The Commercial Tavern

This place looks like another divey Sillverlake (LA) bar. From the mish mosh of wall decorations that ranged from old Intwerview magazine covers, Popeye and floral wallpaper you would find at your grandmother's house, to old lampshades, mirrors, and chandeliers on the ceilings.

At first, I was just going to have a glass of wine, but I figured, why not have one of their specialty gin and tonics while I'm on holiday. My Juniper gun and tonic was generous in size, and was pretty mild in flavor. Our bartender, Borat's twin was pretty nice. Service was chill.

This place was quirky, charming, the drinks are OK + decently priced, wouldn't mind stopping by again the next time I'm in town.

Drinks: 5/5
Service: 5/5
Cleanliness: 4/5
Decor & Style: 5/5

This is one of my favorite night life places in London! This whole pub looks like an old wealthy victorian house turned into a pub! Not only does it looks really "cool", but it probably has the best tasting pizza in London! Lol, what are the chances? The bartender was super efficient and friendly as well.
It was easy to get a table and drink/eat all night long! Of all the places to see in London I would come back here again next time I visit.

Great pizza, great drinks, great atmosphere, great bartenders.
Will def be back!

Surprisingly decent and cheap pizza in a chill pub atmosphere. Popped by here this afternoon and was impressed with the relaxed vibe and eclectic interior design. I ordered the courgette pizza with tomato sauce, mozzarella, rocket and goat's cheese. I was pleasantly surprised at how much rocket and courgette was on the pizza and how good the sauce was. The sourdough base is not as chewy as I would like but for pub pizza it's a good value.

The Commercial Tavern had reached nearly mythical proportions to my friend. Nearly 2 years ago she met me in Shoreditch raving about a huge 2 story bar with wide windows and an outdoor section that she passed on her way. Despite living in the area I couldn't think of anything close to what she described... Until last night when we walked past Commercial Tavern and she went crazy.

With decor looking a bit like a Victoria Boudoir gone Crazy Mad Hatter it's one of the more unique places to grab a drink! We arrived late on a Wednesday and snagged one of the tables next to the windows upstairs, mood lighting and all, surrounded by couples!

I've seen the crowds spilling out onto the streets on a weekend when the sun's out, will definitely be adding the Tavern to my list of locals.

The most charming feature of this pub is its decorative playfulness. It is a mixture of art-deco and kitsch, perhaps reminiscent of the Rococo era. There are beautiful tiles lining the walls, collections of flowered tea-cups and kettles, themed wallpaper, and other random yet fun items around. The upstairs holds a separate bar and a massive chandelier on top of a large dining table. It shows that any old pub can be freshened up with a bit of creativity.

There is no long beer pump bar here which is perhaps a good thing since it doesn't seem to attract the after-work drinkers as much. They do serve some other more obscure beers and a standard collection of spirits. I also believe they make cocktails, although I have still not had one. In the summer they add some wooden picnic tables for a bit of outdoor seating.

20 minutes waiting at the bar for a drink - granted it was Friday at 8pm - for them to then tell us the card machine wasn't working and we had to queue downstairs!
Fair enough, some times that does happen but we had been waiting 20 minutes for the waitress to serve only 1 person, making 2 cocktails. She was so so slow.
Appalling!
Saying that there is a nice atmosphere and it is a quirky place with jazzy decor. Well located as well.

The best thing about this refurbished old Shoreditch pub is the decor in the interior. It's a beautifully laid out artful affair, with just the right amount of tables surrounding a central curved bar. Lots of space to move and breathe without that restrictive, crowded feeling one can get in a typical old boozer, which this once was.

The upstairs is even better. Sit by one of the window tables and gaze out across Commercial Road and down to Spitalfields. Its best on a long and warm summer evening, with a cocktail in hand and some friends in tow. A laid-back and thankfully un-self-concious addition to this part of town.

This bar has a killer image going for them. The staff was extremely friendly, and attentive, The vibe was funky, and the decor was unique and refreshing. It had the feeling of hipster/grandma chic. I will definitely come back to this spot when I hit London again.

What a lovely place for an old friend's reunion, he'd been travelling across Europe freelance writing and selected this prime Shoreditch spot as the meeting place to convene, share anecdotes about Moldovan cuisine and examine bizarre 500 billion notes in foreign currencies. I was rather amused when I had to order a Black Sheep and Rosey Nosey from the bar, otherwise known as a complex, rich tasting beer with plenty of roast malt character and generous hop flavour.


One of my favourite places to have a tipple, play some pool and dump heavy bags after window shopping at the nearby All Saints.