If you’re looking for a quirky and vegan-friendly dog café in Hackney Wick (well, Fish Island, to be precise), then the Barkney Wick Café is the place to be. The cafe hub of the Barkney Wick Community Centre for dogs and humans has its own plant-based dog menu as well as an After Bark Bar with cocktails for dogs (yes, really). This makes it the perfect spot to hang out with four-legged friends after work or at the weekend. Here’s what we found when we visited…
What is The Barkney Wick Community Centre?
Before we tell you about our visit to this Hackney Wick Dog Café, we should tell you a bit about the Barkney Wick Community Centre for dogs and humans.
Barkney Wick has created London’s first doggie community centre, catering primarily to dogs and humans living in the Fish Island area in Hackney Wick, but all London dogs are welcome to visit.
There’s an onsite doggy day-care, a plant-based café that turns into a Vegan restaurant and bar (After Bark) on the weekends, often hosting pop-up pup events. The ethos of Barkney Wick is to be eco-friendly and low-waste, with much of the venue is fitted out with recycled and upcycled materials. There is a well-stocked shop on site too, with doggy brands carefully chosen for their sustainable and vegan credentials.
The Barkney Wick Café – A Plant-based Dog Cafe
This doggie community centre is a unique concept for London dogs to enjoy, and at its heart is the Barkney Wick Café – as featured in our Guide to the Best Dog-friendly Vegan Restaurants in London. Although it’s pretty far for us to visit from South London, we drove across London one weekend to check it out. Set on a quiet regenerated street that turned out to be a 10-minute walk from Hackney Wick Overground (or a 20-minute walk from Stratford station), you’ll find Barkney Wick. Understated from the outside, the inside is industrial but welcoming and definitely in keeping with its hip Hackney roots.
Everything at the Barkney Wick Café is plant-based, but that doesn’t mean it’s not tasty. Belinha thoroughly enjoyed her plant-based puppuccino and pupcake whilst we relaxed with a coffee and cake and then picked up some treats and other goodies to take home.
The café is not a large space, but it feels spacious, and when we visited late afternoon, it wasn’t that busy.
The Dog Menu
The great thing about the 100% vegan dog menu is that it can be shared with your human – there’s even a Pup and Human Breakfast meal deal to start your day together! After breakfast, think puppuccinos and pupcakes rather than cooked dog meals in terms of what’s on the menu. Belinha happily tucked into one of the Barkney Wick Luxury Puppuccinos (Oat milk blended with coconut cream and topped with Lick&Mix) accompanied by a Pup Muffin, obviously.
After Bark at Barkney Wick – Serving ‘Puptails’ for Dogs
From Thursday to Saturday in the evening, the Barkney Wick Café turns into an actual cocktail bar for dogs (yes, really) with the very apt name of After Bark.
Dogs can enjoy a range of puptail cocktails, such as The Sex On The Bitch or Howlapaw Sling. All the puptails are made with natural ingredients like raw beetroot and carrots, served up alongside a free gourmet dog biscuit as a coaster! Humans aren’t forgotten either; they’re able to join their four-legged friends while sipping on a Barkarita, Neboni or Old Daschund to name a few.
Our Review
So, if you’re looking for a dog café in Hackney Wick where you and your pup can relax, then Barkney Wick is it, especially if you’re local to Fish Island. It’s a great way to spend some quality time with your dog while enjoying delicious vegan food and drinks for both of you.
Paws Up For
- Plant-based everything for people and pups, including one the best selection of vegan dog treats we’ve seen
- Having a cocktail bar for dogs
- A great community and eco-friendly ethos
Paws For Thought
- Its location is best suited to East London dogs. We enjoyed our visit, but we would probably only make the journey again from South London if we were planning to be in the area or for one of Barkney Wick’s pop-up dog events.
Essential Info
You can visit the Barkney Wick Café at 75 Smeed Road London E3 2NE, Monday to Friday 08:30 to 15:30, Saturdays 10:00 to 16:00, Sundays and Bank Holidays 10:00 to 15:30.
The After Bark Cocktail Bar for dogs is open on Thursday, Friday and Saturday from 18:00 to 23:00; book here.
Getting there by public transport: The closest stations are Hackney Wick Overground (10-minute walk) or Stratford International (20-minute walk).
Instagram: Barkney Wick and After Bark
Enjoy Puppers!
