The Princess Of Wales

With some pubs it is all about perspectives. Take The Princess of Wales for example. Approach it from the hectic Lea Bridge Road and you might not give it a second look. But stumble on it where it joins the towpath that joins Hackney Wick and Lea Valley and even if it wasn’t for the people standing outside clutching bacon butties on a Sunday afternoon, you’d probably have hopped up the steps and into its gastro dining room. That’s the way it is, appearance can be deceptive and you’d never know what this outpost had to offer without popping in.

Wooden paneling, tidy paintwork and blackboards in every direction; someone’s been gastro-ing by numbers. But it works to an extent. Resembling one big dining room, you might feel a little awkward sitting amongst all the other people if you were only here to drink. But why wouldn’t you want to eat? With a menu that boasts classics like sausage and mash, steak and chips and game pie you’ll have seen it all before, however, a small range of stone baked pizzas supplements the tried and tested pub fare, which was enough to reel us in.

As part of the Geronimo Inns chain you can expect a good level of hospitality. The lagers on draught are standards like Peroni, Becks Vier and Estrella but the range of ales is more impressive. Redemption, Sambrooks and Purity are part of a good list.

The Princess of Wales is too far out on its own to recommend journeying out to but you would be happy to have it as a local. And being a canal side pub, it must come alive in summer.