what pub have you been in today ? Rate it out of 10

[Wembley1966]

Both of them are right near where I work and I've drank in both. Agree with what you say about The Central. It's somewhere to go for something to eat. The Sindercombe isn't bad but there's better options - The Brew Dog is great but a bit pricey, The Defector's Weld isn't bad, neither is one on the other corner who's name escapes me at the moment.

The Green?

[Greatest Cockney Rip Off]

The Green?

That's the one. I thought it was the Inn on the Green for some reason but yes, not a bad pub and some decent ales on tap.

[RichieRiv]

Old Doctor Butler's Head, Mason's Ave, EC2 - just off Moorgate

The quickest service in the City if not Central London. Two barmen can serve 3 punts at the same time.

Decent pint of the Black Stuff. They also have Whitstable Bay Blond on draft which I don't mind. They have Spitfire Lager, but that gives me a massive nut ache next morning.

[Greatest Cockney Rip Off]

They have Spitfire Lager, but that gives me a massive nut ache next morning.

Shepherd Neame - seriously the worst brewer in Britain. Their beer is just plain awful.

[mushy]

Shepherd Neame - seriously the worst brewer in Britain. Their beer is just plain awful.

Whitstable Bay pale ale is pretty good.

[WHU Independent]

Best pubs around Limehouse? Moving here soon and have only spotted the Craft Brew Co pub.

LH - Re the above:

You've got The Grapes in Limehouse Causeway/Narrow Street- now owned by Sir Ian McKellen - a decent old school boozer with a mix of affluent newcomers and local council tenants, and it works. A selection of decent Ales - TT's Landlord and Doombar spring to mind - as well as a decent Guinness and various lagers. The prices have gone up since Sir Ian has taken over, and it's the only pub I know where the bitter is the same price as the lager. Great selection of wines too. If you get there early enough you can get a nice spot by the Thames and watch the boats go by. Charles Dickens once drank there and it has a lot of historical links. It's also go a reputed fish restaurant above the bar and if the fish is any bit as good as their vegan food, you are in for a treat.

Then down the road you've got The Narrow -a Gordon Ramsey franchise. Personally I'd give it a swerve. It doesn't sell pints -it sells 3/4 of a pint "schooners" - for the price of a pint - and blood expensive it is too - over £5 a pint on average. It does have a wide range of lagers, not so much on the ale front and if drinking in a place that looks like it has been decorated by MFI is your thing, you'll love it.

On the plus side, you can sit outside and have a great view of the river, and sitting on the banks of the Thames with a cold lager on a nice hot sunny day is a joy. The food is, unsurprisingly, very decent too, if somewhat pricey.

Down Three Colt Street you have The Urban Bar, This was my go to boozer when Mark was in charge but he has sub let it to another guy who tries to copy Mark, but fails miserably. It's only open a few days, mainly Friday though Sunday IIRC, and during the early evening it's a lovely place to have a quiet beer as it is full of friendly locals and the pub itself has character.

It's a different kettle of fish later. It's a late night drinking bar, with bouncers, a rowdy young crowd with a youthful buzz about the place. Expect the owner to bash the metal lampshades above the bar like drum with drum sticks, give out party hats, squirt you with water from a soda syphon whilst playing "it's raining men" and then set his trousers on fire whilst standing on the bar when "My Sex is on fire" comes on. Novel and original at first it becomes old hat when you've seen it 50 or so times.

The Star of the East in Commercial Road has reopened (You may wish to note Mushy). One of the roughest and toughest pubs in the East end, it closed down but it has now been refurbished and revamped and looks great from the outside. Large ceilings, massive glass windows and a bare wood and copper type fittings give this pub a real open and airy feel. I report back once I've been there.

The Craft Beer Company in Commercial road, was the worst pub in the area for me by far.

No atmosphere, £17.50 for two pints of dreadful beer (mine was so bad, I put it own and left) and a glass of wine, bland décor and unfriendly bar staff turned me right off this pub. I'll go back to see if it was an off night but me and my mates had a dreadful experience there.

Across the road from there is York Sq. The Queen's Head, another pub that gets the thumbs down. It was a cracking pub with a great pint of Youngs Special and also Directors, but nowadays the pub has been MFI'ed and is a soulless place for hard core drinkers to meet. Big TV's for sport's is a plus, and it's never busy so you can get to watch what you like in comfort. The Bar staff are off hand and useless - no idea what beers were on and couldn't change a barrel - and all in all this is not the boozer it was.

