Dalston Eastern Curve Garden, Dalston, E8

As usual theres not much to add to Pub SignMans review below, I didn't spot any evidence of cask beer though, It's possible I missed it or perhaps it's no longer there post covid, I did have a nice keg ELB Hopside down and sipped it in the pleasant gardens. I guess this is a predominantly summer place as I think it would be a bit grim in the depths of winter.

Opposite Dalston Junction station, easily spotted thanks to the large adjacent mural, this is an unusual little community owned garden that provides a much needed green space in this rather built-up part of town. Unbeknownst to me, the garden also has its own bar, located to the left almost immediately after entering, and even more surprisingly, they serve cask ale. On my recent visit, the bar had two ales available, both from the local ELB brewery – Pale Ale and Nightwatchman – plus a real cider and a kegged lager, which was Shepherd Neame’s Whitstable Pale Ale. The Nighwatchman was priced at a comparatively reasonable £4.60 a pint and seemed to be in pretty good nick, despite my initial concerns about the volume of throughput they get here. The bar is essentially a tiny serving hatch, well positioned for the nice decked area opposite, much of which is handily under cover, making it the closest to a ‘pub’ space you’re going to get here. Various sized benches serve a few haphazardly arranged tables and some upbeat music was being piped into this space, which is probably the only area of the garden you’d frequent in inclement weather. The rest of the garden still has lots more seating though, with picnic benches, garden furniture and a load of old plastic school chairs strewn about the place. The garden is a nice antidote to the busy streets outside, full of trees (all bare on my pre-Spring visit), flower beds (all empty on this visit) and various quirky features, such as a greenhouse painted in psychedelic colours that looked pretty cool when lit up at night. There are fresh flowers on each table, which is a nice touch, and lights have been strung from tree to tree, which create a nice feel in the evening, although this effect would probably be better appreciated on a balmy summer’s night than it was on my cold March evening. A boarded walkway runs all the way down to the far end of the garden and benches are surrounded by wood chippings, to help you avoid getting soaked on a wet lawn. Some concessions had been made to Winter visitors, including a stove in the conservatory and a bonfire at the far end of the garden, that a few hearty souls were crowded around, no doubt warming their beer up in the process. It’s rather far-fetched to classify this place as a pub – it’s not one and it’s not trying to be one. However, it is an interesting place to come and enjoy some decent local beer and admire the work that the local community has done to bring this space back into the public domain. Despite the plunging temperatures, I rather enjoyed my visit here and thought it was a nice alternative to the many overpriced hipster bars that predominate in this part of town.