please note - reviews on this site are purely the opinion of site visitors, so don't take them too seriously.
There was a time when Tuesday night was pub quiz night at the Royal Inn for me and my friends. However, it was only my local and all my friends starting getting fed up with a) losing to the regular team of teachers, b) long travel home.
I still go in from time to time and it's still a friendly pub with a nice selection of beers.
I will agree with the comments on service. Though always friendly, it always seemed to be changing and could often take an age.
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Well, this is a tricky one. It is not an all singing all dancing pub by any means. But I think it plays a couple of decent tunes very well. It is a very sociable place, the beers are decent including the non-real ales - the czech lager is nice enough. Staff are pleasant. It's a great place to meet your mates. On a sunny day get there early and forget about that walk in the park. I wouldn't trust the food, especially when it gets busy but if you're hungry go to the Lauriston for an excellent pizza. 8/10
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We were recommended this pub by a friend for the Sunday lunch which is great... if you're a meat eater. For vegetarians the choice was very thin, only one main option (what kind of person prefers polenta to a Sunday roast anyway?) and the staff seemed to lack much understanding of what vegetarian catering involves. The waitress explained that they did do a "veggie version" of the roast but that it was without gravy as that was meat based and no potatoes as these were cooked in duck fat. So that'll be a plate of vegetables then.
My boyfriend had this option as he isn't fully vegetarian but doesn't like meat much and he was charged the same price as the full version (�13!!) and didn't even get any extra helpings of potatoes etc!
Really poor in my view and just plain lazy in this day and age when it is so easy to provide a vegetarian alternative to meat. I was really surprised to find that there are still some pubs of this type that haven't caught up to this issue yet.
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"mcnulty" on 27 April 2009 is clearly a ringer by an interested party.
Come on, no one writes like that.
Hidden profile, joined on the day of the one post...all the clues are there.
How come these cheats never learn to do it properly?
What kind of person/company does that anyway?
The kind that doesn't deserve any custom?
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This is a large pub right on the edge of Victoria Park � so the pub�s name is wholly accurate. Inside it�s bare-boarded, high-ceilinged with heavy scrubbed wood furniture. The music was unbearably loud, though one of the bar staff turned it down while I was at the bar getting a drink. Outside there is a large patio looking out over the park, which must be an absolute winner on a warm summer weekend. It was pretty empty on the Wednesday afternoon I was in there but I bet it must be heaving on a warm evening.
The had Fuller�s ales, plus Gales HSB and Adnam�s bitter. As you would expect in a pub like this, it�s not cheap. The menu consisted of �designer food�. I went for the smoked chicken and avocado sandwich, which came with a few chips. There were enough chips, not a great deal of chicken, but the crusty bread was delicious. Not cheap at �7.50. I don�t think that this is the sort of pub you go to for a family meal (the menu wouldn�t suit children) or a quiet pint, but for meeting chums and especially when the weather is nice and you can sit outside.
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Lovely location in a quite upmarket and 'arty' part of Hackney. Very friendly staff. Recommended if you're in the area.
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A great pub in a fantastic location - been going here for a number of years.
Food has always been good, jukebox is fantastic, beer is nice, staff often polite, garden is big, crowd is cool in a knowing way.
Gents are proper ming, but who really cares?
.....only downside is drains in the area can stink like death in the summer, and can sometimes get quite busy. (the pub, not the drains)
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This is my local pub - its one of many in the area but the one that I always go back to. Whether its for a good catch up session in a corner with a mate, a quick pint after work or a for a sunday roast I think its great. I've never had any problems with the service and all the bar staff are very nice. Theres a great jukebox and once when I didnt have the correct change the manager put in 2 quid for me so I could play some tunes. All in all a great pub.
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This is a wonderful pub and you couldn't ask for a better location on a sunny day as it's right in the middle of the park and has a fantastic beer garden! Have had many amazing sunny beery afternoons there with a great bunch of locals.
...but! Have to agree with some of the people that posted before me that when busy the service is veeeeerrry slow and erratic. Have had more than a few occassions where i've walked out after standing at the bar for over 20 mins as the bar staff don't have and sense of hustle and don't seem to keep track of who's been waiting.
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Famous artists, actor's, musicians, sportsmen among but a few who do not frequent, somehow after 4 or five pints of usually nice real ale it feels like they do.Maybe the presence "One pint" is topical enough without any alchohol whatsoever, he certainly pertains to the first of the fore mentioned.Then there's " Brazil" gulley fielder extrordinaire who on one memorable summers day after giving "Sampras" a run for his money on the tennis court in the morning then joined the RIOTPCC (cricket team) in the afternoon and demonstated his agility and lack of "litovel" by taking a catch travelling at least at the speed of sound in his specailist area of gulley.
The food in my experience has always been good this is due to keen eye and soft hands of the leading chef who lovingly pulls shower valves off the wall when his giddy heights of exellence are not met.
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We went for a quick drink after playing tennis in Victoria Park last night. Sure it was a warm night and the bar was busy, but the service was dismal. I stood at the bar for 25 minutes before being served by an apparently myopic bar maid, who may well have been distracted by her loud floral print dress or handicapped by her low asymmetric fringe. When finally she noticed me between the moustaches and the tweed caps she served up four pints of flat shandy. When challenged about the flat quality of the shandy she responded 'no it's not'. 'Taste it then', which she declined 'It's not flat'. The impasse was broken by her simply walking away and serving another customer. 'I'm disolussioned with the whole art scene' a pork-pied nathan barley mumbled behind me....'perhaps i should get a job...' Maybe pouring shandy in the Royal Inn.
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I have been working here as a barman for some time, so here is my perspective on this bar.
The pro's are many, it's a lovely grade 2 listed building, The location in Victoria Park and 'Vic pk village'is fantastic. The service is fast if a little inconsistent and the real ales are great.
The con's however are many, the drains outside are constantly stinking up the front garden, the gents toilets are of a quality you may expect in a prison not in a 'gastro-pub', the menu is pretentious, overpriced and inconsistent. They do an excellent sunday roast (same meat supplier as the ivy, claridges etc) but get there early as they often run out.
I could go on. The management appear to change roughly every 9-12 months which explains partly the up and down nature of service and menu.
All in all the ambience, jukebox and environs are excellent BUT the high prices, food and over abundance of children/ dogs are a real let down.
9/10 for real ales
5.5/10 for food
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The kitchen has some new chefs, this place has great food, nice choice of beer and easily the best beer garden around. Don't sit out front though, you can smell the drains!
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From the comments this is clearly Jo Guest's local!
I remember having a great sunday roast here and Litovel Dark in bottles a couple of summers ago and thinking it was great. If I am not mistaken it belongs to the same "Remarkable Restaurants" pub group as the Sutton Arms by Barbican and the Reliance in Shoreditch. Quality.
anonymous - 20 Feb 2006 09:15 |
cracking, esp in summer
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Nice location, great food, good beer and nice beer garden. Extremely busy in the summer months due to overlooking Vicky Park. They also have 3 function rooms for rent, we rented the larger one upstairs on one occasion for an office party. Food was a little disappointing that time, but that was the only time. Recommended.
TommyN - 18 Oct 2004 11:46 |
Jo Guest was in there - Quality, but she was a bit orange.
Luke Hatch - 11 Oct 2004 13:11 |
Booked the Royal Inn for the office summer party; the beer garden, BBQ and rear bar for the afternoon, then the upstairs function room and bar for the evening. Went absolutely swimmingly, no doubt thanks to the excellent food and wonderful hospitality of Jay and Antonia the landlords.
Alex - 21 Sep 2004 12:59 |
Great pub, fantastic food, but staff are generally rubbish, and can wait an hour for food at times. Quite likely a victim of its own popularity.
rob - 19 Jul 2004 17:16 |
Lovely pub! The staff were very slow though and didn't seem to have very much going on in their heads, but the food was fantastic and the chef Marcus is brilliant
Dylan - 5 Jul 2004 10:53 |
The Royal Inn on the park is probably one of londons best pubs during the summer months, great food, good beer in the most superb surroundings.Friendly staff fantastic juke box makes this place a must.
Jay - 7 Apr 2004 19:32 |
My local, and highly recommended. Lovely, relaxed and laid back during the day, lively at weekends, and friendly and welcoming in the evenings. Fashionable clientele, but not overly so. Some East End wide-boy colour. Excellent quiz weekly, very good food, wine list and real ale selection, plus late opening hours on Saturdays. And beer garden overlooking the park, with a smaller bar, which can be hired. He's right about Jo Guest, as well. Lovely girl. Used to go out with my mate.
Ben - 14 May 2003 15:54 |
Lovely boozer with high ceiling and large outdoor area. Once stood next to Jo Guest at the bar too!
Dan - 25 Feb 2003 11:27 |
Excellent pub in huge castle like Victorian building on corner of Victoria Park, E9. Mile End nearest tube (10-15 min walk). Fantastic in summer with the park, warm and cosy in the winter. Jukebox, no gaming machines - very good food.
Simon - 20 Feb 2003 18:38 |
