please note - reviews on this site are purely the opinion of site visitors, so don't take them too seriously.
Nice old fashioned style pub with friendly, informative , helpful staff. Good selection of ales and great burgers. Well worth a visit.
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Was very impressed by this pub on my visit today. It's clearly an old pub that has been renovated, but still maintains some original features. The central bar dominates the front room. I didn't see the rear room. The drinks range was also better than I expected - By The Horns Stiff Upper Lip, Sambrooks Wandle, Ascot Single Hop & East London Night Watchman. The board displaying the beers also had Ascot Anastasia Exile Stout & Ossett Silver King, which were both off. So either the board hadn't been updated for a while, or it indicates that the beers turn over quite quickly. Either way, this was a good selection. There also appeared to be a good bottle selection, as well as 2 real ciders - Westons Old Rosie & Thatchers Heritage. Sunday roasts were being served. The barmaid that served me was helpful and knowledgeable. I must admit that I haven't been to the Dalston/Kingsland area for a while, preferring to avoid it. But this pub is worth the journey alone and the area itself appears to be on the up.
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a cracking boozer for the footy. high-def projector in the back, great atmosphere and the wandle was lovely. would highly recommend.
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I meant Saturday afternoon, not morning! Wish BITE had an edit function!!!!
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It's a pub that sells beer and provides seating. It doesn't do much more than that. The place has been "done up" in an uninspired manner that leaves the place looking cold and unfinished and unremarkable. It can be seen that there is an attempt to make this a trendy modern pub with a focus on beer, but it has been done in a lacklustre manner, so the overall impression is indifference, which matches the service. Reviews have mentioned food and bar snacks, but there were none in evidence on our visit on a Saturday morning, and there was no attempt to let our party know of any snacks other than packets of crisps. Sigh - can't they really do any better than that? There were three dull casks on offer, but so dull that half our party elected for bottled beer. The Wandle ale I had was, like the service and the pub, somewhat indifferent and not in best condition. Best thing about the place was the music. Not a pub I warmed to, and with the Snooty Fox and Railway Tavern not far away, I don't see any reason why I would ever want to come back.
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This is my local. And very happy I am to say that.
The beer is good. There's not always a beer to my taste, but there's always Wandle.
The food is very good, but it's a tad pricey. I'll eat there as a treat very rarely.
The fact that the TV is in a separate room with a decent sized screen is a bonus too. If a game is on and I don't want to watch it I can sit in the bar and avoid it. If it's my team playing I can watch it properly. The amount of pubs with shitty screens in every corner, satisfying no one...
The pub gets very busy on Fridays and Saturdays - too busy for me now I'm a bit older. I tend to drink on weekdays or Sundays. The staff are friendly, they have excellent taste in music. Very happy here. A reason for me not to move.
As for the clinetele... there are plenty of dicks in the Dalston area. Thankfully I don't see many of them in the Wellington. Plenty of trendy people, yes, but not out-and-out arseholes.
Recommended.
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Attractive pub with decent beer and a good range of other drinks. Food is perfectly good quality gastro fare, but it's a real drinking pub nonetheless. I'd concur, however, that the regular clientele is young and trendy and I have ended up waiting while the bar staff giggled with them rather than selling me beer.
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Nice enough atmosphere for a mid week drink, though recent comments about the clientele are accurate. Beer was ok, but not brilliant. Suggests that its not been kept well - the porter had an unusual aftertaste. Didn't try the food so can't comment.
What really let's this place down though is the bar staff - absolutely useless. Saw one barman measuring Laphroaig with the bottle cap! Took forever to get served while the other barman ignored is in favour of the more pretentiously dressed.
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Never judge a pub by it's apperance.
Looks nice and traditional from outside but full of Hoxton Hoorays and private school knobs and the barmaid all think they are something special but are more like a Bulldog chewing a wasp. Also not enough room to swing a cat
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ruined by tossers and no one seems to be in charge or care if anyone behave like a wanker
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sweet pub. one of the best around. food is genius.
ale is hit and miss though, sometimes it's banging and sometimes quite average.
i know it's a local brew but why does Wandle ale always have to be permanent guest ? and who drinks it?
also, should be rules on letting bar staff play there own music. no need for rock on a tuesday night.
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I like this place. The staff seem more attentive than they were a couple of years back. Good effort with the ales selection although I did get offered one that was pretty cloudy around the time they had an 'ale festival' on. It may well be gentrified but if that's what it takes to keep pubs open and stop them from going under so be it.
IgorA - 26 Apr 2010 17:48 |
Nice pub. Beer is kept well and range of spirits great.
Balance between old school boozer and trendy bar is just about right
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The Duke is actually in Dalston but living in Hackney the choices for real ale are limited. I can appreciate this place might be a little pricier than the Pembury but for overall experience i`d vote for the Duke every time.
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First time visit to this pub last night and a very pleasant one. The pub was hosting a 'Winter Ales' Festival so I was expecting a few more stronger ales like the Old Ale Festival at The White Horse. However there were some good beers on. I sampled the Hophead Amarillo and Marble Brew 14, two thirst quenching ales and Adnams Tally Ho. All three were excellent. I also sampled my companions Dark Start Sussex Stout which was also very good. Less successful were the half of Boggart Cascade, straight from the barrel, which was slightly warm for my taste and the Wolf Brewery's Granny Wouldn't Like It which I didn't like either.
