Picture of Leyton Technical, E10 5QN

Historical version 1 of Leyton Technical, E10 5QN (view current version)

Antic pub in Leyton, in the Good Beer Guide.

Housed in the Grade II listed former Leyton Town Hall near Leyton Station, this originated as a pop-up pub during the 2012 Olympics and opened full-time in the same venue in August 2013.

It's divided into several different areas, including a dining room with a notice instructing customers to wait to be seated. The bar area is dim and cosy, with an intricate mosaic floor. A side room is lighter and brighter, with bare floorboards and framed old correspondence on the walls photo.

The standard Antic quirkiness is toned down a little here, though there are still a few touches of it — including swag curtains and a row of standard lampshades hanging above the bar, and an animal skin mounted on one wall. The bar is somewhat inconveniently bisected with a wide square pillar. A jar of dog treats sits on a small table in the bar area, with a sign inviting owners to ask at the bar for a bowl of water.

Kake visited on a Sunday afternoon in September 2014. Jazz was playing, a little louder than ideal for conversation. Seven of the eight handpumps were on, offering Hydes Request, East London Brewery Jamboree, Adnams Broadside, Sambrook's Pumphouse, Castle Rock Harvest Pale Ale, Greene King Sundance, and Redemption Urban Dusk. Drinks available on keg fonts included Adnams Innovation, Camden Hells, Meantime LPA, and Symonds cider. A pint of lime and soda was 40p. They also advertise a Bloody Mary with pickle juice in, which sounds interesting.

According to their website as of September 2014, food is served 6pm-10pm Mon-Fri, noon-10pm Sat, and noon-6pm Sun; see a photo of the Sunday menu in the same month.

According to their website as of September 2014, there's live music every Sunday, monthly comedy nights, and a quiz on Wednesdays. According to a sign outside in the same month, there are DJs from 9pm every Friday and Saturday.

Getting to the toilets in the basement is a bit of an expedition, but the ladies' has a jar of tampons and towels for those "caught short on a night out", which is a very nice touch.

Child-friendliness: There's a pull-down baby change table in the accessible toilet on the ground floor. They also have at least four highchairs.

Accessibility: Four steps to get in. Once you're in, it's level to the bar, all seating, and the accessible toilet. The other toilets are in the basement, down a narrow flight of steps with bends and a fairly sturdy handrail on one side all the way down.

See also:

Last visited by Kake, September 2014. Opening hours taken from sign outside on that visit.
OS X co-ord: 538221 OS Y co-ord: 186319 (Latitude: 51.558318 Longitude: -0.005880)
This is version 1 (as of 2014-09-14 19:07:18). View current version.