Randomness Guide to London - Differences between Version 12 and Version 11 of George, E14 3ND

Rather nice traditional locals' pub on the Isle of Dogs.

Separate saloon bar and public bar; something of a rarity these days. The saloon bar is small and cosy (didn't go in the public bar so don't know what it's like, but an anonymous visitor tells us that it's bigger than the saloon bar, and has Sky TV and a dartboard). They have a few tables and chairs out on the pavement that are well-patronised by smokers in good weather. There's a sunny conservatory off the saloon bar, with dragon trees and white-painted patio-style decorative metal chairs and tables. Our anonymous visitor says there's also a heated beer garden.

Kake visited on a Friday afternoon and sat in the saloon bar; there were several locals already in there, having nice civilised conversations over a pint. One of them even had a little chat with me while his friend was in the gents'. Service was friendly too. I had a half of Ruddles Best (which I thought cost £1.34, but the anonymous visitor says would actually have been 1.45) in a rather nice little stemmed glass. Horseracing was being shown on a flatscreen at one end, but the sound was off. Music was unobtrusive and not uninteresting: K T Tunstall, Oasis, etc.

Food is served; a main course costs between £5.25 (tagliatelli with roasted Mediterranean vegetables in a creamy tomato sauce) and £9 (Thai prawns with saffron rice and salad). They also do filled jacket potatoes (£4.25-£5) and hot sandwiches. When I phoned up in July 2007 they told me weekday lunchtimes only, 11am-3pm, but I was there around 4pm on a Friday and the menus were still out on the tables; also, our anonymous visitor says it's actually served noon-8pm.

Accessibility: the whole pub is on one level, but I forgot to check whether there are steps up to get in.

See also:

• Full Pint review

Comment added by Anonymous: The George is under New Management and what a difference it's made. The pub is spotless. The snug bar has been decorated lovely with old pictures of The East End in particuar the Isle of Dogs covering the walls and ceilings. The staff are friendly and polite - all very cheery. I have sampled a couple of dishes from the menu and have never been disapointed. The customers are all really friendly not at all what i was expecting from a local pub. It is great to see a proper traditional pub that still has a Saloon, Public and Snug bar as well as a beautiful conservatory and large beer garden which i am sure will look outstanding in the summer.

Comment added by Anonymous: fantastic pub,friendly,great food,great barstaff

Comment added by Kake: Landlord £3/pint, also Deuchars IPA, Youngs Ordinary, and Pride. Food menu looks the same as on my previous visit except I made a couple of mistakes; jacket spuds are between 4.25 and 4.50, and the most expensive main course is actually sirloin steak with chips or jacket potato, mushrooms, grilled tomato, and salad (£10, or £11 with roquefort topping). Veggie options are the aforementioned pasta, plus spring onion and mature cheddar omelette made with free range eggs and served with hand cut chips and salad (£6), plus ploughmans with mature cheddar and stilton (£6).

Comment added by Kake: Oh, and yes, they do have three bars! The snug is very small and cute and peaceful. I'm in the saloon again; there's no music and the flatscreen is showing football. Several other customers who seem to be regulars; both men and women. Er. Have just noticed there is quite a bit of debris at the bottom of my pint of Landlord.

Powered by OpenGuides 0.83mod.
Site design adapted from the Creative Commons Licensed “Naturalist” by Darren Hester.

The textual content of this work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 licence.