Casual dining has seen somewhat of a boom over the past decade. No longer do you have to go to a fine dining restaurant and fork out hundreds of pounds to experience interesting and imaginative food. London in particular is home to countless quirky, casual spots offering appealing menus at reasonable prices; Crispin, in Spitalfields, is one of the best. A café by day and a buzzy restaurant and wine bar by night, this east London spot prides itself on serving seasonal, produce-driven sharing plates that aren’t tied down to a particular cuisine and proved a hit as soon as it opened.

Initially home to a number of residencies when it first opened in 2018, chef Lewis de Haas took charge of the kitchen at Crispin in 2021, bringing his own style of refined simplicity with him. The purpose-built modern space which houses the restaurant is uniquely striking on the outside; floor-to-ceiling glass windows lie beneath an impressively angular, steel canopy which wouldn’t look out of place in a modern art gallery. Crispin’s interior is therefore flooded with light during the days and decked out with wooden furniture and greenery, while a small bar-cum-open kitchen stretches across one side of the space.

Open throughout the day, customers can pop into Crispin for a coffee and a slice of cake, a quick lunch or a sit-down meal with wine, depending on the time of day. Dishes on the ever-changing, broadly European menu might include indulgent snacks such as Tunworth and sage croquettes with a pickled walnut ketchup and punchy small plates like mussels with 'nduja and gremolata. Larger dishes might include baked plaice served with a Café de Paris butter and greens or perhaps a gorgonzola dolce, kale and pistachio tagliatelle. Weekends see Crispin turn into a popular spot for brunch with classics such as poached eggs with smoked salmon and hollandaise drawing in the crowds.

There’s just as much emphasis on the wine at Crispin as the food. Offering a regularly rotating selection of low-intervention bottles from around the world, sommelier Stefano Cazzato’s list has a particular focus on rare grape varieties. For non-wine-drinkers there’s also an array of locally brewed beers and soft drinks to choose from.

Great food and wine simply don’t need to be shrouded in pretentiousness and the rise of casual restaurants like Crispin are living proof of that.