Neighbourhood

As a Stratford local, this is a pub that I’ve given ample opportunity to impress. I first visited when they opened their doors to East London, but found the service muddled and the servers impolite. I returned over a year later for a Unilocal event, eager to give the venue another chance. On this occasion, we were treated courteously and the food was remarkable, flying out of the kitchen and served in abundance. The experience and tantalizing rotisserie grill reassured me that the initial hiccups had been smoothed over.
It seems that my enthusiasm to revisit was unfounded, however. We returned again on a sunny Sunday afternoon in June as a group of 8. I’m loath to write a scathing review without foundation, but I’m compelled to ward off visitors who might endure the same treatment that we received. My irritation is exasperated because it was a family outing to celebrate my boyfriend’s birthday and his parents and sister had travelled into London to celebrate.
I will disclose that we complained throughout our meal and were ultimately given a 20% discount on the bill; however, I expected a direct apology from the manager and more considerable effort to ensure that we didn’t leave in such dour spirits. The disorganisation and lack of communication between staff was dreadful, especially given that the pub was relatively quiet. While it did appear that the venue was understaffed based on the visibility of our servers, we were left completely ignored at our table.
Despite making a reservation in advance that was confirmed via e-​mail, we were told that no reservation existed– this was an ill-​omened beginning to our meal. In short, we suffered rushed and curt attitudes from servers, a 20 minute wait before attracting anyone’s attention for our drinks order– which wasn’t passed on to bar staff and had to be retaken several times. We waited 45 minutes before we could order food, which we succeed in doing only after going up to the bar umpteen times– and when a server did arrive, she didn’t take anything down on paper, instead opting to hastily go through the order verbally. As a consequence, the birthday boy’s order was overlooked and our drinks finally arrived after our food, also incorrect. We were absolutely mortified for suggesting the venue after spending most of the visit trying to flag down our servers and order our food.
Not only am I dismayed because this is a local business to me, but the venue itself is ideally located adjacent to the Olympic Park in the East Village complex. It’s easily accessible for those travelling to Stratford and is surrounded by other trendy cafés, gelaterias and playgrounds, making it a desirable destination for an afternoon stopover. The menu is also excellent and varied– ranging from a vast selection of burgers, steaks and options from the rotisserie and Rabata grill. There were no complaints about the standard of the food once it did arrive, as it was perfect fare for a breezy weekend lunch. The Neighbourhood also proffers Krušovice, a Czech pilsner, directly from the tank, which is imposingly affixed to the wall behind the bar.
The atmosphere of the pub itself also makes a favourable impression when you walk through the threshold: it’s spacious with plenty of seating for groups at banquet tables or booths. The music and background din is at a perfect level, generating a buzzy ambiance without being overbearing. The décor is contemporary, industrial and bright. The kitchen is open and the chefs busily toil away on the grill while diners peer across the open floor.
However, the issues with staff, communication and the general confusion during our visit were categorically unacceptable and put a damper on our entire afternoon. While we appreciated the amount taken off our bill, it will take a whole lot more to convince me to ever return after this appalling experience.
I’m sorry to say it, but there goes The Neighbourhood.

Neighbourhood, Stratford — I’m afraid this is one of those posts that I have left a little too long for blogging. I really should not do that because as time goes by it takes much longer to recall and write about the food. Photos help, but only a little. I do not normally procrastinate so when this happens, it is already clear that I was not truly inspired or excited about the restaurant.
The surrounding area, Stratford International, if you want to be modern, is populated with new housing developments. Previously built to accommodate the Olympics, the area has been left a little abandoned. What it needs is a focal point for the community. Neighbourhood might be able to offer that with a large open space with wooden benches and tables but they have also more intimate seating apart from the long table and benches. I like the ample space for buggies. Suitable for gathering of friends and family. The place exudes a casual and friendly atmosphere but the music can be a little too loud.
The food in Neighbourhood centres around roast chicken, ribs and burgers. There are the usual sides and accompaniments that goes with that style of food. So from a variety of salads to potatoes there are also nibbles such as olives, nuts and bread with oil. The kind of food that is associated with outdoor BBQ dining, sharing style. Dishes for one are still available with smaller portion of the roast chicken.
So, a night out with the Unilocal foodies, we tried the speciality of Neighbourhood.
The star of the dish is this half chicken £14.00 but I do find it a little dry.
baby back pork ribs £8.00 was nicely done and tender. Sticky, sweet sauce, what’s not to like?
spicy mac and cheese £3.50 — but not spicy at all.
corn on the cob £3.50
better than waldorf salad £9.00 — grilled pear, toasted walnuts, croutons, a chunky Shropshire blue dressing
grilled market garden salad £9.00 — BBQ marinated sweetcorn, courgette, peppers, fennel, red onion, halloumi cheese with a basil purée.
The service was very friendly and I’d be happy to go back for a nibble and drink. With the attractions and things going on in Westfield, I feel that it is going to be tough for Neighbourhood to compete. Nevertheless, Neighbourhood might turn out to be a good quiet place away from the maddening shoppers. Well, I am guilty of that too.
Neighbourhood also run a weekday offers from unlimited chicken wings to steak night specials. Located on the corner, it is the best spot a restaurant could hope for and because I live in the area, it is in my personal interest to see the place filled with good restaurants.

