The Wellington

Brought to you by the same team that provided Bethnal Green with craft beer bar Mason and Taylor, this pub is more than a match for anything else in Dalston right now.

Located a short way up Balls Pond Road, its location lends it an air of detachment from the rest of Dalston/Kingsland scene. As is a given in this area, the clientele found here are of the suitably stylish norm and the pub matches them well. A designer wooden shell filled by a vast curving bar it’s as nice a place to drink as any. If there has to be a problem then you might find its popularity testing at times. The Duke of Wellington seems to be perennially packed, which makes bar trips a mission rather than the mild inconvenience they usually are. But can you hold that against a pub? Probably not, and once the beer is in hand, all is forgotten.

When it comes to events, the Duke of Wellington doesn't leave its people wanting. The Cinematograph Film Club screen art house films and documentaries in the back room (where live sport is shown), there’s a regular games club, weekly quizzes, comedy nights and a monthly supper club.

In terms of sustenance: there are always four real ales on the pumps plus a collection of seasonal beers. The kitchen serves up the likes of burgers, pies and sausage and mash with the gusto of a gastro pub – fresh produce, seasonal ingredients, free range meat and sustainable fish. All very impressive.

The Duke of Wellington is the local you’d love to have but at the same time it is a destination pub well worth taking the time to visit.