Tap East, Stratford City, E20

Highly unusual bar in the Westfield shopping centre,very close to the entrance furthest away from the Stratford rail and tube station.It's completely open at the front,with a series of high tables,upturned tuns and a few sofas,with the L shaped bar running around a rear wall.Pump clip decorate the walls,and although popular on Friday afterwork ,it was by no means rammed and had a relaxed vibe.There are lots of keg options,and 6 handpumps offering three Tap East brews in Boleyn Bitter,East End Mild and Coffee in the Morning (decent) with guests Burning Sky Plateau,Five Points Hook Island Red and Wishbone Ahtanum which I thought was a decent range of styles and strengths. A lot better than I was expecting and a blessed relief from the crowds of people hanging out in the mall,a good bet for real ale in this newly developed area.

I liked this bar a lot.Nice clean modern.My drinking companion was a little disturbed by the cold wind blowing in on a mild night so what will it be like in winter.Had a great beer fest so even more enjoyable and reasonable prices.Bar staff mentioned the price before pouring the more expensive beers which is a nice touch.I had to battle through a very busy shopping centre to find it but would walk through fire if I thought I could get good beer.You can walk around the outside of the centre which is an easier approach.

Located at one end of the Westfield Stratford City shopping centre (opposite Stratford International station & the Dlr station or walk through the shopping centre from Stratford underground station). Real ale/craft beer bar with an onsite brewery visible through glass walls. The open plan nature of the bar may make it light and airy in the summer but can turn it into a cold wind tunnel in winter. The bar certainly makes shopping a more tolerable experience knowing a good pint is on hand or this is your local if staying at the premier inn next door.

I'm not keen on Shopping centre bars, I would hesitate to use the term pub here, but as this is the home of one of the new wave of East London brewers, I felt compelled to pay a visit. It's well described below and was not overly busy, but not dead at around 20:00 on a Saturday. I was disappointed that the coffee porter which was top of my list to try was not there, but the East End Mild (a genuine dark mild) was on so I had pint (£3.30) of that and found it outstanding. The other two Tap East beers were the Jim Wilson cooking bitter and the low ABV Tonic Ale so I looked to one of the two guests an Orkney Stout and Oakham Citra. The Oakham Citra, despite having a haze on it tasted very good but was more expensive than the Tap East offerings. I would give it a 9 if it wasn't for the shopping centre aspect of it and probably will return just to try their stronger brews. When that happens I will get a bus down from Leyton Station rather than fight through the masses of shoppers from the main Stratford station.

An unusual place this is, being open fronted to the huge Westfield shopping mall and with the same tiled floor running through. As well as the sign, the pub's presence is advertised courtesy of a barrel on a covered wheeled cart at the entrance. The bar is to the rear, L-shaped and the counter front, bar back and adjoining unisex WC door are faced up with distressed reclaimed timbers. Scores of pump clips are already displayed around the bar area. Next to the bar the brewery operation can be viewed via a glass screen with three coppers being visible from the drinking area. Three Tap East beers were on at the time, East End Mild, Jim Wilson Bitter and Coffee in the Morning. Separated by a bank of keg fonts are three more handpumps which offered By the Horns Black and White IPA plus two from Orkney brewery The Highland Brewing Co, Island Hopping and Pale Ale. Two large fridges contain an eclectic selection of continental beers. What looked to me like an old ice cream fridge contained a number of Tap East pump clips. Seating is mostly at high tables, some butchers block style, others of a flimsy, rickety design. There are a few armchairs in the corner around a low table. Food is served, basic fare such as burgers, pizze and german sausages plus snacks like chips and sausage rolls. Branded Tap East shirts are on sale if that is your thing. An interesting spot, certainly worth a look in for something a bit different or of course to escape from the shopping. I didn't enjoy battling my way through the shopping hordes to find it though.

Enjoyed our first visit to this bar, and found the beers in good condition. Tried all three of their own brewery beers as they were new for us. 3 Shades of Black at 6.4% was a good one to start the day. It is being brewed in 3 versions, original, sour and whisky barrel. Kellerman Schwartz Style and C.C.C.P were the other two on offer. Varied styles and all went down well. Also enjoyed Buxton Wild Boar IPA. Plenty of foreign bottled beers available too.

The highlight of a trip to Westfield Stratford. Leaving my wife and niece shopping - there's a limit to the amount of underwear I can look at - I discovered this gem. Where you'd expect to see only chemical fizz, I had eight real ales to sample. Sadly, I couldn't manage them all this time.