The Carpenters Arms

Whether you’re wandering down Bethnal Green Road on the lookout for a detour or escaping the crowds of Brick Lane, you’d be lucky to stumble on the Carpenter’s Arms.

There aren’t many pubs in East London whose pulling power trumps their size but the Carpenter’s is one of them. Located on Cheshire Street, The Carpenter’s Arms is a small pub, so small in fact that they only book one table for dining so as to leave the remaining few available on the level playing field of first-come first-served. Yet its size hasn’t stopped it gradually growing more and more popular over the years. Where once it was a local, it now attracts visitors who haven’t just stumbled across it on their way to Beyond Retro, which sits directly across the road.

The attractive wooden interior makes for part of the charm, complete with chandeliers and an old-school curtain across the door to keep out unwanted draughts. The open fire is a cosy touch and the miniscule, decked backyard allows space for a lucky ten or so to enjoy warm (or cold for that matter) weather.

Music is quiet, conversation rules over rowdiness and the same familiar faces are always there to be found behind the bar. Behind that bar lurks the Carpenters’ other attraction – the beer. An excellent selection includes a range of Belgian ales by the bottle, American brews like Sierra Nevada and Brooklyn Lager (on draught), great wheat beers and room for some obscure international and British brands.

The food is simply well done. Fisherman’s pie, charcuterie, escargot and hand-cut chips make up the weekday menu and on Sundays the roasts come at a reasonable £12.95.

Perhaps the biggest compliment to be paid to the Carpenter’s is that it relaxes you completely, and in a bustling area like this that seems all the more pertinent.