Forest Tavern — Restaurant in London

🚇 Forest Gate 🍺 £5.50 Notting Helles

The Forest Tavern is located in the heart of Forest Gate in East London. The nearest station, Forest Gate, is just across the road.

The pub first opened by 1851 as The Railway Tavern, named in reference to its proximity to Forest Gate station. The pub was rebuilt in 1925 by Cannon Brewery and renamed the Forest Tavern by previous owners Antic in 2013. Today, the pub is operated by @portobellopubsandbars.

This is a good-sized, one-bar pub with two adjoining rooms. The servery is located in the main bar area and features a solid wood counter with spherical pendants above. The decor is contemporary and colourful, with a boarded floor, panelled, tiled, and wallpapered walls, plenty of comfortable seating, and an exposed brick fireplace. The rear room is set aside for dining and has exposed ceiling beams, brick walls, curved banquette booths, and large Georgian-style windows. At the back of the pub, there is a patio beer garden with a covered section to one side.

The beer selection is solid, offering a range of well-known beers, craft options, and three cask ales. I went for a Notting Helles, a lager from Portobello Brewing, my pint hit the spot and cost under six quid. The food menu features Mediterranean-inspired small plates, classic British mains, and a selection of burgers.

I arrived at 11 a.m. on a warm and sunny Saturday morning in August. I was the first punter through the door, so I had the place to myself and enjoyed a good mooch around. I was soon joined by two locals who pitched up in the garden with their pints. The service was excellent, I had a lovely chat with the friendly manager about the comings and goings of the pub.

The Forest Tavern markets itself as a gastropub, but it feels more like an all-round pub with plenty of space—whether you’re here for a beer or fancy a bit of grub. The beer line-up and price point are good, the food receives very positive reviews, and you’ll be well looked after. I really enjoyed my visit here—it’s a must if you’re in the area.

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📅 23rd August 2025

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UPDATE MAY 24: They need better beer curation. There are some poor beers on tap. Just because something is local doesn't mean it's good. As a new east Londoner having moved from gastro-a-mile Islington boy was I happy to find this place! Been here several times, in the summer with a laptop by myself, great to sit out in the back garden with smokers who love the back garden too as its nicer than smoking out front with a family with toddlers who totally loved the table football (and who I knew I'd enjoy a round of it with a 4 year old!) on quiz night tuesday to while the evening away somewhat productively

Top marks to Forest on all of these occasions really. The food is good, it's a reasonable selection of starters and mains. They have about 8 beers on tap (cask + keg), so generally there's something for every beer taste (there are several microbreweries in the railway arches in Forest Gate for who want a more beer-specific experience, look it up). The beers are local, have always been fresh, and not silly-priced like you get in London Fields or Hackney generally these days.

There are different table arrangements for different moods, which is quite important to me. So: dining-table type seating for bigger groups and for eating, casual pub tables for beer, snacking, and sitting fairly close to your companions, and lounge chairs by the fireplace if you want to sink in for the evening.

Finally, a point about the ethnic mix: there is a mix of people that come in here and I'm very happy about that too. Pubs should reflect the community it serves, is a refrain I've heard in Britain all too often, often an empty one as everyone except the white middle classes then find themselves priced out or otherwise uncomfortable in these spaces. Forest Tavern feels more inclusive than that and I hope it stays that way.

To many more...

This is a lovely pub with great food, but I was disappointed that there was no veggie roast left by 3pm on a Sunday (second time I have come here specifically for a roast and this has happened). Had to come up with an alternative option myself (substitute the veg wellington for halloumi fries). Once the manager was aware of the issue, she handled it excellently - gave me a reduced price and was very apologetic. However, the bar staff all seemed a bit at sea with customer service - a simple “I’m really sorry, let me see if there’s anything I can do” would have been great instead of acting embarrassed that they’d ran out and then me having to go away and think of a suitable option myself. I also saw bar staff serve the wrong type of wine to a customer (easy mistake, no big deal) but it seemed to really throw her and she got defensive with the customer instead of just apologising and fixing it. Maybe some customer service training needed for more junior...