CRATE Bar & Pizzeria Hackney Wick — Restaurant in London

Guys, I’ve been coming to Crate since 2018 — it’s been almost 8 years now, and it’s always been my absolute favourite place. I’ve celebrated birthdays here, spent my days off dreaming about my next visit. I’m genuinely obsessed — I absolutely love Crate.

But I have to be honest: lately I’ve really noticed that the quality of the pizza has been going downhill. The last few times I’ve been, something has felt off. I always order the Truffle & Sage — I know exactly how it’s meant to taste. Over time, the pizza started arriving less crunchy and generous with barely any potato…and something changed in the flavour.

You don’t even add the Maldon salt on top anymore — and that used to give the pizza such a delicious final touch. The cheese also tastes different now, almost like a goat or sheep cheese, which I really dislike — and that’s not supposed to be part of this pizza? Not really sure don’t want to do the wrong assumption.

Yesterday, the pizza I got was burnt, dry, and had barely any potatoes on it. The cheese tasted off, and the whole thing collapsed in the middle. I used to look forward to my days off just so I could come to Crate — now I honestly feel nervous to order the pizza, because the last few times (especially yesterday) it just hasn’t been good.

I’m writing this as someone who truly loves Crate and has been a regular for years — please take this as heartfelt feedback. I totally understand staff might have changed, but please bring back some consistency and quality control. You’re amazing, and I want to keep supporting you, but something has definitely slipped.

One last small note: for almost a year, the same sour beer was on tap — and yesterday, for the first time, there was a new one, which was such a happy surprise! Please keep rotating them more often. You’re brilliant at brewing, and your sours are some of the best I’ve ever had.

With love and hope, A very...

I found my experience at Crate to be uncomfortable and oppressive.

We approached the bar. Our first attempt brought us within 5-6 metres but our path was blocked by around 60 people and a laboured service. Sharp elbows; calculated dips of the shoulder, less subtle defiance - various tactics used to get within 15 minutes of a pint, let alone the 30 minutes that less aggressive customers would be left to wait. I loved rugby at school - something about that organised chaos - but I'd not experienced a scrum like this before.

So we'd made it to the bar. Our order had been placed. The 20-minute wait on the kitchen was clearly emphasised, something we could accept. Various pizzas came and went, but not ours. A mix-up of sorts but the remaining pizzas were not served. Note: I would now like to express my dearest thanks to your server, Bognar. Clearly ours and a litany of orders had been mis-managed. The aforementioned member of staff showed consummate professionalism, generously bringing us a free drink and ensuring our pizza arrived a mere 45 minutes after ordering. It was my understanding that pizzas cooked in under 5 minutes but perhaps I'm mistaken.

What can you take from slow bar and food service, as well as inhospitably loud music? Well, this was not my first time at Crate (possibly my seventh or eighth). Pivot back to 2016, Hackney Wick was far from it's current status as 'the spot'. It was a tranquil place, with a genuine character - something that clearly has been lost along the way. But that's how the city goes.

From the clearly underpaid staff to the boosted bass, to the minimum £7 pints (sorry, what?) and the embarrassing service. Crate has lost its way and whilst I'll join my mate's birthday there, I won't choose to frequent an obvious sellout if it...

Coeliacs and gluten intolerants beware! After being a customer for so many years, I found myself on duty to flag an extremely concerning situation from today 17 Nov 2024 at 1.30pm. As a Gluten Intolerant i’ve always found this place very welcoming as they offer Gluten Free pizza. But today they have mistaken my order and made me eat gluten, breaking my strict diet and putting my health at risk.

I’ve ordered one Gluten Free pizza and one normal one. The bar woman took the order normally, and understood clearly well, but called my attention that she didn’t ask ‘is it an allergy or intolerance?’ as they usually do. I even asked for a GF beer and she said ‘our lager is GF’ which it had no ‘GF’ signage but, OK, I trusted her, and even tipped the staff as usual.

Worth clarifying it wasn’t a busy day, so there’s no excuses.

Then our order came, first my pizza, and 15 mins later my partner’s pizza. Once my partner’s pizza arrived I’ve noticed they were too similar. There’s always a difference in the dough between a GF and a normal one. By that time I’ve already eaten mine completely. We double-checked by asking the waiter and after a while she comes back apologizing and confessing they confused the order with another table and offered us ‘free drinks’ as if this was a solution. I was speechless and then soon came back with the refund. This is a serious mistake that can end up in a serios incident. I’ll raise a complaint to Hackney’s corresponding body but I hope they train their staff accordingly. Today was a stomachache but someone can get...