The Ferry House in Tower Hamlets

🚇 Island Gardens 🍺 £5.30 Heineken The Ferry House is located close to the banks of the Thames at the southern edge of the Isle of Dogs in East London. The nearest station is Island Gardens on the DLR. The Ferry House was established 1722 and is the oldest surviving pub on the Island. The pub’s location near to the old ferry point across to Greenwich meant it was ideally placed to cater for travellers crossing the river. This is a compact one bar pub with cosy rooms either side of the main bar. The servery is centrally located and has Courage lettering at the top of the back bar. Just off the main bar to the right is a snug room with sofas, a period fireplace and a Tv. At the back left of the pub is another cosy room with a Fives dartboard, a flat screen and a fish tank. The decor consists of white T&G wall panels, burnt orange wall paper and a boarded floor. The room at the back is carpeted and has dark wood panelling and beams. At the rear of the pub is a sunken walled beer garden. The beer line up was a selection of familiar mainstream beers and included one cask ale. I decided on a Heineken, my pint was great, price point was reasonable at just over a fiver. There is no food served here at present. We arrived around 4.30pm on an overcast Saturday afternoon in October. The pub was fairly busy with locals sat around the bar. The atmosphere was chilled and laidback with a local pub feel. The service was good, the chap who served us was pleasant and courteous. Visiting @theferryhousepub was an enjoyable experience, I loved the history that surrounds this pub. The reasonably priced beer, comfortable surroundings and a laidback local pub feel made for a relaxing stay at this watering hole. 📅 12th October 2024 More London Pub info @londonpubmap 🍻

Food was lovely, really well done and the service was 10/10

This is a friendly pub close to the Greenwich Foot Tunnel. The bartender was really nice and chatty, which definitely bumped my rating up to 4 stars rather than 3. It’s refreshing to be served by someone so pleasant in a London pub! The place has an independent vibe—at least it feels that way—with an assortment of books, games, and TVs showing sports. It’s a bit of a throwback boozer but with a friendly, welcoming edge. We visited during a quiet time on a Sunday, and there were just a few locals enjoying a pint at the bar. There are some side rooms with a pool table and a dartboard, which add to the pub’s charm. We went for an ale—it wasn’t the best I’ve had, but it was certainly affordable at around £13 for three pints. While it’s nothing too special as pubs go, it’s a great spot to chill out, have a chat, and relax on a Sunday. I can imagine it really comes to life at busier times, and I hope it continues to thrive.

Lots of history and character associated with this pub since it’s been around in one form or another for about 300 years! I went on a quiet mid-week night. There was no bitter on draught to my surprise (but see reviews below for similar comments). They did have Guinness, so all was well 😅. Beer prices also seemed very decent for London. The layout is really nice for conversation - tables well spaced and placed in quiet nooks. No food that evening and can’t comment on the beer garden. They do have an interesting dart board that only has multiples of 5. Ideal for a game after a few pints 🤪. Nice place to visit if you’re in the area.

No bitter! A Courage pub, but no bitter. Very disappointed. Nice place and welcoming staff. Didn't eat, so can't comment.

We just dropped in for a few drinks. Service was good, staff were pleasant and the beer was great. It's an old pub with great character, there's a number of different small rooms to sit and enjoy a drink in and also a nice garden area out the back. Worth visiting, I'll be back one day.

Cosy little place on the Isle of Dogs. Had just a drink here. Lovely bartender served me a nice Japanese whiskey. All-in-all, a feelgood pub in your neighbourhood.

Best pub in town Reasonable pint prices

Very nice pub in a good location near the Thames on the Isle of Dogs. Recommended. 👍

A great pub with a friendly atmosphere.

Dana was a great host, straightforward and easy to communicate with. With Amy's assistance, we were able to hire the upstairs function room for my Sister's surprise birthday of family and friends- and some dogs too. Despite the wonky, British summertime weather that afternoon and evening, the room remained bright being upstairs and having windows on two, opposite walls. It was a comfortable space to be in for air flow, so we didn't feel stuffy up there. We brought a Bluetooth speaker for our music and we were able to decorate the room to our liking. The agreement is to leave the room as found, which is no problem whatsoever. Very much appreciate the mutual respect aspect; we could do as we pleased (within reason of course!) and were granted a private party space, with great service downstairs. We arranged our own catering and all of the guests were happy with the selection of drinks in the downstairs bar, where Jake served us. I would certainly consider coming back when in the area, or planning another multigenerational gathering as the rates were very reasonable in a nice area, plus good drinks selection, self catering option and the informal environment. Thumbs up We all had nice interactions with some regulars downstairs and us smokers and vapers were grateful of a nice little beer garden. Thank you Dana, Amy and Jake

Love this pub great spot great service as for the food did not try it this time.

