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The Star by Hackney Downs, E5
E5
E5 8NN
Reviews (Current Rating Average: 6½ of 10) see review guidelines
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Tris C left this review about The Star by Hackney Downs
Opening around 1870 as The Three Sisters, the current name being applied in 2013. The eponymous mural to the corner splay has recently been painted over with the new name and a mural of a women to the west wall appears to depict Debbie Harry nuzzling a ferret (see photo).
A recent website includes this place on its list of London’s 25 Most Boring Pubs. However, the pub’s website proclaims that this is the best pub in Hackney Downs and it’s hard to disagree given that it’s now the only pub facing Hackney Downs, the Downs Hotel having closed in 2007.
The interior is well described below. It’s not that large and wedge shaped. The floor is bare boarded, the walls plain with little décor apart from some prints to the rear; the ceiling is clad in Anaglypta. There are drape curtains, but the bar is of a little more interest being prow fronted with scrolls, mainly painted red. It sports a carousel’s horse impaled by its candy twist pole. There’s quite a jazzy pot shelf with what look like painted glass inserts, the frontage also sports a periphery of red and white bulbs which look like a film star’s dressing table mirror; these provide most of the light combined with a couple of spherical crystal chandeliers. The overall impression is that this is a bit of a dive bar, just a couple of etched clerestory windows hint at glories past. Furniture is a bit utilitarian and music is a tad loud, in keeping with the dive bar theme, playing hits from the likes of Allen Toussaint, Kela Futi, Electric Peanut Butter Factory and the late great Gil Scott-Heron. There’s food, but it seems to revolve around the burger, examples on the pub’s website look like alien incarnations from the film ‘The Thing’. Unsurprisingly, customers are young Hackney types.
Staff were efficient rather than friendly, presiding over a couple of chrome founts, then a pump with a reversed clip, Ubu’s Purity and Five Points Best at a reasonable £4.60 and very good it was too.
Far from being boring, this is actually something different in the area and I’d have no problem popping in if passing, but the music level is a bit loud to make conversation easy.
On 14th August 2021
- rating: 6
[User has posted 1985 recommendations about 1951 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Komakino . left this review about The Star by Hackney Downs
Now run by the too-cool-for-school Star Group who have a couple of other pubs in and around this area (The Jackdaw & Star is one that springs to mind). Externally, it retains a faded Three Sisters sign - whether original or hipster reclaimed I'm unsure) and remains the 'flatiron' shape from before. Internally you'll either love it or hate it. It retains a central island bar now with red and white bulbs running around the above perimeter. The decor, to me, seems to be something that an interior designer in the early 80s would have run by Siouxsie and the Banshees for input and the result is a dimly-lit, upcycled hodge-podge which was well populated on my weeknight visit. Plenty to draw 'em in with a Happy Hour, Quiz Night, Live Music, Comedy Nights and Life Drawing (missed out on that one!), and food is burger-based with a menu that extends throughout the group provided by Yeah! Burger (I'm told their sauce is something to try out). Just the three ales - Five Points Pale, Truman's Swift and an absolutely superb Purity Bunny Hop. This will massively divide opinion, but I could have imagined walking past this building thinking "that used to be a pub" so well played to those who have resurrected it.
On 4th October 2017
- rating: 6
[User has posted 1075 recommendations about 1075 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Steve C left this review about The Three Sisters
This is a simple triangular pub that has some picnic tables outside and is located on the corner of a busy junction. The Pride was off during my visit leaving only a standard draught selection, but the Guinness was very nice.
The pub isn't the biggest, but there is a small pool table in front of a small stage area that had some decks set up on it and there is also table football and a nice dartboard. I got the feel that it was very much a local's pub, but they along with the barmaid seemed like a nice enough bunch. I spotted three plasma screens, but saw no sign of any sport advertised, but I would have thought they have Sky Sports or there wouldn't really be any point in the screens.
I'd pop back in for a quick pint if passing.
On 21st May 2009
- rating: 7
[User has posted 5251 recommendations about 5219 pubs]