The Cock Tavern
Six or more real ciders alongside four Howling Hops beers, which is what won it both the beer and the cider award from its CAMRA branch this year.1
Why go
There has been a Cock tavern in central Hackney since the 1650s and Truman's built this one in the 1930s.1 It is one room with what CAMRA calls Hackney's smallest pub garden and good beer prices for the postcode. Howling Hops used to brew in the cellar and has moved out, but the two businesses still share owners, so four of its beers are usually on alongside rotating guests. The kitchen goes as far as bar snacks, and the pub will let you carry in fish and chips from Sutton and Sons round the corner.
The regular fixtures say more than the tap list. There is a monthly cheese night, and a hop swap where drinkers bring a beer to trade and taste. On a busy night somebody may be playing the piano for a singalong. CAMRA's surveyor records that brewers from nearby breweries, Five Points among them, are often at the bar and happy to talk about what is on.
Order this / avoid
- Order: a Howling Hops beer, then work through the ciders, which normally run to at least six and are half of why the branch gave it two awards this year.1
- Avoid: bringing cash. Card only.
What locals & experts say
- CAMRA, East London & City branch, on the cellar:
The Howling Hops brewery was formerly located in the cellar, and whilst they have moved out, the shared ownership of the pub remains the same and four of their beers are usually on sale, alongside varying guest beers and an excellent selection of real ciders, normally at least 6 available.
The same record carries the award:ELAC CAMRA Pub and Cider Pub of the year 2026.
1
Good to know
- Where: 315 Mare Street E8 1EJ, in the middle of Hackney Central.
- Booking: none. Walk in.
- Payment: card only.1
- Food: bar snacks, and outside food is welcome. Sutton and Sons is the fish and chip shop CAMRA names.
- Regulars in the diary: a monthly cheese night and a hop swap.
- No website. The pub publishes none, so the Instagram account is the only place it speaks for itself.
Verdict
should-visit — East London & City CAMRA made this both its Pub of the Year and its Cider Pub of the Year for 2026, and the cider half is the one that should move you: a single-room Mare Street pub carrying six or more real ciders alongside four Howling Hops beers, which are on almost daily because the brewery and the pub still share owners even though the brewhouse has left the cellar. There has been a Cock tavern here since the 1650s and Truman's built this one in the 1930s. The monthly cheese night and the hop swap, where drinkers bring a beer to trade, tell you what kind of room it is, and CAMRA's surveyor notes that brewers from Five Points and elsewhere drink at the bar. Bar snacks only, but you may carry in fish and chips from Sutton and Sons round the corner. It stays off the top rung because one branch record is the only source that exists: no bylined critic, no website, no published hours.