Lovely little pub near the river, good atmosphere and friendly staff. Would definitely recommend

A great pub. I’d love to have a place like this as my local. A good selection of beers and spirits. I didn’t try the food as we were eating at the Thai restaurant around the corner. I’ll certainly be back.

When me and my partner went into the Ferry house amy was fantastic with service and really welcoming

Lovely, small old fashioned pub. Just what you want at the end of your road. Service was good, atmosphere was pleasant.

My favourite pub, end of. Love coming here and having a chat with Jamie. It’s old school charm and a friendly service that makes you want to come back time and time again.

Great place, very friendly staff and really nice vibe. They pay great attention to detail when pouring drinks.

Lovely local, dog friendly which makes for a lovely atomosphere. One ale on, but nice, can't remember the name. Will defo be back.

Nice traditional old school east London, Isle of dogs public house that hasn't been changed by gentrification like so many pubs on the Isle of dogs

Můj nejoblíbenější PUB v Londýně. Objevil jsem náhodou loni a teď jsem se moc rád vrátil.

Lovely traditional pub. Prices reasonable.

Found this pub last year when I was walking the Thames path. Even though I live in Ealing, if I'm ever that side of London, I always try to pop in for a drink. While Greenwich and Canary Wharf are heaving and busy, a quick walk under the Thames tunnel or a strolll down the isle of dogs and you get to this gem of a good old British boozer. As a northerner who loves a good pub, I can say this is a dying breed. So few free houses which haven't been modified are left. Like most free houses - it's normal prices. Not 7 quid a pint like a Fuller's or Greene king pubs. A pint of Guinness here is 4.60! Living in Ealing I'm used to this due to all the independent Irish pubs. But it's rare to find prices like these in London nowadays. It's a truly a gem of a pub. I had a mate in town this weekend and was showing him around London and these photos were taken around 12noon on a Sunday. By 1 it starts filling with the Isle of Dogs locals. You will meet some wonderful London characters in here. 5th Generation Isle of dogs Londoners some of them. They are a dying breed like the pub they inhabit. If you want to experience a real old friendly British pub with incredible interior, fab locals, cheap prices and great beer, try The Ferry. Amazing history too. I love the place.

Obnoxious staff, takes your drink away when you are not looking

Lovely staff working in there. Nice little establishment with cozy rooms. Prices aren't too bad either.

A propper East End back street local. Two casks ales from the Brockley Brewery on cask.

I am a resident and it is one of my favourite local pubs. Nice people, nice beer garden

OK independent pub, nice library, nice garden, decent prices.

Love the guys Great atmosphere amazing boozer Proper piece from an old London now gone xo

Traditional pub. Friendly staff, friendly patrons. good beer. Great place for a quiet pint on a quiet weekday afternoon.

Delicious food served in unpretentious restaurant.

No frills authentic pub with history. No food. Good beer and ambience.

Nice atmosphere, people there are friendly! Got nice beers, good service, TVs and the decoration looks nice!

Nice relaxing time ,after a nice walk along the Thames. Very nice pub.

Loved the Sunday roast. But the Yorkshire pudding was a little too burnt

Lots of locals talking sport. Inside interior could do with a spring clean but friendly enough pub.

Good beer choice, lovely bartender

Thank you to the kind bartenders who gave a tired runner a pint of water in the middle of a hot day! 🌞

Pop in today, a very nice pub. Very dog friendly. I would recommend a visit

This pub is situated near the river and it is its USP. The beer garden is lovely and the pub itself has got of lot of history behind this.

Its my favourite place in London. The people are nice. And I met my best friends here.

We were looking for a cool bar or pub nearby while we discovered this lovely hidden ‘not gem but gem’ place to get a good feeling, some drinks and good time. Wasn’t too busy on a Saturday evening, not to noisy. It didn’t look to be from 1722 as they say but may be redeveloped a few times already to still stand tall!

Great pub close to Island Gardens DLR. Very friendly pub with a great pint. Cosy fire, highly recommended. Great beer garden for the summer months too.

Seemed like a locals pub when we walked in..... and everyone could not have been nicer. Shhhh, keep it quiet, what an unspoilt little gem

This pub is a gem, in a world of over priced "Gastro Pubs". No food just great local draught ales at fantastic prices. Friendly and inviting just how pubs should be. Long may it prosper. If you are doing the Thames path around the Island, do be sure to call in, you won't regret it.

Nice place, people are friendly, atmosphere is good, great little garden out back too.

Proper back street pub, the kind that people lament doesn't exist any mkre.

