Not already a member?
Join our community and
- Rate & review pubs
- Upload pictures
- Add events
JOIN for free NOW
Chat about:
Disappointment of the week with Mobyduck
on the Pub Forum
Detail Pages
The Spread Eagle, Homerton, E9
E9
E9 6AS
Reviews (Current Rating Average: 6½ of 10) see review guidelines
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Pub SignMan left this review about The Jackdaw & Star
Another grand looking pub in this part of town, the Jackdaw and Star gives the impression of having previously been pretty much the mirror image of the equally impressive Adam & Eve across the road. However, whilst the latter has retained a sense of its traditional layout and decor, this place has gone for more of a radical departure, with an opened out interior leaving a slightly forlorn looking central island servery in the middle of the room. The pub is bare boarded and the servery has a copper top and a decent collection of pump clips on the diminished bar back. The end part of the bar is surrounded by a tiled floor, with the tiling extending onto the counter front. Large windows to the front and right let in plenty of light, which given the pastel shaded walls and weird modern wallpaper, isn’t necessarily a plus point. Standard tables and chairs have been arranged under these windows, with a drinking ledge in the narrower space to the left and some comfier sofa options at the back of the room. Decor includes a number of large plain mirrors, some antique paintings and a DJ area hidden behind a faux-Victorian dressing screen. The room extends to the rear left where a fairly pleasant lounge-type area offering a few Chesterfields under gaudy wallpapered walls decorated with stuffed birds in glass cases. There is a nice stained glass skylight here and some more coloured glasswork in the rear windows which look out to a garden area.
Just the two ales available here – Maregade Amber and Five Points Pale – with the latter turning out to be a good pint from a brewery that didn’t disappoint whenever encountered on our East London crawl. The place had a bit of a ‘craft beer bar’ feel to it and there were a few interesting options on the taps from the usual suspects.
I thought this place was a bit of a mixed bag, as I quite enjoyed the quirky styling and well kept beer but couldn’t help thinking the place would’ve been a lot better with a more traditional look and feel. Perhaps we should be grateful that, in an area hit with countless pub closures, the place is still trading at all – it certainly worked well as part of our crawl and I’d be happy enough calling in again.
On 3rd May 2017
- rating: 7
[User has posted 3114 recommendations about 3114 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Just a quick pint, then I'm off left this review about The Jackdaw & Star
The turret above the main entrance to this corner pub is what first catches the eye, but the purple fascia name-boards lower down are rather vile. However, the remodelled interior is also a similar mixture of the appealing and the appalling, with some unusual glass-topped tables with memorabilia beneath to distract from the stuffed animals. We found two of the three handpumps in operation, offering Five Points Pale and Maregade Amber (£2.20, half).
On 15th April 2017
- rating: 7
[User has posted 8086 recommendations about 8086 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Rex Rattus left this review about The Jackdaw & Star
This is another pub that has hitherto escaped my custom, despite visits to the Adam & Eve opposite. It was better than I expected it to be, with a couple of decent beers on plus a third handpump unused. It's thoroughly madeover of course, but has enough knick knacks and bric a brac about the place to keep one amused for a while. I would say that pride of place is resereved for the stuffed bird - a jackdaw presumably - in a large glass case; and my attention was also drawn to the skeletal remains of some some other animal - possibly rattus rattus - in another small case. All very intriguing.
This is a comfortable enough pub, with a few armchairs and sufficient normal tables and chairs for the traditionalists among us. Although nothing very special, this is a decent enough pub with a couple of OK beers. It's certainly not worth going far out of your way to visit, but alright for a swift one.
On 12th April 2017
- rating: 6
[User has posted 2606 recommendations about 2520 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
E TA left this review about The Jackdaw & Star
Well described below, not much to add to those descriptions. I found the choice of ales fine if limited in comparison to other pubs visited that day, and managed to sample both the Maregade Amber and the Five Points Pale Ale, both in very good condition. I found the pub a little unwelcoming, but I'd be happy to include in a crawl or drop in for a Nightcap if coming this way again as their beer was rather good.
On 7th April 2017
- rating: 7
[User has posted 3280 recommendations about 3245 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Steve of N21 left this review about The Jackdaw & Star
Another one that had a makeover in 2014 after being closed and in danger of being sold for conversion to flats. So great to see it still going strong as a pub. It’s decent enough with some quirky features as described below and I didn’t warm to it as much as the Adam and Eve on the other side of the road. But a very decent Five Points Pale on one of the two handpumps and also a decent range of local Craft Keg offerings in the shape of Howling Hops, Five Points, Pressure Drop and Canopy available here also.
