The Bell, Leytonstone, E11

This plain and unadventurous East End boozer meets all the usual basic requirements one would generally look for in a pub without taking any steps to make it anything other than mundanely average. The interior is knocked through into a large L-shape with a couple of pool tables to one end. A smaller room to the left of the bar contains a dart board and there are a few TV with the usual screened Sport events. There is a trimuverate of unspectacular ales; London Pride, Greene King IPA and Bombardier, the latter of which was unavailable on my visit. The décor is nothing noteworthy and ambience as was OK although I was here for a function rather than a specific pub outing so probably not they best time to judge the place. It is essentially a safe enough bet although given that many pubs within close proximity are boarded up, its major claim is probably that it has remained open (although it was itself closed for a period before reopening in early 2009). A survivor for the time being perhaps but there isn’t enough here to guarantee for how long.