Across the square is the best pub in Limehouse by a country mile: The Old Ship A gay bar but very straight friendly, it's a warm welcoming pub run by John who used to have Booties Wine Bar in Narrow street (sadly no longer there.) He has a decent selection of ales, with some guest ales, lots of lager and a top pint of Guiness. The wine is also worth a mention, as you can get a really decent bottle which starts around £12 a pop. There is entertainment - mainly in the form of drag artists - but he does a pub quiz as well. He's open till 12 midnight most nights - and it's nearly always free to get in. I can heartily recommend going to see Sandra, Danny Beard, the Drag with no name and Candy the Slag in Drag if you can.

Speaking of gay bars, just a short walk from the Old Ship is The White Swan, a much more hard core gay bar. Open very late, you need to pay to get in and it has acts including male strippers. Great if you want a late drink, not so great if, like me, you are straight, as you'll possibly get hit on and bothered. I haven't been in there for years but some mates say it's a decent place to have a very late drink.

That's about it. Remember though, Wapping is a very short ride away by DLR and that opens up a new realm of possibilities, and Canary Wharf is a short walk away. In CW there are loads of bars, and the one's I prefer are The Ledger Building, ( A decent, cheap 'spoons, which is mobbed by the office boys and girls mainly but when it quietens down, it's a nice place to have a drink and chat as there are plenty of hidey holes to go to), The Henry Adlington and the Cat and the Canary (same comments as the Ledger building.) Also keep in mind that some of the coffee places do booze and some of the restaurants have bars.

Honourable mentions go to Amerigo Vespucci (sit in the sun, or under the canopy, and drink by the river) which by-the-by IMHO is the best Italian food for many, many miles around and Café Brera ( comfy place to have a coffee and a chaser: pricey though).

Finally avoid Conran's The Plateau (above Waitrose) at all costs. I love most of his other places but I've been here 4 times, 3 for food and a drink and once in the bar. Every meal I have had in their has been dreadful (as has the person who has gone with me) and I bought a small red wine and a glass of sparkling Rose' and paid with a £20 note, only to be told I owed him another fiver! It was also heaving with suits and female power dressers and was packed to the rafters, so much so, it was uncomfortable. We drank up and left.

If you need any other info, let me know

Oh and don't forget The Manor Arms in East India Dock road, Poplar. Also known as Bum Daddies (and not because it is a gay bar, it certainly isn't), you should pay it a visit at least once to experience it's "character."

[RichieRiv]

Basically avoid Canary Wharf like the plague.

Soleless and zero places you would drink in by choice.

[Crouchend_Hammer]

Good call. And another to add to Crouchy's excellent original list and close to Helston - the Halzephron Inn near the RNAS base.

.

Another absolute cracker of a pub.

Tenbury - I always liked the Atlantic for the view out to sea but there is a new residential building that blocks a lot of that now so not much point going up there

The Ship and Harbour Inn do the job though and there is a new mussels and beer shack type thing right down on the Harbour wall at the back of the Harbour which was very pleasant

[Crouchend_Hammer]

In other pub news that may interest some people, the Holly Tree in Forest Gate, which is my local, has been purchased by the Remarkable Pub company and is closed for three months of refurbishment
Should be very good once reopened as is a great building and garden space

The Hare and Hounds near FG station has also been acquired by a pub company who are taking it over in September I think

[mushy]

The Hare and Hounds near FG station has also been acquired by a pub company who are taking it over in September I think

So thats both the pubs next to Forest Gate station purchased by pubcos.

Thank fook for Crossrail.

[Tenbury]

The Ship and Harbour Inn do the job though and there is a new mussels and beer shack type thing right down on the Harbour wall at the back of the Harbour which was very pleasant

Crouchy, if you want to eat down there, you'll struggle to beat the Victoria Inn @ Perranuthnoe ( head for PZ, through Rosudgeon turn left before you get to Marazion) it's a class boozer too, but take out a mortgage and treat yourself to a Porthleven lobster.

[James P]

The Duke of York, Billericay

Not been drinking much this year and got a bit carried away last night with the football and boxing. Took the grandparents out for lunch today at the Duke of York, Billericay. A fantastic roast and a few pints of Maldon Gold have sorted me right out. Would definitely recommend.

[Greatest Cockney Rip Off]

Basically avoid Canary Wharf like the plague.

Soleless and zero places you would drink in by choice.

That was exactly what I found a few years ago when I made the mistake of having a beer there. Never again, **** pub, expensive beer and the place is full of c****.

