Princess of Wales

Pub
Hackney

The Princess of Wales pub is situated canal-side on the Lea Bridge Road, which joins Clapton, in Hackney, with Leyton over the river. The pub was closed for a while before being overhauled by the Young's chain, and it is certainly looking much better for it. Included in the changes made by the owners, are an all new pizza and pasta menu and a new selection of ales and wines.

We kicked off by enjoying some delicious starters. There were a couple of decent looking seafood options, but we plumped for the antipasti meat and vegetable platter which included two kinds of salami, some ham and some really flavoursome aubergines. The soup of the day was parmesan and broccoli and very tasty. The portions were generous too, and we had to hold back on the starters to save room for the main course: pizza.

The pizzas at the Princess of Wales are made in a traditional Italian style and there's a good selection available, all cooked using a unique flatbread style base, making them light and delicious. We tried the four cheese, which included mozzarella, cheddar, parmesan and stilton, and the pata pizza, which was topped with the pub's 'triple dipped' chips, as apparently the Belgian method of double-frying just isn't extreme enough? It's an unusual combination, but it actually works really well. Sadly, we were both completely stuffed after the main course, so we didn't get a chance to try any desserts, but we did manage to put back some of the delightful Rioja Crianza they had behind the bar.

The décor of the pub was warm and friendly, and a nice little addition was a 'Fact of the Week' board  (more pubs could use one of those). The service was prompt and attentive. Both of these helped to make it a very pleasant experience indeed. Well worth a look, and great value for money.

146 Lea Bridge Road, E5 9RB

Average price for a main course: £9
Average price for a glass of wine: £5
Food/Drink: 4/5
Value: 4/5
Service: 5/5

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