Photo: The Lock Inn
The Lock Inn: Darts in Hackney Wick, London
The Lock Inn is a proper independent neighbourhood pub on the River Lee Navigation in Hackney Wick, sitting in the Here East corner of the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park. There is a dart board you can just walk up and use, plus a pool table, so it suits a casual game with mates over a pint rather than a booked competition setup. The single most useful thing to know is that it is free to play and there is no oche to reserve, so timing your visit for a quieter weekday afternoon gives you the clearest run at the board. Alongside the darts you get a big canalside beer garden, craft beer and cocktails, home-cooked pizzas and burgers, live sport on the big screen, a Tuesday quiz and trad Irish music on Friday nights.
Contact
- Address 26 East Bay Lane, Here East, Hackney Wick, E15 2GW
Opening hours
- Mon 16:00-23:00
- Tue 16:00-23:00
- Wed 16:00-23:00
- Thu 16:00-23:00
- Fri 16:00-23:00
- Sat 12:00-23:00
- Sun 12:00-22:00
Good to know
- Darts
The darts setup
This is a pub board, not a darts bar, so do not expect automatic scoring or rows of bookable oches. You get a standard wall-mounted board and you chalk up the old-fashioned way, with a pool table next to it for when you fancy a change. Because it is first-come and free, the board can get claimed on busy evenings, especially Friday and Saturday when the place fills up. Aim for a weekday afternoon or early evening if you want a guaranteed throw. Bring your own arrows if you are fussy, though the bar can usually sort you out for a casual game.
Good to know
No booking needed for darts, just turn up and ask at the bar. The kitchen does home-cooked food including 48-hour-proved pizzas, burgers built from short rib, chuck and brisket, and a Sunday roast, so you can make a proper afternoon of it. There is a rotating lineup of craft beer from local breweries (Five Points often features), two changing cask ales and a solid cocktail list. The canalside beer garden is the big draw in summer. It is dog-friendly and family-friendly with step-free access. Doors open at 4pm on weekdays and noon at weekends.
The pub scene here
The Lock Inn leans into the community-pub feel rather than the sleek bar vibe a lot of Hackney Wick trades on. Tuesday is quiz night, Friday brings live traditional Irish music from 7:30pm, and the big screen pulls a crowd for football and rugby on Sky and TNT. That mix means the darts and pool sit inside a genuinely sociable room, good for a group who want a bit of everything in one night. It is a five-minute walk from Hackney Wick Overground and a short stroll across the park from the Olympic stadium, so it works as a pre or post-event spot too.
Common questions
- What is The Lock Inn in Hackney Wick?
- It is an independent canalside pub on the River Lee Navigation at Here East, in the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park. It has a dart board and a pool table, a big beer garden, home-cooked food, craft beer and cocktails, plus live sport, a weekly quiz and trad Irish music.
- Is darts free to play at The Lock Inn?
- Yes. The dart board is a free pub board on a first-come basis, with no booking fee or hire charge. Just turn up and ask at the bar.
- Do you need to book to play darts at The Lock Inn?
- No. There is no bookable oche or timed session here. The board is free to use whenever it is not already taken, so it is purely walk-in.
- What are The Lock Inn's opening hours?
- Monday to Friday it opens at 4pm and closes at 11pm, Saturday is noon to 11pm, and Sunday is noon to 10pm.
- What is the nearest station to The Lock Inn?
- Hackney Wick on the London Overground is the closest, around a five-minute walk. The pub is at 26 East Bay Lane, E15 2GW, inside the Here East complex by the canal.
- Is The Lock Inn good for groups?
- Yes. With a dart board, a pool table, a large canalside beer garden, food, live sport on the big screen and a Tuesday quiz, there is plenty to keep a group busy, and it is dog and family-friendly with step-free access.
Other darts bars nearby
- The Lock Inn Hackney Hackney
- The Beer Merchants Tap Hackney Wick, E9
- The Eagle (Hackney) Hackney, E9
- The Eagle Hackney (Homerton, E9)
- Gravity MAX (London) Westfield Stratford Westfield Stratford
- Birkbeck Tavern Leyton