The Old George, Bethnal Green, E2

This pub has a bit of a sports bar vibe to it with three large TV screens on the internal walls and as these have not been mentioned in previous reviews I suspect it’s had a bit of repositioning post Covid. And as it is now run by Stonegate I am guessing this is one that Antic sold off a while ago and Stonegate have repositioned it. However, in saying that, when there’s no sporting event on and the screens are off, as they were for my visit, this is still a decent comfortable one room corner pub. A mid week before Christmas visit found three ale pumps on the go with Doombar complemented by a couple of seasonal Christmas ales, one being Rocking Robin and the other I failed to make a note of. I thought this to be a decent enough pub and definitely the best of the three that line this section of the Bethnal Green Road.

Originally - and unsurprisingly - this pub was once called just the George in younger days, dating back in some form to at least the early 18th century. The pub's side sports an ugly advertisement hoarding with gantry. However, this has been offset by the uncovering of the old Truman's fascia, displaying the former brewer's name and eagle motifs - nice. Inside, and you can tell it's an Antic pub as the interior renovations look like they have been overseen by the Albert Steptoe school of interior design, with knick-knacks galore and utterly mismatched furniture. Naturally, there's some distressed bare brick, a rough bare boarded floor down low and on high, a green Anaglypta ceiling, punctuated with some slender bare wooden beams and interesting columns, interesting in that they are clad in wood. Lighting is muted, coming in the main from a couple of crystal chandeliers and old fabric tasselled shaded lamps, probably donated by Mrs. Wilberforce. The scrolled bar front is elegant, being voluptuously bosomy, lit by some green glass shaded lamps attached to the pot shelf. It would seem that there's a smarter function room/restaurant upstairs and out back, there's an extensive garden/patio. Customers are relatively young and a good soundtrack played over the gramophone at an agreeable level. Bar staff were a little sluggish, serving up Gloom, Ghost Ship, a reversed clip and Harvey's Sussex Best at a very pricey £4.70 a pint and in decent nick. This pub was far better than expected and is easily the best hostelry along this somewhat benighted road, so I'd be happy to pop back in if passing.

Basic one room with the bar to the right. Five hand pumps, one reversed. Rest were 4.5% ABV or below.

A fairly large and typical Antic pub, and as such was quite an interesting place, three beers on from five pumps, Adnams Ghostship,Doombar and a good Five Points Pale. Decent

Situated on Bethnal Green Road, just a short walk from the tube station, this is a pleasant traditional local that has been given the typical makeover we have come to associate with the Antic pub chain. You enter into the bare boarded main room which sees the servery over on the right hand wall and some mismatched dressers and cabinets through the middle, which help to partition the space into two distinct areas. The servery has a nice dark wood counter and bar back plus a canopy which has been decorated with large wine and sherry barrels, old suitcases, dolls and other bric-a-brac. The usual mix of reclaimed Antic seating can be found on either side of the partitioning furniture, which has itself been stacked with books, flyers and various bits of tat. The rear wall has exposed bare brickwork, but elsewhere there is contemporary wallpaper with numerous old paintings and photos on show throughout. At the rear, the room extends into what appears to be a former courtyard, now covered and offering overspill seating from the main room. There are fixed benches in here and even further back there is another room full of standard tables and chairs which looks like a former outbuilding but seemed pretty dark and lonely on this visit. You eventually emerge out into the tarmac rear garden which has plenty of picnic bench seating and a small covered area for smokers. Music played quietly throughout our visit and we enjoyed some decent pub grub from the familiar Antic menu. The ale range wasn’t really up to Antic’s usual standards, especially for a Friday night visit, with two of the five handpulls unclipped, leaving a choice of Black Sheep Bitter, Sambrooks Wandle and Truemans Runner. The latter – a nice nod to the pub’s former owners – was in pretty good shape and the barman who served us was very friendly and patient with our complex order. Despite the deficiencies on the beer front, this was a very enjoyable visit and we found the place had a good ambiance and cosy feel to it, especially once night drew in allowing the muted lighting to create a warm feeling within. As others have mentioned, there are plenty of grim pubs in the vicinity, so this is well worth checking out if you’re in the area.

I wrote on my notes -very Antic style and looking at the last review it is an Antic pub.Liked it.Three cask beers on Black Sheep,Ghost Ship and Trumans -runner.Nuff said.

This is an Antic pub, so it's not going to be very traditional inside. As usual, we have here a mixed bag of mismatched "house clearance" type furniture, as well as odd things being used as decor. On one pillar were mounted a couple of large cogwheels, a bit like something from the dark satanic mills, which is a bit unusual. There were also things like old soda syphons on shelves, plus there was a feel of brewer's rustic inside - no doubt a throwback to one of its previous pub incarnations rather than anything that Antic have done - with beams on the ceilings and a rough cast wall at the back. There was a gantry above the bar counter, bearing an assortment of things including old barrels and suitcases. There were four or five ales available, and we went for the Otter Ale which was in great nick. I failed to note the price, but Antic don't usually charge over the top prices, and as my chum didn't wince visibly when he paid for his round I guess the price must have been reasonable. There was also bar food available, including a bacon sarny at £5, and an Old George burger, including chips and the usual stuff that gets included in a burger, for £10. I tend to like Antic pubs, and if anything this one is less "shabby chic" than most of their pubs. Of course there are areas which look as if they would benefit from a bit of attention from a plasterer or decorator, but in general this place seems to be comfortable enough and well maintained by Antic standards. Mind you it was pretty dark when I was in here. There's not exactly a surfeit of good pubs down this end of Bethnal Green Rd, and I reckon that this one is the best of the bunch.

This was once a Truman's house and after that it was taken up by Enterprise Inns, that well known failing property company. Antic bought it up and it opened this summer, I say they bought it as I hope they actually have this time and will not be gazumped by the disgraceful Camden Bars company who pulled the rug from beneath there feet with the Chequers in Walthamstow and the Catford Bridge Tavern in SE London. It's exactly what you would expect of an Antic conversion consisting of a single square room with all sorts of bric-a-brac, bare floorboards and beer served in dimple mugs. There is a beer garden at the back that I didn't venture into. The Gent's toilet, somewhat mysteriously has several old dartboards fixed to the walls. The beer situation as I understand it is still a Work In Progress as they are awaiting a deal with SIBA. There are five pumps of which one was not in use and the rest had a fairly uninspiring selection of Black Sheep Bitter, Windsor and Eton Knight Of The Garter, Otter Bitter and Purity Mad Goose. I went for the Otter Bitter, which at £3.60 for a 3.6% cooking bitter is a bit steep, but was in good condition. There is room for improvement here, which I'm sure there will be given that it's only been open for a month. However, you can't get away from the fact that Bethnal Green Road is still a dump, despite the arrival of some wealthier residents. It currently only opens at 16:00 on weekdays.

Official site of The Old George - oldgeorge.co.uk