The Railway Tavern Hotel, Stratford  

This one's been upgraded to a hotel - its been done up and nine en-suite rooms added to it (well, we suspect they were already there, just not being used or functional). We can only assume this has been done to capitalise on the area's up and coming status as the home for the Olympics in 2012, as we can't find any other compelling reasons to stay in the Stratford area. It's decent enough, with a reasonable crop of regulars, okay beer on tap and inexpensive pub food. With the range of activities on offer, it's obviously meeting a niche need for the area, and it's hard to fault the owners for taking advantage of the gentrification of the area. Apparently, it's been owned by the same family for 40 years now, and we can only say that the steady ownership has been a good thing. If you're looking for an excellent freehouse in the area, you could do a lot worse.

reviewed:
3/4/2008

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

real ales

Sky TV (big screen)

function room for hire

beer garden

pool table

karaoke (Friday and Sunday), live music

9 en-suite bedrooms

disabled facilities

ATM on premises

late opening

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