Sune

The East London wine bar scene is a crowded market, but Sune has the credentials to back up its position as one of the best. Sitting pretty at the bottom of Broadway Market, the emerald awnings of this neighbourhood joint have been a fixture of the area since 2023, and almost three years on, Honey Spencer and Charlie Sims’ restaurant stands as strong as ever. Though that was never in doubt: this hospitality dream team has a CV studded with heavy hitters, with Noma, Lyle’s and Evelyn’s Table among them.

The room is relaxed, homely, and pleasingly hectic. Wood furnishings and hand-scrawled chalkboards provide plenty of character, whilst an open kitchen feeds the room with noise and energy, a brigade of chefs bustling around serving up seasonal small plates. The rest of the space is jam-packed too, with staff artfully weaving between the tables, and diners primed and ready for eavesdropping on neighbours.

It’ll come as no surprise that the wine list at Sune is superb - Spencer is one of London’s very best sommeliers, and she lends her Midas touch to the list, leaning towards personality-packed natural wines that vary in affordability. A bold Georgian orange lands a punch with its stone-fruit edge, whilst a lighter, minerally white rounds out the evening.

The menu follows the classic wine bar formula of snacks, and small plates, with a few larger options for those who’ve come hungry. We over-order, playing Tetris with the addition of each new plate. But it only takes a few openers, before we’re won over by the kitchen's serious skill and creativity. Beef tartare puts a spin on the classic: creamy, herby, and mixed through with anchovies for an added twang, and we happily shovel it up with paprika-soaked crisps. Next comes a flatbread in all its superlative glory. It's pillowy in the middle, beautifully charred, and thoroughly drenched in a punchy, spiced crab butter.

We order one of the larger plates too, and whilst a delicate piece of grilled trout boasts wonderfully crisp skin, it doesn’t quite scale the lofty heights of the starters. Then again, the bar is now set very high indeed. The fish itself could stand to be a little more assertive, though a silky lemon verbena beurre blanc more than compensates with its buttery richness.

There's so much life within these four walls that we could quite happily have sat there all night, soaking it in, and ordering ‘just one more glass’.

Sune is a restaurant and wine bar in Hackney, belonging to acclaimed sommelier Honey Spencer and partner Charlie Sims. The restaurant sits right at the bottom of Broadway Market, and boasts a bright dining room and an outside terrace that looks out onto the canal. The couple have worked in some of the world’s most highly regarded restaurants, including Noma, Lyle’s, Maos and Evelyn’s Table.

Minimal interiors make use of lots of natural materials - the floors and table tops are made with reclaimed timber. At one end of the restaurant, an open kitchen pass allows guests a view straight into the buzz of the kitchen, and there are tables throughout, as well as a window counter for people-watching.

Menus at Sune cover a la carte dining, mid-week set menu lunches, and a Sunday brunch. Menus are constantly changing with the seasons, but guests can expect to see Penicillin, Negroni, and House Martini cocktails to match with snacks and starters like oysters with mignonette, charred flatbread with whipped cod’s roe, and yurrita anchovies with boquerones. Further down the menu you’ll find white asparagus with mussels, stracciatella with bitter leaves and blood orange, and nettle agnolotti with marjoram butter.

It’s all seasonal, with a dessert list that’s previously featured the likes of panna cotta with blood orange and rhubarb, alongside chocolate tarts with Pedro Ximinez and cultured cream. As for brunch menus at Sune, you might spot some of the above, alongside a fruit de mer plate, pork chop Milanese with a fried egg, or braised short rib croque monsieur with horseradish and chive.

Meanwhile, Spencer curates a wine list that evolves with the seasons, drawing on her extensive experience and network of lesser-known producers from all over the world. Spencer also features some of the world’s most in-demand bottles on the wine list, making Sune a must-visit for wine buffs.