The Eastbrook, Eastbrookend, Dagenham

A classic 30's roadhouse,well preserved and 3* rated by CAMRA for it's heritage.It sits on a large plot with car parking all around and has two very distinct and seperate bars.On the short side is the entrance to the Oak Room,lit but with a sign on the door directing customers to the other bar.This is called the Walnut Room,with quite a grand entrance but then inner doors with a hand written sign saying "Members Only".Somewhat concerned,I pressed on inside but was not asked any further about being a member,although some unkind folk may describe me as such.My guess is that with a white mono culture inside (apart from the friendly chinese barman),the owners dont want strangers drifting in ,nor probably away supporters visiting the Daggers ,whose ground is close by. The Walnut Room has a long bar ,lounge feel,lots of bar stools and some magnificent walnut panelling.Sadly three music video flatscreens were churning out mindless pop songs. There is a rear dining section ,food is served most sessions but this area was empty.Winding around you can gain access to the Oak Room,which is planer,oak lined,square with a darts board and a smart public bar feel.Only one punter using it. Three handpumps offering Pedigree,Old Speckled Hen and GK IPA,but on ordering was told that although clips were showing for all three,only GK IPA was available.Very bad form.I then asked for a Brixton Pale keg which was lit but again not available (grrrr) so was directed to Brixton Coldharbour Lager on keg. The heritage features are noteworthy and better than the Lord Vernon not far away and the highest 3* rating is deserved but the actual pub experience left a lot to be desired.Ignore the unfriendly signs,buy a half and wander around,I could not recommend a longer stay.

The Eastbrook is a prominently situated road house style of pub occupying a prime corner spot at a busy road junction. It’s an old fashioned 2 bar pub whose surviving inter war features earn the pub a place in the CAMRA publication – “ London Heritage Pubs, An Inside Story” – in which this pub is described as being the finest 1930’s pub in the book. My recent visit to what appears to be the nearest decent pub to Dagenham and Redbridge F C, before the recent Sheffield Wednesday match, found the pub’s Walnut Room heaving with Wednesday fans, but not too many for comfort. The Walnut Room has a dark woody feel with a walnut bar counter and a cosy and carpeted interior. Note the Corinthian style columns surrounding the door entrance area. The bar gantry displays some West Ham photos, particularly relating to the 1966 World Cup and also some boxing photos. A St George’s flag bearing the words “ Eastbrook Daggers” shows that West Ham is not the only club supported here. Off this room is a larger, wood panelled but plainer music room where the principal feature is some noticeable attractive stained glass windows behind the raised stage. Several drop down TV screens were showing the England v Sri Lanka cricket game, watched with enthusiasm by the fans enjoying the free plates of sandwiches thoughtfully provided by the pub management. A door leads out to an outside smokers patio and garden. The Oak Room, with its separate entrance, was unfortunately not open during my visit and, if it’s not open on a busy Saturday lunchtime when the football fans are in town, one wonders if it is ever open. There are evidently times when the pub is best avoided – most notably during the advertised “ Talent Night with Wayne’s World starting 4 March”. We’re told that all, and any acts are welcome with up to £ 1,000 prize money available – a kind of Dagenham’s Got Talent, I suppose ! There’s 3 handpumps, of which two were in use, serving Brakspears Special and Oxford Gold. This is a fine old fashioned, unpretentious pub, well worth seeking out. I’ll be back next season, hopefully, if not before

This large pub on a large street corner site in the middle of Dagenham is rightly acknowledged as having one of the capital's finest inter-war era interiors. There are two bars, named after the woods with which they have each been fitted - the Oak Room on the right hand side of the building and sadly closed on my visit, and the stunning Walnut Bar on the left hand side. As expected, the walnut room has plenty of gorgeous walnut panelling as well as plenty of frosted glass windows. At the far end, the room can be expanded into a large hall by folding back some amazing glass panelled partitioning walls, revealing a large open area with a stage at the back. You can also access a covered smoking area and garden from this end of the pub. There were lots of TV screens on showing the early football league fixture of the day to a decent crowd who had gathered for the afternoon's game at nearby Victoria Road. A number of games machines were in evidence as well, which doesn't normally bother me, but I thought they looked out of place in here. There were three choices on the handpulls - London Pride, Brakspear Oxford Gold (£3.00) and Marston Sweet Chariot. My pint of Oxford Gold was in good condition and served by one of the efficient bar team who dealt with the crowds very well. Dagenham doesn’t have the greatest selection of pubs, so this place comes across as a bit of an oasis, but irrespective of its location, this is a really good pub in its own right and I wouldn't hesitate to call in again the next time I'm in town.

The only ales on were GKIPA and London Pride. The Pride went off as soon as I ordered a pint – so I went for a pint of GKIPA (at £2.70 a pint an OK price) that tasted like it was supposed to taste. The cheese toasty at £2.80 a throw is pretty good value as well, and the rest of the lunch menu, written on a board, looked to be reasonably priced as well. The interior is a spectacular example of inter-war pub fitting. I sat in the Walnut Room that boasted the best wood-panelled walls that I have seen anywhere. Shame that they are obscured by the usual pantheon of games machines, one-armed bandits, etc, a Pringles dispensing machine(!), and garish adverts. There were a couple of large TV screens on when I was in. The place was reasonably clean, although some of the upholstery had seen better days. All the furnishings seem to have been designed for normal sized people; no sofas, or high tables with stools. The young lady who served me was friendly and helpful (and English to boot). This is a pretty decent pub – definitely OK for a pint if you are in the area. The interior design is exceptional; the stained glass in the back room depicting musical instruments is also worth a peek. A better ale selection would be a plus, although they do serve a couple of the usual suspects. I would drop in again if I was in the area, but would not make a special trip.