Historical version 3 of North Pole, E14 8LG (view current version)
- 020 7987 5443
- 74 Manilla Street, E14 8LG (streetmap) (osm) (gmap) (bingmap) (streetview)
- 11am-3:30pm, 5pm-11pm Mon-Fri; closed Sat-Sun
Traditional locals' pub on the Isle of Dogs.
Despite being geographically close to Canary Wharf, the North Pole is worlds away from the noisy, crowded, trendy identikit bars that infest the Wharf.
The interior is made up of a single room wrapped around the bar; although from the outside there seem to be two doors, possibly a remnant of division into lounge and public bars, only one of them actually opens. The windows are frosted partway up to provide some privacy from the street, the floor is carpeted, and there's a dartboard (which according to the 2009 Good Beer Guide is only used for team matches). There's a little bit of outside seating round the side, but it's not covered or anything.
Kake visited on a Monday lunchtime in September 2008. Arriving just after noon, I wasn't too early for food. Beers available on handpump were Pride and Landlord. I had a pint of Pride and a ham, cheese, and onion omelette for a total of £6.45 (I think the omelette was £3.50). The omelette was fine, and a decent size, and came with fairly standard chips and a perfunctory but fresh salad garnish. Note that when you order food, they'll take your name, and when your food is ready they call your name out and you come to get it from the bar yourself.
I wasn't the first customer to arrive, and by the time I left a little before 1pm the place was quite full (though there was still at least one table free), with a scattering of locals as well as the inevitable suits. The radio was playing throughout, though not annoyingly loud, and the atmosphere was quite pleasant.
Accessibility: One step up to get in, but it's all level once you're in there.
See also: