The Dundee Arms, Bethnal Green, E2

Facebook page of The Dundee Arms - www.facebook.com

Facebook page of The Dundee Arms - www.facebook.com

Just across the road from York Hall and close to Bethnal Green tube station, this is a bit of a shabby-chic style pub that wouldn’t look entirely out of place if it was part of the Antic pub estate. You enter through a stunning glazed tile porch which really sets your expectations high, although sadly this is about as good as it gets in terms of retained historic features, emerging into an opened-out main bar area with a bare floor and dark wood panelled walls. The servery runs down the left-hand wall and has a nice panelled counter front and matching bar back adorned with a couple of large mirrors, some blackboards listing wine and snack options and a rather austere looking portrait of someone I didn’t recognise. A couple of high tables and stools have been set up under the front windows next to a pleasant little fireplace and there is a long banquette along the right-hand wall which serves several small round tables with numerous low stools in support. A TV screen on the rear wall was showing a live football match with the sound turned on and there were a few more unusual portraits along the right-hand wall. Further seating can be found as you move through to the rear of the pub, with plush button backed banquettes along one wall and low stools elsewhere. Out the back, a small courtyard has a few benches beneath the railway line that runs behind the property and a staircase leads you up to another small room with a TV screen also showing the match and a barber’s shop. The pub found a bit of fame in September 2017 when it was taken over by the rock band Foo Fighters for a week to promote their new album. There was only one cask ale available when I visited - Five Points Best – which was in reasonable shape, if not tip-top condition. One other pump sported a turned clip and there is a reasonable craft keg selection. The pub was surprisingly quiet on a Saturday afternoon, although a large group arrived just as I was preparing to leave, which may have livened things up a little. I quite liked this place and thought there were plenty of encouraging signs here. I found the pub comfortable and quite interesting to have a look round, the beer was in reasonable shape and there is even somewhere to get your hair-cut, which might be worth remembering once we’re out of lockdown! Not the best pub in Bethnal Green, but I certainly wouldn’t mind popping back again some time.

A small pub but painted in a very dark grey,it's been hipsterised but not ruined.It's one open plan room despite the two front doors with the front section containing mainly circular high tables and a rug on the otherwise dark floor surface.A fireplace remains and portraits hang along all the walls giving some character.Original features remain ,although I couldn't work out if the distressed ceiling is part of the design or merely waiting for a few coats of paint.The bar is good looking with a mirrored back and interesting copper top piece,while opposite is a long bench with brittania tables and stools.Bar stools much in evidence and then towards the rear is a corridor section with a sky light and another bench.Outside there is a small courtyard,partially covered by a brick shelter.If you want the loos go through a door marked Barber,the first floor is shared with the hairdresser and is quite atmospheric up there. There is exposed brickwork in the main room with a narrow slit in it and a flatscreen above,off during my Saturday midday trip.The slit allow a DJ to see out from a small mixing room in what I assume to be a former fireplace.This may well mean the vibe here could change dramatically into the evening,but during the day contemporary hip music was playing.Food seems to consisit of toaties,so this is very much a drinking establishment and various spirits and wines are described on the mirrors. Four handpumps but just two operational on my trip with Truman's Runner and a decent drop of Purity Bunny Hop.Although there are 14 keg taps there was a lot of mainstream choices with a few crafty options from the likes of Signature and Five Points. I thought the beer and ale selection could have been more adventurous and with some strong competition not far away ,maybe the DJ's are more their USP.At least the look and feel of a boozer has been maintained for hipster consumption these days.

The last time I came here was in 1988 before going to watch Clinton McKenzie fight in the York Hall over the road, back then it was a very basic boozer, I can't remember if it had real ale back then. Nowadays although much smartened up the general layout is similar. Beer wise the pub is concentrating on craft beer more than real ale with just Dark Star Hophead as the solitary representative. Having already had Hophead elsewhere earlier that day I opted for a pint Five Points IPA, very nice too. I like what they've done here.

There were four handpumps on the counter, but only one in operation, dispensing Darkstar Hophead, which was fine. A little chalkboard on the counter advertised chees toasties for a fiver, but the barman said he had been too busy to get them ready, however he found a cling film wrapped one in the fridge from the day before that let me have for half price. I'm not fussy, so that was fine by, but I might have had second thoughts had Ilooed closer at the description which said it was made with smoked applewood cheese, and also had truffle oil (whatever that is). Tasted OK though. There's a bit of original tiling in the entranceway, and the bar counter, and maybe bits of the bar back also look original. Overall it's been largely stripped out with the Antic-esque attempt to strip the ceiling leaving scraps of paper having clearly resisted attemps to remove them. On the right hand wall were paintings, or prints, of people I didn't recognise, with a shelf bearing classic old album sleeves and plastic containers with loads of little dolls (!) stuffed in them. But the most unusual thing about the pub on the Tuesday lunchtime I visited was the majority of the clientele, which seemed to a kids (mainly girls) gathering. It looked like a convention for a girls' dance troop - there must have been thirty or so of the little dears in there, along with their mums (some of them anyway) knocking back the prosecco. Got to be more fun than staying in doing the housework I suppose. Some of the kids were having their hair done - perhaps by the hairdressing business with which the pub shares the building. It has to be said that the kids were very well behaved, even if they were having a jolly time. It was quite a surreal pub experience. After sinking my pint of excellent Hophead, I exited via the portal, cunningly disguised as a door, back to planet Earth (or to Bethnal Green, which is as near as I could get).