FOOD REVIEW: The Prince Arthur
- Terry Young
- 2d
- 4 min read
In East London, the humble pub has undergone something of a culinary glow-up. Gone are the days when the menu meant little more than plates of haddock and chips, pork crackling and bowls of salted peanuts. In their place: lobster bisque, plump scallops, natty wines and glossy Perelló olives. It’s the unmistakable mark of neighbourhood gentrification, certainly, but it’s also proof that the now well-tested formula of “trendy pub meets ambitious chef” continues to deliver.
Few places embody that evolution quite like The Prince Arthur, an east London corner pub that has quietly become one of the area’s most compelling places to eat.
A neighbourhood pub with culinary credentials
Tucked among a grid of Victorian terraces near London Fields, The Prince Arthur was relaunched in 2020 by Emma Piggott and Jonathan Mercer, the duo behind The Plough. Since reopening, the pub has built a reputation as something of an incubator for fashionable kitchen talent.
Past residents include the cult pop-up Hot 4 U, which later evolved into Papi just around the corner, as well as a stint from chef Vivienne Duffy. The latest chef to take the reins is Joe Couldridge, whose résumé spans serious London kitchens, including Hawksmoor, Leroy, and, most recently, The Clarence Tavern.
The result is a place that still feels like a proper pub, yet serves food that would turn heads in a white-tablecloth dining room.
A pub first, but a good one
Part of the charm lies in the atmosphere. The Prince Arthur retains a genuine neighbourhood feel: on any given evening, you might find Salomon-wearing creative couples dropping in mid-dog walk for a quick glass of something cold, while nearby tables of food-savvy diners settle in for a celebratory meal.
Inside, the room strikes that perfect balance between polish and patina. There are well-worn wooden tables, handsome fittings and classic pub signage that lend the space a comforting familiarity. In August, drinkers spill out onto the pavement, pints of Guinness in hand, foam clinging to moustaches as conversation drifts into the street. In winter, the windows fog over with warmth and chatter, beckoning passersby into the snug for a restorative drink.
Yet on this visit, the beer, excellent as it is, wasn’t the main attraction.
Small plates, big flavours
Because while The Prince Arthur may be a stellar pub, its food is the real revelation. The menu leans toward small and medium plates: oysters served naked with a punchy mignonette, comforting snack-style dishes like mushroom toast, and seafood-led plates that feel refined without ever drifting into pretension.
It’s the sort of cooking that feels special, but never so complicated that you find yourself quietly Googling unfamiliar ingredients under the table.
Our meal began with two slender fingers of hash brown topped with devilled crab—an inspired combination. The kitchen makes no attempt to disguise the dish’s essential elements: potato, crab, and mayonnaise. But the salty crunch of the hash brown, paired with the creamy, gently spiced topping, was near-perfect. One bite in, and the appetite was well and truly awake.
The small-plates section is concise, just three options, but each feels carefully considered. We opted for fermented Scotch bonnet paired with dense, honeyed cornbread piled high with peppers in every shade of the rainbow, alongside a grilled peach salad with peppery rocket, ricotta and toasted hazelnuts. Both dishes were light, bright and full of flavour.
A ravioli with brown butter and crisp sage came next. The pasta itself leaned slightly too firm, but the sweet squash-and-ricotta filling, soft, rich and almost dessert-like, more than compensated.
The showstopper
Still, one dish towered above the rest.
The lobster bisque arrived like a theatrical flourish: plump Orkney-dived scallops submerged in a deep, buttery bisque so rich and oceanic it bordered on spiritual.
Silky, intensely savoury and unapologetically decadent, it was the kind of dish that makes conversation stop mid-sentence.
Ending on a nostalgic note
Dessert felt ambitious after such a meal, but restraint quickly gave way to enthusiasm. What began as a polite “one spoonful” turned into the complete disappearance of a chocolate crèmeux, silky and deeply cocoa-rich, finished with brandied cherries and toasted almonds.
There was something charmingly retro about it, echoing the nostalgic pleasure of those opening hash browns. Would it have been just as satisfying in a fine-dining restaurant? Possibly. But there’s something about the relaxed warmth of a pub that makes indulgence feel even more rewarding.
At The Prince Arthur, the formula is simple but effective: a proper neighbourhood boozer paired with confident, flavour-forward cooking. The result is a place where you can just as easily stop for a pint as you can settle in for a meal that punches well above typical pub fare.
The vibe: Like a few pints at your local - if your local happened to serve exceptional food.
The food: Elegant but unfussy cooking with a strong seafood focus and affectionate nods to nostalgic comfort dishes.
The drink: A thoughtful wine list spanning indulgent whites, pét-nats and affordable reds, alongside citrus-forward cocktails, local lagers and an impeccably poured Guinness.
Insider tip: Time your visit for the drinks deals - two-for-one glasses of orange wine on Wednesdays, or two cocktails for £15 on Mondays, Tuesdays and Thursdays.
In a city packed with polished dining rooms, The Prince Arthur proves that sometimes the most exciting cooking still happens in a pub, preferably with a pint waiting nearby.
80-82 Eversholt Street, Euston, London, NW1 1BX
