Nested at the top of a rather sinister looking stairwell near Dalston overground, Efes pool hall is…read morea great place to, well, play pool. There's no crowding around the pub table waving an optimistic pound coin at the pool hogs here, At Efes, there are enough tables for everyone, a bar with a reasonable selection of beers and spirits, plus a huge TV playing music videos and a few game machines too. If you like pool it's quite possible to lose a whole morning, afternoon or evening in this place and because it's relatively hidden on the second floor, a bit dark and dingy and supposed to be some sort of members club it's quite fun to hide out there and pretend to be a gangster, if you like that sort of thing. the official closing time is 12am but if you ask very nicely, they may let you stay a little longer.

Great spot. I had this bookmarked because I was researching dive bars, and when I was in Dalston…read moreover the weekend, got a chance to check it out. Entry: This is my only grievance with the place. We got in fine (no cover or anything), but there was a group of 4 guys ahead of us denied entry. Apparently they have a policy not to allow groups of four or more males. One of the four was understandably in disbelief, and the bouncer actually pointed to a sign on the door where they had this written down. Clearly it's a policy to give the bouncers flexibility to prevent access to groups that seem like they might cause trouble but: a) the place is super divey so it's a bit ridiculous that they have strict entry policies b) the group in question seemed quite well-behaved c) it's blatant sexual discrimination d) it's theoretically a pool hall ffs, without gender stereotyping myself, I feel confident in suggesting that generally speaking, more males play pool on a regular basis than females. Basically, weird entry policies and the bouncers are dicks. Location: Lots of fun! So so trashy in the best way possible. Huge projector which had MTV on mute the whole night. Music selection was mostly poppy/rnb. Clearly felt like the manager's playlist without much more thought beyond that. This was reinforced by a bit when there was a few minutes without music. Cash only bar, but well-stocked, and decently priced. (No PBRs sadly but you can't have everything) Music was at a good volume, notable but you could comfortably have a conversation. Some people were dancing at the area at the front (by the screen). Some playing pool. Lots more just hanging out chilling (there's also a seating area at the back. Just a really fun vibe. Notes: When we entered around 0030 I thought the crowd was at quite a good level. Fairly full but loads of space to walk about. Amazingly, it stayed constant pretty much the whole time we were there (till 3). I also felt it was a great crowd generally (friendly, no one was out of hand, another review mentioned this place is full of doucebags, but I'd say that only applies to the bouncers and not even remotely to the crowd)

Zoe H, you are a wonderful wonderful lady. The burgers are indeed very good. I ordered the entire…read moreburger menu and ate it all. Ok well I didn't but I could have, you bet you behind I could have... ish! I went for the house cheese burger which is made with prime Angus beef, cooked perfectly and served on a slate with a small side salad bowl and the most amazing wedges. They were huge, like half a potatoe huge (see photo.) The upstairs are of 1920 is home to number of pool tables and downstairs is the second bar and the more cozy drinking are. It had a rather good vibe and I think I'll be going back to sink a jug or five.

1920 is a great cocktail and American pool bar. You can book a pool table for £12 an hour, great…read morefor meeting up with friends or going for after-work drinks. The cocktails were great, staff were nice and the place wasn't too busy. There's a bit of outside seating just on the street. I thought this place was quite trendy, nice and clean interior and felt comfortable here. The music was to my taste, they had some good tunes and it wasn't too loud either. I'll definitely be coming back, this might become my new usual stomping ground!

Rileys has had a refurb upstairs and is now looking very sexy. There are six professional looking…read moredarts lanes, plasma screens spaced throughout and a veritable cinema screen too. This is all wrapped in a dark brown and black interior that feels quite chic. The bar menu is straight burgers and fries. Starting at £2.95 for a classic burger they are great value for money and tasty. You get the full works ar Rileys, poker, pool, snooker, darts, Wii and 3D TV. The only thing that still needs to be ascertained is the clientèle. Are they chavvie or are they cool? Either way, for pure interaction and fun Rileys IQ has everything you could possibly want.

Great place with loads to do. Snooker / pool / darts / all the football matches on a cinema screen…read more just what the boys are looking for !!! Can get pretty busy so best to book in advance. Staff are fabulous.great fun and great looking !!!

My favourite pub in the vicinity…read more Run by the same people who own The Lion in N16 and has a similar feel to it. The interior is typically hipster (space invaders table, pinball etc) but this place has an effortless quiet buzz which makes a drinking here a pleasure. Similar vibe to The Lion but this place does its own delicious pizza (also do delivery) which I highly recommend. Drink selection is a little wacky (no Guinness or regular lager to choose from) but the options are tasty for the more adventurous drinkers. You can also choose to watch the football when it's on (I couldn't discern an overriding affiliation amongst the locals so good for a derby I expect). As I say, this is my fave drinking spot in the area and I have only good words to say about it really...

It's dark and the furniture needs some loving but the PIZZAS ARE SO GOOD!!…read more The service is variable and sometimes it feels like they've forgotten your order but then other times a pizza takes ten minutes. Either way, they're always yummy - sourdough base!

Hello DRUNK, Lizzie has arrived and wants to join the party. I love it when you discover something…read morenew about a bar. In the case of The Old School Yard, I knew it was a fun bar with great cocktails and great party music, what I didn't know is that hidden below the main bar is an underground cellar with two karaoke rooms. Oh yes ladies and gent, I did do my rendition of Big Spender and Word Up (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MZjAantupsA) was performed by a certain superstar. As far as a night goes, if you are looking for a dirty dive bar party, this is the place for you. Great drinks and perfect music if you are up for cheesy dancing. The amazing thing about this place to is that it isn't full of tourists and you can actually get a drink at the bar without getting groped.

I did have a bad experience here, my friend accidentally spilt his drink and the barman would not…read morereplace it for free even though this happened right in front of him, some do, some don;t! Despite this, The Old School Yard is a decent place The downside is that the drinks are from bottles or cans so no draught pumps so not advisable for real ale or beer drinkers. Good for cocktail drinkers though. There was a surprise with a downstairs area I never knew about, which has free Karaoke booths and a nice seating area, also Table Football and retro video games so all in all, not bad.

This place really gives Woolwich an up lift for casual social fun evenings, as well as a sound…read moreenvironment for young ones. A sporty venue serving fresh sandwiches, chips burgers etc. Average price. Well established bar for adults that caters for under-agers aswell. Fun place with freinds to enjoy pool and snooker or watch latest sports events. Comforable seating and faciities and good management.

Great hotel at base of Hollywood hills and next to West Hollywood. A walk to the Hollywood stars.read more

The energy and ambiance is lovely. The servers were very attentive. We ordered a burger, fish and…read morechips and. sea bass. Service was a little slow. But the food and drinks were delicious.

We only had drinks here but this was a great little dive (ish) bar close to Dalston…read more It's got an eclectic mix of decor and spaces. Enough tables to seat most on all but he busiest of nights. It has that comfy at your childhood home welcoming feel and I imagine would be even more cozy and fun in the winter. Fun, kind staff. Nice go to pub. 5 star please

Love this pub that reopened about a year ago, just off Dalston high street and the Balls Pond Road…read more Quite a rough place previously (apparently) it is now a lovely beer filled pub, serving Thai food. Owned by the same guys who have brought us the awesome Pineapple in Kentish Town. The young landlord is a good bloke and offers about half a dozen ales. In a couple of visits this selection (for example Redemption Big Chief, Brewdog 5am Saint and Purity UBU) has kept me from just staying for just one as I had intended. As have random conversations with other people enjoying the place. How easily a quick pint can lead to an evening pleasantly wasted.