Ombra

Venetian restaurant with lovely service from an all italian team of staff. Yes it is expensive, compared to what you would pay in italy, but the mixed platter (cured meats) at £11 was a good portion size with a lovely selection of meats, the mortadella was beautiful.
The service is excellent and the wine list very traditional, despite being a little overpriced. Maybe a 3 star spot but the service was superb and very friendly.

This little restaurant/​café/​bar (I can’t decide as I think it tries to be all three without actually managing to be any of them convincingly) was where a friend decided to meet on a Sunday lunchtime.
The space is nicely decorated with a cute outdoor area, albeit right next to busy Mare Street/​Cambridge Heath Road (I forget what it’s called). It’s also right next to the canal but there’s not the greatest view of the body of water.
We were here for food and I can only say we were all disappointed. It was overpriced and nothing spectacular (in sharp contrast to what we were served at another Italian in Hackney the night before which was cheaper, tastier and had more food).
I had Roast Beef for £15. I was interested to see what it would be like as I imagined it wouldn’t be your average Sunday roast. Well, it certainly was average. Some slices of beef with salad and olives. Really? That’s it? Then why the £15 price tag which gets me all the trimmings anywhere else on a Sunday. Something, ANYTHING, other than a few leaves and some olives would have made this better. My lunch companions had polenta which was also a pretty measly size and they just didn’t like it considering it’s price was also fairly steep (about £14 for two fish finger sized pieces of grilled polenta and a white splodge of stuff that I think contained fish but I forget).
We asked for the bill once, twice, three times before getting it and left.
Come for a drink, maybe even a coffee but I’d skip the food unless they slash their prices or rethink what they’re going to be giving you for your money.

Excellent Italian bar /​restaurant managed by Venetian people. We had lunch today and I had a melanzane alla parmigiana, plus half plate of spaghetti all’amatriciana of friends because he had a very large portion!
The taste is great and I heartily recommend the place to whoever want genuine Italian food.
The prices are OK, first course costs about 8 pounds, espresso 2 pounds.
If you are interested they have a large selection of wines.

Great service, below average food. The best dish was the Ragu which was average at best. The polenta is dry and unseasoned. The wait staff were really friendly and attentive.

I have always wanted to go here. Passing by, it seems so achingly cool. The beautiful people draping over the peripheries of the outdoor area like nymphs, swathing their way down to the watery side of the canal, finally enticed me onto the patio through their plume of liquorice rizla skinned smoke. I joined the theatrics and got going on the Apperol spritzers. Not a bad place for a cozy meal, it also looked good for gaggles of groups too. Our party was a modest one and on an unseasonably warm night for October, sharing the speciality of Venetian Cicchetti (small plates) was a festive occasion on its own. Bread is served in large, pre-​cut cubes warmed in paper bags– cute, but I had to face the indignity of asking for a lil’ sum’n sum’n to help it down, butter or oil, know what I mean? «We ‘ave a good Olive oil» the waiter boasted. Then why were you unwilling to share it? Fine oil it was too, when it arrived. The selection of meats with it was delectable.
I couldn’t decide on the main and the waiter was suitably casual and left me hankering for his attention and when he went through the menu I hung on every word. Just how he said squid helped me decide, one of my dinner dates went for Tuscan sausage.
That’s just what I got. Calamari Rings. Fried. And Polenta. My friend got, Sausage. And Polenta. We both got a lot of Polenta.
Thank the classics she got a bit of juicy tomato garnish. My plain polenta pile, pleased me not, there was a sliver of lemon quaking under the monstrous pile of deep fried sea food somewhere, enough to cut through a few mouthfuls of the oily rubble.
No wonder the waiter thought less of offering me the fruity balsamic infusion earlier, I read more into his Italian frankness than I should’ve. When he said I was getting squid, little did I think that’d be all.
The role of Venice was played by the Regents Canal, brought to you on an Unseasonably warm gorgeous night, the food however Unseasoned too; the understudy of the night waiting in the wings hoping someone would trip over with a pepper grinder in their hands and bestow the offerings with some flavour.

This is a newish, cool and friendly little canalside corner café for people watching and hanging out with the fine artists visiting or working in Vyner Street plus the unusual creative people from the Last Tuesday Society shop on the other side of the main road (Cambridge Heath Rd/​Mare St). It’s nicely shaded but definitely not shady! One of the older artists told me he had been to an excellent food launch event here, and their waitress told me they do a special food menu with pasta variants for East London art evening people though this is not likely to be for all the students doing their ‘First Thursday’ gallery and drinks crawls! The selection of mainly Venetian wines is good and at average prices from £18 a bottle for a smooth but earthy house red, with the Italian-​ish equivalent of Tapas (or maybe actual Tapas) served at the bar to help it go down; these are at around £1.50−2.00 each for a small portion. The best of these were meaty home made meat balls tasty not overcooked but the croquettes were also pretty competent.

Eclectic, friendly, Venetian owned bar and restaurant just by the canal. The menu is short and simple, day we were I can remember a couple, porchetta with polenta and spaghetti with tomato sauce. If you just want a nibble they have some delicious little bites (cicchetti).
I had a traditional Venetian spritz that comes with either Aperol, Campari or Cynar (artichoke based liqueur).
Highly recommend, such a lovely, relaxed atmosphere, great place to while away an evening.