, or just straight-up romanticize?

How to Bring a Slice of Hackney Into Your Dilli Life

Visit niche ingredient markets like INA or Masoodpur to find local versions of Hackney-style goods—look for miso pastes, sourdough starters, fermented chili sauces.
Host a tasting club night (bias towards BYOB, obviously) featuring Hackney-inspired dishes like beetroot carpaccio or pickled okra canapés—don’t worry, Lajpat Nagar’s crockery shops got you for presentation.
Follow diaspora chefs on Instagram such as @ikoyi_london or @bubala_london for real-time inspo—then hit up your neighborhood SDA Market se bhaiya to start importing ingredients.

📍 Spot Check: Close matches in Delhi include SDA Market (for experimental cafes), Champa Gali (for thrift-meets-miso vibes), and Humayunpur (for Korean & North East flavors). Nearest yellow line exits: Green Park and Saket.

The Final Word

Hackney’s rising food scene isn’t just a trend—it’s mocktail-and-microgreens proof that casual dining can also be creative and culturally rich. For Delhi, the message is clear: stop treating food like a production, and start seeing it as communal exploration. Just don’t overdo the activated charcoal. So what’s your dream Delhi-meets-Hackney dish? Jackfruit-kale momos? Gunpowder-sprinkled scones? Let’s get weird, Dilli.