CODE Neighbourhoods: Charlie Sims and Honey Spencer’s Hackney

Welcome to CODE Neighbourhoods, an essential guide to Hackney from the chefs and restaurateurs that know it best. Honey Spencer and Charlie Sims are the husband-and-wife team behind Sune, located at the meeting point of Regent’s Canal and Broadway Market – the beating heart of London Fields. Since it opened in 2023, Sune has become known for its modern Mediterranean cooking, its considered, heartfelt hospitality, and Spencer’s world-class wine list.

CODE members get 50% off food at Sune on Tuesdays from 6pm to 9.45pm.

Honey Spencer and Charlie Sims on Broadway Market

“We love being in this neighbourhood,” says Sims. “One of the amazing things about being here is the quality of suppliers on our doorstep. We use Fin and Flounder just up the street for our fish and seafood; we buy bread from Forno; and, for meat, Hill and Szrok is one of the major ones. Because we’ve got such a tiny kitchen here, we don’t have space to age meat but we work closely with Hill and Szrok and they’ll age things for us overnight. We can get in particular cuts; they’ll hang them for us, and the next day it’s perfect.”

“Having the market here on the weekends brings in a really nice, different crowd from across London and further afield. Then during the week, it’s a bit more local. It’s a really vibrant, buzzy neighbourhood with a great community feel.”

“With the offer on CODE, we wanted to concentrate on one night of the week – so 50% off food on Tuesdays – and try and get in a really nice hospitality crowd, where the energy is high and there’s a good buzz,” says Sims. “We all know people in this industry know how to do things properly.”

Adds Spencer: “It will be fun for us too.”

Where to Eat

Lucia’s

One of our newest favourite places – a little taqueria in Hackney Wick. It feels very Hackney, a tiny little hole in the wall doing amazing Mexican food. It’s the perfect restaurant: dark and cosy in winter, breezy in summer.

43 White Post Lane, London, E9 5EN, luciase9.co.uk

Brawn

An iconic restaurant that’s been going for 15 years now. They’re the benchmark for everybody in terms of neighbourhood restaurants. The quality they deliver and the consistency with which they do so.

49 Columbia Road, London, E2 7RG, brawn.co

Forno

We’re so lucky to have these guys as neighbours. We use their bread at Sune. Our son loves their maritozzi. We’ll often take a walk down the canal to buy him one.

322 Andrews Road, London, E8 4RP, forno.london

Towpath

We walk a lot. We’ll often walk along the canal to Towpath if it’s open [March to November].

42 De Beauvoir Crescent, London, N1 5SB, towpathlondon.com

Where to Drink

The Dove

The Dove existed even before the canal did. When you look at old maps, The Cat and Mutton pub was there and The Dove but the canal had yet to be built. It was built in the early 19th Century.

24-28 Broadway Market, London, E8 4QJ, dovepubs.com

The Perseverance

A popular pub directly over the road from Sune. We spent a lot of time there.

112 Pritchard’s Road, London, E2 9AP, thepercypub.com

Bruno

A really beautiful wine bar in Victoria Park Village, founded by Michael Sager (of Sager + Wilde and Equal Parts on Hackney Road).

CODE OFFER: up to 25% off total bill
211a Victoria Park Road, London, E9 7JN, bruno-london.com

The Sun Tavern

Great for late night drinks on a Friday night. It was very fun with great music. Opens until 2am, Thursday to Saturday.

441 Bethnal Green Road, London, E2 0AN, thesuntavern.co.uk

Where to Shop

Fin and Flounder

We use this fishmonger on Broadway Market for all of our fish and seafood at Sune.

71 Broadway Market, London, E8 4PH, finandflounder.com

Hill and Szrok

60 Broadway Market, London, E8 4QJ, hillandszrok.com

Donlon Books

Donlon Books is really good for intellectual reads. It stocks an esoteric collection of art, photography, cultural theory, zines and independent publications.

75 Broadway Market, London, E8 4PH, donlonbooks.com

Artwords Bookshop

For books and magazines on contemporary visual culture. A gorgeous bookshop – we take the kids in there. They’ve got a really diverse range of titles.

20-22 Broadway Market, London, E8 4QJ, artwords.co.uk

The Deli Downstairs

211 Victoria Park Road, London, E9 7JN, thedelidownstairs.co.uk

Kate Sheridan Workshop

A really nice curation of beautiful clothes, leather bags and homeware, opposite The Deli Downstairs in Victoria Park Village.

77a Lauriston Road, E9 7HA, katesheridan.com

Things to Do

Victoria Park

When anyone comes to visit, we’ll go to Victoria Park. We often take friends to the English garden which is embedded inside the park; it’s really beautiful and the flowers are always changing. The Sri Lankan breakfast at Pavilion on the lake is always good.

Victoria Park, London E9 7DD

Community Baths Hackney

The Bath House, 80 Eastway, London, E9 5JH, community-sauna.co.uk

CODE members get 50% off food at Sune on Tuesdays from 6pm to 9.45pm.

Sune, 129a Pritchard’s Road, London, E2 9AP, sune.restaurant