F. Cooke

Good honest working class food from a different era at a cheap price. They won't try to please the modern palate, instead they focus on preserving tradition. If you like food and history, just go.

Saw this place on Anthony Bourdain's "A cook's tour" and had to give it a shot. Come here for a "traditional" British experience with a classic Eastender dish. Unfortunately they didn't serve eels on the Monday I went, which might be a regular thing.

Went there on a rainy Saturday afternoon. Was expecting something good for all the hype but was left rather disappointed. The hygiene of the place was slightly poor with one piece of cutlery still having a stain from a previous pie. The portion of mashed potato was little and I found that the pie itself was not filled with a lot of minced meat. For £4 per portion, I can't really say it was value for money. The taste of the food was decent but nothing extraordinary. The owner's manners were mildly abrupt, yelling at me for heading to the back of the shop as I thought the bathroom was there. I understand that it must be an institution in Hackney but this doesn't mean that the quality of the service must be average. I did not have the chance to try the eels unfortunately. Overall, I would say this place is average and isn't very worth it unless you live in the area and is close by.

The best pie n mash I've had in ages. The pies are bigger than other pie shops I've been in and the taste was lovely. It could have done with a bit more liquor as i do like to mix it in with the mash but still 10 out of 10.

I haven't been in here for at least 16 years and was served by the same owner as the last time I was there. This is a great place an oasis of reality in the fake east end of Broadway Market where the locals have been driven out by hipsters. If you want a no nonsense traditional east end meal in surroundings that have not changed for decades this is the place. It might be an acquired taster, but once you are hooked on pie, mash and liquor you will love it. Great authentic experience, but probably not one for your anniversary meal!!

My first real pie and mash (and jellied eels!) - I loved it. It isn't (nor does it claim to be) high quality, you can get a 'better' pie and 'better' mash from any M&S or one of the many up-market pie restaurants floating around these days, but to be able to go somewhere and eat what has been eaten for over 100 years, you can't beat that. The pie & mash was tasty enough, especially when doused in chilli vinegar, jellied eels took a bit of bravery and also a lot of the above mentioned vinegar, but they were also delicious. The best bit was the owner noticing myself and my girlfriend were new to the food and coming to talk to us about it, he showed me the best way to eat the eel and stuck around for a chat about the restaurant and it's history. I felt honoured to be talking to someone who is a genuine, tangible part of food culture. Lovely place.

Absolutely amazing original old pie shop

Overall great establishment. I would encourage the owners to reach out to locals rather than trying to hold onto clientele that no longer live in the area. For the price, I think the mash portion is a bit small but depends on the server. Overall a great place!

If you saw F Cooke featured on a YouTube video and your interest was piqued, I will tell you that the food is simply not that tasty. I got the jellied eels and the pie and mash. The jellied eels were my favorite part - but not by much. I liked the salinity and the wobbly gelatin with the soft flesh of the eel. But the pie and mash were pretty much a bland mushy waste of calories. The pie crust was soggy from the bland parsley-based liquor, and the beef was cut into tiny pieces and had the squishy effect of chewed up baby food. The soggy, mushy and bland pile of food felt quite geriatric, like it was made for someone who had the combined afflictions of GERD and not having a full set of teeth.

First time eating pie and mash. The eel licorice and jelly where surprisingly good. Joe (the owner) and his wife where great hosts. Highly recommended for a true English meal.

This is a great choice if you're looking for a hearty traditional English breakfast of stewed or jellied eels. Get a combination plate with a delicious meat (beef) pie dressed with parsley gravy. The chili infused malt vinegar on the tables is a nice condiment on everything.

We made a pilgrimage to F Cooke after seeing Anthony Bourdain eat there on "A Cook's Tour" back in 2001. We had always said: if we ever got a chance to visit London, we had to try those delicious-looking pies and the bright green liquor. A very unassuming establishment, a little dirty and unkept inside, tight seating paired with long, too-narrow granite tables. The girl behind the counter was rather curt and cold, but we chalked it up to the atmosphere. We each ordered the standard pie with mash and liquor. They were out of drinks, so I had to run up the street to a convenience mart to pick up some soda. Unfortunately, the meal did not live up to our expectations. The meat pie was salty and not so savory, and very light on the meat. You could taste that the meat was of a lower quality. The liquor was definitely interesting, but mostly bland. It's a simple blue collar meal, but to a fault. A disappointing experience.