I had a Galloway Burger and chips, which was good but a bit pricey at eight quid.
The bar staff were the most professional I've encountered in a while.
This is a good pub and I will pay a return visit very soon.
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can not afford this.
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Very nice pub, well looked-after Sambrooks wandle, food is really good but the beer, at �3.30 a pint, is way over the top in price. The Wenlock and Pembury taverns eitherside of this pub are much cheaper beerwise. Otherwise everything else good, including choice of music, and big screen for the football.
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And another fabulous evening last night watching Arsenal mash Celtic on the big-screen tv in the back room. This pub is rapidly becoming a favourite of mine.
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Visited on 11th August. Discovered a newly opened quality beer focused gastropub close to Dalston Kingsland station and a five minute bus ride from Highbury & Islington. A regular spot for Sambrook�s Wandle. Eight handpumps, usually serving four beers (hence quoting four taps). Traditional features include emphasis on wood (floors, wall panels and tables etc). An island bar in centre of main drinking area affords space and easy circulation all round. A second drinking area provided in rear annexe. All tungsten lighting affords a warm atmosphere; comfortable volume of background music (mixed styles).
Food is served all sessions and quite an imaginative menu is offered, but not cheap. Outside seating is provided along the western aspect of the building, and this provided a pleasant view of the bright sunset on view at the time of my visit.
Staff seemed friendly; did not get a lot of time to speak to them as I had company and we were on a crawl. Will be returning for their festival running from 13/8/09 - 17/8/09. Thirty ales will be served through the period of this festival. A good venue.
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smoj77 and his shoulders laden with chips is a little bit too late in his lament, considering the Wellington was like this for years. Good choice of drink, relaxed atmosphere and excellent service. They have also retained what original features were left and reinstated the full, correct name. Ostensibly, it doesn't look or feel dramatically different to how it did before.
The problem is, smoj77, is that the demographics of going to the pub is changing. On the whole, in London, it is no longer the working classes who sustain pubs anymore. A walk around some of the working class local's pub of Hackney will tell you a sad story: the Monarch, the Duke of Wellington (Nile Street), Stags Head, the (former) Marie Lloyd, the (former) London Fields and the numerous closed pubs. I've been to them all, and they were/are struggling to make ends meet. Don't blame the middle classes for drinking in pubs, blame the working classes for abandoning pubs for the comfort of a six pack of lager and Sky TV at home.
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Well, another solid Dalston pub gone to the dogs, the well bred, rich and fashionable middle class dogs that is. New owners from out of town, a lick of trendy shades-of-grey paint and overpriced pork pies and all of a sudden the Wellington is stuffed full of posh West London types, guffawing away as they guzzle their way through their inheritance. I'm sure it'll do very well, as Dalston is quickly filling up with the foul bourgeois middle class who are rapidly gentrifying East London, but what a loss to all the real people who have known and loved this working class area for centuries. It's appropriate that the real Duke of W was a upper class twit and rabid Tory, as most of this pub's client�le will be of similar stock. Another sad day.
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This pub has recently (March 2009) been taken over by new owners and has reverted to The Duke Of Wellington, its long standing former name. They have a wide range of real ales and ciders, along with an impressive spirit collection
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This has become a regular of ours as it's a great place for an after work drink or a relaxing Sunday lunch. Friendly atmosphere with a good mixed crowd, newspapers, eclectic music and live sports shown (on the many TV's)
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unfriendly, strange atmosphere and apparently no kissing allowed as a rather drunk woman stormed over a to a couple of ladies necking and told them to stop or leave... just plain scary
anonymous - 19 Nov 2007 13:35 |
Lovely and very friendly place where I can spend my spare time with friends, a good pint of beer, good music and good food...I feel like home with those sofas!!!:)
anonymous - 28 May 2007 18:13 |
Haven't witnessed bad staff here compared to the other recent poster, and I quite liked it here. Three ales on tap and a relaxed vibe. Not one for a Friday night, perhaps a cheeky midweek pint instead. Good pub cat, too. Better than the Talbot (easy), not as good as the Scolt Head.
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I went to the pub quiz at the Wellington on a Tuesday and it was a very short quiz, and boring. About 20 questions and no atmosphere. There are better pubs in the area.
anonymous - 7 Apr 2007 14:23 |
I was in this pub a couple of days ago as I am about to move to the area. I didn't get the impression it was gay. It seemed pretty young a trendy. The bar staff were friendly and the area is not what I would call rough. It's between Highbury and Hackney so quite young and lively.
anonymous - 6 Sep 2006 16:08 |
Is this pub still gay?.... it was for a long time yearssssss ago
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Relaxed atmosphere, great music, and a delightfully mixed crowd of very lovely people (+1 adorable white cat). Setting is clean and comfortable, with cozy tables and big leather sofas. A diamond in the very rough balls pond road.
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Good music and food, chilled vibe with good atmospehere
Al - 14 May 2004 12:36 |
Nice original features, leather chairs and real ales along side Premium lagers. Broad sheets available. Nice spot.
Dan - 7 May 2004 09:32 |
Nice relaxed, unpretentious little pub, usually a good youngish, eclectic crowd. It's not across from Waterloo Station though - don't know what you mean there Matt.
mark - 27 Feb 2004 12:08 |
Lovely modern and comfortable pub. Very friendly within 4 mins I had chatted to 3 people. Good food, calm but not too quiet an atmousphere. One of the best pubs i have been to hang out in.
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