The Approach Tavern

The Approach Tavern — Beautiful, Stylish, and Full of Character The Approach Tavern is a visual delight — effortlessly stylish, warmly lit, and full of East London charm. It’s the kind of pub that feels curated without being cold, where every detail — from the vintage mirrors to the leafy courtyard — adds to the experience. Whether you're here for a pint, a meal, or just the vibe, it’s all beautifully done. Why it stands out: Elegant interiors — classic wood, soft lighting, and artful touches Stylish crowd — creatives, locals, and those who appreciate good taste Seasonal menu — fresh, modern British dishes with flair Garden space — lush, relaxed, and perfect for golden hour

The Approach Tavern – Chill Vibes and Solid Drinks Had a great evening catching up with friends at The Approach Tavern. The atmosphere was relaxed and welcoming — a proper East London pub with character. There’s a nice mix of locals, and the space feels both social and laid-back. Drinks were solid, with a good selection of beers and cocktails. We didn’t try the food this time, but the menu looked tempting enough for a return visit. Staff were friendly and kept things flowing without fuss. If you're after a casual spot to unwind with good company and a pint in hand, The Approach Tavern hits the mark.

Great spot for a roast. It was busy inside and needed to book but the food was great. Service was super quick and they’re friendly in there. Roast was pretty good, could’ve used a bit more gravy but on the whole a great roast for the price you pay

I go to the approach every week. It’s one of my favourite pubs in London - great boozer with a great vibe - but what’s happened to the food?! There used to be such an incredible menu and such well made dishes - all the food was truly delicious and such good value. While the pub overall is still great, so are the staff and the beers, the food has gone up in price while falling off a cliff quality-wise. It’s such a shame - I’d have savoured the old menu more if I had known it was never coming back. Bring back the old kitchen team please!!

A great traditional pub that shows sports, has a weekly quiz and has great food. The outside space is great in the summer. Independent owned and close to Victoria Park. Off the beaten track so there’s rarely any trouble. A great selection of beers and a hand written menu. Classic east London boozer. Love it!

Fantastic pub, great food, plenty of choice on tap including low alc selection. I had the bangers and mash and the sausages were very high quality. Great variety available on the menu!

Went to The Approach for a pint and food after work. Nice calm atmosphere in the pub. Lots of beer and cider choice on tap. Food menu was written on a chalk board at the bar which was a fun touch, got the soy + harissa chicken supreme, halloumi and quinoa and deep fried artichokes. All dishes were delicious and pricing was good for the great quality!

food’s price is a bit above average for a pub but amaaazing!!!! sticky toffee pudding was so soft and to die for

This review is just for its tasteless soup. I ordered the butternut squash soup which was described well. It arrived after a while in a decent-sized bowl with two slices of toast. Man, the soup just sucked. COMPLETELY tasteless. The bread with butter was sadly the best part of the meal. I only ate half of the soup as it was a waste of calories. Not tempted to try anything else on the menu.

I wish this was my local! They have great seating outside and it overlooks a nice leafy residential street. The food is pretty decent - fish and chips were good albeit just so slightly overcooked. Definitely a keeper!

This is a great bar that has a gallery upstairs. They feature artists such as Phil Allen, John Stezaker and Stuart Cumberland. . The atmosphere is really relaxed, and the clientele is a mix of locals and artists. Situated a stone throw away from Victoria Park, it's a nice place to end a night of Gallery hopping on a Thursday night and if it's a summers evening you can relax in the beer garden and watch the many cyclists whiz past.

I just love their christmas tree ... Otherwise, for sure they have Leffe, hehe, a bit hot and expensive also. Went there on sunday night, was quiet as expected, not too many people. Cool ambiance and good staff !!

The Approach is a good combination of spacious but not souless, it's got classic decor and a bar that is mega easy to manoeuvre around. It's obviously got history but doesn't seem stuck in it either. I wouldn't say the staff are mega friendly but I've only been a couple of times so it's hard to tell. The people running the pub quiz are really nice and it's a fun Tuesday night activity - a pound per round per person with a jackpot essentially based the fluke possibility you will end 3 widely different numbers together in a remotely accurate way. Prizes are drinks vouchers! For those of us non beer drinkers there's cider on tap and the Fentiman's range of soft drinks. Food looks pretty expensive for a pub or in fact for anywhere really so I probably won't be trying it but others have said it's good!

