The Palm Tree, Mile End

This is a fantastic pub and amongst the best I've come across in the East End. Wallpaper, carpets and decent lighting help to create a warm, convivial atmosphere. The lager is well presented, two ales in tip top condition and not the usual suspects. Sinatra's 'Sunshine of My Life' is pretty much the Friday night anthem in this place, for better or worse! Prices are at the top end of what you would expect for an East End boozer but are fine when you consider that the place is quite unlike anything else still standing in 2011, with your money rung out on a till that would have been scrapped by most landlords by the advent of decimalisation. The Palm Tree epitomises the romance and nostalgia of the 'good old days' of the East End described by many an aging taxi driver. An image of the East End no doubt viewed through rose-tinted specs but nonetheless an image I'm happy to share as someone too young to remember if those old days were good or bad. Most likely. it was the best of times and the worst of times in which the best were enjoyed in a place like the Palm Tree.

All I can say about the bad reviews of this pub is that bad reviews only paint one side of the story. Having worked in numerous pubs, you realise that some people will not take no for an answer. 'Rules' which seem petty, arbitrary, neurotic and verging on the bizarre to the customer have often come about for very good reason so it is perhaps best to just accept that if they won't give out tap water for nothing then just leave it at that. You'll find friendliness and kindness in the staff but if provoked don't expect smiles and nods, it's not wetherspoons after all. It's a real Easy End boozer from a bygone on era so High Street, customer-is-always-right mantras are not ingrained. Just drink from the tap in the toilet that's what I always do!

12 Feb 2011 12:13