Well, I'm never going to really diss a fine establishment such as this. Mash. Liquor. Eels. The most apt and beautifully basic and simple interior decor as you could find. It just smacks of tradition, and doesn't fail on the product. I'm loving it, a big plate of steaming grub. And it's very very good. When I popped in, there were just another two people in there. I imagine you come on Saturday, and can't move to queue to even get in. But pick your time and sit in, at the benches, and tuck in to such lush food. Really really nice!

I'm sorry to say that too many meals I have paid a lot of money for have been extremely forgettable. I gave F. Cooke five stars because I'm a big believer in the importance of atmosphere when eating out. I'd recommend this ramshackle little pie & mash shop over many gourmet restaurants because its genuine and it gives you a window on London's history, as well as a story to tell. Believe me if you've ever wanted to travel back in time, here is your chance. Before I came to London, jellied eels ranked alongside spotted dick and toad-in-the-hole as a uniqely English meal that seemed more like a fairytale than reality. After all, I reasoned, isn't curry supposed to be the new national dish? So I was happy to discover F. Cooke still plying its wonderfully dated trade. Admittedly, it took me a while to pluck up the courage to visit for more than a bit of window shopping - I'm not sure it helps trade that passers-by can see the congealed eels wobbling in their jelly right in the front window. But visit I did. Myself and a somewhat sceptical friend sat down in the white-tiled interior feeling as if we had just stepped into the 1950s. I ate the normal, un-jellied eels. My friend had a pie. Both dishes came with a mug of tea, a big dollop of mashed potatoes and a glug of a weird green gravy. Needless to say, it was very cheap. I can't pretend the food was excellent. The mash was bland and the gravy tasted like the juice from mushy peas. What's more, there was so much of it on my friend's plate that the crust of his pie - meat contents unidentified - was soggy and, literally, floating. However, the eels were not that bad at all. They tasted like sardines and I found myself wolfing them down, the look of disgust on my dining partner's face steadily growing. Perhaps some day soon I will be daring enough to try the jellied version.

Awesome East London experience. The jellied eels were great, especially with the hot vinegar. The proprietor was super friendly and chatted with us during our stay. I loved it. I'll definitely swing by again the next time I'm in town!

Very tasty pie and mash, the meat and liquor being particularly good. Sadly not many of the young hipsters wandering around the market seemed interested. Shame as for a few quid you can have a delicious, steaming hot supper, great in winter. Stays open later than most pie and mash shops.

This is the second place in a week I've eaten at because I was hankering after a "London experience" that would leave me lamenting London's disappearing charms. Rather, it left me wondering if Mary Portas would soon be casing the joint, trying to save our high street heritage with a business nip and tuck. So perhaps this is what Mary would say: Pie - 2/5: not offensive, but if this is an authentic pie from yesteryear, it's a reminder that this country really is a whole lot wealthier today than it used to be. Mash - 3/5, it's fine. There is just one big pot of mash - it's nothing fancy and if you would normally expect some kind of variety, please stop that. Liquor - 3/5, not to my taste, but I can see the appeal. I know it's not traditional, but I think today's customer would like a selection of gravies and sides. I don't want to turn this place into Square Pie, but evolution on this planet has occasionally worked out for the best. Service - comically gruff. I almost laughed, but stopped when I got a look as if the guy behind the counter was going to spit on me. I think this adds to the character. You may not think this if it happens to you. Decor - 5/5: superb interior that transports you back to horses, carts and little street urchins lining the windows, desperate to be inside. There was sawdust on the floor! I truly loved it - the only thing that raises the star count one notch. Hoxton Street is vile - I'm not sure who would make a detour to try this place out, unless it started pumping out something more than traditional, dying fare. By all means, go try it out. It's an experience. But if you want to be blown away by a taste from the past, I don't think this place has the gunpowder to do that.

Soon they will be gone!!! Not many of em and this has to be one of the best!!! Love this place if you get a chance in life visit this place before you die and enjoy everything that once was..... Great pie and mash!!!! The way it should be....

Traditional, basic, cheap and awesome. Good old fashioned east end staple. Fascinating interior looks like it's the original. My first time experiencing pie and mash. It's not high end, so don't come expecting fancy impressive food. it's real!

