Nelson's, E2

Official site of Nelson's - www.thenelsonspub.com

Official site of Nelson's - www.thenelsonspub.com

a proper pub? seemed like a below average hipsterfied place, just off the flowermarket, although the bar was quite nice. No real ale, and what was on wasn’t great. Most tables reserved Sunday afternoon. Not great.

An early 19th century pub, rebuilt in the brewers' Tudor style in Edwardian times, this was formerly a Gibbs Mew house. Despite arriving at 9.00pm, I found the pub closed, lights out, with the barman locking up. When I asked him why the place was closing so early, I was told that this was due to slow business. Nope, I shan't be wasting my time making a return visit and I would dissuade anyone from visiting a pub which treats its potential customers with such disdain.

This pub has been on my radar ever since I read Moby’s glowing review below and I’d previously made a scuppered journey out here on the day they a closed, so I was pleased to finally make it here and find the place open on a bitterly cold winter’s night. Sadly, my pleasure was quickly soured when I realised that the pub must’ve changed quite a bit since Moby’s review – all the handpulls were gone, and only three keg options were available – two craft beers from Deviant & Dandy and Guinness. It turns out the place had only just reopened after a refurbishment which appears to have wiped cask ale out of the equation. For what it’s worth, the pint of Deviant & Dandy Trust Pale Ale (£5.00) that I ended up with was tasty but far too cold for someone who has just walked in from near freezing conditions outside. The barman indicated that there were one or two bottled beers that I might be interested in, but the range was woefully lacking and I would hope they look to widen this over time. As for the pub itself, it’s a nice looking traditional back street boozer with a U-shaped layout created by knocking through two former rooms to create a single space which wraps itself around the centrally positioned servery. The room has bare floorboards, neutral painted walls and floral patterned curtains across the small windows. The servery has a nice dark wood counter, mirrored bar back and glazed tile canopy topped with an ivy entwined lattice, an old globe drinks cabinet and numerous potted plants. Low stools serve small tables around the bar area, whilst padded benches and comfier chairs can be found further back, to either side of the bar. The walls have been decorated with a selection of mirrors, maps and a random collection of paintings, many of which are themed around nature, although a small display of Nelson themed porcelain was a more thematically obvious choice of decor. A brick fireplace to one side of the bar is a nice, understated feature, but aside from that, there’s not a whole lot going on in here that might set this place apart from any other. Loud ‘80’s pop hits didn’t exactly warm me to the place either. It’s a shame that this is clearly a pub that was doing the right thing previously and has a good deal of potential being just a short hop from hotspots like Hoxton and Bethnal Green, but based on this visit, there is a lot of work required to bring this place back up to scratch. It might be interesting to see how this develops over time, but for now, this is one I’ll be leaving aside in the future.