please note - reviews on this site are purely the opinion of site visitors, so don't take them too seriously.
Quite a bizzare place really. Was being decorated yesterday (only paint I think). About 12 blokes on a walking tour arrived at the same time as me. Beer and service excellent, but not a wide choice. The 4 handpumps had ESB, Pride, Sharp's Doom Bar and Crouch Vale Brewer's Gold.
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I agree with all comments below - well worth a visit. Or 10.
Very curious to try the food.
Long live Lenny the cat (do I remember his name right?)
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Classic old-school back-street London boozer. five ales, Crouch Vale Brewers Gold is apparently a regular and was my choice. In a sidestreet just of Brick Lane in the heart of "Banglatown", I got the curious feeling virtually none of the customers were local. (A mate and I made a detour from Liverpool Street station for old times sake having not been here for a good few years.)
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Great boozer, an oasis from the usual London pub. Excellent ale (Sharp's Doom Bar on our visit), friendly locals and the largest pub cat ever! Only fly in the ointment was my wife's white wine, which would have been good if iot was served chilled. White wine at room temperature - no!
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Great pub for a quick ale or a football match of a Thursday.
Well-priced ale, not much attitude, a good mixture of locals from the office, the building site and the artist’s studio.
A small piece of England, an island of common sense in sea of rat infested multi cultural overcrowding
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Brilliant, brilliant pub. Friendly staff and punters, excellent atmosphere, good beer (Doom Bar is a top pint), nice pics on the wall. I could go on. A proper east end boozer, just when you thought they'd all been Shoreditched into submission.
snote - 25 Jun 2008 18:28 |
Small tight boozer, with a great set of well-kept ales (the Crouch Vale Brewers Gold was a real 10/10) and really good atmosphere.
Not easy to find, make sure you go equipped with an A-Z!
Has a stall selling cheap sarnies inside, so no need to move too far if you get the munchies between pints (although of course there a number of splendid curry houses nearby).
We were also subjected to the pub cat (which can sleep through anything) deciding that we were sitting in his space and could we move along please! Who could begrudge him?
I won't run through the Guardianista East End clichés (but they all apply).
Wonderful place, well worth making the trip. One of London's finest.
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I'm not sure I'd describe the pub as "cavernous" - the previous poster might well be referring to a different pub
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Cavernous pub with big range of real ales.
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Nice traditional pub, no frills just good beer, reading previous posts the selection of ale is standard. The Crouch Vale BG was on good form it must be said. Didn't sample the food but seeing the prices it looks to be exceptional value. Very homely feel, bottles on a picture rail level shelf and an old piano at the rear of the bar.
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I love this pub, it's a lot like the pubs I sat outside as a child! They do a lovely sunday roast which at £5 for lunch and pudding is a bargain. As previous posters have said, it is a bit like sitting in your nan's living room, with the lace curtains etc but it has a lovely atmosphere. There's always a good selection of beer on tap too. Beware, it's tiny and does get rammed sometimes.
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Visited on a damp Thurs evening. The description of this place that always sticks in my mind is that its like someone's front room - particularly the net curtains on the windows (there are even nets on the small windows in the gents). Its a small pub, but I think its become more popular in the last year or two, as there were certainly a few trendies around.
The beer was the same as previous posts - Brewer's Gold, Doom Bar, ESB & Pride. I was on the BG which was in very good condition. So high marks for the beer. Sizeable whisky selection too.
Quality Brick Lane boozer. Has the feel of an east end pub, but is friendly unlike some of the dives you get not a million miles away. If you're in the area, well worth a visit.
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In again last Sunday, this time with the missus for the first time. Decent drop of lager again and found the service fast, polite and friendly. Will continue to use this pub time and time again if it don't change!
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Went in again last Friday. Still a great pub, but did I sense a change of atmosphere/ambience now that there's new staff behind the bar? Other people I was drinking with certainly thought so. Please DON'T change the decor, music or anything else come to that.
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A great little pub, goood ales and excellent atmosphere and really different from the normal commercial barns found in central London
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This is lovely litle pub always felt welcome...
