This pub was voted one of the best in Mile End and Bow by Londonist readers.
This place divides people. Enough of you like the Victoria to elevate it to sixth place in our reader poll. On the other hand, a recent spruce-up came in for derision. "The Victoria would have made the list, but recent refurb by a pubco has ruined all that was good about the old, reassuringly pretentious dive," reckoned reader Paul. "Would have voted for the Victoria before they changed it into an ice-cream parlour," miaowed Cleo. Ouch.
We can kind of see what they mean. The Victoria is a little bit crazy, with stripy fairground canopies, and mismatched wooden fittings clashing horribly with the tinted glass above the bar. The owners have crammed in as many boxing references as possible, interspersed with a forest of beery botany — a look we're dubbing 'hops with bops'. All that said, we found this a thoroughly pleasant place to sit and chat for an hour.
The bar offers six different ales on draught — all are pretty mainstream (Young's, Courage, Bombardier...). Bang on trend, you'll also find a 'secret' cocktail bar down in the basement, hidden behind some mirrors. A decent-sized beer yard offers al fresco drinking, with covered seating and a cocktail caravan. Meanwhile, in the front bar, a cordoned off area dispenses coffees throughout the day. Yes, there's much for the petulant to mock here, but there's also a good sense of fun.
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Last updated March 2015.