The Birkbeck Tavern, Leytonstone, E11

I popped into this pub prior to watching an evening game at nearby Brisbane Road and was pleased to find a smart and attractive Victorian street corner boozer. The pub retains a traditional two bar layout with a large main bar and a smaller and more basic public bar. The main bar is carpeted with decent banquette, bench and low stool seating along the front wall and a few other standard table and chair arrangements elsewhere. The room has very high ceilings which are decorated with some pleasant filigree and at one end of the room there is a nice tiled fireplace, the attraction of which is somewhat diminished by the large plasma screen TV that hangs above it. A tiny alcove under the stairs houses a dartboard and there is also a juke box near to the bar, although there was a load of old country music playing when I first entered. The large servery divides the two rooms although it is possible to pass from one room to the other by walking around the bar towards the rear of the pub. You can also access the beer garden from here. There was no-one in the public bar during my visit, so I only gave it a cursory glance, but I did notice that it had a pool table. There are 11 handpulls on the bar, but sadly only one was in action on my arrival and given how popular it was proving, I feared even that would have gone by the time I got served. Thankfully there was enough left for me to enjoy a pint of Mighty Oak Captain Bob, although I did have to wait an extraordinary length of time before I could enjoy it, thanks to one of the slowest barmen I have ever witnessed. It was only a lack of other pubs in the area that convinced me to carry on waiting. A blackboard next to the bar noted that I had just missed Ramsbury Tackle Down Under and the house beer, Rita's Special. I came back after the match for a celebratory swift one and found that the Captain Bob had been joined by Mighty Oak Mauldon Gold, which was a cracking pint. Despite the slow service, I thought this was a really nice pub and proof that areas like this can still support well run community locals. This is worth making the effort to find and I would certainly consider a return visit next season.