Live locally and have to put up with fights and shouting outside regularly throughout the week. Never complain because it’s a local business but I arrived in the pub at 11:20pm and am told it’s last call but when I go to order the young bar man tells me “only people in before 11 can get a drink”. I used to enjoy this place but I would recommend not wasting your time on this once nice and local pub as it has gone to the dogs.

I was there in april 2022 and I like it there :-)

Good range of beers, nice decor, welcoming staff. A much better alternative to the Lord Nelson Pub. Nice place for a pint and a quiet game of chess with friends.

This pub is underrated. Very very reasonably priced drinks especially in E14. Friendly crowd. Plenty of room inclusing outdoor space. And it's one of the few old pubs on the island still standing.

A great traditional pub - deceptively large and welcoming to all. Has not been 'made-over' thankfully.

Real ale available and beer garden quiet

Lovely little pub, sat here just after opening on a Saturday. Not too busy and very reasonably priced for a London pub

This is a great pub with a great atmosphere and a super helpful Landlady who ensures her customers are well looked after. Would definitely recommend this place and will be visiting again. 10/10

Small, with decent outside space. An average 'local' IoD boozer.

Proper old style pub just south of Docklands Central. Nice pint of Brickley Brewery Spring I.P.A. for £ 4 result.

Very friendly staff in this "oldest pub on the island".

For fourty days and fourty nights I walked the deserts with nary a drop to drink. The sun burnt me skin and the wind ripped me hair and I the meself to die. And then, up from the earth rose a blessed megalithic site: The Ferry House Pub. Salvation.

Very good place with fair prices and good customer services. Higly recommended to visit.

We can across the Ferry House as the first pub on our walk along the Thames Path route, having crossed through the foot tunnel from Greenwich. I will be honest at first sight I didn't think much, but we decided to go in. SO glad we did. There was a real mixture of locals and visitors, but everyone was super friendly (even the Arsenal fans who were watching their team on the TV screen and I stood my 6' 3" frame in the way)!. The staff were also lovely and whilst unclear about making aperol spritz for the ladies in our group made them without question and got the thumbs up. There was also a great choice of beers and ciders. The pub had a real traditional feel to it and I wouldn't hesitate to go back. Only downer was that we could only stay for 1 due yo the long walk to Tower Bridge head of us. If you are in the area, go to the Ferry House.

That's the cosy pub at the corner of my street. I love it.

Lovely venue with great atmosphere and well priced drinks for London. It felt very local but also welcoming. Would definitely return if close by again.

Had a great evening in the pub. Reasonably priced drinks and super friendly staff. Looking forward to my next visit

Pub has gone downhill. In a area with a lot of people with affluent jobs and disposable income there needs to be some kind of hot food for customers. There was lovely Indian food being served for a few years and then all of a sudden reheated Pie & Mash was being sold. The Sundays Roasts were nothing special compared to the other pubs (George, Watermans Arms & The Gun) in the area but they charged more money. Went there a few days back and there was 3 people in the pub in the evening. Totally dead with no atmosphere. Hope new owners come in and change everything. The Pub is just being run down.

Really lovely traditional pub and, as it boldly boasts, the oldest pub on the Isle of Dogs (not to be confused with Limehouse!). I love the history of these places - there has been a ferry to Greenwich from the site of the pub since the 1300s (probably a shelter serving refreshments to waiting passengers), with the first mention of the name ‘Ferry House’ from about 1740. I’m sure these pubs along the Thames attracted some rogues over the years. Nowadays the clientele are a little more gentile and the staff are very friendly. A good selection of well-kept ales (£4 for a nice pint of Brockley is very reasonable) and the garden is a sun trap. Go seek this lovely pub out!

Amazing staff and a wonderful atmosphere definitely would return to this wonderful pub

I am glad this pub is still going. I remember my father dropping my grandfather off outside this pub in 1960’s. I also remember the night I spent in there with my grandfather in 1979 with a load of dockers some who had been made redundant. I have recently visited this pub with my own sons one who now lives in the area. The pub has changed and adapted extremely well to the new environment of the Island Gardens, but most of all the it is a proper London pub a land mark on the Isle of Dogs.

Cute little pub, friendly atmosphere

Love the mulled wine, the garden area is massive and the pub cat is lovely. Staff are kind and amazing. Very much loved it

Went here as part of a works Christmas party. the pub is beautiful and the staff are really welcoming. They lit the fire for us in the side room. Its also got a great beer garden. I strongly recommend you try it!