I think the big pull down screen in the front section showing lunchtime footy probably didn’t help and didn’t seem to fit into the ambience of this place, but I could see myself settling into one of the burgundy leather sofas away from the screen in the far end of the bar with one of the decent beer choice. But if I only had the opportunity to visit one pub, the Adam and Eve would have it over here..
On 4th April 2017
- rating: 6
[User has posted 2110 recommendations about 1992 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Real Ale Ray left this review about The Jackdaw & Star
A traditional style pub with added curios around the place. I sat at a glass topped table near the corner entrance, which kept me busy looking at the various artefacts displayed within. There was also another table next to ours with further bits and pieces on display. Beerwise I went for the Five Points ale, which was superb and was well worth my visit.
On 31st March 2017
- rating: 6
[User has posted 3382 recommendations about 3381 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Moby Duck left this review about The Jackdaw & Star
Not a bad pub but inferior to the Adam and Eve opposite, three handpumps on the copper topped bar, with two operational giving a choice of Five Points Pale, which was very good and Maregarde Amber. As mentioned there were various stuffed creatures including a Barn Owl randomly spread about the pub adding to a Quirky feel about the place,I didn't dislike it.
On 26th March 2017
- rating: 6
[User has posted 1871 recommendations about 1844 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Tris C left this review about The Jackdaw & Star
Wrapped around the cupola is the pub's original name, The Spread Eagle, which has been here since at least the mid-18th century, though the current incarnation is probably late Victorian/early Edwardian. Later known as The Jackdaw & Stump but renamed in 2014 as The Jackdaw & Star on account of its acquisition by one Mr. Star.
Perfectly described below, this isn't exactly my type of thing, seemingly geared towards a younger client base with greater tolerance for what the twin gramophone decks suggests is something louder to come (the pub has a 2.00 am Friday/Saturday licence); food also includes Human roasts.
The Adam & Eve (opposite) is much more my cup of tea, with a greater choice of ales to boot.
On 26th March 2017
- rating: 5
[User has posted 1983 recommendations about 1949 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Malden man left this review about The Jackdaw & Star
An attractive typically located Victorian corner building complete with a feature corner topped by a domed cupola. All somewhat different inside where there is a modern opened out L-shaped space with a very narrow island bar and weird wallpaper to the rear area. There are a few 33rpm album covers on the bar gantry, the counter is copper topped for the most part and a column has a few beermats stuck onto it. Glass topped tables, some with a strange array of artefacts inside to view and others with persons' passport photos. Glass cases had a stuffed jackdaw and also a rat skeleton....nice. Vases of flowers on the tables, fireplaces with fake logs, not sure of the fuel source, strangely the bar ceiling which is boarded is fitted with a pair of hinged shed style doors. Not sure what is going on there. Toilets are "Geezers" and "Birds" in purple neon, classy. A corner TV had the Vanarama League game between Lincoln and FGR on, the Imps were 3-1 up, nice, I don't like Forest Green at all. A corner DJ deck suggests a livelier time to come in the evening.
There is a small walled outdoor area to the rear which has unusual seating arrangements.
Three handpumps, Five Points Pale, Maregarde Amber and one unclipped. Food looked to be dominated by various burgers, dogs and "sliders".
A bit wacky and off the wall but not in a bad way, it was ok.
On 26th March 2017
- rating: 6
[User has posted 1707 recommendations about 1681 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Bucking Fastard left this review about The Jackdaw & Star
A trendy pub ,but worth a visit for some unusual features.The street corner building has an island bar,with the interior winding around and ecelectic furniture,the glass topped display cabinet tables contain various artifacts,there is a stuffed jackdaw in it's own display booth to the right with at the rear a series of velour covered armchairs and sofas so typical of the hipster scene.The bar is copper topped and the neon lavatory signs for Birds and Geezers fitted the surroundings well.
On my short crawl visit there were just two ale options,Maregate Amber and Five Points Pale (good nick) along with a modest keg selection.Worth calling in if crawling the area,but maybe not enough to devote to a full evenings drinking.
On 26th March 2017
- rating: 7
[User has posted 2727 recommendations about 2727 pubs]