Lord Nelson, E14

Steve of N21 left this review about Lord Nelson

Originally built in the mid 1800’s this Victorian former Charrington’s Isle of Dogs boozer underwent a £200K refit in January this year and after reading about it on a London centric social media site I thought I would go to the ‘ Dogs to take a look.
I cannot comment on what it was like before but photos on Google maps from a couple of years ago show the same internal layout, just a lot more shabby. What we have now is a large one roomed pub with a modern clean pub decor that wraps around the L shaped bar on the right hand side as you enter, with very much a sports bar vibe going on. Comfortable padded booth seating lines the two walls opposite the bar and high tables and chairs fill the middle section around the pillars and the further round to the back is an area dominated by an electronic dart board set up and a pool table before you come to a smallish outside courtyard area. The walls are largely dominated by four sizeable flat screen teles which are presumably mainly for the sport but for my visit were strangely showing BBC’s Great British Sewing Bee to an assembled clientele that I would put money on being the least likely to have any interest in that program. Finally a few large electronic fruit machines, the type that are all noise and flashing lights, were dotted about.
If the experience of my evening visit is anything to go by then a banging sound track, the four large flat screen teles for the sport when it is shown and the pool table are the main draws here.
Sadly it’s certainly not the ale as although there are two ale hand pumps on the bar the solitary operating Doombar pump was off and there is nothing modern crafty on the keg pumps that I could see , not even something from Camden or Beavertown leaving the standard draft line up and I wasn’t going to stomach a pint of John Smiths Smooth Crap which appeared to be the only non lager and Guinness option so I went with a soft drink.
I think this pub is independently owned although the available drinks options did seem to be straight out of the boring side of the Heineken stable, and I left this one feeling a bit confused. Why spend £200K on a major make over only to be left with what is basically a smart Craft Union look alike pub? Perhaps that’s what the natives of the Isle still want from their community pubs.

On 5^th July 2024 - rating: 5
[User has posted 2236 recommendations about 2098 pubs]