One of East London’s ‘lost’ eel, pie and mash shops has been revived as a pub called The Black Eel by Andy and Steph Solley of Walthamstow’s Exale Brewing.
The new pub opens this Friday (24 October), with 150 free pints of beer waiting for the first arrivals through the door from midday. The spacious venue incorporates a kitchen called Riley’s, serving seasonal Mediterranean-inspired dishes from ex-Lagom head chef Billy Fisher.
Now a Grade II-listed building, F Cooke opened in Kingsland High Street, Dalston, in 1862 – an event commemorated in a surviving mosaic at the front door (pictured). Known as ‘the Buckingham Palace of eel and pie shops’ for its ornate purpose-built interior, the original shop ran under generations of the family until 1996, since when it has housed a Chinese karaoke bar followed by a cocktail and board game venue called Draughts.
The new pub has a main bar, games areas for darts and shuffleboard, lounge spaces and a huge garden at the back with plenty of greenery and a pétanque court. Andy and Steph also run the Exale Taproom in Walthamstow, the Three Colts Tavern in Bethnal Green and the William the Fourth in Leyton.
The Riley’s menu stretches from small dishes like fried new potatoes with mayo, grilled courgette with feta and chilli, or marinated tomatoes with goats curd, through to mains like pork ribs with hot honey, braised chuck with flatbread and oregano, or a cheeseburger with mustard onions. Desserts include a rich chocolate torte, Basque cheesecake with toffee sauce, and a winter Eton mess. Sundays bring roasts – pork belly, beef sirloin, or celeriac with hazelnut crumb – which are served alongside the full à la carte menu.
