Not all bar crawls deserve a place in your memory, but taking on The Umbrella Project’s five unique bars is no ordinary crawl. Stretching along the A10 from Shoreditch to Dalston, this constellation of bars offers wildly different moods, each a distinct chapter in one perfectly unhinged night out. What ties them together? A team of passionate, charming staff and drinks lists packed with clever ingredients – from hits of Chartreuse and Ocho Blanco to house-made sodas. No matter where you pause, the cocktails are flawless. But the real trick? No two stops feel the same, making hopping between them not only acceptable but essential.
Stop One: The Umbrella Workshop
Hidden in a cobbled 19th-century mews, the Workshop is where the Umbrella story begins – both literally and creatively. Part bar, part R&D cocktail laboratory, this is where the team’s wildest ideas are born and where you’ll sip the future of Hackney’s drinks scene. It’s open only until 10pm, so it’s the ideal start. I settled in with the Mile High Club – light and sparkling with truffle savouriness – and eyed up bottles for home, knowing full well my own bartending attempts wouldn’t touch this. The dill and rye-spiked Dill Dough and the fruity, chai-spiced Pressure Drop also tempted, reminding you that experimentation tastes remarkably good when done right.
10, Cleeve Workshops, Boundary St, London E2 7JD
Stop Two: Umbrella Cider House
Under the railway arches, sunlight spills across benches, glasses clink, and a live band kicks off a tune that feels like summer. The Umbrella Cider House is the newest sibling in the project – less about cocktails (though they’re quietly excellent here too), more about exceptional crisp ciders and a house-made alcoholic ginger beer that packs just the right punch. I nursed a cold apple and rhubarb cider, toes tapping along with the open mic band, then gave in to a refreshing Paloma on tap. With darts, pool, and a laid-back vibe, this is where groups settle in for the afternoon and forget they had other plans.
Unit 1, Birkbeck Street, London E2 0EL
Stop Three: The Sun Tavern
Bethnal Green’s Sun Tavern has a reputation that spans more than a few London postcodes. There’s an unmistakable charm here – a little rustic, a little rough-round-the-edges, but always inviting. Perfect for groups looking to share a round of saucisson, bread and pickles alongside a drinks list that keeps things interesting. I grabbed a table and some preserves, sipping the sharp, herbaceous The Real Housewives cocktail and enjoying the warm hum of laughter and clinking glasses. Inside, the soundtrack veers from British indie classics to folk and alternative, always perfectly tuned to the mood of the room. It’s got edge, but the kind you want to lean into rather than escape.
441 Bethnal Green Road, London E2 0AN
Stop Four: Discount Suit Company
By the time you reach Spitalfields, it’s time to change pace. Down an unassuming stairwell behind a former tailor’s shop, Discount Suit Company is low-ceilinged, warmly lit and impossible not to fall a little bit in love with. It’s intimate and effortlessly cool – the perfect date night hideaway. Northern Soul and rock ‘n’ roll drift through the space as you sip something unexpected: perhaps a pineapple-laced Drugstore Cowboy or the fig leaf-tinted Meladori Magpie. You’ll sit close, whether you mean to or not, sharing cocktails and stolen smiles.
29A Wentworth St, Spitalfields, London E1 7TB
Stop Five: Parasol
Dalston has no shortage of bars, but Parasol sits quietly beneath them all – literally. Its only clue is a small neon umbrella glowing just above a doorway you’d otherwise miss. But step below street level and you’re in a cavernous underground hideout where the night stretches on. Perfect for dancing, perfect for bar-side chats, Parasol is a choose-your-own-adventure finale. I started with the Yuk Fu – sharp, creamy, a blast of chartreuse and coconut – and watched as strangers became friends. For a final flourish, the Death By Snu Snu, sparkling with pear and rhubarb, closed the crawl with a grin.
36 Stoke Newington Rd, London N16 7XJ
The Last Word
Each Umbrella Project bar has its own personality – whether you’re in the mood for sunshine and cider, inventive cocktails in a mews, a rowdy night with friends or a moody date night hideaway. But together, they form a rare thing: a bar crawl where every stop feels like the best decision you’ve made all night.
