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The Coborn, E3

8 Coborn Road
E3
E3 2DA

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Reviews (Current Rating Average: of 10) Add Review see review guidelines


Please Note: This review is over a year old.


Steve of N21 left this review about The Coborn

A smart Youngs food focussed pub a surprisingly short walk from the Mile End Road. Largely one open room around the main L-shaped bar to the left as you enter, but with a separate side room to the right and then a smaller snug section to the left. The front section as you enter is more lounge bar with some very comfortable leather seating and then the back section nearer the kitchen is more aligned to dining. Despite a couple of flat screens (one clearly temporary erected on a makeshift stand for the current World cup) this is a comfortable pub aligned to eating, drinking and conversation.
The bar supports two sets of four handpumps, which were doubled up with the increasingly common Youngs Pubs arrangement of one Ordinary, two Special and St Austell Proper job on the fourth and the Propper Job was on fine form.
Did not try the food, but plenty were on this lunchtime and the menu looked reasonable enough with Beer Battered Haddock at £18 and Cumberland Sausages at £16, which is the current going rate for a smart food led pub in these inflationary food prices time. What I was impressed with was the available While you Wait snacks of Pie Crust & liquor at £3 and Pickled Mussels and cockles for a fiver, which I thought was a nice nod to the pub’s location, despite its gentrification away from a working class clientele. Personally, I found this one more homely than the opened out Morgan Arms, but agree that the Lord Tredegar is probably the best of the trilogy this close to the Mile End Tube Station. The problem is that the Lord Tredegar doesn’t open till 4.00PM most days, so if you are looking for a spot of lunch and a decent pint, this one fulfils the brief for me.

On 6th December 2022 - rating: 7
[User has posted 2094 recommendations about 1985 pubs]


Please Note: This review is over a year old.


Tris C left this review about The Coborn

A late Georgian pub, this in an attractive unusually terraced building in an increasingly gentrified part of Bow. It seems from earlier reviews that this was once a bit of a rundown locals' booza, but it would seem that it has changed dramatically in the last few years from its original construction as a rare Lacon's house, later Whitbread and Young's since 1984.
Essentially it's a large one-room pub, staple shaped interior with the bar to the left, though the first thing you notice is the complete lack of Track and Trace, apart from a barmaid taking down phone numbers, which could be bogus. The interior is certainly not what you'd expect from a renovated pub, with a modern herringbone floor, a little bare brick but mainly various hues of grey paint with some wallpaper contrived from Victorian newspaper adverts and some bare wood modern wainscoting. It's the wall mounted décor that's the most defining element of the interior, comprising hung box frames containing cutlery, hung metal jelly and cake moulds, hung garden sieves and framed prints - it seems that if the walls are structurally sound enough, the Coborn will hang anything from them. Furniture is eclectic to say the least, with chairs of almost every conceivable style and seemingly no two alike; unsurprisingly, tables are eclectic. Lighting comes in the form of brass framed glass box lanterns and what seemed like mediæval sconce lights to the walls, both with hipster filament bulbs; further hanging lamps are made from floral patterned granny saucers or strange little wire metal buckets. Lavs were decent with two cubicles.
The pub was packed apart from my six-person table - the last one available - with customers overwhelmingly drawn from young professional incomers and just one solitary cackling old local geezer - no stares from smokers here anymore, that’s for sure. The atmosphere was very good, with just 48 hours to go before Lockdown II - certainly more animated than at the Morgan Arms, 75 yards from here with chatter drowning out the piped music, thank God.
Just two real ales on: Young's London Original and Special at £5.05 and very decent it was too, brought to me by a very lovely barmaid.
This pub isn't bad and has a slightly continental feel to it, but I would take the Morgan over this and certainly the Lord Tredegar, but I'd still include this place as part of a crawl.

On 4th November 2020 - rating: 5
[User has posted 1956 recommendations about 1923 pubs]


Please Note: This review is over a year old.


Graham Coombs left this review about The Coborn

A surprisingly plush pub for a side street off the Mile End Road, although the whole area seems to be getting a bit gentrified. In typical Young's Pub Co fashion, it has been thoroughly modernised in a posh drawing room style, with lots of leather settees and armchairs. The rear part is tabled with one side being a restaurant. To the side is a 'snug' room with a screen for major sports events and there are some roadside tables outside at the front. Draught beers were Young's Special and Ordinary, with Redemption Pale as a very drinkable guest. A shade upmarket but pleasant enough.