It's a place I deliberately took a turn to come along and check out. Based on the fact its near my park and I once walked by an adjacent road and saw the light bulbs glistening with indistinct chattering and laughter, I wanted to go. So one weekend I headed down with my girlfriend and we decided to have a quick drink and a snack before our adventures for the rest of the day. We popped into the Approach, and it was wonderful. We sat outside in the sun and had some Padron Peppers. If you don't know what they are, see the photo I added to this listing. They are incredible. After a while of supping on my craft ale, we go inside and read the paper. Its a real pub and not far visually from the Royal inn on the park nearby. However its a tad smaller, cosier and has a stronger feeling of community.

As a well known staple to most discerning locals, this is a charming little East End boozer pub with a spacious heated patio out front for all the smokers amongst you. There is a good variety of beers and ales and thank god, they haven't done it over and sterilised it. Probably not the best place for devout animal lovers, there are still stuffed peasants in cases about the bar for those who fancy an indoor safari viewing! For an extra culture vulture infusion, the Approach Gallery is upstairs. Traditional pub grub is fairly good but not great, get in there early as they stopped serving at 9.30 which more than a little irksome for my ravenous stomach!

Hush now! Don't go telling people about this place. - You can usually get a seat - It's got rather nice food - It's got great ales - It's got good wine (for a pub) - It's well-lit enough not to be dank - It's got history (look at the cracks in the tiles in the gents. See those? Those are from the bomb during the war that took the front of the pub off) - It's got this really strange set-up in the gents where you have to squeeze past all the urinals to wash your hands - It's got nice people drinking in it - It's got an outdoor area, with a cover in winter - They don't mind if you lock your cycle up to the fence - It's got what you need - It's got Leffe What it's not? In Brixton. If it were, I'd probably move in.

A contender for the best roast in London. Heavy-weight division. Sunday roast at the Approach Tavern will set you back a fair bit more than your average gastroboozer, but in exchange you'll get a great hunk of meat and some quality roasties (as well as the rest of the trimmings. But really, it's the meat and roast potatoes that are important!). Puds are also of a similar high quality, with one portion of sticky toffee pudding enough to induce a sugar coma in two greedy people. There's a decent beer selection and a stack of tables out front, so I might take up residence at the Approach, should the sunshine decide to put in an appearance in 2011.

Located only a short walk from Bethnal Green tube station, The Approach Tavern is an excellent East-End boozer with a real sense of history to go with its modern, more artistic vibe. The artistic vibe comes mainly from the gallery housed upstairs and it is a favourite with local artists. Downstairs you will find a no-nonsense but very good-looking pub which ties in traditionality with more modern features. The atmosphere in here is really warm and friendly and the staff are always on hand to help out with a smile. Drinks-wise there is a decent selection of wines and real ales as well as your more standard lagers. Prices start at about £3 a pint. Though I have yet to try the food I did glance at the menu revealing traditional English pub grub including the possiblity of a Sunday Roast. A great place to relax on a weekday evening.

I agree with Glen, it should be kept a nice little secret! Its perfectly nestled away and it has a lovely view of a lovely street. It has good food and on Sunday they have breakfast and great roast till 3 or 330. It is nicely lit and has a nice juke box, the bar staff are friendly and the patio is super charming which is covered for cooler and wetter weather. The have a decent selection of spirits and the ales they got are standard with a few nicer ones along the way too. I deffinitly would recommend it but the pints where a bit pricey in my opinion. Still worth a neat visit though!

Unfortunately this place served me the worst pint of Discovery I have ever had. My initial annoyance at my friend sitting down clumsily and causing a large gulp of it to splash over the table was replaced by the feeling that perhaps he had done me a favour (plus the table sloped towards him!) Barmaid had to be told which pump to use as she could not see the clips as they were facing away from her (as they usually are in pubxbut yet no-one has ever asked me the question before). So I wasn't really very impressed.was almost a 1 star!

