please note - reviews on this site are purely the opinion of site visitors, so don't take them too seriously.
Paid 1 quid to get in on matchday, but then all pints are sold at 3 quid, which is very cheap for London. Had 4 pints of cask ales in fairly good condition, and 1 bottled beer when the casks were empty. Gets very busy before and after the game, but a few chairs are available if you get in early - otherwise it is standing room only. No food.
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I have known about this place for ages and finally got round to going.
It lives up to its reputation. Friendly, busy, 8 real ales at £3 (3 Mighty Oak and 3 Goachers on my visit). Lots of Orient paraphernalia on the walls (if you can get close enough to see it).
One small question: who (apart from members) is allowed in? I went in after a match as an away fan (in plain clothes) and have read that a Camra card is acceptable for entry. It was, but nobody seemed too sure. On the other hand half an hour later anyone could have walked in.
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A blueprint for how all football club bars should be and yet few are not. The ale selection was sensational including Oscar Wilde Mild, Privateer and Captain Bob while the pumps are well manned on a match day and classic moments from Orient history past are displayed on the walls. Essential visiting whether you are going to a match or not.
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The only pub I pay money to get to.
The biannual Piglet festival has 30 or 40 ales and a few ciders and perries. There are always six on and a themed night every couple of months with a dozen or so. Where else could you drink dark mild and porter all night without repeating yourself? Perfect.
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Paid my second visit here on Thursday night for the Piglet Beer Festival. Beers are served from handpulls on the bar and 3 casks at the end, with real ciders and perries fetched from the cellar. For beer festivals they have a line of casks on stillage to the right hand side. It was very busy for a further Thursday evening and good value at £2.90 per pint. Well worth a try whether you're here for the football or just a drink.
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What a wonderful change from the majority of away grounds. Popped in for a couple before the sky blues v Orient game. Friendly staff, very amicable atmosphere and a good selection of well kept ales. Good luck for the rest of the season.
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If all football grounds had bars like this I would be a very happy fellow. I loved the beer, had some great conversation with the Leyton Orient historian and enjoyed myself immensely! This bar alone is worth making a trip to a Leyton Orient game for. Hats off to them.
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Make sure you visit when they hold their beer festivals. Very friendly staff and
ghreat selection of beers.
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Popped in on Saturday before and after the match with Bromley. �1 for day membership but offset by �2.70 for a pint. They had a wide range of ales on, some of which ran out before kick off but everything was restocked in time for 5pm. Rather military with getting everyone out 10 minutes before kick off but I suppose that with a bar that good, there's always the risk that people might sack off the football. Two TVs to watch and a wide range of Os stuff to look at too to pass the time.
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Visited here for several Piglet beer festivals although strangely never on a match day given I'm a season ticket holder. Beers have always been well kept and the welcome a friendly one.
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loads of lovely mighty oak, noel coward outstanding, great night, thanks to all concerned,
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Called in before Huddersfield game. Wish we had a club like this at the Galpharm: excellent quick service, friendly staff and locals, good prices and excellent choice of ales. All for �1 entry fee for non members. Superb. Well done LO, one of our favourite away days.
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Club of the year again and deservedly so. Congratulations to Mike and his team!
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I must also confess to being an Orient fan. Nevertheless, I have generally avoided this place pre and post match, as its usually teeming with the less glamourous sort of Orient fan, and precisely the sort of person that a young(ish) chap around town needs to avoid if he wants to remain hip and edgy.
Having said that, when I went in for the Maundy Thursday beer festival I was able to properly appreciate its charms. Here's a bunch of people who really care about their beer and know how to look after it. Also, the vibe in there was very pleasant indeed - welcoming, warm and not at all fazed by the fact that my chums and I did not conform with the standard image of the real ale enthusiast.
Plus, they do a decent line in home-made sandwiches - not haute cuisine by any means, but so affordable and generous that it would be rude not to. A very convivial evening was had by all.
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Excellent dark Star feature night last night. Interesting Mighty Oak beers alongside. A great buzz. More of the same please!
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OK - I should declare an interest before I start. For my sins, I am a lifelong Leyton Orient supporter. Having said that, there are enough independent reviews below to back me up so, here goes. If this were a pub, it would be up there in the top 10 rated hostelries on this site. The fact that it is actually part of a football club - and a league one at that, with all the rip-off opportunities that implies - is truly extrodinary.
If your matchday experience is limited to being charged �5for a lukewarm bottle of indeterminate brown liquid, then this bar will be a real revelation to you. IF "little" Leyton Orient can do it with a relatively small customer (fan) base, then why not at other grounds?
The fact that the place is heaving before and after any game is testament to it's popularity. The fact is that the average football fan cries out for a bar where you can get great beer at sensible prices and not be ankle deep in stale beer (or worse). And here it is in all it;s glory !
