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Disappointment of the week with Real Ale Ray
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Detail Pages
The Morgan Arms, E3
E3
E3 5AA
Pub Type
Metropolitan Pub Co (Greene King)Reviews (Current Rating Average: 6½ of 10) see review guidelines
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Blue Scrumpy left this review about The Morgan Arms
Corner pub seemingly with a focus on food, with many tables reserved. I took up residence on a table reserved for 4:30, knowing that I'd have been at the football stadium for an hour and a half by then!
Drinkers are not neglected here, with the pub having 2 real ales and 2 real ciders - Landlord & Cowcatcher were the ales; Lilley's Mango Cider & Sandford Orchards Devon Mist were the ciders. I was torn between the Cowcatcher or a cider and ended up being quite happy with my choice of Cowcatcher.
According to CAMRA, members are offered a 10% discount. I obviously didn't look like the sort!
As with the previous reviewer, I didn't feel too at home here as I was in the Lord Tredegar or later on in the Eleanor Arms, but the presence of a couple of ciders boosts my score a little.
On 24th January 2023
- rating: 6
[User has posted 2452 recommendations about 2451 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Steve of N21 left this review about The Morgan Arms
A commanding corner pub that is now stripped out and gastofied internally. Will agree that the impressive wooden bar gantry with its stained-glass inserts is certainly the standout feature of the pub, but I wouldn’t say it’s enough to make the pub stand out from its nearby neighbours. To the contrary I found the stripped wooden flooring combined with the striking purples walls on one side and eclectic artwork throughout took away from, rather than added to the impressive carpentry.
It is clearly food focussed, with menus on every table, but there are five handpumps central to the bar. It is owned by the Capital Pub Company arm of Green King but fortunately there were none of the Suffolk based Breweries products in evidence for my visit. Unfortunately, there were only two ales on the pump as three of them had been given over to Ciders. TT Landlord and East London Brewing Cowcatcher APA were on alongside Lilley’s Mango cider and Devon Red and Devon Mist ciders from Sandfords. The ELB ale was perfectly fine and with its high ceilings and large double aspect glass windows this is certainly a light and airy pub in which to enjoy it. I just didn’t feel as comfortable in here as I did in the nearby Coburn and Lord Tredegar, and the Green Goose I went to next was much more my kind of pub.
On 6th December 2022
- rating: 6
[User has posted 2110 recommendations about 1992 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Tris C left this review about The Morgan Arms
Dating from 1826 but rebuilt in 1892, this is a rather commanding pub in this increasingly gentrified part of East London: the Tredegar Estate, where nearby modest houses in Rhondda Grove go for the best part of 4,000 monkeys, as the former Cockney locals would have said, though not so the Range Rover-driving incomers. You can tell on approach that this is going to be a gastro-style pub due to the pastel hues applied to the frontage which features picnic benches with awnings and patio heaters, but also hanging baskets of beautifully tended flowers.
Inside, and the gastro colour scheme continues with walls painted either smoky blue or pale grey with a white Anaglypta ceiling with coved cornice. The bar back comprises a little bare brick with some white glazed rectangular tiles and small modern two-tier shelf with mirror. The floor is bare wood with fairly conventional furniture of mixed heritage. However, it's the woodwork in here that really makes the pub stand out. The field panelled bar surround is probably oak with carved pilasters, arches and pediments, topped with stained glass panels - it looks like a private chapel in a church. The ecclesiastical theme continues with similar carved surrounds to the doors with stained glass fanlights and to below the dado rail with picture windows which feature stained glass panelled clerestory windows. Décor is minimal, probably because of the substantial amount of glass limits hanging space. The far rear is more of a restaurant, the rear left-hand is a carpeted snug of sorts with framed prints of flowers; towards the front right there are framed sketches of dogs. There was a TV - off - and music played at a sensible level.
Staff were very friendly and efficient serving up Landlord, one from Wadworth and Portobello Market Porter on good form at £2.75 a half; a Sandford's cider was also on offer.
This is a very decent pub, but probably not for those who don't like food or young professional customers. Certainly worth a look, making for a great quad with the Lord Tredegar, Green Goose and Palm Tree.
