Caught in the rain with your dog? Where to warm up in Tower Hamlets
Rain in Tower Hamlets tends to arrive halfway round the park, just as the dog finds the muddiest patch of towpath. When it does, you want a hot drink, a seat and somewhere a damp dog can flop down. These are the cafés we'd head for, from Victoria Park to the canals at Fish Island and Hackney Wick.
When the rain catches you in the park
The Hub Cafe
The Hub Cafe is our first choice when the sky opens. It sits in the middle of Victoria Park, next to the children's playground, skate park and pools play area. Dogs are welcome indoors, there are water bowls, and the staff love dogs. It's a quiet, accessible venue with seating inside and out, so you can grab a dry table and let the dog settle.
Two local mums run it, serving healthy homemade food, Italian coffee, cakes and pastries across breakfast, brunch, lunch and afternoon tea. There are vegan and gluten-free dishes. A play area with toys and books keeps younger children busy, which helps if you're drying out kids as well as a dog.
Pavilion Café
Also in Victoria Park, Pavilion Café puts water bowls out for dogs. After a soggy lap of the park, that's exactly what a panting dog is after.
Blue Daisy
Blue Daisy is a cake and coffee trailer in Tower Hamlets Cemetery Park, off Southern Grove in E3. It's more a place to grab something hot between showers than somewhere to sit out a downpour, and it has an enclosed garden. A baker called Emily started it with a converted Chinese tuktuk she bought off eBay, and it's still female run. You'll find homemade bakes and specialty coffee roasted by La Tostadora in Bethnal Green. The house speciality is naturally caffeine-free chicory coffee, made from the ground roots of the chicory plant. Chicory is also known as the blue daisy, which is where the name comes from.
Canalside at Fish Island and Hackney Wick
Tuck Shop
Tuck Shop, at 2 Casings Way on Fish Island, is a local shop, café, bar, butcher and bottle shop in one. Two locals, Jake and Sam, opened it as a nod to the old general store. Sam takes the coffee seriously, and there are sandwiches on weekdays and bacon baps at the weekend. While you wait for the rain to ease you can browse British craft beer (with gluten-free and low-alcohol options), natural wine from small makers, native-breed free-range meat from Jake's in-store butcher, and London-made groceries, including refills of olive oil and cleaning products.
The Milk Float
The Milk Float is a floating bar on Sweetwater Mooring, White Post Lane, in Hackney Wick. It has a cosy indoor cabin and a flame-heated roof terrace looking out over the water. As well as Five Points craft beer on tap, cocktails and a small wine list, it serves coffee, tea, craft soft drinks and mocktails. Food comes from Padron: tacos, rice bowls and loaded fries, with vegan, vegetarian and gluten-free options.
Near the station in Bethnal Green, Bow and Shoreditch
Cafe Avenue Bethnal Green
Cafe Avenue Bethnal Green is an independent café on St James's Avenue, about an 8-minute walk from Cambridge Heath station. Its 4.9 rating is among the highest in this guide.
Zealand Cafe
On Roman Road in Bow, Zealand Cafe is a friendly neighbourhood café about 10 minutes' walk from Mile End station.
Pangea Cafe
Pangea Cafe is on Commercial Street, five minutes' walk from Aldgate East. It's handy for a coffee while a shower blows over.
Further south at Wood Wharf
Signorelli bakery - Wood Wharf
Signorelli bakery - Wood Wharf is a family-run Italian-English bakery. It makes everything from scratch with seasonal ingredients and tries to waste nothing.
If the walk left you with a muddy dog
If the rain has turned your dog into a mop, Hot Dogs Grooming London is a grooming salon in Containerville on Emma Street, off Hackney Road. It takes a limited number of dogs each day so each one gets unhurried one-to-one attention, and it welcomes all breeds and sizes. The groom room has a hydraulic table that lowers for elderly dogs and bigger breeds, quiet dryers and baths, and vegan-friendly products.
Making a wet day easier on the dog
- Pack an old towel and dry paws and belly at the door. A dog that isn't dripping settles much faster under the table.
- Get the walk in first. A dog that has had a good run will happily doze while you finish your coffee.
- Carry a collapsible bowl for places without water out. The Hub Cafe and Pavilion Café both put bowls out.
- Rain sends everyone indoors at once, so cafés fill up quickly. If your dog is nervous, go early or midweek when you can. The Hub Cafe is a quiet venue, which helps.
- Keep the lead short in a busy room and pick a table away from the door, where wet coats and pushchairs come and go.
For more places to try, see every dog-friendly café in Tower Hamlets.