Fancy coming across a place called Maureen's Cockney Food Bar!?!!? I love this, maybe if you're a…read morelocal it's not that thrilling. They've been making Cockney grub for 30 years! So if you want to sample some genuine London flavour, come to Maureens. Lovely food, good hot well-made cafe food. Good Pies, really good pies... It was hard not to listen to the people around me chatting, their accents and banter were so typical of this kind of area. So, if you're in the area, Maureen's is really worth popping into.

Maureen's, Chrisp Street - pie and mash and hot salt beef sandwich. Recently, Maureen's responded…read moreto their vegetarian clients by introducing a vegetarian pie. Do not undermine this place because I am not making any outrageous claims about Maureen's being the best pie in the East End. Endorsement to my claim is with in article (http://www.eastlondonadvertiser.co.uk/news/maureen_s_pie_shop_gets_thumbs_up_from_dlr_commuters_1_799702). A simple local neighbourhood cafe - not many seats are available. No wifi, minimal decoration with quite depressing grayish tables and chairs. Just look at the crowd. If I must be honest, it is quite bleak and dispiriting but Maureen's is one place that food makes up for it. You forget momentarily what your surroundings are and a tunnel vision forms where all you can see at the other end is your plate of food on white porcelain. Laden with beef stock gravy (vegetarian gravy? Yes, parsley sauce is available; made with water, flour and parsley which is a little bland for my palate), you only talk to your companion when your plate is empty. Then, snap! You are back in Maureen's squarish dining canteen like room. pie and mash GBP 3.00 - The home made steak pie looks small, but the pastry is thin and crispy and the filling is real chunks of good quality beefsteak; very tasty indeed, the gravy glistening but not a put off, the mash is good and fresh. A good filling dish, especially if you add a portion of carrots or peas. sausage, mash and gravy GBP 3.10 - very ordinary. Service although casual was very friendly. Maureen's is a proper East End cafe that does not disappoint. I am proud to have an award winning pie and mash in the neighbourhood! Takeaway is available but whilst the dining room can be dreary, the local ambience is somewhat homely.

Excellent value, big portions, everything seasoned well. We both got the mixed grill; very tasty…read morekebabs (the lamb cooked perfectly, the chicken very slightly on the dry side but still very flavourful), fantastic free appetiser giant puffed up bread and dips that we weren't expecting. Staff very friendly, place nice but a little chilly, especially when someone came in the front door. Overall a very good choice for Mediterranean food. We'll be back.

A friend and I were treated to such fabulously swish service here, you could never have been able…read moreto tell we were there for a more budget set menu deal! This lush resto sits inside Brown's Hotel and I liked the modern décor look with splashes of colour and neon. The food I thought could have been a lot more memorable as at this price point there's a lot more interesting competition. I did think the pre-starter 'snax' were a nice touch, especially the mini blue cheese and walnut scones (which I got to double up on as my friend doesn't like blue cheese woo). They forgot about our side order with main but it arrived later rather than never. The eton mess dessert was also a tasty treat. One of the highlights was probably the cocktail included with our menu for which we both chose a 'Britz', or spritz with gin, which went down far too easily! Overall I don't think it grabbed me enough to return but worth a try - our servers were so courteous we did leave feeling rather special :)

The newly re-launched restaurant in Browns hotel (used to be The Grill) has all the ingredients to…read moregreat success, a brilliant chef, Lee Streton and an even better director of food Mark Hix, the master mind behind The Ivy. This restaurant specializes in British cuisine. All ingredients are seasonal and sourced at the best places. The restaurant has a rather classic style, but it doesn't feel old or stuffy, it has beautiful wood panels and this contrast perfectly with the green color in details of furniture and upholstery, with stark white table linens. The service is fantastic, and its all together a lovely place.

I have been wanting to go here for ages and finally managed to last Saturday night. First lesson -…read moredon't go on a Saturday night! It was heaving, and when the tables are so closely packed together as to make you wonder which person is actually your date, it ends up being pretty claustrophobic. Plus there seemed to be an entire rugby team gathered round the table behind us, which made our conversation absolutely impossible. Due to the place being packed out with severely limited room for the wait staff to get to us, we were horribly neglected service-wise. One very nice chap was great for the first ten minutes, but after that we literally had to shout 'excuse me' over several couples when someone got within hearing distance - usually to rush on either without hearing or without wanting to hear. The food was also below par - I did have four very nice oysters to start with, but my lamb wasn't terribly flavourful and the spiced aubergine it was sitting on didn't work for me. My side of Savoy cabbage was cooked in such a way as to mean I had to chew each mouthful for a full minute before I could swallow. My dining companion's Glamorgan sausage to start was alright (nothing special) and they described their asparagus main as "a dish that a meat-eater would invent for a vegetarian without actually trying it". The pudding of cinnamon chocolate parfait was lovely and we ate every scrap. To their credit they took the Savoy cabbage off of the bill, but it was still fairly substantial for the rather uncomfortable and unsatisfying experience we had had. I may go back and try it on a less busy night, just to see if they can function better when not stretched to breaking point.

