We visited here on Friday 17th May 2013, it was relatively close to London City Airport where we we heading. It was very easy to find, we sort of stumbled across it when exiting the station. My first impression was that it was much smaller than I expected, but it was well laid out with a nice selection of stools, high tables and comfy sofas. The beer choice was as one might expect very good witha Japanese Imperial IPA and a couple of good beers from Oakham on when we arrived and service also decent. Despite all of the positives I didn’t like it as much as I expected I would. The large screen TV which no one watched but everyone had to endure was a bit of an annoyance but other than that I am not really sure quite what it was that didn’t quite appeal to me, maybe the location, but on reflection having a bar selling great beer somewhere like this can only be a positive, maybe I should just give it another go perhaps?

The setting, on the edge of a shopping mall makes a pleasant change from all the olde worlde pubs! A modern brew pub whose beers can be very good, it also has many guest beers, domestic/foreign, cask/keg and many bottles too. A sister pub of the famous Rake pub in Borough Market. Also sells foreign beer by the third, half and pint. As on the edge of the shopping mall there is space for overspill outside on a concrete "no mans land" where they have put a few tables and benches. A welcome addition with variation to London’s beer scene.If you get the Docklands light railway to Stratford International it is that side of the shopping mall so saves a stressful walk through the shopping area!

First of all this is in the Westfield Stratford, which frankly, having visited it once to go to Tap East, I’m highly unlikely to go again. Rammed full of people, so way too crowded for me on a Sunday. Tap East sits at the back in a very nice food hall, so if you’re going to visit any part of it, this bit was worthwhile. The bar is functional and not really great on the ambiance front, but it has a really good range of beers. Three cask taps featuring Tap East beers and then about 10 keg taps with some interesting choices. Fridges were really good and had a nice eclectic selection of bottles including lots of American, Italian, Norwegian and Danish choices. However, food was pretty bloody awful so do not order food in here. It looks like reheated burgers circa: before the gourmet burger was invented. Greasy burger, limp lettuce, microwaved bacon and dry bun.

Visited for the first time very recently, it is certainly in an unusual location for a UK Brewpub, not sure I have come across many others in a Shopping precinct. The beer range is, of course, very good and apparently changes quite often. I found it to be a little utilitarian though, just a little too cut down and uncomfortable to want to spend all afternoon in there. We just tried beers from the handpulls so cannot judge the bottles, but there looks to be a decent choice. We had food in the Tapas bar next door which was very good. All in all certainly worth a visit.

Was lucky enough to visit Tap East during the Olympics, was only there for a short time but was suitability impressed with what I found. For the size of the place it presented fair selection of draught and bottled beers including beer brewed on the premises. A perfect example of a small form craft bar, a must visit venue when in Stratford.

Westfield in Stratford must be the biggest shopping centre I’ve ever seen. At the rear end, next to a Waitrose store, this oasis of a pub and microbrewery can be found. Medium-sized, four sided room with a modern decor. Three of their own, fine made ales on cask and three guest ales on cask. In addition a wide selection of ten beers on tap from breweries like Summer Wine, Brains and even from the Norwegian Haandbryggeriet. The range of bottled beers is also worth seeking out. Smiling and friendly service from a barmaid who was eager to offer samples of the Tap East brews. With a bus station, railway station and a tube station the pub/microbrewery is easy accessible. We took bus no.104 from Boleyn Ground and Upton Park (WHU-Man C 0-0) to Stratford and spent a few joyful hours here drinking well kept beers and eating a decent pepperoni pizza (visited, 03.11.2012).

Quite a nice, modern brewpub - and the first brewpub I’ve encountered in a shopping mall. The beer range is decent, although with only two house beers on [cask] when I stopped in, they could certainly improve in that regard. It was all the more disappointing as the two house beers I tried were quite good; I would have loved to try more. These house ales clocked in at under £3.50 per pint, so pretty good value. The ambiance is nice, with plenty of natural light and the kind of transient energy you would expect of a large mall. Fair range of bottled and keg beers, although nothing that really excited me. The bartender was very friendly. They have a modest but sound food menu. This isn’t the kind of place to go for a session (i.e. more than one or two beers) but as a rest-stop during a day of shopping it’s a pretty nifty spot.

Visited for the 2nd time on 06/09/12 (first being a very quiet Tuesday back in January ’12). This was at 4pm on the main Paralympics athletics day so the place was fairly busy, however it was well staffed to cope! Open plan bar, small to medium, tall wooden tables with a mix of high stools and a couple of comfy low down sofas. Brewing coppers visible to rear. Be warned - only one toilet, although there are others in the Westfield centre. Ambience on this visit was a hard call, busy enough but lots of overseas visitors ordering tasty Grolsch, so not your typical crowd! On the beer front 6 cask lines, 5 on including 2 Tap East brews, one from Oakham, SBW and Roosters. 10 keg taps, some macro, 5 or 6 micro including Nogne 0 and Brew Fist. Nogne Pale was £4.65 a half, a little pricey bearing in mind you’d pick this up at the Cask or Craft for £3.95. Cask beers were fairly reasonably priced. Didn’t try the food. Would I go back? Yes - but only to hit on more Tap East beers. If you’re not after these it really isn’t worth the trek out here for this venue alone. Nice enough joint none the less and good to see decent beer in a shopping centre in the UK!

A modern trendy Brewpub in a new shopping mall in the east end of London close to Stratford Station. Fantastic selection of interesting cask keg & bottled beers. Service could be better. Definitely should be included in a London beer tour.

Tap East is certainly in a unique location as far as craft beer places go - it’s located right in the middle of a mall on the outskirts of London. Still, the decor is inviting, with nice comfy chairs and soft colours to try to encourage an extended stay. The beer list is actually pretty well thought out for what it is. Their 6 casks and 7(ish) kegs offer a mix of high and low. There’s approachable macro stuff for your casual punter (blue moon and grolsch when I visited), but also some more interesting offerings for beer geeks (two different fresh Kernel offerings on keg when I visited). 3 of the casks were devoted to their own beers. They were pretty decent, certainly worth a tick. The bottle list was OK, nothing crazy. There were some bottles at nice prices, for instance Sierra Nevada Torpedo and a few offerings from Baladin. Overall, a pretty nice place. Stratford really suffers from a lack of good pubs (as well as a load of other problems), so this place is welcomed. Worth a stop if you’re in the area.