The Ship of Adventures

This is one of the most original cafes we have ever encountered in all our travels. The décor makes one feel like one is really inside a pirate ship — the attention to detail even extended to having curved antique wooden beams on the walls, complete with a hidden passage and peep holes in the framed paintings. A ghost telephone imparts words of wisdom and humour, there were lots of interesting knick-​knacks on the slightly demented shelving, a real boat dangles from the ceiling, etc, etc — the place simply reeks of cool originality.
But what makes the place special are the beverages and the food. Again, it was clever and original stuff. For example, if you wanted a tea, there are over a dozen little tins of tea which one can open and sniff before ordering. We don’t know any other place that is so thoughtful.
Regarding the food, it turns out that the very friendly Emily devises and makes much of the daily menu herself — it includes original, delicious and interesting variations of salads, crepes, baguettes, snacks, pastries and several types of cakes which apparently changes almost every day as she bakes much of them herself.
We can go on and on about this delightful little place — and it was stunning to find out later that not only is the Ship one of the UK’s most original establishments, the whole place is actually run as some sort of a charity.
This is genuinely a hidden gem in the heavily commercialised bustle that most tourists discover when they visit London. The Ship is not only funky, it is very inexpensive for the quality of food provided — one gets a really decent meal (and a very good time) here for less than the price of a small oily pizza in a crowded restaurant in Central London. The only slight let-​down is that this pirate ship doesn’t serve alcohol (so it doesn’t have a bar), which may be a good thing anyway — and perhaps one should come early as we noticed the place getting pretty crowded with a lot of happy people around lunchtime.

My love affair started with this place from happiour, despite going to Dalston many times I’d never spotted this gem and the Sunday special of £1 coffee drew me in.
Prices are standard London prices for food and drinks. What really got me when I walked in was the fresh smell of fruit. I loved how everything was made fresh.
Since going I’ve found out they do a lot of charity work with children — hackney pirates. Would definitely like to find out more about this.
Bravo bravo Dalston, a café with a heart.

The perfect place to come and chill with friends on a Sunday afternoon. A great vibe that lends itself perfectly to a leisurely afternoon. I can never decide which sandwich I love most, the sourdough is scrumptious!

What an awesome space! I was just wandering around looking for a toastie when I spotted what appeared to be the bowels of a ship. Indeed, this shop-​café is decorated like the interior of a ship as it plays host to a group of young local writers called the Hackney Pirates. The shop and café support them and the volunteers helping with their tutoring a la San Francisco’s 826 Valencia Pirate Supply. Here you can purchase a variety of nautical-​themed gifts, artwork, and books in addition to the chapbooks published by the kids.
But wait! There’s also a delicious café in the back serving a variety of teas, locally-​roasted coffees, and really tasty sandwiches on local Hackney bread. I had a hard time deciding between beetroot-​goat cheese-​pesto and halloumi-​roasted tomato. Check out their tea tasting menu in tiny jam jars.