The Swan, Clapton  

When we last came here in 2004 we said the Swan seemed to be trying too hard to be all things to all people, but we ultimately gave it a thumbs up. It's a shame then our last visit left us wondering what went wrong here. Our Saturday night visit found a paltry half a dozen regulars in situ - one spending wads of cash in the fruit machine and another two with a pushchair in tow, watching Casualty on a giant screen. It made for a depressing time. Perhaps the lack of custom is due to the fact that the Swan's location - just off from Stamford Hill - is home of the second-largest Orthodox Jewish community outside Israel. These boys tend not to spend time in the pub. Anyway, it's a large pub, split into two bars, one more cosy than the other, both in the 'simple boozer' mould. Service here was pretty unfriendly, too, being totally silent - we've encountered vending machines more emotional. The only saving grace - and the reason we might come back - is the full sized snooker table at the back. Not many pubs have the space for such things anymore, especially in London - it's was good value, too. Either this pub is on it's last legs or we caught it on a bad day - we really hope it's the latter.

reviewed:
05/01/2008

pub features:(click on an icon to see an explanation)

Sky TV (big screen)

two pool tables and a full sized snooker table

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