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Commercial Tavern, Shoreditch, E1
E1
E1 6NU
Reviews (Current Rating Average: 6 of 10) see review guidelines
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Will Larter left this review about Commercial Tavern
An unusual corner pub at a narrow road junction, with a handsome external appearance. Inside it gives the impression of having been taken over just last week and being in the middle of renovation, but this is deliberate. On closer inspection the wall panels have had different styles of old or retro wallpaper inserted, and one of the cast iron pillars has been pasted over with scraps of Thunderbirds wallpaper that might have decorated a six-year-old's bedroom in the 1960s. So what initially looks scruffy and temporary turns out to be more like a work of art - a sort of installation or trompe l'oeil. The bar has just two hand pumps plus 10 keg taps. I went for a beer called Solaris from a London Brewery called Big Smoke, which I can vaguely recall as being a pretty ordinary hoppy pale that was not to my taste. I liked it here, especially as almost all the other pubs were making a big thing of St Patrick's Day, but this one wasn't.
Date of visit: 17th March 2022
On 29th August 2022
- rating: 6
[User has posted 3740 recommendations about 3477 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Danny O'Revey left this review about Commercial Tavern
lovely exterior with open plan room inside, though follows the curve around to the right. Looks like they have gone for a Ruin style, very scruffy but with various fittings like animal skulls around. The beer is a bit warm. Interesting
On 18th September 2019
- rating: 7
[User has posted 1456 recommendations about 1434 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Quinno _ left this review about Commercial Tavern
A wonderful curved corner building. Sadly the inside has been Nathan Barleyed to the max - to say it's scruffy and unkempt would be doing it a disservice as it's obviously a curated dump, done in a style that's like somewhere from the 1940s halfway through a strip out after bomb damage. Internally there's the main bar with a filthy stripped wood floor, crudely stripped walls and some plaster board drilled into one corner of the ceiling (one would assume to disguise a hole but in here, who knows). There's a spur room off right where the wood panelling has been painted the same colour that Linda Blair in The Exorcist threw up over the priest. On the positive side is plenty of beer, 10 keg and 4 cask as well as a big menu if bottles. Cask line up from Anspach & Hobday, Harbour Snake Eyes and Hawkshead. I plumped for a half of the Hawkshead Red which tasted pretty weird, certainly not the usual Hawkshead quality (NBSS 1.5). There was a distinct herbal smell in the air, hopefully from outside rather than upstairs. Overall? Swerve it, unless you are Swampy.
On 1st April 2019
- rating: 4
[User has posted 5081 recommendations about 5064 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Pub SignMan left this review about The Commercial Tavern
This is a rather hip Shoreditch pub with an unusual curved frontage which creates a quadrant shaped interior. The ground floor room is bare boarded and has an attractive servery along the rear wall. The bar has a padded counter front and decorative glazed tile counter top, an impressive relief carved access hatch and a comparatively plain, white wood bar back lined with mirrors, pump clips and a set of antlers. Some outrageous hipster chandeliers hang above the bar area, surrounded by a collection of mirrors, whilst a child’s BMX bike has been framed and hung on a nearby wall. The curved front wall has a series of semi-obscured windows, some of which have nice etched glass panes on top, with dreadful wallpaper on the walls in between. Hard, backless benches run under the windows, with plenty of chairs in support and through the remainder of the room, although a few high stools can also be found around a drinking ledge attached to a central support pillar. The room extends to the right, under a set of three angel’s wings, into a gloomy area where a few more tables and chairs can be found. Stairs lead up to a similarly shaped first floor room which I did not explore on this visit. However, I do recall drinking in this room many years ago, mainly because of the furniture, which had all been covered with soft porn decoupage – not the sort of thing you forget when you’re visiting with your parents, as I was back then! Some hip indie tunes played away during my visit and there was a huge overspill of customer out onto the fairly wide pavement out the front, with a few benches barely sufficient to cope with the demand.
The pub has recently found its way into the Good Beer Guide and had four ales available on this occasion – Roosters Highway 51, Harbour Corniche Bitter, Titanic Plum Porter and Tiny Rebel Cwtch. The latter was £4.50 for a pint and in excellent shape – a very enjoyable pint that didn’t stay in the glass for too long. Food is also available and, whilst I didn’t see anyone eating, it seems to focus mainly around tasty sounding pizzas.
This is a real hipster pub that seems to have become very popular over recent years, perhaps in part to the high standard of cellarmanship on show. I think you have to be in the right mood too visit a trendy pub like this, but I really enjoyed my time here and as a frequent gig-goer in this part of town, will add it to my list for a revisit.
