Red Hand
Sixteen keg lines, a bottle list built on 750ml sharing formats, and not one handpump in the building.
Why go
CAMRA surveyed the bar in June 2026 and recorded 16 keg taps, a bottled list running to large sharing bottles, and no cask beer at all (CAMRA). That is a deliberate format: keg holds carbonation and cold-side stability, which is what lets a bar this size pour hazy imports and high-gravity beers next to fresh London pale ale without the turnover a cask demands. The site traded as a cafe and bar from 2010, was extended and renamed Red Hand in 2019, and is run by Grace Land. Food is cheese toasties, and the menu was written by Rebecca Lever, who came from I Will Kill Again: white sourdough, a plate of crisps, and fillings like Morbier Ash with spicy black beans, lime, coriander and pickled jalapenos (Hot Dinners). It runs to 2am Thursday through Saturday.
Order this / avoid
- Order: whatever import is freshest on the board, then a 750ml bottle to share. A toastie is the food, and the Salami & Blue is built on Bleu d'Auvergne, finocchiona and black cherry sauce.
- Avoid: coming for a pint of cask. There are no handpumps.
What locals & experts say
- CAMRA (surveyed June 2026):
Opened as a cafe and bar in 2010. Extended and renamed in 2019. There are 16 keg taps and a good selection of bottled beer in 750ml sharing bottles.
1 - Hot Dinners (September 2019): the toastie menu comes from chef Rebecca Lever, formerly of I Will Kill Again, described as
perfect drinking food.
2 - Local rec: Jeff's own list records The Axe in Stoke Newington as a "Gastropub recommended by red hand," so this bar's staff are already a source on his sheet. REAL.
Good to know
- Timing: 3pm to midnight Monday to Wednesday, noon to 2am Thursday to Saturday, noon to midnight Sunday.
- Booking: tables can be booked and are held 15 minutes past the reservation.
- Dietary: the venue publishes no allergen, gluten-free or vegan statement. A vegan toastie ran on the 2019 menu, but the toastie list is seasonal, so check the board.
- Location: 36-38 Stoke Newington Road, a short walk from Dalston Junction and Dalston Kingsland. The venue writes the address as Dalston; CAMRA files it under Stoke Newington.
Craft signals (beer: the rotating keg list is the format)
Two signals, both drink-side. CAMRA's June 2026 survey records sixteen keg taps, no handpumps and no cask at all, with a bottled range sold in 750ml sharing format, which is a keg-forward buying operation rather than a cellar. The rotation is the product: the venue's own signature offer is the rotating keg list, and the operator is Grace Land, which runs the same policy at the Earl of Essex and the Axe. The seasonal toastie menu written by a chef out of I Will Kill Again is the kitchen's own cadence and a separate argument.
Jeff's take (his words)
- Note: "Possibly one of the best craft beer selections in London." REAL.
Verdict
should-visit — Worth the detour if beer is the reason you are out. Sixteen rotating keg lines with rare imports alongside London brewers, a bottle list built on 750ml sharing formats, and a chef-written toastie menu is a specific and unusual combination for a room this size. It is a bar rather than a destination kitchen, and there is no cask, which will decide it for some people.