[westham,eggyandchips]

The Duke of York, Billericay

Not been drinking much this year and got a bit carried away last night with the football and boxing. Took the grandparents out for lunch today at the Duke of York, Billericay. A fantastic roast and a few pints of Maldon Gold have sorted me right out. Would definitely recommend.

Had a Christmas dinner in there a few years ago. Lovely pub.
There craft beer range constantly changing too.

[Crouchend_Hammer]

So thats both the pubs next to Forest Gate station purchased by pubcos.

Thank fook for Crossrail.

The Hare and Hounds needed a bit of a rejuvenation tbf
The pub company that has bought it only has two other pubs so isn't one of the big ones

By the end of the year Forest Gate/ Cann Hall should have Forest Tavern, Hare and Hounds, Leytonstone Tavern and the re-opened Holly Tree and Lord Rookwood

Plus a couple of beer shops/breweries and wine specialists under the arches

No way the area can sustain them all

[WHU Independent]

The Approach Tavern, Bethnal Green E2. Banged out on a Friday night, my mate had to book a table in advance for us just to drink inside. Large outside area packed to the gills, yet the bar staff we on top of the customers getting booze. Lots of fairly unusual lagers, which was nice. Drunk Lentovil or similar - went down a treat and was a great thirst quencher. Great friendly vibe, people wanting drinks queued fairly - one bloke told the barman I was before him in the queue and I should be served before him, and this seemed commonplace behaviour - and wonderful music ( Zeppelin, T Rex,, Ramones, Hendrix, Television and Talking Heads) but at a volume you could talk through.

My only gripe was the prices. Two pints and a large red Malbec the best part of £18.00. Toilets are also cramped.

The Start of The East, Limehouse, E14 which was, at one point, one of the roughest pubs in the East End, and was shut down, has now reopened - and what a change! The pub has been beautifully refurbished, keeping a lot of the original bare wood fitting , but cleaning them up and then adding some superb lighting and new decor. It has a sharp, crisp feel, old school with a modern bent. I had a lager (which was nice) but didn't buy the round as it wasn't my round.

Re the comments relating to Canary Wharf. Couldn't agree more during the week. At the weekend there is a nice mix of locals from Limehouse, Poplar and The Island which makes for a good vibe. The booze in the Ledger building is reasonably priced when compared to The Grapes and The Narrow, which are both in the same vicinity.

The atmosphere was lovely, no music at that time, so it was good for having a chat. Great bogs - clean and well maintained. I wanna go back and have another look.

[hawkins_hammer]

Was Star of the East busy WHU Independent?

[mushy]

The Star of the East in Commercial Road has reopened (You may wish to note Mushy). One of the roughest and toughest pubs in the East end, it closed down but it has now been refurbished and revamped and looks great from the outside. Large ceilings, massive glass windows and a bare wood and copper type fittings give this pub a real open and airy feel. I report back once I've been there.

I must have missed this but strangely enough I was there yesterday lunchtime, ( not actually inside ) I was walking past and had a good look through the window and it seemed surprisingly busy for a lunchtime -especially with the laptop/Ipad set. I will have a beer in there soon.
I also walked by The Westbury (ex Oporto), I wondered what it was like but have read some pretty poor online reviews.
The Alfred Hitchcock Leytonstone E11
I normally pop in here about once a week. The beer is good, real ales, craft pale ales and good selection of Lagers. The food is excellent and great value. They actually do a 44oz steak here though have never tried it myself. Can recommend the ribs,and the salads are good as well for vegetarians.
Only downside with this place are the toilets, they are a bit of a walk away and downstairs and not in great condition, although it appears they are currently being renovated.
8/10 for me.
Excellent quiz on a Tuesday as well.

[The Collector]

Popped into the Princess Louise on the way back from Olympia today. I have not been in here for ages and it remains a lovely pub. I have only ever drunk OBB in Sam Smith’s pubs and saw no reason to change today. £3.50 a pint is good value for this close to Covent Garden and Bloomsbury.

It was quite empty and I sat and read my newspaper without anyone trying to talk to me. So, perfect.

As usual tourists came in and the barman would offer them a sample from various taps as they stood there mystified with the selection. Nice touch, but with only one bar staff working I can see this being very frustrating for drinkers who know what they want.

10/10 for the venue, 8/10 for the beer but 2/10 for the lack of bar staff.

[WHU Independent]

Was Star of the East busy WHU Independent?

Yes HH, it was.

It's a bigish boozer, we got there near closing time and it was still busy with 20+ people inside. No one upstairs though.

Mushy - if you fancy a few pints in Limehouse and want a bit of company, let me know!