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Detail Pages
The Golden Heart, E1
E1
E1 6LZ
Reviews (Current Rating Average: 5½ of 10) see review guidelines
Tris C left this review about The Golden Heart
A revisit last night to encounter deafening football commentary and a cubicle with no lock on the door with a non-flushing cistern. The inattentive barmaid served me with a pint of Landlord rather than the requested half and a mind bending £6.50 a pint.
A pretty pub offering a pretty unappealing pub experience.
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On 11th July 2016 - rating: 4
This pub was rebuilt for Truman's by A. E. Sewell in the 1930s in the shadow of the former Truman's brewery. No surprises then that it's decked out, inside and out, with Truman's regalia, from the neon sign out front to the three-quarter height wood panelling with inlaid ivorine lettering naming former Truman's products; there are also Truman's eagle motifs in terracotta mounted to the top of the fireplaces surrounds; gone seemingly is the fake corrugated iron wallpaper as is the Spitals Wine Bar naming which persisted from 1979 until about seven years ago. Clients are a mix of locals who were a bit too sauced-up for my liking, students and Ripper tourists.
Now on pump were Timothy Taylor's Landlord and Truman's ales v. 2, Swift and Zephyr at a wincing £2.70 a half.
This is an interesting pub, mainly because of the interior features but the eye-watering prices and some unappealing clients mean that I'm unlikely to return.
On 3rd October 2023
- rating: 4
[User has posted 1985 recommendations about 1951 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Will Larter left this review about The Golden Heart
This was one of two pubs on Commercial Street that are featured in Camra's inventory of pubs with historic interiors. Unfortunately there was no real ale on at the time of my visit, so I didn't have a drink. Whether this was a permanent situation or just a temporary one to encourage the drinking of Guinness, I didn't stop to ask.
On 17th March 2022
- no rating submitted
[User has posted 3746 recommendations about 3483 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Clive Thompson left this review about The Golden Heart
Glad to report that the pub is still there, the landlady is still there, and the place is just as chaotic and amusing as always. But £10.80 for a pint of 3.9% ale and a pint of Aspalls Cider was eye-watering for a place like this.
On 4th January 2019
- no rating submitted
[User has posted 777 recommendations about 697 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Just a quick pint, then I'm off left this review about The Golden Heart
Fine old ex-Truman pub with a imposing polygonal façade in a prominent position at the main junction at the north-east corner of Spitalfields market. The historic interior retains two separate bars between a triangular servery, with traditional furniture and decor retaining various original features. Three real ales on handpump: Landlord and (fittingly) two from the new brewery bearing the former owner's name - Swift and Zephyr (£4.80).
On 7th January 2017
- rating: 7
[User has posted 8117 recommendations about 8117 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Moby Duck left this review about The Golden Heart
A large early 20th century corner pub with two bars set out in a traditional way,very busy on my evening visit,I only spotted two handpumps and these were serving T.T.Landlord and Trumans Runner,not a destination pub by any means but worthy of a stop off if passing by.
On 5th September 2015
- rating: 6
[User has posted 1872 recommendations about 1845 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
John Bonser left this review about The Golden Heart
Prominently situated on a street corner opposite Spitalfields Market and close to the former Trumans Brewery in Brick Lane is The Golden Heart, a two bar former Trumans pub that still retains some of its original features, both internally and externally. The pub features in the CAMRA publication of Historic Pub Interiors – “London Heritage Pubs – An inside story”.
