Crooked Billet — Restaurant in London

🚇Clapton 🍺 £7.45 Stone & Wood Pacific Ale

The Crooked Billet is located in Clapton, Hackney, in East London. The nearest station is Clapton, which is literally right next door.

This former Watney's pub was originally built in the late 19th century. It was rebuilt in the 1950’s but it is not clear why, possibly WWII bomb damage etc.

In 2013, the pub was extensively refurbished as part of Hackney’s ongoing northward gentrification. In 2023, Young’s took up the reins—this is their second pub in Clapton, the other being the Princess of Wales.

This is a large, one-bar pub that is traditionally decorated. At the centre of the pub is an island servery, which faces the rear of the bar. The décor features a combination of a boarded and chequered tiled floor, beautiful wooden wall panels, a fireplace at either end of the bar, and framed Edwardian photos. There is plenty of seating throughout, including a few raised banquette areas set in large bay windows overlooking the garden.

One of the most notable features of this pub is the massive beer garden, which includes seating alcoves, covered cabins, table tennis, and several large screens for live sports.

The beer selection was quite impressive, offering a mix of familiar favourites, local London brews, and cask ales. I opted for a @stoneandwooduk Pacific Ale — my pint was excellent, price point was a tad high. The food menu features hearty pub classics, a range of pizzas, and Sunday roasts. Fish and chips are priced at £17.50.

We arrived at 1 p.m. on a warm Saturday lunchtime in April. The pub was fairly quiet, with a few punters dotted about both inside and out in the garden. The service was on point; the chap who served us was pleasant and courteous. We sat outside to enjoy the weather and check out the beer garden.

I heard lots of good things prior to visiting the @crookedbilletclaptone5 and it didn’t disappoint. It was great to see such a traditional interior and the beer garden is a big bonus. We enjoyed our time here and would definitely recommend a visit.

📅 18th April 2025

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Update: ignore the owners response. They still haven't fixed the frankly dangerous toilet seats. And as of Nov 2024 apparently the winter warmer ale is SUPPOSED to taste like vinegar and chemicals 🤢🤷🏻‍♂️

Very hit and miss experience, the sad part is that not only is this our local, it used to be a favourite, we'd spend a lot on food and drink. However, They are happy to sell OFF BEER, despite repeated complaints. This has occurred on 3 separate occasions. I've repeatedly complained about loose toilet seats in the patio toilet, not fixed for months, despite it being very easy fix. We were often moved to another table to allow for a booking (twice in one night) when there was no reservation paper on the table. I booked to prevent this and while this mostly seemed to work out, I was once told I booked a patio table (not true, I was able to check this in the email) I even specified a preferred table. Rather than acknowledge a mistake was made or there was no space, I was lied to and when I complained I got a bored exhasperated look and a free drink (I didn't want a free drink, I just wanted an acknowledgement and apology). This happened again April 2025

At least one staff member has been very rude, another gaslight me, (most of the staff are great but seems to be a high turnover). Food is good, but not enough to get me to return. Previous complaints have received no response/action, except for the reply below which is a LIE, the toilet seats were not replaced, and subsequent visits after this reply was left have proven only that nothing has changed. child friendly (until 7pm) and...

On entering the pub, you’ll probably think that this is quite a big place. Wait until you go out back to the garden though! They must’ve bought a garden centre next door or something, or, at the very least, a vacant plot. The pub’s garden is quite simply, massive! I went there just after noon on a Saturday and a number of the tables outside had already been reserved. Nonetheless, there was plenty of space available.

Inside, the bar is an island in the centre. For real ale, go round to the garden side for the pumps. The beer I bought was in good condition. Sorry, I can’t remember what it was called. Nor can I remember the cost, as they refused to take cash, and for that matter, didn’t offer me a receipt.

The toilets are, if you’re coming in from the garden, are on the right for gents, and on the left for ladies. Fortunately the toilets seem to be larger than the usual in some pubs.

There seems to me to be too much furniture inside. What I mean by this is, the chairs and tables seem to be too close together. I would imagine it will be quite uncomfortable getting to and from the toilets if the place is very crowded.

For this reason, and their insistence on not accepting cash, I can’t give it the...