London Restaurant Reviews - The Water Poet in Spitalfields

Words & Photography by Simeen Kadi

Name: The Water Poet

Where: 9 Folgate Street, London, E1 6BX, www.waterpoet.co.uk

Costs: BBQ meals from £13.50, weekday lunch deals from £10



What to eat: With a new high tech barbecue installed, this is the way to go. Dishes on offer include Roast Half Cotswold Spring Chicken and Chorizo with New Potatoes and Orange Saffron Salad and Grilled Fillets of Sea Bass with Samphire, Chilli, Fennel & Mint Salad and Braised Baby Aubergines. The sea bass is delicately cooked over the coals and the baby aubergines are delicious and work well with the fish.


Rib Eye Steak comes with mushrooms, roast garlic and thick cut chips – the meat is juicy and tinged with smoke from judicious grilling. Pub classics from Fish & Chips and Shepherds Pie are also very good.

What to drink: Meantime, Dark Star and London Fields beer on the pumps and a fairly decent wine and spirit list.

Likes: This is a large pub with multiple rooms from a basement bar to a cinema room and even a pool parlour. In the summer it is the outside space that wins out, with large covered patio areas festooned with fairy lights and the barbecue area.

Dislikes: Prepare for a crush at the bars as this pub gets packed later in the week with City workers and Spitalfields locals.

Verdict: For a buzzy atmosphere and a relaxed, outdoor setting, this is a very good option in the City. The food is good and the tunes aren't bad either.