You know what’s missing from most London pubs? A ruddy great tree in the middle of the room. I mean, it’s the perfect antidote to a guilty day lost indoors to the boozing. And that certainly feels like what The Gun wants from you. It’s a multi-purpose Spitalfields pub trying to be all things to all people and at all times of the day. Aside from that tree, there’s a dining area with table service shielded away at the back and filled with fringed soft furnishings, while the main room plays host to sports-watchers as easily as it does to partygoers. The only sign of a DJ booth above the bar is a neon one, stating: ‘keep it real’, which feels surprisingly uncool for a pub from the team behind The Ten Bells, a place around the corner that seems to have understood the area well throughout its recent years of service.
What seems to come more naturally is keeping east Londoners lubricated. The drink menu is expansive and the wine list is actually decent – they even recommend drinking one of the reds at an on-trend ‘chilled’ temperature. It’s no secret that Heineken have invested heavily in the pub, and so the draught range is dominated by beers in their family. While Beavertown and Brixton Brewery now technically fall into that camp, fans of London’s craft beer scene may be barking up the wrong tree by paying The Gun a visit.