🚇 Tower Hill
🍺 £6.00 Amstel
The Artful Dodger is located at the southern end of Whitechapel, in London’s East End. The nearest Tube is Tower Hill.
Originally known as The Crown & Seven Stars, this pub dates back to around 1790. Rebuilt by 1829 and updated in 1888, it served dockworkers and soldiers due to its location near the Royal Mint and Tower of London. After closing in 1981, it reopened in 1985 under its current name—drawn from Dickens’s Oliver Twist, perhaps as a nod to Cockney identity.
This is a traditionally decorated, one-bar pub with a down-to-earth, old-school charm. The servery is situated on the right and features the name of the pub across the back bar. At the far end of the bar, there is a dartboard and a large screen mounted above a fireplace. Tucked away on the right is an ol’ Joanna. At the front of the bar, there’s a pool table and another dartboard.
The decor includes a boarded floor, half-height tongue-and-groove wall panelling with a mix of beer and spirits signage above, plenty of seating—including stools around the servery—and a print of Arthur Daley. One unique feature of the pub is the iron columns, which have bunch-of-grape and pineapple capitals.
The beer selection is all keg, with a variety of well-known beers to choose from. I went for an Amstel—my pint was great, and the price point was average. This is a wet-led pub, so no food is served.
I arrived around 6:30 p.m. on a mild early Saturday evening in April. The pub had about half a dozen punters in—some were watching the footy, some playing pool, and a couple of ladies were sat in the corner having a catch-up. The atmosphere was laid-back, with a friendly, local pub feel. The service was excellent—the lady on duty was warm, welcoming, and friendly.
My last visit was in September 2017, and I’m pleased to report that little has changed at this superb, characterful East End boozer. With gentrification and cultural shifts, pubs like this are becoming increasingly rare. I loved visiting this pub and highly recommend you do the same.
Follow @theartfuldodger_pub for updates.
📅 12th April 2025
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