On 14th January 2019
- rating: 7
[User has posted 3114 recommendations about 3114 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Steve of N21 left this review about The Commercial Tavern
A very good looking pub exterior being a grade II listed building, which probably explains why it has avoided being flattened in the regeneration of this area close to Spitalfields market. Yes, this is a dark pub internally, but if you visit on a dark winter evening the internal lighting and table candles kind of works and gives the place an interesting ambience. Interior is well described by previous reviewers and a decent beer range is on offer that does justify its inclusion in the CAMRA 2019 GBG. CAMRA won’t be bothered by the 10 craft beer taps dispensing a range of London Craft beers and some from farther afield, but you get the feeling the younger demographic this pub attracts are. But for us older farts there are four ale handpumps dispensing a good mix of beers from non-mainstream brewers and my pint of Ilkley Brewery Ruby Jane was well kept.
I was missing the hipster beard to be completely comfortable here, but I still thought it was a good pub on the strength of my latest visit.
On 21st December 2018
- rating: 7
[User has posted 2110 recommendations about 1992 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Ian Mapp left this review about The Commercial Tavern
Good Beer Guide 2019 Tick.
So damn dark inside, I thought it was closed on approach. Not helped by a couple of gentlemen of the street drinking cans and smoking non tobacco cigarettes on the door step.
But open it is, and inside is a traditional pub layout, wooden flooring, furniture, single room, bar at front. Didn't recognise any of the hand pulls on but the New York, New York was worthy of inclusion in the GBG.
Visit blogged at http://bit.ly/2EXOu6d
On 2nd November 2018
- rating: 6
[User has posted 1338 recommendations about 1324 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Bucking Fastard left this review about Commercial Tavern
A curved exterior with green glazed tiling and some bench seating outside,while inside it's shabby chic in the hipster mode.Part of a small chain which includes Harrild & Sons,Well & Bucket and The Exmouth Arms,it's quite bare inside,which shows off the curved shape with large windows and some good etched glass top pieces.The floral wallpaper is distressed but works well,the floor is wooden,the furniture consists of benches around the sides ,a few square wooden tables with pew seats.To one side is a more discrete area with a long bench tucked away.The serving bar has padded panels,old tiles inlaid and a good bar back in white wood.The muzak was playing at a sensible volume and fitted the surroundings.
Food consists mainly of sourdough pizzas,but there is a long bottled beer list while on the bar there are 10 craft beer taps ,4 from Camden,one each from Beavertown ,Hawkes Urban,Kirkstall,Wiper & True together with some foreign brewers.The 4 handpumps were drawing Wild Beer Co. Millionaire Stout,Tiny Rebel Juicy,Dark Star Hophead and Thornbridge Late Star,£4.50 but superb.
You may feel more comfortable in here if sporting a beard,but I found the vibe to be friendly and judging by previous reviewers ale choice ,and what I found, this is a very good real ale house and should be firmly on the list if crawling the area.I will most certainly return.
On 25th September 2017
- rating: 8
[User has posted 2727 recommendations about 2727 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
john gray left this review about Commercial Tavern
Yes quite a gloomy interior but very busy.Basic interior,loudish music and good beer.Beers fromArbor,Thornebridge ,Watling St and my Mordue -fifth panda was very good.Reasonably priced as well.Outside seating at front.
On 11th March 2017
- rating: 7
[User has posted 1023 recommendations about 1009 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Just a quick pint, then I'm off left this review about Commercial Tavern
Trendy place, housed in quite an imposing old pub with a curved frontage on an angled corner plot. Completely stripped out inside, with some large windows but the place descended into near darkness as the daylight faded. Limited amount of basic furniture in the main bar and side room, with decor limited to some dodgy wallpaper and (for some reason) three pairs of angel wings. Also has a few wooden benches out front. Four handpumps on the counter, offering a decent choice of Burning Sky Plateau, Rooster's Old Faithfull, Hawkshead Jingle Fells and Great Heck Voodoo Mild (£4.20).
On 7th January 2017
- rating: 6
[User has posted 8117 recommendations about 8117 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Tris C left this review about Commercial Tavern
A first in here and I'd be very hard pushed to describe this as a pub with its eclectic furniture painted pastel colours, bottles of lurid-coloured alcopops behind the bar and magazine interviews papered all over the place.
It's full of trendies/hipsters/students; most in here were young enough to be my children. Service was dire and despite not being busy, I was overlooked at least twice; staff busied themselves cutting up citrus fruit for cocktails, which seem to be the mainstay of trade here. After waiting an age I was aggressively barged out of the way by some imbecile so having had enough, we went in search of something better than this. Needless to say, I won't be returning. Ever.
For the record ales on offer were Hawkshead Brewery's Bitter, Arbor's Montueka, Great Heck's Washington Red and Arcadia Ales' Cereal Killer Breakfast IPA.
On 11th July 2016
- rating: 1
[User has posted 1985 recommendations about 1951 pubs]