The Arena Tavern, Letchworth Central, Letchworth Garden City

Official site of The Arena Tavern - www.arenatavern.com

Official site of The Arena Tavern - www.arenatavern.com

This shop conversion has been done very well ,there are lots of pub like featues. The furniture is traditional ,the central bar has a mix of brick and wood facings,the rear area is dark but atmospheric culminating in a darts board in a final alcove.Fruit machines are dotted about.The USP here is cheap alcohol leading to a 'spoons like custonmer base quick to engage in lurid tales while effing and blinding liberally,but that's what boozers can be like. The friendly barmaid was quick to greet a strange ,the ale options were GK IPA and Abbot,Marston's Hobgoblin Gold and Woodfordes Albion Stout (looked ok,turned out to be a sour,NBSS 1) . Maybe I shouldn't complain of a half a vinegar for £2.10 . Outside there are many pic nic benches,the shop conversion is well done ,it has a boozer atmosphere but shame about the ale.

A great little bar, believed to be one of the originals in the 'dry' town and with much character and some good friendly locals for a bit of banter. A shame they feel the need to inflict more Abbot and IPA on us, but balanced by an excellent Albion Stout and an Adnams Lighthouse.

Situated in a parade of shops on Arena Parade this one doesn’t look particularly appealing from the outside, giving the air of being a bog standard shop conversion and in normal circumstances wouldn’t have got a look in from me. But sadly the centre of Letchworth Garden City is not normal as far as opportunities to drink beer is concerned and, outside of a bottle shop cum micropub and a microbrewery tap room with limited opening hours, there is precious little else. Even the high street Wetherspoons was one of the poorest for beer choice I have come across. However the inside of the Arena Tavern is actually quite a nice traditional pub interior with a wooden floor throughout, some exposed brick sections, an off white colour scheme and a low dark beamed ceiling. It is long and thin with two main sections. The bar fills the left hand side of the first section which also has seating in the front windows either side of the front door and along the right hand wall. Then the back section is darker due to no natural light and has additional seating with a dart board on the back wall and flat screen for the sport. The bar has three ale hand pumps and I got the impression that Fullers London Pride and Green King IPA are permanent beers with a guest on the third. Unfortunately for me the guest was Old Speckled Hen so a bit of a pedestrian choice. I went for the Pride, which was in good nick, and I found this a friendly pub for a lunchtime pint. It now benefits from some permanent external bench seating on the restricted road section in front of the pub, which I guess was allowed and installed as a result of the Covid pandemic.