The Mockingbird

Before ordering dinner we took advantage of the 2 for 1 cocktail happy hour. The Pina Colada was so scrumptious that we quickly ordered a second round. We continued with some simple tapas and surprisingly yummy homemade nachos. The main act was the Seafood Paella, obviously. I was in heaven and ate far more than necessary but didn’t regret it.
The staff was very attentive and charming and I was sure I’d return.
On my second visit I ordered the Seafood Paella again and although I saw that it was the same chef, it didn’t enchant me as much as the first time. I defenitely have to go again and try it a third time to give you guys a valid judgement ;)

Love this place. Good décor and atmosphere – feels like a chill, friendly coffeeshop. Really good happy hour at 2 for £10 cocktails (and good cocktails) every day including weekends. Nachos are delicious as they’re made with homemade tortilla chips. And not too expensive. One of my favourite places when in Dalston.

Great place for a cocktail and a chat — more chilled than a lot of the other bars in the area and a nice atmosphere. It’s my go-​to in Dalston.

This is a great find. Beautiful décor, excellent service, value for money — I couldn’t fault it.
I couldn’t give it 6 stars as it didn’t have the x-​tra factor. But for cocktails/​wine and tapas I will 100% be going back. There are a lot of nearby restaurants that try to do what the mockingbird does, but will never do it as well as they do.
ps. Definitely a date vibe rather than a hang-​out place with friends.

Having ‘forgotten’ to eat dinner, this establishment provided nourishment late in the evening on a Monday. I find it impossible to consume tapas without vino, so a bottle of the cheapest red was ordered. The Rioja Tinto is really good value and complemented the food perfectly.
The dishes ordered varied in quality. I thought the patatas bravas were very pedestrian, but only because I know they can be made so much better. I think the issue was with the quality or type of potato used, not with the sauces which were fine. The calamares were decent, but the real hero of the hour was the arroz negro which was off the chain.

Atmosphere lovely for a few drinks… however, deceptive if you’re in it for the food. What an absolute farce, i could have had a more authentic spanish experience in the Whetherspoon’s further down the road, and at probably at a third of the price.
Having strolled past Mockingbird’s a number of times and seeing how popular it is with the locals, we decided to try it for ourselves, we ordered a few few tapas to start with, the special of «Anchovies» turned out to be what i strongly suspect to be tinned anchovies (mushy) on a sliced baguette covered with pre-​grated cheese with a chopped tomato on top.
How can you go far wrong with garlic prawns!!? — these were bland, soaked in oil and rubbery… disappointing to say the least.
Having tried a number of dishes on offer we quickly realised that the food was not the reason people were here, if you enjoy paying way over the odds (bill of almost £70 for to people) for a bland tasting experience then come here, if you are after good food, at a decent price then try elsewhere.
There are definitely much better food establishments in the near vicinity.

I went to The Mockingbird with two friends to have some cocktails on a Saturday night. The drinks were absolutely delicious, reasonably priced and the service was top notch.
I had a cocktail made with rum, lychee juice and lemon, which I believe was called Tallulah, which was one of the best I’ve ever had. Totally recommended!
The atmosphere is really great and relaxing, we had a really nice time.

Very reasonably-​priced wine, and my golden mojito was delicious. I’d already had some chips in the pub that we were in prior to coming here, so I just opted to have the Ensalada de pollo — chicken salad which tasted really fresh and wasn’t too oily. Considering it was £4.95, it was also quite a generous portion. Unfortunately, I don’t think my friends were that impressed with their dishes, but they are light eaters anyway and were more interested in the wine!