It is good to see that Stratford is getting a little bit nicer and it is places like Neighbourhood that are making it happen!
It is a great local option if you compare this pub with the one in the Old Stratford City. Nicer, cleaner and safer. A bit more expensive or overpriced for the area, but the food and drinks are good enough, so I’m happy to pay that difference.
Food is good enough, you can find better in Westfield, but if you are looking for a relaxing meal with friends, Neighbourhood is your place as is less packed and the staff is always very attentive and friendly, happy to recommend food or drinks when in doubt!
The selection of drinks is not as the one as Tap East, but you can find decent options on beers, ciders, wines, cocktails and hot drinks.
It is a big open space, with wooden benches and tables, some couches here and there and a ‘posher’ seating area. They have TV and music, a small outside seating area and in summer, they open the side windows for a nice breeze.

I’m not sure this is somewhere you would go out of your way to get to if not in Stratford, but it’s a great local option that just walks the line between a large independent and a swank Wetherspoons… in fact, think Byron meets a Wetherspoons and you may not be far off!
I would say everything here is good… I don’t think I’ve had my mind blown, but it’s never really a let down either. The food is ok, the drink selection is ok, etc… as others have mentioned there are more varied selections pseudo near to the area, but for me it’s hard to compete with the open space this place brings if you’re looking for something a bit less cramped and relaxed.
This can be a cracking place to meet people on the weekend… there’s generally some friendly folk about and so many people I know from the area have met and befriended other residents in here which is very un-​London and a nice change in my humble opinion… even if it seems kinda quiet on a particular weekend we still normally meet people and have a blast here just mingling with other locals.
They also do sporting events, Eurovision, etc., on a big projector on occasion and those nights are normally great to attend… the rugby start there was an amazing atmosphere, and despite being packed felt ok due to the sheer size of the place.
I really like the look of the place, old wood benches with neat little tables and chairs here and there with a few couches as well… it’s not what I expected from seeing the sign at a distance, we were very pleasantly surprised on our first visit. They also have a wee bit of outdoor seating, and the side of the front opens up on nice days as well.
The staff have always been friendly here too, so kudos to them.

I have been in Neighbourhood a few times and I really like the place. It is not the cheapest option in Stratford; you can have a pint from £2,50 in some of the local pubs, but I prefer to go to this one instead. It is clean, love the space and no weirdos around (yeah, we have some of them in Stratford!). Service tend to be a little bit slow sometimes but they are always really attentive and helpful with me and my friends. They have a decent selection of beer and cider so I can’t complain! They do cocktails as well (tried mojito once and it was ok).
Food was really good. Not amazing but good enough. I tried some of their appetizers and the beef burger. I think food is a little bit overprice for the area, specially their brunch menu but as I said before, it is nicer than most of the places around.

Another update, this time for breakfast: A disappointment.
This area of London cries out for a decent breakfast or brunch place. If a local restaurant nailed it they’d be raking it in. Good food, good service. Why is this so difficult to achieve in Stratford? Why do I have to go to Homerton or Hackney for food on a Sunday morning? I’m sure this joint could get it right, but didn’t.
So, £8 for a Veggie breakfast.
2 poached eggs: ok
Mushrooms: good but a smallish portion
Bread: TOTAL fail. The menu had two choices, sourdough and white split top. Oops no sourdough this time around, so went for the white split top. Instead got 2 incredibly anemic wholemeal slices — tasted and looked like Sainsbury’s basic — compressed sawdust.
Avocado: Hm, like an avocado. It was ok.
£6 would be expensive for this dish. My companion who ordered the English breakfast suffered with a cold black pudding and a pathetic serving of tasteless beans.
Service: At 11.40 on a Sunday morning, with minimal clientele present (about 12 patrons), and on staff were a waiter, a manager, and 2 people in the kitchen, we waited over 30 minutes for 2 basic breakfast orders. We complained and to be fair, in the end they took one meal off of the bill.
C’mon guys, this is the Olympic Village. You can do better.

I tried to go here for brunch. They didn’t bother to come and try take our order until after we got bored and got up to leave. They didn’t even offer drinks as we sat down and even though it was empty we got sat at possibly the worst seat in the place. I would not even bother contemplating this one. If i could rate this zero I would.

Went for a few drinks with mates.
Beer selection is ok, not as good as tap East but it’s a different type of bar. Didn’t eat so can’t comment.
The table service was good, very attentive. But the place was quiet so not sure how it’ll be when busy.
Generally really good! Recommend it if you’re in the area and fancy a pint /​some food.