Got to love this pie and mash outlet. It has been around for years and featured on loads of films and TV shows. The pie and mash is always great, as is the liquor! There are a few around, and they seem to be having a bit of a revival of late, so it's worth trying them out. But I've always been a fan of this one. It's in a good location, so you can eat before or after having a look around Broadway market, but it can get quite busy at times. It's a shame that Cookes' had to sell one of their other restaurants, as they probably wouldn't have needed to if it was more recently. Part of the allure of this place is the history of it. My parents used to come here as kids, so it's good to go over their old stomping ground!

Lovely pie and mash. Isn't much between this place and any you'd find over in Bethnal Green. I do think this place is slightly cheaper than most I've found over there but not by much.

I've eaten pie and mash all over the east end for the past fifty years and can honestly say that Cookes is the best by far. If you want to experience REAL pie and mash, then this is the place to go.

I went to London! They have jellied eel there! So I ate it! I'll let Jo & Wales' cat Clyde explain what jellied eel is like: we threw some on the patio for him and he tried to bury it, even though the patio is made of flagstones, so we picked it up, and then he spent the next ten minutes trying to bury where it used to be. That's what jellied eel is like. Authentic London cuisine!

Cheap pie and mash, sawdust on the floor and cockneys. What more could you ask for? Friendly service too.

I'd heard about jellied eels, seen signs talking about selling jellied eels, but didn't really know why they're popular and where they came from. Well it turns out I'm living in East London, the birthplace of the jellied eel, a fine snack for eating on your way home from the pub. Though I'd have to say it seems the jellied eel has been surplanted by the fried chicken for winner of food with bones to be eaten while tipsy these days. So imagine my surprise when today, while looking for a spot of lunch, I found jellied eels, pies and mash hiding behind some scaffolding on Hoxton Street. There's sawdust on the floors, bench seating and tables topped with marble. The menu is short, sweet and cheap. 2.90 quid gets you a small pie and mash (plus liquor, which here is a parsley sauce). A small pie isn't really that small and the amount of mash more than makes up for any hunger you might have after finishing your pie. A cuppa or drink is 60p. It's run by a family, and it's been in the family since the late 1800's. They're sweet and happy to chat with you and they seemed to know most of the people in the place. They will warn you to watch out for their chili vinegar, as they make it hot! I forget how much the jellied eels are. For you see, I hadn't looked up the history of jellied eels before eating here, so felt a wee bit intimidated by the thought of them. But now I feel that I must go back to try them. They make their mash from real potatoes (not instant). Take aways are available. I've fallen for this place, a little piece of local history right in my backyard. Though it was cute to see they're modern thinkers too, as they also offer vegetarian pie.

A traditional east london pie and mash shop. A great place for a satisfying meal at the end of a long days shopping. Meat pie, real mash and liquor! what else do I need to say. TASTY

Situated along busy broadway Market we expected the pie mash shop to be busy as I'm sure it once wasbut it wasn't. There were only 3 customers in there, and the miserable looking teenage girl behind the counter spent her time standing there playing with her mobile phone. The cleanliness has a lot to be desired too as the pie maker appeared dragging a bowl of mash along the dirty floor. His clothes looked liked they hadn't been washed in days, to the point that actually made me feel sick. The food was Luke warm, where the pies were just left on the side of the counter, and the mash has a strange taste to it. I have visited better (and cheaper) pie n mash shops around London, and this will probably be the last time I visit this place.

Not the best pie and mash in the east end, but certainly not the worst. Don't be put off by the undertakers next door, even if you have seen the demon barber of fleet street. Pie and mash as it should be, with wood shavings on the floor.

i have lived in east london for 12 years since permanently moving from italy. i have been to probably every pie n mash shop in london, and this is the worst i've been! The last time i was in there i found a massive piece of gressel in my pie, also i found cats walking about on the counters and tables. also got rude junkies working behind the counter and personally i don't trust them cooking my food. I'm positive that if the health inspector was to walk in there they would close the place down. i ain't to keen on the iceland mince meat they put in there pies. so there it is i would give 0 stars if i could and strongly advise you to steer clear

good old cheap pie and mash from this place;it as been there for as long as i can recall,and thats a long time.they serve meatpies and mash or veggy pies.also stewed or jellied eels.and yes desert is fruit pies which are great with icecream.now open on sundays from1200 till 1600.its situated in what i would say is a market thats making a great comeback