Tipped

Walk inside, be delighted.

June 14, 2009

Highly recommended for glorious food, nice wines, and friendly attentive staff. We will make a point of coming to East London if just for this Freehouse pub/restaurant and the nearby Sunday markets.

The Marksman blows all local competition out of the water, because of food quality & presentation and staff attentiveness. Staff must be treated well by the owners, because they seem so happy. You * will NOT find snobbish servers here* as you might at the other gastropub on Columbia Road.

The exterior of The Marksman is a bit rough-looking, and the place seems to have retained a few of the salty (but friendly) cockney locals, but step inside the dark wood panelling interior and get ready for a top notch experience.

French/English type menu includes an array of fresh fish, seafood (mussels/oysters seasonally), duck, lamb shank, beef fillet, and several tasty vegetarian options. Apparently the menu changes several times per week so as to use only the most seasonal & fresh ingredients.

Drinks: from Red Stripe to an array of bottled beers and extensive wine list.

The Marksman has private function rooms upstairs for hire.

* Make a table booking so as to avoid disappointment. The place was bursting at the seams on the Sunday we dropped in (flower market day on the nearby Columbia Road). Mark my word, this place is up and coming F A S T. One will soon be hard pressed to get a table.

Keywords: gastropub, East London, Columbia Road, fish, game - in season, sunday lunch, Sunday Roast, brunch, friendly service, friendly staff, gay friendly, friendly, fresh, dinner, shoreditch, bethnal green, private parties: call for details