On 3rd August 2022
- rating: 7
[User has posted 1983 recommendations about 1949 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Graham Coombs left this review about The Morgan Arms
A large corner pub given a gastro makeover, which doesn't go too badly with the high ceilings, large windows and remaining original fittings. The large main room has a stripped floor and artily mismatched tables and chairs, with a posher restaurant area to the rear. Draught ales were GK IPA and Yardbird (a seasonal special), with Sambrook's Scrumdown and Bedlam Amagonsett as guests. I might have been unlucky but the Sambrook's was rather warm and not in the best of condition.
On 14th March 2019
- rating: 7
[User has posted 3339 recommendations about 3276 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Moby Duck left this review about The Morgan Arms
I probably picked the wrong day or time to visit this pub, Sunday afternoon, as the place was rammed solid with the Sunday roast brigade, every inch of floor space was taken up with occupied tables and chairs, which you had to weave in and out of to reach the bar, where for drinkers there was standing room only. The beer choice however was decent, four beers, one of which I didn't note for some reason and now escapes me, the others being Truman's Runner, Hackney Pale and Signature Brew Session . I can't say given the masses crammed into the pub, it was a great experience, but can imagine it being better at another time.
On 27th November 2017
- rating: 6
[User has posted 1871 recommendations about 1844 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Komakino . left this review about The Morgan Arms
I've always associated Bow with Grime music and walking past stary locals at the nearby Coborn made me think this would be another "interesting" area. Not so. As I neared this corner pub, located on a crossroads, a chalk A-board out front proclaimed "New Menu Launch Today" and a light grey hue to the external wood made it look inviting along with the yellow and black stained glass inserts at the top reaches of the tall windows. High-ceilinged and a distressed bare-boarded floor, this has a squat, L-shaped bar against the rear centre wall, with seating of varying heights and comfort occupying the space in front and to its left. The bar itself has some superb (original?) wooden reliefs. Despite a handpump proferring GK IPA and another unclipped, the remaining three stumps offered up Wimbledon Copper Leaf, Southwark Two Bridges and an excellent Signature Brew Backstage IPA - a 5.6% monster in great shape. A friendly barman allowed me tasters of the two latter beers before I parted with £4.65 for the privilege of the IPA. Muted background muzak which allowed conversation and caricatures of deceased pop-culture icons including Michael Jackson, Prince, Bowie, Elvis and Carrie Fisher (as Princess Leia of course). This is a good'un and is less than a 5-minute walk from Mile End Tube and can be combine to make a three-pubber with the Coborn and Lord Tredegar. (Original Review 4th October 2017)
On 14th October 2017
- rating: 7
[User has posted 1074 recommendations about 1074 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
hondo . left this review about The Morgan Arms
Nice ornate interior serving 4 real ales and food.
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 Morgan Arms
The Morgan Arms is a decent sized corner corner pub that is in a pretty upmarket area of Mile End.
Once inside i had a deja vu moment,but i soon realised i had'nt been in the pub before, but had been in loads of London pubs that look the same as this one.
There is single L shaped room with the bar facing,the seating was a mix of too many types to mention,the ceilings were high and the floor bare boarded.
There were four real ales on the bar,i had a drink of beer called The Morgan,not sure who brews this but it was ok,the other beers were Doom Bar,Crate IPA which had an hand written note on the pump clip saying unfined,or in other words Cloudy,the other beer was from Trumans.
The pub was fairly busy with young trendy types who you always see in these types of pubs.
Food seemed to a big draw here.
This pub was ok for a quick half,but not really my sort of pub.
Pub visited 19/2/2014
On 19th February 2014
- rating: 6
[User has posted 6113 recommendations about 6113 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Ted Jones left this review about The Morgan Arms
This place rules! :) so casual. Nice drinks, friendly staff. Coming back soon
On 1st April 2013
- rating: 8
[User has posted 3 recommendations about 3 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Just a quick pint, then I'm off left this review about The Morgan Arms
Capital Pub Company gastro pub, with all that entails in terms of menu, furniture, decor and prices. Quite a small 'L'-shaped bar around the sides of the interesting, part-screened bar counter. Fancy dining area to the rear. Annoying tea light on the tables. Quite a laid-back atmosphere, with some KT Tunstall on as background music. Also has a few wooden benches out front. Three of the four handpumps were in operation, offering Greene King IPA, Doom Bar and Broadside (£3.70). No doubt aimed squarely at the residents of the nearby gentrified Tredegar Square area, and so long as you are not expecting a old-fashioned East End boozer then it is a reasonable example of its type.
On 3rd March 2012
- rating: 7
[User has posted 8086 recommendations about 8086 pubs]