Spotted in The Ferry House- Jack O’Connell. Love this dog friendly pub- made some new friends and whiled away the hours drinking decent pints for good prices. Would encourage a visit and a return and a return…. Etc

Lovely pub loads history freadly bar staff

So inconsiderate to neighbours, music is far to loud for an area where family’s live and also there Sunday roast is vile. I wouldn’t even give 1 star!

Very relaxed and a vintage, homelike atmosphere. Place is tidy and nicely decorated. Prices are great as well. Recommended!

Super friendly. Tidy, well kept pub with a decent beer garden including eclectic ornaments. Photo is an old KLM gin bottle in the shape of a house. They used to give them to first class passengers. Maybe they still do.

Amazing little pub, super friendly staff will to help our every needs. Am only travelling through but i was made right at home and will definitely come again if we get the chance.

Gorgeous pub. Cosy interior. Beer garden is huge. Super clean. A real hidden gem.

Nice local pub with a great outdoor seating area

Can’t believe it’s over 3 years since my last visit. Glad I came back as this locals pub was a great end to our walking tour. Friendly service, quality drinks at reasonable prices. Nice stop before the group went their various ways home.

great pub experience still. cosy good service.

Fabulous little gem of a pub very traditional 😀

Had a nice time wasn't that busy but it was early afternoon but all the same the atmosphere was nice and saw a very old friend in there.

Liked it - friendly staff food nice.

The oldest pub on the Isle of Dogs just discovered recently & been in the area so long 🤦🏽‍♀️ Different zones to be seated near the bar, in the reading zone, or out on the terrace. Definitely will return. Highly recommend. Plenty of breezes, lots of open windows. Quirky decor and 17th-century grade listed building. Variety of Gin, Rum & Whisky & couple of drafts beer. They do serve food as well. Reasonable price. Good customer service. Pay as you order. Staff wearing face masks. The area was clean.

Very nice cozy place to enjoy with friends. Nice beer garden. They don't have food available but you can order takeaway which is nice. :)

A lovely old fashioned boozer on the Island - friendly landlady and a peaceful outdoor area at the rear.

Beer garden was amazing, great atmosphere, lovely view and very cosy. The server was great, they made sure we're having a great time. Great selection of drinks and food but needs more desert options on the menu.

We decided to have a riverside walk,from Canary Wharf,round to the magnificent vista, that is the canerletto painting of the UNESCO world heritage site that is the Royal Navel College at Greenwich. As you leave Canary Wharf from its high rise buildings, you take in the little pieces of history from the Isle of Dogs. Passing the Millwall Docks, your walk takes you past some wonderful places see below some of my pictures to get yourself a flavour for it. Finally you see Greenwich,emerge from the bend in the river, get out your cameras for a shot of Greenwich, that most tourists don’t get to see, see pictures below. Before you rest and take it the wonderful view and then submerge yourself under the foot tunnel that takes you under the Thames to the centre of Greenwich, why don’t you quench your thirst at the Ferry House pub, the oldest pub on the island, it says above the door, we have a couple of drinks while sitting in there beer garden the view maybe well not be what your after, but after you had food or like us a drink and a sit down, a little bit further makes up for it I can assure you. So in summary, you cannot reach this public house by FERRY, but this walk along the river was FERRY nice way to spend a couple of hours, so go take this riverside walk we did and it was great !!!

Consistently very good. Best pub food in the area Friendly staff, great service.

Lovely beer garden on a hot sunny day!

Welcoming pub. Friendly staff great beer. Comfortable. Just lovely!!!

Amazing burgers, great people, and lovely outdoor space.

Já jsem tu byl poprvé je to tu hezké

This is my local I’ve been going here since it reopened friendly staff and great food in the bar or in the restaurant upstairs . Clean and comfortable surroundings cosy easy

Decent pub, but isn't as good as it used to be.

Really good sunday roast! And really good customer service!

Very nice little pub. Staff and regulars has been only friendly to me and my family. Keep it going guys, you rock. Update: 28Feb2020: the best homemade lasagna in the town!

Good gaff. A regulars pub obviously, where the regulars are very friendly. Proper people running it and seemingly a bit of a dog obsession going on, which I liked. Very close to Island Gardens where the foot tunnel is, so if you’re a tourist you can have a drink in a real pub and then do the foot tunnel or just gawp at Greenwich on the other side. Recommend.

Came in today to try out the new roasts that they have started serving here. I have been in before to try some of the other food and must say it is top quality. I do like to give a spot more than one try to check for consistency. The staff are really friendly and welcoming. The food is excellent, freshly prepared and a really good size portion. The chef checked in to see what I thought about the new food and the other dishes on the menu, which I thought was a really nice touch. Will definitely be back here for lunch and a pint! I have added a few pics to show some of the food I have tried recently here at the Ferry House.