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Beer of the Week (w/e 15th March 2026) with trainman on the Pub Forum

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Submitted on Sunday, 3^rd March 2024
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The Forest Tavern, Forest Gate, E7

173 Forest Lane
E7
E7 9BB

Phone: 02085030868

Correct details

Served areas

Forest Gate

Tweets by The Forest Tavern

Forest Tavern Don't forget to sign your household up for our last quiz before lockdown! There's a cash prize up for grabs for 1s… https://t.co/vm7n6hOqAN 4:41 PM Nov 2nd 2020 from Twitter for Android

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Reviews of The Forest Tavern (Average Rating: 6 of 10) Add Review see review guidelines

David Walton left this review about The Forest Tavern

Visited 04/03/26

Cask was two out of three hand pumps and offering Pave the Way pale ale from Big Hug Brewing and the Star British Bitter from Portobello. Keg offering decent and comprising the Cry Baby hazy pale from Supercute, the Greatest Love Story pale ale from Pretty Decent, Off-Peak IPA and the London Pilsner both from Portobello, Lucky Saint, Jubel Peach Lager, the Polari Pale Ale, Madri, Blue Moon, Guinness, Hepcat, Pravha, Awakenings Black IPA from Big Hug Brewing, Aspall.

Decent bare boarded venue by Forest Gate Liz line station. The venue is bare boarded with the bar counter on the inside right angle of the L shape. Regular and tall tables in the front part with a leather studded banquette in the front right-hand corner. The area beyond the bar counter is set up for diners with regular tables and chairs and some semi-circular booth tables along the right-hand wall. High ceilings and a nice vibe with low lighting and soft relaxing music. The screens were switched off on my visit. There is a rear beer garden, paved with a mixture of traditional wooden picnic benches and some covered seating down the left-hand side. There is also a small amount of the same picnic bench seating at the front but on a busy road junction. Decent venue that sets a good bar for the rest of E7.

On 15^th March 2026 - rating: 6
[User has posted 1340 recommendations about 1323 pubs]

Please Note: This review is over a year old.

Pub SignMan left this review about The Forest Tavern

This is a good sized former Antic pub with a perfect location right next to the station. The pub has a spacious, single room set up, albeit with distinct areas situated either side of the centrally positioned servery. The room is bare boarded, with mix of exposed brick and plain painted walls plus some sections of former partitioning wall done in a darker shade. Tables with chairs and tub chairs can be found in the front space, under large windows with leaded upper panes and a ledge full of books, vases, pots and other bits, whilst high tables and stools fill the space directly opposite the bar. The servery has an uninteresting counter and unusual bar back comprising metal frame shelving where a traditional bar back would otherwise have been, but much of this has since been lost due to the knocking through of two formerly separate rooms. At least one quirky feature has been retained, with a set of windows above the bar set in a bare brick surround, providing an unusual point of difference. The room extends to the rear, down the left-hand side, with lots more seating in what feels like more of a dining space, with similar styling and some plush banquettes around the perimeter. I spotted several TV screens around the room, but they were all switched off so that everyone could focus on a clearly very popular pub quiz.
On the bar, just the two cask ales - Portobello Star and Five Points XPA - although these were supplimented by a pretty solid keg range representative of those seen in other Portobello pubs. The bar staff seemed friendly enough, the XPA was in good nick and the place was heaving on a late midweek evening thanks to the aforementioned quiz.
This is a nicely presented, modern pub which looks like it's popular with a good cross section of the community. I found it a pleasant place to settle down for a quiet pint, even with the hubbub of the ongoing quiz, and enjoyed the well-kept ale. With its ideal location alongside the station, this is a good option for anyone passing through the area.

Date of visit - 1st October 2024

On 2^nd January 2025 - rating: 7
[User has posted 3387 recommendations about 3387 pubs]

Please Note: This review is over a year old.

Moby Duck left this review about The Forest Tavern

A spacious open plan pub owned by Portobello Brewery, I didn't get any hipster vibe from the place but nothing else either really. There are three handpumps, two were loaded with Portobello Star clips the other with Five Points XPA which I found in drinkable condition but not the best. An OK start to a day out but probably wouldn't bother with this one again.

On 3^rd March 2024 - rating: 5
[User has posted 2291 recommendations about 2255 pubs]

View more reviews of The Forest Tavern (8)

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