Clapton

Clapton is a really nice neighbourhood with small parks and churches. There are nice cafes and pubs as well. As the gentrification spreads out, Clapton gets more and more hipsters and trendy pubs. It's a relaxed place that is a good option for close by Hackney Central and Dalston, which may be really busy at times. Clapton seems to have taken a leap from poor neighbourhood to family friendly neighbourhood with lots of small parks and quiet streets. Nevertheless, there's lots to do even from people from elsewhere.

Sights:

• Round chapel is a beautiful church in Clapton. Clapton pond a small park with a pond. Not much of attractions, but walking around Clapton you can see all sorts of beautiful things. Walking around is the best way to get to know this area.

Drinking:

• Clapton Hart is an enormous pub located in a haunty house, that used to be a hotel. They have an excellent beer selection including London Fields brewery goods. The place is so big, you rarely have trouble finding table here. They also have a beer garden which is nice for the sunny evenings of the summer. 
• The Star by Hackney Downs is a cool pub with excellent microbrewery beers and hamburgers. They also have a beer garden and a karaoke room! In weekends it can get really crowded and noisy.  
• The Princess of Wales is a nice gastro pub by the canal. There are tables outside where you can enjoy the scenery with your beer and grub.
• The Crooked Billet is a fantastic large pub with a huge beer garden in the back. The inside is very cozy due to a fire place and comfy sofas, the outside area has roofed tables as well as plenty of tables in the sun. There's also a barbeque. The beer selection is exceptionally good and there are some great French ciders as well. 
• The Windsor Castle is a great, quite big, pub with excellent craft beer selection, atmospheric lights and a nice beer garden in the back. Don't be fooled by the outside appearance, since the inside is much nicer.

Eating:

• The Black Cat Café is a fantastic vegan cafe/restaurant. They have everything good from salads to curries and burgers. They also sell some vegan treats and foods for you to prepare yourself. 

 Shopping:

• Clapton Craft is a fantastic shop selling London's local microbreweries' beers. They have beers from almost every new microbrewery in town and you can even buy seasonal drinks from taps to oxygen-free bottles to go. 
• Raygun Comics is a small comic book store with an excellent collection of comics and related merchandise such as figurines. This is for all you nerds out there! 
• Pages of Hackney is an old fashioned small book shop. A great place to browse through interesting novels, travel guides, children's books etc.  

Cafés:

• Lion coffee + records is a terrific small café with tasty coffee and brownies and other sweet bakery. They also sell used and new vinyl records and play music from those records on a turntable. They also host some small gigs from time to time. 

Areas around Clapton: Hackney Central, Stoke Newington, Stamford Hill, Homerton