Hackney Picturehouse
270 Mare Street, Hackney, London E8 1HE
This stylish cinema complex shows a great mixture of arthouse and mainstream movies, with seasons including African film, and live screenings of National Theatre productions. Downstairs there’s an impressively long bar serving good grub, such as antipasto platters, burgers and cakes, plus there’s an exhibition space and bar on the second floor. At the top of the building, the Hackney Attic, a chic bar and music venue, hosts great small-scale live events at very reasonable prices.