Saddle Up and Ride to EC2
Ambience
Cuisine
Cuisine
Service
Value for Money
Value for Money
Set over two floors, The Hoxton Pony is a new and ambitous addition to the Shoreditch / Hoxton scene. It mixes an upmarket cocktail lounge with impressive gastropub fare, complimented by separate DJ’s on both the main dance floor on the lower level.
We were told that the experience of some of London’s premier 'mixologists' had been brought in to create the cocktail menu and on the evidence, I’ve no reason to doubt it. An East End Punch (£11 a glass) for example, is not something you’d get for 'clocking another geezers bird' but a mix of La Mauny rum, Champagne and Gabriel Boulder Chasis with lemon and basil. The ethos of the cocktail, as well as the food, is to mix seasonal and sustainable produce. This means some cocktails currently utilise rhubarb and loganberries with the promise of pears and quince when they come into season in autumn.
We tried the Chapel Down English Brut NV (£8 a glass) and were very impressed, though purists need not fear as Bollinger (£80 a bottle) and Dom Perignon (£195 a bottle) are also available. A word of warning to fans of bottled beer with bits of lime in the top, though: they do not stock imported beer or even bottled water. House filtered water is available with a £1 cover charge.
Food is described as 'East End Grub'. A short lunch menu is served until 3pm, bar food from 3pm and a wider menu from 5 -11pm. We started with a half-pint of succulent prawns (£8.50) and fish fingers (£8.50). Fans of Captain Birdseye beware that these delicious and quite filling offerings on our visit were Colley, Pollock and Salmon. For the main we shared a chicken and crayfish pie with chips (£10), and it was one of the best pies I have ever eaten. Prepared and cooked fresh, the chucks of chicken and crayfish were mixed with parsley and wrapped in a thin layer of pastry. As well as a variety of tempting pies, other dishes on offer include sustainable fish and chips (£8-£12) and bangers and mash (£5.50).
And if you're looking for something different to do with your friends, The Hoxton Pony Tea Party offers jars of gin, bourbon, rum or vodka cocktails in self-cooling flasks served with sandwiches. The price is about £80 for four, and you do need to book in advance.
Although The Hoxton Pony feels as though it’s still settling into its surroundings and is trying to be all things to all people when finding a single niche might be a better bet, our overall impression of it was very favourable and one we intend to repeat very soon.
With a Tea Party.
We tried the Chapel Down English Brut NV (£8 a glass) and were very impressed, though purists need not fear as Bollinger (£80 a bottle) and Dom Perignon (£195 a bottle) are also available. A word of warning to fans of bottled beer with bits of lime in the top, though: they do not stock imported beer or even bottled water. House filtered water is available with a £1 cover charge.
Food is described as 'East End Grub'. A short lunch menu is served until 3pm, bar food from 3pm and a wider menu from 5 -11pm. We started with a half-pint of succulent prawns (£8.50) and fish fingers (£8.50). Fans of Captain Birdseye beware that these delicious and quite filling offerings on our visit were Colley, Pollock and Salmon. For the main we shared a chicken and crayfish pie with chips (£10), and it was one of the best pies I have ever eaten. Prepared and cooked fresh, the chucks of chicken and crayfish were mixed with parsley and wrapped in a thin layer of pastry. As well as a variety of tempting pies, other dishes on offer include sustainable fish and chips (£8-£12) and bangers and mash (£5.50).
And if you're looking for something different to do with your friends, The Hoxton Pony Tea Party offers jars of gin, bourbon, rum or vodka cocktails in self-cooling flasks served with sandwiches. The price is about £80 for four, and you do need to book in advance.
Although The Hoxton Pony feels as though it’s still settling into its surroundings and is trying to be all things to all people when finding a single niche might be a better bet, our overall impression of it was very favourable and one we intend to repeat very soon.
With a Tea Party.
Here Is The Writer : Martin Gallagher
Martin Gallagher has never played for West Ham or England, nor had a number one hit single, but he has worked in the City for many years (for what that's worth). A life-long Londoner, he made the migration from east to west a few years back and is still trying to get used to the absence of fried chicken takeaways and the over abdundance of coffee shops. Martin is married, has two daughters, and is also interested in travelling, football and writing. He hopes to publish his first novel 'sometime in the future'.
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