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Detail Pages
The Dolphin, E8
E8
E8 3RH
Reviews (Current Rating Average: 6½ of 10) see review guidelines
Bucking Fastard left this review about The Dolphin
Reopened in July 2023 after a long closure ,the 3* CAMRA listing of this pub as one of national importance drew this visit.Local folk usually talk about the trouble which has occurred here over the years,mostly attributable to a very late licence which in the past extended to 4am on Saturdays. After the last case of "issues" the licence hours have been curtailed to a 00.30 limit .
The exterior is unexceptional,all now in a blue which is picked up inside as the colour of the glass dolphins in the room dividers.The windows are vast but with modern glass and no sign of etching.The interior is more noteworthy although the full height room dividers have at some stage been truncated leaving a large room to the right side which at one time may have been two.There is a parquet floor but the ceiling pattern is in wood rather than plaster and overly blue throughout.The most impressive feature are the glazed tilings in frames with a particularly impressive scene from ancient Greece.The tiles extend around the walls of the large room,there is a seperate smaller room on the otherside of a functional but unexceptional island bar with more tiling in frames.This small room only has modern bar seats in turquoise but good dividing panels which leads to a pool room with attractive wood panelling ,which itself gives way to a smart,refurbished paved beer garden.
Walk around the back of the interior to get to the smartened and clean lavs,and finally a small stage at the back of the large room.
Sadly the furniture is cheap ,quite modern and not in keeping with the surroundings and the vast speakers hanging from brackets still indicate that loud music and dancing will occur and explains a large vacant space to the right.
There is nothing opulent about the interior save the tiling and the presence of no real ale ,a mundane keg range with a few options unavailable on my trip such as Beavertown Gamma Ray ,left the only option Beavertown Neck Oil at the rip off price of £7.50.
The blue drapes are no doubt drawn over the front windows to create a disco vibe when the music is blaring later at night but the pub was very quiet on my Wednesday afternoon visit.
I felt the 3* rating was OTT,the only real feature is the tiling and the pub experience was depressing and poor.It has been tidied up but lacks atmosphere and charm.It could be so much better ,but that would take effort and imagination both currently lacking.
Pop in ,buy a half and look at the glazed tiling if you must.I can see no reason to return.
On 8th August 2023
- rating: 6
[User has posted 2728 recommendations about 2728 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Tris C left this review about The Dolphin
Dating from 1736, this must have been rebuilt in the 19th century for Truman's, judging by the name still visible to the sign bracket. There are also some Taylor Walker lanterns with aftermarket 'Dolphin' glass panes, some missing; indeed the exterior looks a bit tatty and uninviting.
Inside, and what you can't help notice is the nightclub-style accoutrements such as Tannoy horns strapped to the scruffy metal columns with ornate capitals and the loudspeakers mounted on brackets. There are also disco-style lighting arrays, so obviously a quiet pub this ain't; it's open 'til 4.00 am on Saturdays and a minimum of 1.00 am every other day. The floor is modern herringbone parquet and the scarlet ceiling is a combination of what looks like matchboard with hexagonal cells; it's quite attractive. The island bar appears to have a wraparound plywood front and probably dates from the 1950s; there are some careworn full-height drape curtains, presumably to help keep the noise from leaking into this rather unprepossessing part of Hackney. Furniture is completely mismatched whilst lighting comes courtesy of Tiffany lamps.
To the rear there's another room, wood panelled and home to an ugly pool table with a beer patio beyond. Also, here are the gent's lavs which not only are scruffy, but there's no door, so you can have a pee whilst being observed by the pool players and bar staff - nice. The place was virtually empty, apart from a group of excitable young women; every other venue around here was buzzing.
However...it's the utterly stunning polychromatic glazed tiling which makes this pub so special, dating from the 1890s courtesy of W. B. Simpson & Sons. Indeed, it's on CAMRA's list of historic pubs with interiors of National Importance. Some are glazed blue and white, others multi-coloured whilst some depict friezes, one from Greek mythology which stands out depicts Arion being rescued from pirates by a dolphin, naturally. There's more finery in the form of vestigial wooden screens with large mirrors and leaded stained-glass infill, depicting leaping dolphins.
A rather disinterested barman presided over taps with shot glasses to indicate their inactivity; no real ale was substituted with a decent pint of Guinness at £6.00, so the pirates have obviously returned.
This place doesn't get the respect it obviously deserves and whilst very pretty to look at, it makes for a pretty poor pub experience unless enticed by the wall mounted banner proclaiming that it's recently been voted '4th Best Dive Bar in Europe'.
It's worth popping in for a half to appreciate the beauty - hence the grade - before moving on to pastures new, but now I've been, I don't plan to return.
On 16th July 2021
- rating: 8
[User has posted 1985 recommendations about 1951 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
custodian 42 left this review about The Dolphin
One room pub with island type bar. Three hand pumps - none working. Rest keg rubbish. Why bother?
On 19th September 2018
- rating: 3
[User has posted 1693 recommendations about 1691 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Rex Rattus left this review about The Dolphin
Sometimes it's hard to know where to start. This pub is on CAMRA's National Inventory of pubs with unspoilt interiors, mainly in recognition of the superb Victorian tiling that still survives in here. The W B Simpson tiled panel on the right featuring Action being rescued by a dolphin after having been tossed overboard by his avaricious shipmates is as good a tiled panel as anything I've seen in London. This panel is on the right hand wall and would have been the first thing you would have seen on entering the corridor that would once have been there. In the room on the left is another, much smaller, panel featuring Diana the Huntress, and all of the other walls had tiling on them. I was told by the guv'nor that the tiling had been covered up (and thus preserved) and only revealed when a previous landlord had removed the hardboard, or whatever, that was hiding it. There is also some internal screenwork (featuring dolphins in the glazing of course) that would once have completely separated the various rooms. And the ceiling also deserves a mention, being elaborately wood panelled. It's worth looking up from your beer to have a butcher's at it.
But apart from the maginificent tiling, this is a very ordinary pub. There were three clipped handpumps at the front of the counter, but none were on, and when the barman failed to get the keg Meantime Pale Ale to work, I settled for a half of Kozel (£2 a half). This pub is definitely worth a visit if only to view the heritage features.
On 12th July 2015
- rating: 7
[User has posted 2606 recommendations about 2520 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Alan Winfield left this review about The Dolphin
The Dolphin is set in a terrace and looks like a pretty normal East End pub from the outside.
Once inside it is quite a nice pub,the main room is L shaped with the bar facing,this room had normal tables and chairs,there is a smaller separate lounge to the left plus a separate pool room to the rear left.
There was a TV showing football score updates.
There were three real ales on the bar,i asked for a drink of ELB Pale Ale,the barman said this may not taste that good so gave me a taster it tasted more like vinegar than beer,he then asked what other beer i wanted i opted for Adnams Ghost Ship which was a really nice drink,when i offered payment for the drink he refused saying "this was not your first choice of beer so you can have it on the house" i thought this was really nice of him to do this,the other beer was Adnams Broadside.
This is a very pleasant pub that was sadly almost empty on my Saturday afternoon visit.
Ime very surprised that no Londoners have been in and reviewed this pub yet.
Pub visited 4/10/2014
On 4th October 2014
- rating: 8
[User has posted 6113 recommendations about 6113 pubs]