The Anchor & Hope — Restaurant in London

🚇 Clapton 🍺 £6.20 Amstel

The Anchor & Hope is located on the banks of the River Lea in Clapton, Hackney, East London. The nearest station is Clapton on the Weaver Line.

This pub was built in the mid-19th century; historical records indicate that in 1851, there was a beer and chandler's shop on the site. Around the 1860s, as the area developed, this pub would have had a steady stream of punters who were watermen, bargemen, dyers, and chandlers who toiled along the River Lea.

The pub is best known for the story of Les Heath, the former Guv’nor who arrived here in 1953. He didn't take a single day off from serving in the pub until his death in 2003 – even rushing back to be behind the bar after receiving an MBE in 1997 for services to the pub trade.

This is compact one bar pub that has down to earth traditional feel. The servery is centrally located with bar forming an ‘L’ shape around it. To the right of the servery is a cosy seating area complete with a fireplace. To the left is additional seating and a dartboard. The decor consists of dado height wall panels, pastel painted walls, some portraits and eclectic artworks. At the front of the pub, there are lots of picnic benches with views across the river and to Walthamstow Marshes.

The beer selection offers a line up of familiar favourites and included two cask ales. I decided on an Amstel, my pint was excellent, price point was average. This is a wet led pub, that doesn’t serve food, but there was Caribbean food being served outside.

We arrived around 4pm on an overcast Saturday afternoon in April. The pub was packed outside, creating a relaxed and convivial atmosphere. Inside, it was also busy with a loyal local crowd. The service was welcoming and friendly; the staff were kind enough to pose for a photo.

We had a fantastic time here, this is such a warm and welcoming pub. With the warmer months ahead, why not take a stroll along the River Lea and stop off for a few at this homely and charming riverside boozer.

📅 18th April 2025

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The Anchor & Hope — Where Pub Meets Plate with Purpose

Tucked just off The Cut, The Anchor & Hope is a London gastropub that doesn’t chase trends—it sets them. With no reservations and no frills, it invites you to wait, sip, and surrender to the rhythm of a kitchen that cooks with conviction.

Atmosphere The space is compact, bustling, and unapologetically pub-like. Wooden tables, chalkboard menus, and a hum of conversation that feels more Parisian bistro than British boozer. It’s democratic in spirit—actors from the Young Vic, foodies, and curious wanderers all elbowing for a table.

Food & Drink The menu changes daily, driven by seasonality and bold European influences. Think:

Braised rabbit with mustard and white wine Whole roast guinea fowl for two, served with dripping potatoes and bitter greens Smoked eel salad, earthy and elegant Rich puddings like prune and Armagnac tart or chocolate pot with...

A great pub, but the food shack attached to the pub is beyond a joke.

You can order food it'll take so long you've aged and retired and need Botox from the stress lines you gather from waiting. Then you don't even get the food you ordered.

I ordered rice and peas, and got a cold chicken wrap that took so long I was ready to cash in my pension.

The wrap itself was diabolical, and through frustrated attempts to eat the insides with a fork because it wasn't even wrapped properly I finally gave up, as I ended up wearing more of it than eating it. A man 20 metres away saw the breakdown which I was carrying out... spectacularly.

A traumatic experience to the point I can't even look at a tortilla without revisiting deep seated anxiety.

Only go for the drinks. Staff are lovely, and it's a quirky place to spend an afternoon at staring at the canal and the deep deep void of...