The Carpenters Arms

Pub in Bethnal Green
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5 / 10 from 2 reviews
Address
73 Cheshire Street
Bethnal Green
London
E2 6EG
Map
Telephone
020 7739 6342
Region
Bethnal Green
Nearest Station
Bethnal Green Overground
0.33 miles
Category
Pubs
Opening Times
Monday Open 16:00 - Closes 23:30
Tuesday Open 16:00 - Closes 23:30
Wednesday Open 16:00 - Closes 23:30
Thursday Open 12:00 - Closes 23:30
Friday Open 12:00 - Closes 00:00
Saturday Open 12:00 - Closes 00:00
Sunday Open 12:00 - Closes 23:30

The Carpenters Arms serves a range of real ales including Timothy Taylor's Landlord and Franco-Amercian brasserie food.

All In London Review

The Carpenter's 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.


Reviewed by T.A.O
Published on Feb 6, 2013


User Reviews

Lynn Wilson
from e2

Apr 3, 2019

Since it changed hands in November 18, this once personable and welcoming haven has transformed into a tacky, crass, overpriced den, with many extra tables now making it awkwardly cramped (even in front of fire exits!). What was our local for a decade has gone. The food is barely competent and expensive (£15 for a pie). The last straw was the introduction of a huge TV; what was once a place for a quiet drink with friends has gone down the pan.
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