The pub is perhaps not as big internally as you might expect from the outside, but a central bar serves two separate wood panelled rooms. The public bar ( the only one open on my visit ), has basic tables and chairs and is wooden floored. Two old brick surround fireplaces retain the old Truman Eagle logo and some inscribed lettering ( eg – Eagle Stout, Oatmeal Stout ) survives on the wood panelling. The walls are decorated with some old photos of the area, including one when the Queen Mother opened Spitalfields Market in November 1928. Over one of the fireplaces is a framed photo of the finalists in the 1983 Truman Pub of the Year competition which included The Golden Heart with the current landlady, Sandra Esquilant, who is apparently something of a local celebrity, at the helm then some 30 years ago. There’s some rather striking wallpaper which, as a previous contributor correctly points out, really does look like corrugated iron, especially when viewed close up. For some reason, which I didn’t bother to pursue, the gents’ toilets are labelled as “hommes” which, as those of us who did languages at school will no doubt recall, is French for “men”. A small neon sign over a doorway tells us to “stand still and rot”.
Although, pleasingly, not apparent on my visit, I gather that the pub is popular with the young Hoxton / Shoreditch trendies, particularly at weekends. On the wall is a framed article about Tracey Emin, who makes reference to the pub and who, apparently, still calls in. It was her who constructed the small neon lit signage outside referring to Dennis and Sandra, licensees. Presumably to cater for the young trendies, there’s a large old style jukebox, prominently positioned.
Perhaps not surprisingly, real ale does not feature prominently amongst the drinks on offer, although 2 handpumps were serving Adnams Bitter and Broadside at £ 3.20p and £ 3.40p respectively. Adnams Bitter never seems to be anything special nowadays and my pint was no different. I doubt there’s much real ale turnover here.
As a pub, I quite like it, although it certainly isn’t worth going out of your way for, and, based on my visit, customers are tolerated rather than welcomed. If you’re in the area, you might want to call in out of curiosity, if nothing else.
On 21st February 2012
- rating: 5
[User has posted 560 recommendations about 560 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Steve of N21 left this review about The Golden Heart
The Golden Heart is a traditional former Truman’s, wood panelled pub built around 1910 not far from the site of the Truman’s brewery at the end of Brick Lane.
The internal space is largely divided into two drinking areas by the central serving bar area, both having large fireplaces, and in summer there is outside seating.
The big plus of this pub is its location, situated as it is next to the Spitalfields market, which does mean it’s usually very busy on a market day, and is now frequented by the trendy crowd who have moved into the area as the east end has been gentrified. It’s not uncommon to see a D-List celebrity in here nowadays , Tracey Emin for example whose artwork is sometimes hung on the walls and available for sale.
Usually Adnams bitter and Broadside on, but never been that good when I’ve tried it, probably because it doesn’t get the pull through compared to the draught Guinness, Kronenbourg & Carlsberg Extra Cold as well as bottled Corona, Grolsch & Estrella Damm for those who drinking straight from the bottle is considered de rigueur.
Still got a traditional Landlady (and her daughters) running the place, although they do seem to suffer for their profession, and on busy days when I have popped in seem to suffer customers under duress, which is strange considering the Landlady has been in situ for over 30 years now I believe.
On 29th December 2010
- rating: 5
[User has posted 2111 recommendations about 1992 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Clive Thompson left this review about The Golden Heart
Looks like a large corner pub from the outside but so much of the inside is given over to the bar that there’s not a great deal of room. For some bizarre reason the wall paper in this pub has a 3D effect which makes it look like the walls are covered in corrugated iron, I’m sure they have a book behind the bar with a note of the number of people who check whether it is or not. The only ale available was Adnams, which wasn’t that good.
On 6th March 2010
- rating: 5
[User has posted 777 recommendations about 697 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Rex Rattus left this review about The Golden Heart
This pub was built for the local brewers, Truman Hanbury and Buxton, between the wars, and retains a number of its original features, including separate saloon and public bars, plus wood-panelled walls. There was a fire blazing away (gas-fired I suppose) with a dog in front of it, giving the place a somewhat rustic effect – false of course, with the frenetic Commercial Road outside. They had Adnam's Bitter and Broadside on. It's a nice enough pub, and a good example of how thousands of pubs used to look before they were "modernised". I don't suppose that I would go out of my way to visit again.
On 22nd February 2009
- rating: 5
[User has posted 2606 recommendations about 2520 pubs]