Pub upstairs, art gallery upstairs this is a comfortable pub with a very arty vibe. Private Views in the gallery are always good fun, and it's a very nice space. Downstairs the bar is usually busy, but there is a lot of seating available. Large tables outside at the front of the building mean it's especially good in the summer months. If you are doing a pub crawl of Bethnal Green this should definitely be incorporated, and keep an eye on the artists they have - i saw a fantastic John Stezaker show here a few years ago.

The Approach is one of my favourite pubs in London. It's in quite a quiet area but close to Vyner Street for all of those gallery goers. In fact The Approach has it's very own gallery above the bar. They show the works of artists such as Phil Allen, John Stezaker and Stuart Cumberland. The gallery has been doing so well that they have opened a second gallery in the West End on Mortimer Street (but sadly without the pub). Not only is this one of my favourite pubs but favourite galleries. The pub serves great Guinness and good food. The food is a tad more pricey than the usual pub grub but i think it's worth it. The service is great, there's a real chilled out atmosphere with loads of locals keeping it in good business and it's a really down to earth place. Some evenings can get really busy and it creates a fantastic atmosphere. Outside they have plenty of benches and heaters for the chillier nights but in the summer it's a brilliant place to sit out and enjoy the weather. I really love this place and i wish it was on my doorstep!

This pub is well situated for a stop-off either before or after visiting Victoria park. It's got a fenced in beer garden at the front which is also covered with tarpaulin and heated with patio burners. Child friendly, the interior decor is good quality traditional; there's even a chesterfield or two. There's a good selection of Fullers beers and Czech lagers and Fruli and Scrumpy Jack for the fruitarians. Some good tunes on the jukebox, not the bog standard crisp and a perfectly respectable menu. It's a chain pub, but you could get away with thinking it wasn't.

It helps that The Approach is my closest pub but I would still give it a great review if it wasn't. The Sunday roast can be a bit hit and miss but when it's good, it's fantastic. And all of the other dishes I've had in the evenings are pretty impressive for pub food. The staff behind the bar are sometimes a bit too busy with chatting with regulars to fulfil your drink order quickly, but it is a locals joint after all. The atmosphere always reminds me of the Natural History Museum which is quirky and comforting. The beer garden out front is great year round as they have heaters.

Myself and friends went for sunday lunch recently and it is the only time I have ever left a place still hungry. It's not sunday lunch in the normal sense, just a few uninspiring dishes wrote on a whiteboard, which is of little use when you are sat round a corner on a table with no menus. When we had ordered one of the staff had to come up and ask us at the table if we had ordered food...... and we had to tell them that there was three and not two of us as they brought out just two knives and forks. My dish had very little meat, which the menu said came with all the trimmings.... all three of them, although the roast potato it came with was good. I thought it was completely overpriced for what you get. Would I go back? No chance.

The Approach bar has been around for donkey's years and still retains a local pub like atmosphere, despite the prices rising considerably in recent times. There are two main rooms inside: One is tucked away behind the bar and can provide a sense of intimacy, with sofa's allowing for a laid back chat. The main room, where the bar is situated, positively thrives with activity. Generally there is a good cross section of people propping up the bar, the food on offer is good, though from my perspective, the portions could be more generous. The beer selection is fine, which includes several quality ales, but the main attraction this place has to offer is the outside terrace. Tables and benches are set out in the front yard, with heaters on and a protective roof, it makes for a lovely evening's atmosphere.

A very disappointing pub. Bar staff were very off and treated customers as somewhat of an irritation. They were more interested in discussing a party, last weekend, and who had copped off with whom - than actually serving customers. A white wine spritzer and a pint is not a difficult order- however, it took two attempts for them to understand that both the wine and soda should be in the same glass! I received several disdainful looks from the bar man too. Another barman who was supposed to be collecting glasses, came outside just to play on his mobile phone, then wandered back inside the pub again. We didn't bother staying for lunch.

