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Poll for Lancaster crawl June /July 2026 with Bucking Fastard
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Detail Pages
135 Bar & Lounge, Bethnal Green, E1
E1
E1 5RN
Reviews (Current Rating Average: 4 of 10) see review guidelines
David Walton left this review about 135 Bar & Lounge
Visited 13/08/25. Visited previously as Carpenters Arms on 06/07/21.
No cask. Keg offering of the Pale and the Pilsner from Pillars, Guinness, Aspall, Blue Moon and Staro.
Quite different from its previous incarnation! Block flooring with bar counter on the right-hand side mid venue with a tile frontage showing some photos of the area in years gone by. There is a stage on the left-hand wall opposite the bar counter. There is an upright piano on the stage and an interesting ceiling light array above the stage. Seating is predominately via dark green velvet banquettes around the walls with small round tables and a mixture of small stools with the matching green velvet seat pads or black wooden carver chairs. The interior walls are largely wood panelled similarly painted in a dark green colour and the wallpaper is very art deco. A very jazzy soundtrack was playing on my visit. There is some metal table and chair seating outside on the pavement at the side of the venue.
On 18th April 2026
- rating: 4
[User has posted 1590 recommendations about 1565 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Tris C left this review about The Carpenters Arms
This pub dates back to the start of the 19th century, but was rebuilt in the ‘60s, either due to bombing or general regeneration of the area and incorporated into Donegal House.
It’s largely unchanged since Rex’s visit, but I think that it may have had a bit of TLC applied during Lockdown.
The interior is patterned carpeted, with walls of pale green. Furniture comprises green velour banquettes, then Britannia tables and simple traditional chairs. There are floral swag curtains with rushed pelmets and there’s a traditional carved fireplace. To the left, is a raised area for live music on Saturday nights (there are disco Fridays and interestingly no sport), lighting is Victorian-style chandeliers, the bar with a traditional front and period-style reproduction pot shelf, featuring etched and cut glass. Customers were mixed, with some older geezers propping up the bar, armed to the teeth with industrial language, then some mixed younger incomers, eschewing trendy pubs to the north.
There’s no ale unsurprisingly, the closest thing being something on tap from Whitbread which I studiously avoided. Thereafter, it’s fizz with a half of Stella coming in at a very agreeable £2.30, served by a friendly barmaid.
This is a decent locals’ boozer, which seems open to outsiders and incomers, offering a comfortable, well-maintained environment with a live knees-up come the end of the week and Saturday; it’s a far cry from the Hungerford Arms, but is not a destination pub.
On 14th May 2022
- rating: 4
[User has posted 2324 recommendations about 2267 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Rex Rattus left this review about The Carpenters Arms
This looks like a 60s estate pub, and it doesn’t look as if much has been done to the interior since then. It still has the iron-framed round tables, green upholstered banquettes round the sides, some standard spindle-framed chairs and small round stools. It’s all very 70s kitsch. The walls still have some basic fielded panelling, now painted a cream colour. There’s no decor on the walls, but of course there’s the obligatory fruit machines and naturally a TV on showing the racing.
Obviously there’s no real ale available – they (somewhat predictably) did have John Smith keg on, as well as Webster’s Green Label keg. Now that’s a blast from the past. I’ve no idea who brews it, but I can say that it hasn’t improved with time. I didn’t see any sign of food or menus when I visited on Saturday afternoon.
Anyway, this pub is worth a look if you fancy a walk down memory lane to see a 60s/70s locals’ pub throwback, but I can’t think of another reason why I would want to visit again.
On 23rd May 2013
- rating: 4
[User has posted 2621 recommendations about 2535 pubs]