I'm not entirely sure why this is being called Franklins Pub…read more It does have a pub / bar area at the front and seating outside n the street, and though a good place for a few drinks, nice lager on tap and good wine selection, but the place is really more of a restaurant, I'd be hard pressed to call it a pub. Anyway, it's small and intimate, very much a neighbourhood restaurant. The food is of the St Johns 'nose-to-tail' style so great for carnivores. There will be one vegetarian dish so if it's not to your liking as a veggie then choice will be very limited (though the cheese selection is fab). The quality of the food is why you go though; I've very rarely had anything that wasn't superb from stalwarts like the steak to more adventurous game dishes or sweetbreads. Like anywhere it can have the odd day when a dish has been merely competent and delicious as opposed to the usual excellence. The service is also good and strikes a good balance between formal and friendly. Wine list is excellent, talking of which I marked it £££, but if you're tempted down list from the 3-4 (of each colour) house type wines it will quickly become a ££££ (there's a great Margaux, a steal at £45,half price you'll find it anywhere up town). I've been going for the best part of a decade and it remains not only a local favourite for me but has trumped many a pricier option in town. Definitely worth a try.

Just the best for kids to have fun and a Lidl right next to It for pastries service was amazing…read morefood was good and the people there were fantastic to meet

I would really recommend this place to anyone living around DA17, between Thamesmead and Belvedere…read more Absolutely fun place. Always buzzing with crowd. Families, couples, friends and who else not! Everyone's enjoying their favourite meals and choices from the Carvery and other choices from the Kitchen. They serve food in sumptuous quantities. For the carvery, you have choices of three plate sizes, in different prices and you will be served by their Carvery Staff of the day. Their regular menu has a variety of stuff to try from platters, starters, soups, pastas, burgers, salads and fries, even sweet potato fries (hmm.. i love them) Extremely helpful and wonderful staff. They have seating inside and outside (great for summer days). If you have kids, they have a nice play area outside, slides and things like that, which I'm sure the kids will love. They even hold parties. Beautiful pub to have your Sunday roast or to grab a pint anytime of the day. I go there at least once every week, mostly on weekends to have a quick brunch and I have never been disappointed. Food is also very good, I've uploaded a few pictures so you can take a look.

My first meal after getting off the plane from a flight from NYC. I was staying in the area and my…read morejetlagged self was too lazy to hunt for a decent lunch. Pear Tree came up on Yelp and I was sold on their breakfast all day thing they do. I had a soy latte (because caffeine is so necessary after two hours of crappy airplane shuteye), and the salmon avocado sandwich, which I turned into salmon avocado toast. I have to say it was fresh and the service was good and fast, the food was decent, and the restaurant is very cute, just not something to write home about. It's a good casual spot for a quick bite, some coffee, and some pastries.

Cute little restaurant and I would absolutely recommend their breakfast. Their pancakes are to die…read morefor but I couldn't recommend their lunch and dinner menu. The food was average. The service itself was lovely and the staff were very friendly and kind.

Okay, at the time I was saying that I was marking this place down because they didn't take cash,…read morebut honestly, that seems to be a bit of a trend in England of late, and I suspect that there is a reason for it. Still, other than that really annoying aspect, the pubs was okay. It had a great outdoor area out the back, and some decent beers on tap as well. However, I'm still annoyed that they don't take cash.

Excellent pub! I love it here. It is definately the best pub in the area right now. It is…read moredelicately lit inside with an area for diners and for drinkers. It has some great suasage rolls for snacks. It has a great selection of drinks. It also has an outdoor area that though facing the street feels isolated. They even have board games so you can have a great afternoon drinking and playing. The food is amazingly good and I love the fish and chips. The batter is perfectly crispy most times and the fish is fresh and flavoursome. The chips are thick cut and not too crunchy. The mushy peas are just great. They seem to put some lemon and other herbs that make it taste just amazing. We have also gone here for breakfast and the poached eggs were really good. The best part about the Arnos Arms is the service. The staff are always friendly and helpful. It just makes the experience just so much better. Well done!

Come here for the sense of calm, the high ceilings and the architectural flourishes. But not for…read morethe food or weird layout of some of the tables. A good meeting place.

Any restaurant located within the Royal Institute of British Architecture is bound to impress, and…read moreRIBA Cafe is no exception. While you might not even know that there was a dining area within the very official, government-looking building, RIBA's sky-high ceilings and open floors make for a very unique dining experience that can accommodate either a pair or a large party. While a bit pricy, RIBA's dishes play off of the aesthetic craftsmanship of British architects, and even the starters are a thing of beauty. And while the food might not taste quite as good as it looks, the well-dressed and attentive staff make the experience all the more enjoyable. Overall, head to RIBA for a very unique dining experience that is well worth the cost, however, it's unlikely it'll become a weekly occurrence.