Martian2..Do you no what your talking about? The LANDLADY has had this pub for years so not anothe ex co or car saleman
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great locals pub - good mix of people and the lovely crouch vale brewers gold on regularly. always worth a visit.
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This is the tiniest pub i've ever seen, and the only time i went in there there was only 2 ppl in there! was nice but different.
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I meant to point out what was on the pumps:
Doom Bar
Brewers Gold
ESB
London Prid
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I felt like I was in a small town, back street, local known for it's ales. Is this London, just a somosa throw away from Brick Lane?
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An absolute gem of a pub, which I usually visit whenever I am in the area. Excellent and very reasonably priced sandwiches, Crouch Vale Brewer’s Gold and ESB on tap, a welcoming and friendly atmosphere – that is enough for me to rate thus excellent pub very highly. Easily the best in the area. Definitely recommended for anyone who appreciates decent traditional pubs.
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A little gem unchanged in the 9 years I've known the area. Went back recently to meet a friend and had a some excellent Brewers Gold. Certainly preferable to the Vibe Bar but that was the case back in 2000. I wonder will the local rent hikes see the demise of the place.
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Without a doubt one of the best pubs in London with a great atmosphere and good ales on tap; this is coming from someone who rarely drinks beer!
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Excellent traditional pub just off Brick Lane. It seems like a good mix of regulars and visitors like us. The GBG states 5 hand pumps in use, unfortunately on a busy Saturday night I guess the other two had finished. Disappointingly they were not replaced during the hour we were there. Having said that it was still an excellent pub with Brewers Gold, London Pride and ESB available yesterday. The B/G was in excellent form and had a number of pints during our time there. I too saw 'Lenny' the cat yesterday who looked most comfortable fast asleep on the back of a seat. A small portable TV was showing the FA Cup game in the lounge area back room. We could still see some of it from the bar area.
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Went in here on Saturday night, and expected to find a packed pub, but had no problem finding a seat. The pub was such a contrast to the surrounding area, with almost a 'village pub' feel to it. Lovely ales, friendly (and good-looking!) staff, it's a great place to grab a pint. And it's open till late.
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I came about this great old east end pub about eighteen months ago, it is without doubt the finest pub I've ever come across in all of east London. It is a free house, and serves the finest real ales you can get for miles around. The choices are: Fullers London Pride, and ESB, Sharpe's Doom Bar and not forgetting Crouch Vale's Gold. All the ales are brought in specially. There is also on tap lagers such as Fosters, Krony' 1664, Stella and Strongbow cider plus my own personal favorite keg bitter, John Smith's smooth; the best I've tasted for miles. Adorning the top shelf the greatest selection of single malts I've ever seen and the usual well appreciated spirits to finish off with. The staff are very friendly and make the whole experience well worth the visit, especially the very lovely "Maggie". Even the Barman on a Friday & Saturday evening has a charm that can bring a smile to your face, although his haircut looks like he just stepped off the set of "Goodnight Sweetheart" or from any 1940's pub. That cat "Lenny" must be the most photographed cat of any pub and is a true character in his own right. I'm told his pictures have been all around the World; What a star. This pub gets very busy at the end of the week and at weekends, but if you want fine ales, good food at lunchtime, and a great eastend pub to visit in London; this is the one. Gawd bless ya'
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Another Pub bought by an ex con or an ex London car salesman who wants his own boozer.
No wot i meen guvna.
Crap Hole.
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We were in there last Thursday and nearly didn't go for a curry because of the Brewer's Gold, which in the past has been our downfall....... We bravely struggled away after three pints but that was hard work... best beer in this part of London by a mile..... ho and there was Doom Bar on as well!!!!!
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Great pub, very cosy and welcoming, and fine beer.
Would recommend to anyone
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Well, JohnB, I was very interested in the match that day & had earlier phoned the pub to confirm they were showing it, even though I needed to accelerate my consumption of superb Brewers Gold as Pompey could've scored 3 in the first 2mins, but we held on. BG ran out later on but the Doombar was a very good substitute. ESBecially, the barman I presume you are referring to is from Nottingham, me duck.
