Originally published on Thursday, 11th September 2008

The Dove

With it’s beautiful bookstore , the cute café-cum-Dutch bike shop down by the canal, and a smattering of quality restaurants, Broadway Market feels more like a little village – albeit a slightly yuppy-ish one – than an urban market in the heart of the Big Smoke. And come Saturday, this endearing slice of fauxburbia blossoms into a full bougie-communist paradise: stalls of vintage attire, organic fruit and veg, takeaway food from around the globe, including more cheese than you can shake a Frenchman at, and possibly the best damn mushroom sandwich on this fine Earth.

So when you’re done with all the haggling, your arms laden with goodies, nothing is as welcome as a comfy, wood-panelled corner and a half pint of a tangy, refreshing Belgian beer. Trust me. And it’s for exactly this that The Dove has long been famous.

Okay, so it might no longer have quite the army of European rarities that it once boasted (but then, such a range is rarely good for business - unless you’re Uto in Borough, of course), and sure the smoking ban may have robbed the interior of some of its ‘old world’ atmosphere. But The Dove’s crowd are a friendly lot, and the pubs brewed offerings are more than inspiring enough to keep you from leaving till a lot later than you ever intended. Paradise indeed.

Hours: Mon-Fri 12pm-12am • Sat 12pm-1am
Place: 24 - 28 Broadway Market, E8 4QJ
Cost: £10
Web: dovepubs.co.uk
Book: 020 7247 7392 

by AC