David Levin

All over the capital, pubs are closing. Some because of lockdowns, some because they were shit, some because they failed to adapt. The traditional London boozer has had to reinvent itself. Most Londoners, particularly ones of the east London variety, don’t just want a pint any more, they want an experience. They want to be part of something. And, in some cases, they want to dry-hump a stranger. I learned about these things when I had the honour of running the Twitter account for The Dolphin Pub in Hackney for a few years. A pub where a mate of mine once looked up from the toilet to see an alsatian watching him. As I say, Londoners want an experience. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Three Compasses, Dalston (@3compassese8) Running a popular east London pub is hard. Taking one over and changing it is even harder. You need to do so without alienating your regulars or scaring people off. One classic reinvention pitfall is trying to make a trad pub too posh, then realising most people don’t fancy a kale-and-elderflower protein ball with their pint of Beavertown Lupuloid. Another common east London mistake is pandering too obviously and extremely to the hipster crowd by serving cocktails in plant pots or exclusively selling local craft ale that tastes like Savlon. No mate, we don’t do cashback in Bitcoin. The Three Compasses in Dalston is a beautiful example of an east London boozer that has not only survived reinvention but become somethi