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Having established a base in these here parts with the Leyton Star back in 2016, the Electric Star chain has taken another Leyton boozer under its wing. What was formerly The Heathcote Arms has been given a makeover and is now – as you may have guessed – the Heathcote & Star.
The selection of beers on tap was a little underwhelming on what was admittedly a busy Saturday night: the only available option was Becks. Much better was the selection of cans and bottles tucked away in the fridges, which included output from Signature Brew, an E10 brewery.
In contrast to the Leyton Star, this is a big pub, with two large side rooms that have been designated ‘Play’ and ‘Party’ in purple neon signage. There are two pool tables in the play room (where there’s a pretty cool astronomical chart decorating the ceiling, this being a Star and all), as well as a ping pong table that comes into its own on Monday nights when the pub regularly runs tournaments.
The Heathcote & Star’s main challenge will probably be its location, tucked away in the backstreets of Leyton and off the beaten track. It’s clearly setting itself up to be a lively spot where you can party into the small hours – but it may struggle to do so given all the usual noise restrictions in residential areas. I’ll be checking out those ping pong nights though, that much is certain.