Owned by the same people behind the award winning The Gun and Empress of India, The Prince Arthur in Hackney has large boots to fill – but fill them it does.

The Location
So, Hackney. Not necessarily the destination of choice for many Londoners – although up and coming, it still suffers from a lack of tube and a tainted reputation. And that is the downfall of The Prince Arthur – it’s a little out in the sticks. You can walk from Bethnal Green, but it’s best to just get into East London and then hail a cabbie.

Despite its difficult-to-get-to location on a residential street, The Prince Arthur does beckon you like an oasis. A pretty, charming front is a nice welcome, leaving behind the pretension of many bars in Central London and instead offering you a nice local, just on the right side of ‘old man pub’. Unlike The Gun, there’s no dining area as such, instead it’s all pretty central, with tables for drinking and dining dotted around in a chilled out manner. Like the exterior, the interior is charming and old school. Stuffed animal heads of foxes and a gazelle line one wall and a case with stuffed pheasants beside them – it’s all very countrified. Along another wall are various paintings of the pub’s namesake – Prince Arthur – in various garb, which works well to tie the theme all together.

The Atmosphere
This is where the pub really shines. The atmosphere here is warm, inviting and friendly - perfect for a chilled out evening. The staff are particularly nice, offering a laid-back but excellent service to all the punters – diners and drinkers alike. They have a good knowledge of the food on offer and are happy to provide you with recommendations. They’re also only too pleased to engage in friendly banter, even when the pub is busy, which is always nice in London. The customers, enjoying drinks, food and chatter, all appear to be relaxed and enjoying themselves, and a pleasant hum hangs over the pub, without it being overbearing. If you’re there to eat, then it’s not as formal as other gastropubs, including The Gun, instead offering proper pub grub in informal surrounds, but this is actually a pleasant change – a pub being a pub instead of trying to emulate a restaurant. They’ve got it right.

The Food
The Prince Arthur serves good quality food at reasonable prices – carrying through the theme of being a proper gastropub as opposed to a wannabe restaurant. There’s a good range on offer, too, with quality, fresh ingredients, including fish from Billingsgate Market.

Starters include the ever-present smoked salmon, but in far more substantial portions than the usual thin strips - a sizeable chunk of salmon, pleasantly presented will appear before you. Although a little fatty, it’s still a fresh and light starter with the salty salmony taste coming through strong, without being overbearing. Although filling, it’s not too much for the start to your meal. A particularly excellent choice is the haddock chowder – haddock is a notoriously hard dish to get right, as the salty nature of the fish can be overpowering. However, they get it just right and manage to cook up a creamy soup with the cream cutting through the salty haddock to balance out the taste perfectly – excellent. And at an average price of around £5 a starter, it’s great value for money.

There is also a good choice of main courses on offer. The traditional scampi and chips is given a bit of a makeover with large chunks of fresh scampi mixed with hand-cut thick pieces of potato. It’s a nice addition to the menu and keeps it real. The vegetarian option, however, is a little tasteless and needs bulking up with sides. A simple tart with mushrooms and a bit of cheese doesn’t have much flavour and the pastry is a little dry and hard. However, the sides make up for this with some good options including a delicious creamy mash and brussels with bacon and chestnuts. Just be a little wary of the cauliflower cheese, which could do with being creamier. Overall, the mains fill a hole, and are good value for money.

Excellent desserts are also on offer – if you can squeeze them in! The ice cream with fudge pieces is creamy and smooth and the fudge adds just the right amount of bite to each mouthful – divine. And it’s definitely worth trying the deep fried jam sandwich with cream. OK, so it’s a heart attack waiting to happen, but boy is it nice! Just be warned, it’s only for those with a very sweet tooth – although the cream does an excellent job of cutting through the sweetness.

The Drink
This is a real pub, so expect a good selection of draught and bottled beers, and the usual selection of spirits and mixers at reasonable prices you won’t get in many restaurants. The wine selection is better than many pubs, with a fine selection of whites, reds and roses. There’s also a decent choice of wine by the glass if you’re not up for buying a whole bottle. The prices are good, ranging from the very affordable to the mid-high range.

The Last Word
Although The Prince Arthur may not be the kind of place you come far out of your way for, based where it is, it’s worth a visit if you live or work in East London. Proper pub grub with an added dash of style at better prices than many gastropubs makes this is a decent choice.

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