E5 Bakehouse.

E5 Bakehouse

E5 grows organic wheat on its own farm in Suffolk, mills it on site in Hackney, and bakes it in the railway arch it has occupied since 2010 (e5 Bakehouse).

Why go

Ben Mackinnon started the bakery in spring 2010 after taking a sourdough course at the School of Artisan Food, and the operation has grown backwards down the supply chain ever since: Fellows Farm in Suffolk supplies the grain, the stone mill turns it into flour, and the arch under the London Overground turns that into long-fermented loaves (e5 Bakehouse). Owning the wheat means E5 controls variety and extraction rather than buying a standardized commercial flour, which is why the loaves taste of something specific and change through the year. There are now three sites: the Mentmore Terrace original, a Poplar bakehouse staffed by people who came through the bakery's refugee training program, and the E5 Storehouse at V&A East. The Good Food Guide put it in Britain's 50 Best Bakeries in 2025 and again in 2026 (Time Out).

Order this / avoid

• Order: a whole sourdough loaf to take away, then eat in from the counter; the kitchen runs a hearty, healthy and filling main and soup, one vegetarian and one vegan on weekdays from noon to 3pm, with the day's menu posted to Instagram at midday (e5 Bakehouse).
• Avoid: building a weekend visit around that hot lunch. Saturday and Sunday are breakfast and brunch, where the pick is the brioche french toast with poached fruit.

What locals & experts say

• Time Out London (5 stars, 21 March 2023): It was and is the epicentre of the east London sourdough revolution.2
• Time Out London (same review): This is artisanal baking at its best: a feast for the palate, the community.2
• Good Food Guide, Britain's 50 Best Bakeries (2025 and 2026): listed both years as the legendary E5 Bakehouse, Hackney.3
• The Times, Britain's best bakeries (2023): ranked No. 27, for delicious pastries, wholesome light lunches, fresh coffee and hearty breakfasts.5
• Jeremy Lee, chef-patron of Quo Vadis (August 2025), leading on the grain chain the way a cook would: They mill their own flour. They grow their own produce. He calls the arch a cathedral of bread, names the Hackney Wild a magnificent loaf and dense and chewy in the best way, takes the walnut cake every visit, and rates the pain au chocolat fantastic. He also clocks the dairy fridge full of Neal's Yard cheeses and the corner of books, pantry goods, teas, and honeys.1

Good to know

• Timing: open daily from early; the hot lunch is weekdays noon to 3pm only. Published hours differ between the venue and Time Out, so check the Maps listing on the day.
• Booking: walk-in for the bakery and cafe. The bakery school runs sourdough, pastry and fermentation classes in person and online, and those book ahead.
• Dietary: the weekday lunch always includes one vegetarian and one vegan main, per the venue's own kitchen page. No gluten-free or celiac statement is published.
• Location: Arch 395, Mentmore Terrace, a two-minute walk from London Fields station.

Jeff's take (his words)

• Note: "A uk top 50 bakery." REAL.

Verdict

should-visit — Worth the detour for the grain chain alone: organic wheat grown on their own Suffolk farm, stone-milled on site, baked in a Hackney railway arch since 2010, with a place in the Good Food Guide's Britain's 50 Best Bakeries in both 2025 and 2026. The bread is the argument. The cafe around it is pleasant and cheap without being a destination in itself, which keeps it a rung below the must-plan-around places.