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I’m totally smitten with this place. Good, well-kept beers and usually a great mix of friendly folk in there. The coal fire and resident cat sprawled beside it tick more boxes for a cosy pint of a winter evening. The staff are generally very pleasant; look out for the big dark-haired barman who may be a bit short with you but I’m sure he doesn’t mean it and anyway, a pub such as this should have at least one no-nonsense cock-er-nee on the payroll. I went there for a few quiet drinks on my birthday and a big buffet, organised for an earlier party but hardly touched, was lavished on me and my friends. This is a great boozer.
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Fine traditional pub just off Brick Lane, well worth finding. Good pint of Crouch Vale Brewers Gold yesterday afternoon, but why did they suddenly pull down the big screen for the footy yesterday afternoon ( Portsmouth v Man City ) when nobody in the pub seemed remotely interested in watching it ?
I drank up and left - what a pity
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Dropped on this place yesterday while looking for a watering hole around Brick Lane prior to the curry feast. Found it after a quick bottle bar place further up the street. The Pride is a gem of a place - landlord very chatty and obliging, the ales on selection were great and to good order and the locals friendly enough while the Sunday afternoon 'footie' was in full swing. I'll go back to this place. It struck me as odd that there's no big boozer on the Brick Lane to steal the market before the visiting public go off and curry themselves? and then I found this place. Well happy, nice place, proper boozer.
Mcloj - 29 Oct 2007 10:22 |
Great pub, good atmoshpere, friendly staff, and a very friendly landlady. Infact my husband found her so friendly and loved this great pub so much he now lives there!
anonymous - 10 Sep 2007 22:42 |
We stumbled across this gem whilst searching for a pre curry pint (or three).
We were joined by the pub cat who monopolised one of the few seats inside... but who would begrudge a local his chair!
Nice relaxed atmosphere of regulars and passers by drinking outside. The selection of ales was good.
Not sure if this is a regular occurance but at some point the landlady whipped round with some plates of party sausages and roast potatoes! A good aperatif if you ask me!
Thouroughly recommended!
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Pleasant boozer, good beer, good for sport.
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Pleasant traditional pub this. Decent value sandwiches. Surprisingly civilised given that it is within crawling distance of Liverpool St. Stn. Brewer's Gold a welcome pint. A good starting point if you're out for a Brick Lane curry. Good finishing point too, come to think of it.
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Excellent session last night. Brewer's gold was on superb form, and the atmosphere was buzzing. Staff and locals alike were friendly and relaxed. Although only stopping for 2 pints it would have been easy to settle in for the entire evening and finish on an ESB!
Recommended - a hidden treasure.
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Big screen showing cricket replay Sat pm with volume way too loud, but Brewers Gold still exceptional.
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Outstanding. Buzzy, busy, but not overcrowded yesterday at 13:30, and everyone happy and chatting! Crouch Vale Brewers Gold, Sharp's Doom Bar, Pride, ESB & lots of old pump clips suggesting good rotation policy but the Brewers Gold which I found delicious (light fruity summer ale) is a constant. 'Mary's Pantry' next to the bar is dispensing down-to-earth grub at silly prices mostly <£3, eg Ham,Egg,Chips £2.50. The place has a couple of pavement tables outside & an upright piano in the corner; don't know whether they ever get a knees up-going of an evening! If you want to eat on the hoof, the Beigel bakery is toward the north end of Brick lane and their salt beef beigel or sandwich with mustard & pickled cucumber is heavenly.
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Friendly community pub, with excellent beer quality- both the Sharp's Doom Bar and the Brewer's Gold spot on.
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Really liked this pub,but I think that part of the mystique is that you need an A-Z to work out here it is -I'd walked down Brick Lane many times without knowing its whereabouts...(let me get my tunes on-its loud and the brandy has stopped kickin in)
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My first visit today for a couple of years [I had a 'bad experience', now history]. Nice to report the pub is mostly unchanged - and I was a regular here in the mid-80s - and the beer was in good form. Crouch Vale Brewers Gold is a lovely beer.
