Bars & Pubs

By Ben McFarland

In an E17 enclave at the top end of the Victoria Line dubbed ‘Walthamstow Village’ – and by more than just hoodwinking estate agents – you’ll find the friendly Nag’s Head. Talk of the ’Stow being ‘the new Stokey’ is affirmed by the nearby presence of a deli, a tapas bar and boutique selling postmodern knick-knacks. Continuing the theme, the Nag’s Head goes for shabby chic. There’s crushed velvet on the tables, retro carpet on the floor, old movie paraphernalia on the walls and a laid-back landlady. Out front, benches look out on to a graveyard (beware – it’s a mugger’s paradise) while out the back, there’s a lovely, big garden with a canopy, heaters and a fine feel to it all. There are ales ahoy, with Tim Taylor’s Landlord, Sussex-brewed beers from Harvey’s, London Pride and Oscar Wilde Mild. A flurry of fruit beers includes the Floris range and Mongozo Coconut Beer – obscure, sweet and very coconutty which, if truth be told, is not a real word. Food: none. A bit baffling given that it would probably clean up if it did more than crisps and ostrich biltong. But it doesn’t. There’s always the deli down the road called Eat 17. There is cerebral nourishment in the form of live jazz nights, life drawing classes and retro film screenings. Luckily, there’s no papoose about this public hoose. Yet. There are seniors of the ’Stow, couples and the odd bohemian buried in the broadsheets.

Time Out Bars, Pubs & Clubs Guide 2008/9