Only 3 ales on midweek when I was there but all highly ususual (to me at least) and in really top condition. And at �2.40 a time, you'd be hard pushed to find anything to complain about. Service is always excellent and is obviously a labour of love for Mike, Dave and his fantastic team.
The place itself is spotlessly clean as others have noted - Sky TV all round the room and enough interesting memorablilia on the walls to keep any football fan (of whatever allegience) happy for hours.
The club has been named as CAMRA club of the year for Greater London on at least 4 of the last 5 years and it's not difficult to see why. In fact , it's harder to imagine what could beat it !
Exceptional.
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My only experience of this place is last November's Piglet Beer Festival, which was excellent. The beer was all in superb condition (unusual for a London beer festival in my experience), the staff were knowledgeable and enthusiastic, and the punters very friendly. Might also be worth pointing out that the place itself is spotlessly clean. One of the best nights boozing I've had in London. Can't wait to go back.
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Didn't realise this place was listed on the site. Popped in on the Saturday of the Saints game at the end of October. I understand they had turned over at least 10 ales during the day. Supposedly you need a CAMRA card to get in but they weren't checking after te game. Great place.
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Went to the Beer Festival yesterday and had an excellent time. Everybody was very friendly and the choice of beers was excellent.
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Brilliant social club in the main stand of Leyton Orient FC. A fantastic range of ales and ciders (unusal ones at that). Been here after visits to Brisbane Road with Colchester the last two years and have been thoroughly impressed both times. The bar is very busy after games but the service is very good and they clear the queues amazingly quickly whilst maintaining a high level of service to every customer. $ky Sports News on to watch the scores come in and let the crowds clear - shame the England game was restricted to the internet. This must be the best football club bar in the country - I certainly haven't found a better one.
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Visited after taking three points off Leyton Orient on 10/10/2009. Plenty has been said about this magnificent social club, they had 8 beers on, none of which I�d heard of, so we tried the Pitchfork, Bargee and Triumph Stag � all superb, service was amazingly quick considering the melee near the bar. If only we had a bar like this at the Weston Homes Community Stadium. 7/10
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I cannot speak more highly of this club bar, really nice stewards working behind the bar, serving the Best Ale around.
There must have been a choice of at least 8 handpumps of genuine delicious ale, and bottled ales too. We were there for a football match , plenty of space, smashing sandwiches which were snapped up by most of the away supporters , the prices of the ale and the food are unbelievable, at �2.30 a pint, seeing is believing!!, we were so impressed we will be returning, even when our team is not playing Leyton Orient Football Club.
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Fantastic supporters club visit on Saturday. I think six ales were available at very reasonable prices. I think most ales were available at �2.30. There seemed to be just about the right amount of staff to handle the surge after the game. All the staff was very friendly to our travelling supporters. The reasonably priced sandwiches soon got snapped up. This just shows the missed opportunity CUFC made when we moved to our new ground. We now do not spend anything on drink at our club. The ale maybe reasonably priced here but I bet this still makes a tidy profit to the club. We must have stayed a good couple of hours here after the game.
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Just posting this review based on visit to the Piglet beer festival on 26 March. Congratultions on a superb event. All beers tried were served perfectly and with the cheapest sarnies I've ever seen in a pub (made with Turkish bread too) - what's not to like? Already looking forward to the next beer festival or playing the Os next season so I can sample the beers on match day.
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Extremely busy before a match day which was the only downfall about this place but Camra Club of the Year 2008 say no more.
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A fantastic festival! And fully deserving of its Camra National Club of the Year award. This was my first visit to a "Piglet" festival and an excellent impression was left.
Here's to many more, and keep up the good work.
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Open to everyone after 6 on amtch day (members only before then but you can pay a whole pound to get in!!) Best beer and service in the East End!!
wobli - 13 Aug 2008 23:22 |
It has the best lower divisions toilets in the world. One can gamble on dumping freely without worry of some cockney wee attaching itself to one's bottom. The beer is fruity, just like the men. I cruise there most Saturdays and pick up plenty of hunks.
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The quality of the beer in here is as good as it gets. Only the best gets on and its always in tip-top condition.
I can only assume Big Bazza Hearn is a real ale afficianado...
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A very good range of ales, and they also hold occasional beer festivals which are definitely worth visiting. I can hardly complain about all the football memorabilia as it is a football supporters' club!
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This club is normally open on match days, but additionally when internationals are screened. It is, however open to the public as well as supporters, and particularly welcomes Camra members, with cheap real ale. Good, varied range of ales kept. Visitors are advised to contact the bar before travelling, as it can get crowded on certain days.
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