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quiet friendly local - well worth a deviation for
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Be warned - it is very small and quite a locals pub
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Excellent find just around the corner from Brick Lane. Very welcoming pub which had a good selection of real ales including Brewer's Gold. The Gold was excellent and well kept. Popped in for a swift pint but ended up having five and that was before we had our curry.
Even played Chas and Dave Tottenham songs. Enough said.
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Believe it's a free house, but there were two fullers beers, brewers gold and another guest beer. You'd never have thought someone tried to burn the place down - looks like it's been untouched for decades. Brewer's gold is their best pint, and it's hard to leave the place once you've started on it.
Top marks JN
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Is this a Fuller's pub???
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A fine old Fuller's pub with a broad customer base. Handy for unwinding after ringing at Christ Church Spitalfields, and before heading down Brick Lane for a curry...
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Just off Brick Lane and the best bet for a pint before a curry. A proper pub with good beer and a decent atmosphere. You can also watch football on the large screen if that's your thing.
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Proper boozer.. Very rare. Shame about the ever increasing stinking area surrounding it. It's a very busy area so why not clean it up?
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Came in after a curry. Could have sat at the bar all night chatting to Maggie the barlady. Great boozer. Decent pint of Guinness. Will definitely return.
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A good old pub. When I went there was a mix of customers from old men talking about their national service days to local primary school children!! Most were familiar with each other and there was a nice atmosphere. Pleasant bar staff and good beer, Brewers Gold, ESB, London Pride, and Sharp's Doombar. Lots of black and white photos on the walls and wood panelling with a collection of dusty old beer bottles on. It hasn't been 'gentrified' yet. I'll definitely return.
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A friend recently suggested this pub to meet in and upon arrival it was like finding gold. I have been back several times since. The real ales are well looked after. The only downside is that it is on the small side and can get very cramped (and very smoky) in the evening.
Any place that can serve a good pint of London Pride gets my vote - and the Brewers Gold is a definite bonus. 8/10
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A rare, unspoilt gem tucked away in an area which now has more akin to Dhaka than East London. Don't get me wrong, I love the vibrancy of the Asian culture in that district, but sometimes all you need is a simple, decent, honest London boozer that serves a cracking pint: and the Pride delivers on all fronts. I find it friendly, down-to-earth and despite its basic interior, clean and in good order. I agree that the Brewers Gold is excellent every time. I must make a date to visit this pub again soon.
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Excellent Brewer's Gold and a v good single malt whisky selection. I don't really know this area to compare it to other local pubs but the staff seemed friendly enough. Okay but not more than 7/10 at a push.
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ok pub?
best in the East London vicinity but don't tell everyone because it is not that big.
how long can this place stay in place?
anonymous - 21 Sep 2006 01:02 |
A proper pub with well kept beer. 10/10
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Visited on 06/07/2006 whilst shopping near Brick Lane. The Brewer's Gold was in perfect condition and the fire to this pub some years ago does not seem to have left a mark.
Will visit again with friends, stay longer, and do a more in-depth review in the future. So far, it is excellent and gets a good 9/10.
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After the real-ale desert of East London this was a superb place to stumble over. A very good range of ales in a comfortable little pub in a sidestreet only stumbling distance from the restaurants of Brick Lane, and almost overshadowed by the old Truman Brewery.
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Brilliant old style boozer with a great selection of ales and a genuine, friendle feel aabout it. Can't beleieve I only stepped foot in this place a couple of weeks ago for the first time. Would recommend to anyone who emjoys pubs. Why not combine it with a visit to Whitechapel Market on a Sunday. Also does food.
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Splendidly traditional pub - a bastion of Englishness in what the Guardian would no doubt refer to as "an area of rich cultural diversity"
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hi annie its Billy (Bill Hirst Kerrys friend)great to readabout the pub, im still here in georgia (ex russia) what we need is real beer, next time home will definatley call in and see all and have the beer. keep up the good work everybody seerms to rate it so CHEERS
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Despite the slightly patronising review below, I have to whole-heartedly agree that this place is brilliant. But how can I say that, whilst still keeping it hidden?!
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This is about as authentic as it comes, without being on the set of Eastenders. The landlady is a Gem, about as close a match to Babs Windsor as you'll find, the beer's good, the atmosphere's good and the night out is good.
