P Franco

P. Franco is a small restaurant based in East London working with seasonal ingredients and natural wines. Has been a local treasure for the past 5 years. And like all good local treasures, it’s very easy to walk straight past. Parked opposite Hackney’s grandiose Round Chapel and sitting beneath a Chinese cash ‘n’ carry sign leftover from the former occupants, the only clues that this is something special are the slightly fogged up windows and the hum of contented chatter within.

By day, it’s a wine shop in its own right – the left hand side of the bar’s sleeve of a space is given over to industrial-style shelving stacked up to the rafters with wine. They specialise in Old World wines with an organic focus, and regularly fly out to meet growers in person – so to say they know their stuff is an understatement. Of course if you’d rather see for yourself before you buy, you should pull up a stool at the long, communal table plonked in the centre of the bar and ask for a recommendation. Each day, you can pick from about ten wines available by the glass, and they conduct regular tasting nights if you’re after a more in-depth introduction.