Annie, who runs the Dispensary, always keeps the beer well and I was sustained for the evening by pints of Dark Star Hophead and Harvey’s Best. I didn’t try the Itchen Valley Gold or the Dark Star Porter but I’m told they were good too.

If you are ever in the Aldgate area I do recommend the Dispensary for a fine pint – it’s a bit cheaper than some pubs around as well. They put out complimentary nibbles on a Friday evening too.

The Brown Bear, Aldgate

The Brown Bear is situated down at the southern end of Leman Street E1, just by the railway bridge. At times since I’ve been working in the area it’s been a regular haunt and I’ve had some great times there. But pubs go down as well as up and fall out of use. I’m pleased to say though that the Brown Bear is in the ascendant again and is now a regular lunch time stop.

The Brown Bear has a horseshoe shaped bar that extends down the right hand side to a more secluded seating area at the back.

As you can (maybe) see from the photo of the outside, the pub was originally a Taylor Walker pub. I’m not clear who owns it at the moment but I do know that it offers good real ales from an ever-changing selection of guests. Only London Pride seems to be a constant, and on my last visit the O’Hanlons Yellowhammer was good. (It’s what I should have been drinking on my last visit to the Double Locks near Exeter).

The Brown Bear, Aldgate - Pad Thai and O'Hanlons Yellow Hammer

On the food side they have a standard pub-type menu with some specials on the board. But there are also many Thai dishes available as well – all priced at around £6 – £8. On my last visit I had a Pad Thai (see pic) which was delicious. There was also so much that I couldn’t finish it. In the past I’ve had burgers here and they’re good too.

Other posts tagged Aldgate

• Party at the Dispensary, Aldgate Nov 29th, 2009
• Aldgate Pub Lunch Options 4 – Hoop and Grapes Sep 11th, 2009
• Aldgate Lunchtime Options No3 – The Peacock Sep 2nd, 2009
• Aldgate Lunchtime Options No2 – The Dispensary Aug 17th, 2009
• Pride of Spitalfields, E1 Jul 2nd, 2009

Hoop & Grapes, Aldgate

The Hoop & Grapes is a Nicholson’s pub so to a certain extent you know what you’re going to get. But I think that Nicholson’s is one of the better pub chains – compared to the All Bar One, Pitcher & Piano indentikit establishments. The interior is old and woody, mainly dark but with pools of light beneath the ceiling windows half way up and at the back. You’ll be amazed how big the pub is inside given the small frontage on Aldgate High St.

I always make sure to get there as early as possible to get a table when eating lunch as it can get quite busy – especially towards the end of the week.

Tasty gammon at the Hoop and Grapes, Aldgate

The food menu contains few surprises but the prices are pretty reasonable and lunchtime deals are available on some dishes. My enormous gammon steak with two eggs and chips was £5. The food always tastes good.

Beer-wise, the Hoop & Grapes usually carries four real ales. London Pride, Timothy Taylor’s Landlord, and Sharp’s Doom Bar seem pretty constant and there is one guest. Usually the beers taste well kept but some colleagues have remarked on the odd dodgy pint.

The pub’s good in the evening too – once again getting busy quickly after work. Food is not available in the evenings though. They do ale tastings every Thursday nights.

Previous posts in this series

1. Pride of Spitalfields
2. The Dispensary
3. The Peacock

The Peacock, Aldgate

Even though it’s very close to where I work the Peacock had been completely off my radar until fairly recently, but a team social after work changed that.

Three to four real ales are generally available with Harvey’s Best and Ringwood Best being regulars. The beers always seem well kept.

Bizarrely for a lunchtime recommendation the Peacock does not actually sell food at all. But they are happy for you to bring in your own sandwiches or whatever, and many people do. So head up to Kelly’s, or the Pret nearby and then pop in here for a pint.

Food is available however for pre-booked social gatherings when you can use the games room upstairs – featuring a pool table and a couple of dart boards. There’s also a table football machine but you do need to give a bit of notice for that.

Previous posts in this series:

1. Pride of Spitalfields
2. The Dispensary

Dispensary, Aldgate

The Dispensary is situated on the junction of Leman Street and Alie Street – just down the road from Aldgate East tube station. There used to be 3 pubs on this crossroads a few years ago. The Old Monk has now become a ‘gentlemans club’ and the Black Horse which reinvented itself as Bar Bed recently became a crime scene.

The Dispensary itself is enjoying a bit of a resurgence after having reopened some months ago. Prior to that it was closed for ages after a drastic decline in quality. It originally opened in 1998.

On the beer front, the Dispensary is now the local CAMRA group’s Pub of the Year, so you’d expect something special. I started with Hog’s Back HBB – refreshing and tasty, but I preferred the Nethergate Umbel which is a fruity, floral beer but slightly bitter. I know not everyone likes beer like this, but I do.

Lunch at the Dispensary, Aldgate

If you’re eating here and ordering from the menu make sure your bank balance is healthy. I chose the steak burger – almost the cheapest item on the main course menu at £9.50. But it was superb – cooked slightly rare, how I like it. And I was cetainly full up when I finished it.

The Dispensary is very much geared up like a restaurant at lunchtimes – you’re shown to a table and the order is taken from the table.

I was going to say that I’d be unlikely to eat there again given the prices but during a conversation with Annie who runs the pub she told me that they do offer Beer and Baguette lunches for £5, and Beer and Ploughmans for £9.50. I’ll certainly be back to try those.

I did pop back today for an excellent pint of Harvey’s Best which they usually stock. Dark Star Hophead is another regular apparently.

The Dispensary has a website.

And you can read a more recent review of the Dispensary here.