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Marvellous local's local. Thoroughly unpretentious and cosy with ferociously loyal regulars from all walks of life and backgrounds. Loads of (mostly) well kept real ales. On a recent visit I was delighted to see that it had changed not one jot despite a firebombing attack by some broke-brained nutball.
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Brilliant little 50's timewarp pub- it's cheap and it's a great alternative to all the trendy media type bars which otherwise populate Brick Lane if you fancy a nice quiet pint pre or post ruby
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Bugr'it, though this pub was the best kept secret EVER. Fantastic pub despite being a bit out of character for the area. Only place for miles that regularly does Crouch Vale beer.
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Good honest pub, small but friendly with excellent beers. Fullers ESB was delicious and several others to choose from. Crowded of a Friday evening.
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A lovely local boozer, hidden down a side street off Brick Lane (great curries, obviously, but also the greatest bagel place - 24 hour opening!).
The pub sells a good range of beers, particularly considering it's small bar.
Very cosy
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Top Pub, Serves the best pint of beer in the area and the service and ambience is amazing. Place feels like someones front room. But is popular with both locals and people out for a curry in adjacent Brick Lane. If you fancy a quick pint before or after you madras this is the place to go. Great whisky selection too. Counted at least 15 different sinle malts.
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The best pub in London full stop since the nearby Lord Rodneys Head becamne a Funki Monkey some time ago. Even the heavy smoke (or the massive Police clientele) cannot put you off the finest London Pride you can taste. This is the pub I first introduce non-Londoners too. And then you =can go off and have a Ruby in nearby Brick Lane!
anonymous - 10 Sep 2005 01:39 |
Fantastic east end boozer just off Brick Lane, full of great people of all ages. Real ales and pub food all at reasonable prices. Well worth a visit.
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first visit in a while - superb friendly pub, beer range seems larger than previously, full of nice people having a good time, only sour point the ventilation could be better for us non-smokers.
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Great little place and the beer was as good as I'ved tasted. Like being in a timewarp.
anonymous - 1 Aug 2005 13:52 |
ssshhhh dont tell anyone about this place.
if you havent been there it's rubbbish, honest.
derry - 27 Jul 2005 13:28 |
I have been drinking in the Magic Pub for years. (My mates call it that for reasons I always seem to forget!) Small and a tad smokey, but a PROPER pub and God knows there aren't many of them left!
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Just a great pub. Found it by accident about 10 years ago and have been telling people about it ever since. Terrific beer, warm welcome, nice outside during the summer, cosy inside in winter and, like someone else has said, handy for picking up an onion bhaji or samosa on the way to/from. One of the best.
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One of the last bastions of a community & culture in retreat.A priceless place where the beer was impeccable (Crouch Vale) and the company genuine & friendly. A perfect haunt to reflect on by-gone East End days.
mally - 21 May 2005 18:57 |
What an excellent find, a gem, a salt of the earth cliché etc.
Seriously, a very warm trad cockernee pub with no tat or pretentions and a great mix of people. Even mad old man.
Loved it.
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visited this pub on trip to brick lane - really impressed. Lovely cozy interior, loud glam rock music, and a fantastic pint of Brewers Gold. Several people i have mentioned it to have raved about it also!
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quality pint....interesting place worth a visit, no party girls or loud mad man on our visit so a little dissappointed...Visit again in the summer!
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Perfect antidote to the gash chain bars to be found in the city. It's small, it's slightly shabby, there is as mentioned below the odd crazy bloke talking to himself.. but the quality of the ale is second to none (they regularly rotate the guest beers), and the staff could not be more welcoming (even to 'suits'.) It's a unique place. Take a walk down there at lunchtime stopping on the way to pick up an onion bhaji or two from one of the shops on Brick Lane - perfect.
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The most down to earth pub within walking distance of the City. It's another world. Only go if you never feel self-conscious wearing a suit.
The beer they serve is of very high quality. It is a pub mainly populated by "regulars".
There was a particularly mad man in there once. He drank whiskey chasers with every pint and kept talking loudly to himself.
Camra recommend the pub as a traditionally friendly east-end local.
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