The Misty Moon

We were running early so decided to pop in and kill half an hour with a casual drink.
The minute we stepped in, we felt on edge. This is one of those cliché ‘old man’ pubs, with diehard locals scowling at any newbies who dare to cross the threshold. Unnerving for sure.
We headed to a table only to be told by a creepy guy leaning on the wall that the seat and table was taken. We move away to another table, sat down and glanced back over to see the creepy guy sitting at the first table giving us a death glare. Sorry mate. You were standing up with your pint, how were we supposed to know?!
The one shining light about this pub came when we ordered the drinks. Rekorderlig! They sell rekorderlig! It’s the best cider I’ve ever tasted, with five different fruits so if the typical apple or pear isn’t your bag, this’ll cater for you. At £4.20 a glass, it’s far from cheap especially when you can get the same bottle from ASDA for £2.50, but the sheer size of the drink makes it more justifiable than a vodka coke for sure.
I think the way to really judge a pub is by its locals. Do they use it? Is it a hive of chattering activity? Does it have a welcoming atmosphere? Are the drinks free-​flowing, cheap and plentiful? The answer on all those counts is sadly no.

Ooooooof, and dodge.
This place is so dodgy that even the hipsterical locals from Bethnal Green dare not darken its unclean interior.
Fruit machins and drinks specials abound, on top of carpet that was tired in 1979.
One thing about this place: You are reminded how the pub started its decline when this was the average.
This is not a bad place, just 25 years too late.

Cheap, harmless and large pub near Bethnal Green station. If all you’re really after is a cheeky pint in an old mans pub then this place will deliver. I quite like a quiet pint on a weekday evening here because it’s like sitting in someone elses living room.
DON’T however go in the day. No matter how long you’ve lived in the East End if you’re not a born in the sound of Bow Bells local then they will shoot you some dirty looks. It’s always unusually full in the day of people furiously looking through Loot, complaining about immigrants and on about their fifth pint by 11am. So quiet evenings = good, days= bad.

I thought that this was a Wetherspoons pub when I walked in, especially given the name (Wetherspoon’s like mooning). Turns out it used to be, but is no longer, so I guess this is a pub in transition.
Right now, I found it a little bit unwelcoming. not from the staff but the locals seemed slightly menacing. There were lots of hard looking older gents covered with tattoos (one was trying to cough up a lung it seemed). I even saw a ponytail mullet in there somewhere. At half time in the football, I bolted to pastures greener.
They do serve real ale here and I had a lovely pint of Reverend James, but out of 7 pumps I saw behind the bar, only 2 were on during my visit. Luckily 1 of them was a favourite of mine, but it is still not great.
There is some kind of beer garden I didn’t see.

The Misty Moon is a funny little pub that possesses character instead of class, and charm instead of sterility. There is something really honest about this place, and something authentically East London about it as well. I have a depressing vision of the future, that is, by the year 2020, these places that harness and embrace East London grittiness will be gone forever. Anyway, until then, The Misty Moon will be serving the long time locals and football fanatics that make this place what it is. I hope that my futuristic vision never materialises, and that cheap tacky pub carpet, sticky booth seating and the general East London pub aesthetic that this place possesses, never disappears.

The Misty Moon of Bethnal Green Road has a title that wouldn’t look out of place abovea cheap chinese takeaway. In fact it is an East-​End boozer in the very real and slightly depressing sense of the word. The interior is extremely dated and not in a retro way just in a sort of worn faded kind of way. They also have three flatscreens where you can watch the footie.
I came here on a weekday afternoon and things were pretty dead. The place seems to be populated in the main by elderly locals who sit at the bar grumbling and grimacing into their pint. I know I’m heading down that route but I’d like to think I’d choose some choicer digs.
There is also a vague attempt at gastropub cuisine and as ever Thai is on the menu. I haven’t given the food a go but past experiences of Thai food in pubs have not gone down well. The drinks selection is pretty minimal but incorporates the usual suspects, and the prices are fantastically cheap.
In spite of the price I’m not sure I could quite bring myself to come here again.

‘The Misty Moon’. Sounds like what should’ve been the sequel to ‘The Labyrinth’. But alas it is not. It’s a pub on Bethnal Green Road. And it’s OK.
It’s warm and cute and the beers are cheap. Lots of cozy booths and lots of regulars that give the place its’ character.
They serve Thai food here but I’m also a bit suspicious of a pub that serves anything but pub food (except of course the amazing ‘Pineapple’ in Kentish Town), so who knows the food might be amazing here.

The Misty Moon is a former Wetherspoons on Bethnal Green Road, which used to be called the Camden’s Head. Unfortunately it seems that removing the previous owners’ branding was as far as the changes went — and the (terrible) new name and signage look uncannily like they could still be part of the chain. I seem to remember it being closed for refurbishment a year or two ago, but I’m genuinely bewildered by what they actually did to the place, as the interior still looks just like an old Spoons — but after a good few years’ use.
The customers are mainly aging locals (often with plenty to say), with the odd student-​type sometimes visible — possibly lured in by the prices as pints start at about £2.40. Also on the plus side there is a small beer garden, and if you’re into your sport there are 3 decent sized TVs to choose from. They also serve a combination of Thai and English food, which isn’t expensive, but won’t be anything to write home about either.

The Misty Moon is a nice little pub with Thai connotations — the workers and some of the menu keenly influenced by South Asia. Sitting down in this pub is a pleasure, simply because of the quantity and quality of the seating available. I was particularly fond of the little booths, closed on three sides so that you might conduct more intimate and personal conversations with someone. The bar wenches (forgive me this term) were lovely people, not at all annoyed that I was a mincey student using their free warmth and tables. The music in the background was quiet and the place has a quiet kind of opulance that stands them apart from other pubs in the area (such as the Salmon and Ball). You can take a family here, and enjoy a slap up meal for a very competitive price. Two TV screens showing sports seals the deal for me — get yourself down there.

You always know what you’ll get with Wetherspoons, and the Misty Moon on Bethnal Green Road is no exception: cheap drink, cheap food. The food is varied and very cheap but not of brilliant quality.
What makes this pub an appealing place to drink in Bethnal Green is its rather nice beer garden. Recessed from the street and with picnic benches, umbrellas and heaters it provides a surprisingly nice venue for a summer’s afternoon drink and takes the edge of a winter evening’s cigarette.