Parkside boozers: The Best Pubs near Victoria Park
Can’t decide between the park or the pub? We’ve made the decision easier with our insider’s guide to the best pubs near Victoria Park to enjoy a crisp parkside pint.
If the East End does two things well, it’s pubs and parks. So well, in fact, that Victoria Park is currently enjoying its ninth year as the Green Flag People’s Choice Award winner. And what better way is there to pay tribute to this than to combine the two activities, for times when you’re in need of both a draught of nature as well as a draught of bitter?
If you like the idea of the al-fresco drinking experience, but also the comfort of toilet access and prefer a crisp cask ale to a lukewarm pre-mixed cocktail can, we’ve got you sorted. We’ve collected a list of the best pubs around Victoria Park so you can feel like you’re immersed in nature while also enjoying the luxury of a toilet that’s not a bush.
What’s more, all of the pubs listed are dog-friendly so you can finish off your walk with a cold parkside pint, four-legged friends in tow.
The Crown
BEST FOR: WATCHING THE WORLD GO BY
Recently refurbished, The Crown is the most elegant of Victoria Park’s four parkside pubs, making this the best option if you want something a bit dressier. It’s also the closest pub to Victoria Park’s Royal Gate on Grove Road, the main entrance for Pavilion Cafe on the lake and All Points East festival. The Crown offers two outdoor spaces both overlooking the park. The front terrace offers room for prams and dogs whereas the balcony on the first floor is altogether more intimate and sophisticated and a perfect spot for people-watching from above while sipping a cocktail.
Find The Crown at 223 Grove Road, E3 5SN
The People’s Park Tavern
BEST FOR: OUTDOOR PURSUITS
Named to reflect Victoria Park’s dubbing as the ‘People’s Park’, this is a pub which claims to be a pub ‘for the people, inspired by the people’. Situated on the park itself, the People’s Park Tavern offers an outdoor BBQ kitchen, a pop-up cocktail bar, screens to watch your sport of choice and has offered crazy golf in the past. It’s also sited at the entrance closest to the sports fields where you can watch cricket, tennis and football. This is the closest you can get to having a beer in Victoria Park itself without risking getting grass stains on your new trousers. Its crown jewel though is the truly mammoth beer garden, bedecked with lights and cabins and masses of merry-makers – prepare to be tempted to stay long into the evening!
For The People’s Park Tavern, go to 360 Victoria Park Road, E9 7BX
The Royal Inn on the Park
BEST FOR: LARGE GROUPS
This towering Victorian pub sits next to the northern gates of the park leading to Lauriston Road, with an interior to match the impressive facade. Traditional features including a large fireplace and grand bar in keeping with the style of the exterior are dotted throughout the front bar and large dining room. Famed for its Sunday Roasts it expanded its dining area into a purpose-built annexe, making this the best place for large groups. Also on offer is a solid selection of beers for the cask connoisseurs.
The Royal Inn on the Park is located at 111 Lauriston Rd, London E9 7HJ.
The Approach Tavern
BEST FOR: GOURMET FOOD LOVERS
Not strictly on the park, The Approach Tavern is located on the leafy Approach Road leading to Victoria Park and has a large and equally leafy courtyard space at the front of the pub. Just a stone’s throw from the park’s Bonner Gate entrance, it’s a convenient spot to meet friends before or after a visit to Victoria Park Market, the popular food market held there every Sunday. The courtyard offers both heating and shelter making this a reliable option whatever the weather. While the pub is not attempting to be a gastro pub, it does offer real ales and inventive food dishes at reasonable prices, so leave room to eat here too.
Visit the Approach Tavern at 47 Approach Rd, Bethnal Green, E2 9LY.
Worthy Mentions
Can’t last the walk to the pub for your pint? Here are our honourable mentions a bit further afield from Vicky Park but still well worth a visit.
The friendly bar staff, mural referencing the pub’s Suffragettes heritage and delicious sourdough pizzas at The Lord Morpeth make this a popular local haunt.
For Lord Morpeth, go to 402 Old Ford Road, E3 5NR
Grab a pint from traditional East End boozer The Palm Tree and lie in the sun in their canal-side drinking area, ideally located in Mile End park near Regent’s Canal
The Palm Tree is found at 127 Grove Road, E3 5RP
Real ale-lovers rejoice at The Eleanor Arms, which has featured in the CAMRA Good Beer guide since 2009 with real pub decor to match.
You can find the Eleanor Arms at 460 Old Ford Road, E3 5JP
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