Lanark is an adult shoebox-sized coffee shop on the Hackney Road doing two very nice things. The first is its toasties: soggy, crispy, ruin-your-favourite-white-t-shirt things, filled with cheese and kimchi and other things you want to carelessly stuff into your mouth. The second, is that it talks to people. Everyone in here chats. Not just “hey, how are you” but actually, like, talks. In London. Bizarre, we know. Anyway, come for the toasties and coffee, and stay for the chat.

Giulia Verdinelli