The Walnut Tree

£20 / British, Vegetarian options

857-861 High Rd Leytonstone, London

Opening hours

8AM-12AM

Sunday 8AM-12AM
Monday 8AM-12AM
Tuesday 8AM-12AM
Wednesday 8AM-12AM
Thursday 8AM-12AM
Friday 8AM-1AM
Saturday 8AM-1AM

Charming Pub with Inexpensive Delights

Having recently wandered into the enigmatic embrace of The Walnut in Leytonstone, I found myself entangled in the quintessential oddity that is a Wetherspoons experience. The place boasts space you could waltz through and prices so meteoric, they seem plucked from a bygone era. Staff on a good day radiate a warmth as pleasing as the amber pint in your hand, occasionally shadowed by the glum specter of poor training. Still, if you're seeking hearty English breakfast jackets packed with food enough to satisfy and then some, this is your shrine. There's something remarkable about knowing you'll receive exactly what's promised (as long as it isn't Saturday morning when consistency takes an ill-timed holiday), accompanied by a cold pint which, for less than £3.50, seems the fairest trade since Jack swapped his cow for beans.

Alas, no establishment traverses entirely without its bumps - or rather, fumbles with cocktails gone unasked and entitlement issues masquerading as managerial practice. Still, the atmosphere manages an amiable whisper, safe in its accessibility with fixtures where retro meets recluse. While their lager draws many back in droves, a slight melancholy unfurls in a air that poverty of craic could never quite shake. Yet for those adoring this distinctive kind of charm (or should I suggest affordable sustenance?), skipping The Walnut would truly be a disservice. As one celestial customer discovered, once inside, deigning never to leave until one has truly sampled everything – perhaps even the soliciting horse race TVs – isn’t such a mad notion. For those harboring such ardor for classic pub grub bolstered with clinical efficiency, surrender it must remain to revisit often and enjoy more, missteps notwithstanding. — Penelope Savory