The George & Dragon, Wanstead, E11

Official site of The George & Dragon - www.urbanpubsandbars.com

Official site of The George & Dragon - www.urbanpubsandbars.com

This is a large Wetherspoons pub with an unusual, broken up layout, set in an attractive Edwardian building opposite Wanstead station. You can either enter through a corner door or the left-hand porchway, which has some nice decorative metalwork above and polished stone cladding, emerging into the main seating area. This is a large, carpeted space with many rows of tables and chairs, a small raised space to the rear left with comfy banquettes and tub chairs under some impressive bookcases, a snug hemmed in on three sides by near full height partitioning screens with 'Spoons branded panes, and a mix of leaded stained glass and ornate etched glass windows around two sides of the room. An attractive tile and stone fireplace stands to the front, whilst numerous small support pillars with decorative roses can be found throughout although the standout feature has to be the enormous dragon throne in the rear corner, which kids must love sitting on. The bar is hidden behind the snug and has a long counter with an attractive mirror and dark wood bar back sporting various carved grotesques, whilst above is a stained glass panel on the ceiling, with the shape of dragon's wings picked out on it and an actual model dragon's head sticking out from one end. TV screens here were showing live football with high tables and stools offering limited seating options. Another raised space at the right-hand end of the pub has wood panelled walls, lots more seating and a mix of mirrors and local history boards on display. On the bar, I counted the three regular 'Spoons ales plus four guests, but totally forgot to note which beer I tried. Suffice to say, whatever it was had been kept in good condition and was poured by a friendly barmaid. I visited on a midweek evening and found there was a convivial atmosphere that I wouldn't normally associate with the chain, especially considering that they had the football on. I really liked this pub and thought it was a great example of Wetherspoons at its best. The broken up layout creates a number of different drinking spaces which have a few interesting features and will suit a wider range of customers. The beer was in good nick, service was fine and I enjoyed the atmosphere too, making this one of the best 'Spoons I've visited in the capital. Shame to see that the chain have moved out since my visit - I hope it'll reopen soon and continue to serve the local community. Date of visit - 18th June 2024

Converted from an actual Edwardian pub building (1992) and you can tell, dark wood and etched glasswork (how much more of this was ripped out years ago?) with a good atmosphere; though the Middle East misery on big screens at the bar was not helping the cause, staff should have turned those off. The jumbo dragon (phoenix?) seat was unexplained but good fun, albeit a large black chair which looks like something out of a horror ride at the fairground. So a fair bit of character. The cask range was good, four guests and my Fyne Ales Quiet Shadows was in tidy shape (NBSS 3.5). Ate here and there was an impressive amount of topping on my burger, more than the norm. Overall, this is a top quartile Timbo Tavern and given it’s a few yards from the Tube, well-worth you alighting. GBG-listed as well. I’d make an effort to pop back here next time on this bit of the Central Line.