The Astronomer, E1

A comfortable and well appointed Fullers Ale and Pie house serving a good range of their beers. Chiswick, Pride, ESB, Discovery and Red Fox seasonal beer were on at the time although even for the location I felt £3.60 to be a bit steep for the Red Fox. Attractive floral displays outside, inside there is mostly traditional style seating, tiled flooring with a wooden area around the bar plus a raised area is carpeted. Lower panelled walls, red above, ruched curtains, various local photos of the area, in particular of nearby Petticoat Lane market. One wall has a large mural of a comet approaching Earth, presumably linked to the pub name. Downstairs are the toilets, and a small seperate function room with a bar available for hire. An ok spot for a pint not far from Liverpool St station and certainly more relaxing and civilised than the station bars.

This is an L-shaped Fullers ale and pie house that has eight hand pumps that were dispensing Pride, ESB, Discovery and Chiswick alongside a standard draught range and Leffe. The barman was very polite and the Guinness was just as good and expensive as any other Fullers pub. Obviously food is served all day and although I didn’t try any I usually find Fullers food to be very good. The interior is the usual dark wood that is polished to death with not a speck of dust to be seen and one of the two barmen was buffing as if his life depended on it. The pub is raised up from street level by four or five steps, but a small wheelchair lift has been installed at the entrance. Unsurprisingly there is also a disabled toilet and the main toilets are located downstairs past the cellar bar which was hired out for an office function during my visit. There is no outside seating, but there is plenty of standing room with ledges for beer placement around the exterior of the pub and there are a couple of awnings for smokers to shelter under when raining. I’m a big fan of Fullers pubs, but I found this one to be a bit stuffy and I doubt that I will return.

Randomness Guide to London - Shooting Star entry

Randomness Guide to London - Shooting Star entry