Fox @ Excel, Royal Docks, E16

Fox @ Excel is a large drinking warehouse with open plan seating that is faced by a long bar that runs along the right hand wall. Premium lagers served in plastic glasses and low background music that is drowned out by the chatter of exhibition goers grabbing a few beers before enduring the DLR. Was glad to leave, especially because customers had decided that the queue for the bar would be single file and it would snake around the pub, idiots!

A strange mixture. The more obvious part of this multi-level establishment is the modern extension housing a mid-sized bar with an entrance off the walkway between the ExCeL exhibition centre and Custom House DLR station. This connects down to a conversion of part of the former tobacco Warehouse K, housing a much larger bar and dining area. Two handpumps in each bar, offering Deuchars IPA (inevitably expensive, given its location, at £4.30) and Caledonian Flying Scotsman.

A warehouse conversion adjacent to the Excel Centre, The Fox has a large restaurant upstairs and an even larger bar on the ground floor. Attempts have been made to make it atmospheric: wooden floors, background music and exposed brickwork fail to disguise its original purpose. There is free wifi available. The staff are mostly non-native, the low quality food would not be out of place in a 1970s motorway cafe (pre-packaged reheated offerings of the worst kind), and the beer wasn't brilliant. There were 2 ales on. I had a pint of Caledonian Flying Scotsman which was not right. Very disappointing all round and unlikely to be repeated.