On 14th March 2019 - rating: 7
[User has posted 3322 recommendations about 3259 pubs]


Please Note: This review is over a year old.


Moby Duck left this review about The Coborn Arms

Large Young's pub where food seems to dominate, it did on a Sunday afternoon anyway. However there were four ales on along with a mix of ordinary and corporate craft keg, the real ales were Youngs ordinary and Special(of course) and guests of Sambrooks Wandle and Purity Mad Goose,the Wandle being in decent nick.
Far from first on the visit list but fine for a pint.

On 27th November 2017 - rating: 6
[User has posted 1868 recommendations about 1841 pubs]


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Komakino . left this review about The Coborn Arms

Despite a stare or two from smokers out front on passing this place, I returned to find it rather harmless inside, even if some of the clientele seemed at odds for the demographic this Young's pub is trying to achieve (plenty of lager imbibing going on). Interior has been described below and the four ale line-up offered Young's Bitter and Special, Sharp's Doom Bar and Purity Mad Goose which was in good nick, despite a price tag of £2.35 for a half. Nice enough place, but they could take a leaf out of the nearby Morgan Arms' "muted muzak" policy.

On 4th October 2017 - rating: 6
[User has posted 1074 recommendations about 1074 pubs]


Please Note: This review is over a year old.


hondo . left this review about The Coborn Arms

Tucked away just off the main drag. As described below plus a dartboard.

On 18th March 2014 - no rating submitted
[User has posted 2883 recommendations about 2820 pubs]


Please Note: This review is over a year old.


Alan Winfield left this review about The Coborn Arms

The Coborn Arms is a nice looking pub that is set in a terrace of nice looking houses.
There were a few benches to the front of the pub for warmer weather,once inside there was a decent sized room with seating wrapped around the bar,the seating was very comfy bench type and normal tables and chairs,there was a small area up a few steps to the front right,the room was carpeted throughout giving it a nice warm cosy feel.
The pub is a Youngs tied house,there were three real ales on the bar,i had a drink of Youngs bitter which was a very nice drink,the other beers were Youngs Special and a beer from Twickenham brewery.
There was some background music playing from the Carpenters,not what you usually here in pubs these days.
I felt very comfortable in this pub,the sort of pub you could settle in for a good session.


Pub visited 19/2/2014

On 19th February 2014 - rating: 8
[User has posted 6113 recommendations about 6113 pubs]


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Just a quick pint, then I'm off left this review about The Coborn Arms

Solid-looking Youngs pub, part of a long terrace mostly constructed of the traditional yellow bricks used widely in the area. Large 'L'-shaped room, extending into a slightly lower painted building on one side which provides a separate lounge. Tiny games room located on the other side. Well lit, with semi-traditional decor and a good range of furniture. Large patio area under large umbrellas out front. Reasonable-looking menu. Two banks of three handpumps, offering Ordinary, Special and the seasonal London Porter (£3.50, but in first class condition). Overall, well worth seeking out.

On 3rd March 2012 - rating: 8
[User has posted 8066 recommendations about 8066 pubs]


Please Note: This review is over a year old.


Rex Rattus left this review about The Coborn Arms

This is a Young’s house, so nothing very exciting in the way of ales. But I don’t mind Young’s. They did have Winter Warmer on today, although I didn’t see any Bombardier. The Bitter was good, and at a pretty decent price of £2.75 a pint. It’s nice to report some particularly good service in a pub. I ordered a pint, sat down, had a gulp of beer, looked at the menu then went up to the bar to order a sarny. The barman was pulling through one of the handpumps, and when he finished he pulled a pint and plonked it in front of me. As I hadn’t ordered a pint I said it must be for someone else. “No”, he said, “I could see that your pint was a bit cloudy, and this is the replacement”. Now, that’s what I call service. The sarny was pretty good as well.
The pub consists of one large room with a large bar on the left. Furnishings are all normal tables and chairs with some banquette seating – the pub ideal in my view. It’s carpeted throughout, and has a warm and comfortable atmosphere. There were a number of obvious local regulars in there, and a few others in there for a bite to eat. A decent enough mix then. On the down side I did see a sparkler in use, and there were a couple of one armed bandits, a games machine, and a ciggy machine around the room. But they did have a Spiderman pinball machine, and the TV was muted. I would be very happy to drop in here for another pint when I am next in the area.

On 2nd December 2009 - rating: 6
[User has posted 2606 recommendations about 2520 pubs]