Bow

Bow is a great small neighbourhood next to Victoria Park and Hackney Wick. It's not as cool as Hackney Wick and not as beautiful as Victoria Park, but it has more than enough of nice places in a very English-looking Victorian atmosphere. This place has relaxed atmosphere close to the coolest places of Hackney. The area itself has mainly residential houses and not much action, but there are a few exceptions that make this quiet neighbourhood very pleasant indeed.
Drinking:

• The Morgan Arms is one of the nicest neighborhood pubs I've been to. They have an amazing beer selection and delicious food. The food is much better than average pub grub, but it's also more expensive. They show football matches from time to time.
• Finally there's a cool and hipstery bar in Bow. Muxima is a café by day and a bar by night. They have coffee, drinks and some nibbles. There are even some intimate small gigs here once in a while. The place looks great and the staff is extremely friendly! They also have Angolan beers in bottles and they like to play acrobat on vinyl.
• The Lord Tredegar is a nice and cozy small pub, with great real ales on tap. The pub looks really small from the street, but there's a quite big restaurant room in the back. The food is better than your average pub grub, but also a bit more expensive. There's also a lovely beer garden in the back for warm nights. 
• Lord Morpeth is a beautiful old pub with cozy modern decorations inside. They serve pizza and have some events from time to time. Excellent East End neighbourhood pub.

Cafés:

• Roman Road Art Café is an amazing looking small café. This place looks more like Berlin than London with it's vintage decorations and artistic atmosphere. 
• 504 is a hipstery joint combining art, fashion and tea. You can come to drink tea, watch art and buy vintage items and design clothing. This is one of the First Thursdays venues.
• Zealand Road Coffee Shop is a small and cozy coffee shop on the Roman Road. Great baristas make fantastic coffee. There are also sandwiches and cakes on offer.
• Cafe Barone is a great place to get breakfast or just hang out with a cup of coffee. The place is nicely decorated and it even looks fantastic from the outside.
• The Chesterfield is a cozy cafe that serves delicious cakes and bagels. The coffee is nice too. The walls and tables are rustic wood.

Eating:

• Chilli Garlic is not the most pleasant Indian restaurant and the service isn't that great, but the food is really good, yet kind of greasy and spicy. So, I suggest getting take away. 
• La Table Des Saveurs is a café with various breakfast options, bakery products and delicious looking pizza.

Shopping:

• Vinarius is a new wine and ber shop on the Roman Road. They have some great wines and microbrewery beers!

 Parks:

• Grove Hall Park is a nice and peaceful small park perfect for picnics or basking in the sun in the summertime. Despite the close by Bow Road, it's really quiet and peaceful.

Art:

• Nunnery Gallery has changing exhibitions in a small, but nice art venue. Exhibitions often portray changing face of East London. There's a nice small cafe in the same building.  

Areas around Bow: Stratford, Poplar, Mile End, Hackney Wick