Where to begin. Having read the other reviews of this place I felt it was a safe bet to invite a few friends down for a Sunday roast. How mistaken I was. After having to wait over an hour for our food without a hint of apology we found our meals were either cold or missing various parts as advertised on the board. We all agreed the gravy was far too acidic and "all the trimmings" were meagre for a dish costing £14+ The only positive I took away was their Virgin Mary drink, which was marvellous.

Approach Tavern is as good as it gets for a pub. Good food, good beer, good music, lots of space (two good rooms), good crowd. Not a fan of quiz night, but other people are and it brings in the money. It is actually one of 14 places owned by the same people. http://www.remarkablerestaurants.co.uk/remarkable-restaurants-approach.html I've been to one other and got the same good vibe. These people know what they are doing. Finally, the staff isn't super friendly. The men are nicer than the women. But no one is ever rude, and everyone always does their job very well. Not being friendly just means they are professionals and the women are wary of being hit on. Makes sense to me.

The Approach is my local pub. It's supposedly popular with artists as it has a small gallery upstairs (that Charles Saatchi visits, so they say) but is generally just popular - especially at the weekends and for the Tuesday night quiz. The interior is interesting and varies from old church pews to a big comfy leather sofa, and there are some strange artefacts dotted around including vintage advertising, taxidermy and photos of bomb damage to the building from the Second World War. They do some really good food too, with mains from around £8 up to £14ish for an excellent steak, and I'd recommend the lunchtime-only baguettes which also have a steak option and represent the best value at about £4.50. A pint will set you back at least £3.00 and be warned the premium Czech lager can be quite potent, but they also have a selection of real ales and Fruli strawberry beer (popular with my female friends) as well as all the usuals. There's lots of seating inside and quite a bit in the covered and heated outdoor area at the front. Further up the road is the entrance to Victoria park, which makes the Approach a good stop-off point and undoubtedly boosts business in the summer, it's definitely worth a visit if you're in the area.

The Approach Tavern is a bit off the beaten track, on Approach Road leading up to Victoria Park (about 10 mins from Bethnal Green tube station). Its a Youngs pub which is traditional in its sparce but pleasant decor and wooden bench seating. As well as alcoholic drinks coffee and tea is available - although the bar staff didn't seem to have much experience with the coffee machine. I recommend the popular Sunday lunch althoguh get there early as the food can run out before 4 o'clock on busy weekends. Theres a nice outside patio with picnic tables and gas heaters, from which you can watch people come and go to the park while enjoying a pint on a sumemrs afternoon.

Very near Vicky Park - a good place to stop off for a meal with decent pub grub. Staff are usually a little cold but don't let it put you off - there's always something great playing on the jupebox. Outside heated seating in a tent for smokers and locals are super friendly! Pub quiz night on Tuesdays.

Great place for Sunday lunch, good family atmosphere and good grub. The sunday Roast and Fruit Crumble is to die for!

Im not sure what all the hype is about for this place its sub standard to any decent pub, there was a very strong smell of semen in the bar area. Which put me off a tiny bit. I do however like the selection of drinks here, and the seating area out the front is also good for a cigarette, the outside heaters have seen better days im not sure if they still work or not? But considering there connected straightto gas in he ground i assume so. Inside there isnt many tables, and the ones that are look very tired (not n a good way) The wooden bench seat on one side isnt overly comfortable and the seats with the sagging in cushions on the other side dont look it either. The portion of calamari was of a generous size (£8.50 for one) but the calamari was undercooked and a bit cold, in retrospect i should have complained but i was far too hungry (and the place was empty) so with a pint of hoegardden white at £4.70? and the calamari at £8.50 it was an expensive treat and the pint was the only good bit. I think thats he first time ive never eaten all of the calamari served. I will give the small side salad credit cos it was fresh it seemed. The gentleman behind the bar seems friendly enough. The menu is expensive - overpriced. if you want a steak for example its £18.50, calamari is the cheapest thing at £8.50 apart from the £5 soup I wouldnt recommend going out your way to go here but if u do just stick to the drink, even then its not cheap for its location. I would sum it up as the history is the best thing about this place, followed by going home after a quick refreshment.

been going here for 20+ years + I still love it. great beer + a fab sunday lunch