Tucked just off Lower Clapton Road and hidden by white bistro curtains, Moyletts keeps a low profile – a small shamrock on the door is the only giveaway of what’s beyond. The independent pub quietly opened its doors in December, but among Clapton locals the secret is out.
It’s by first-time publican Rupert Moylett, who drew on his Irish heritage. “When my dad came over to England from Ireland, he didn’t feel comfortable putting an Irish name on his first business, so I knew that the pub had to have the family name,” Moylett says.
The eponymous boozer is cosy and unpretentious, dotted with low pub stools and fresh flowers. In the corner, drinkers sink into antique sofas, while new regulars claim their seats up at the bar. On tap, there’s the Moyletts house lager, and Guinness rings in at a friendly £5.50 a pint.
But booze isn’t necessarily the focus. “I feel like drinking should be a secondary part of a night out,” says Moylett. “When I go out, I want something I don't have to think too much about.” The simple wine list – which is playfully cast on the wall by an old-school projector – favours affordability (£6 a glass) and non-alcoholic options go beyond alcohol-free beer to encompass a hot tea list. A work-from-pub set-up is coming soon.
The pub’s real priority is what Moylett has dubbed “the holy trinity of food, music and socialising”. Downstairs, a low-slung basement with a generous kitchen will be a rotating hotspot for DJ nights, supper clubs and anything else that fits the pub’s ethos. “I want it to be a grassroots venue for both music and food, because they go hand in hand,” he says. Showcasing rising artists and fledgling chefs, he hopes the subterranean space will nurture up-and-coming talent and explore new ways of fusing music with food. “It’s just going to be an absolute mismatch of things … which is kind of how I see London,” he says.
So, what’s on the schedule? Ex-Kiln chef Garreth Chambers is serving spice bags under his new Irish Shpice pop-up – in a nod to the Irish Chinese takeaway classic, the residency will run from Lunar New Year through to St Patrick’s Day. Producer and DJ Jamie Rodigan is hosting a single release party, and Irish supper club Forklor is taking to the pans for a night of seasonal Irish food. Wedged in between all of that: chess club, Six Nations screenings and a French Mexican weekend with reggae, funk and soul music. “I just want a bit of madness,” Moylett says.
Community is at the pub’s core. “Whenever I’d go over to Ireland, it would be for a wedding or a funeral, which generally either start or end in a pub. That family feel is what Irish pubs are to me,” Moylett says. “It’s a luxury to have a space like this in London and now I have it, I just want as many people to use it as possible.”
Moyletts
181 Clarence Road, E5 8EE
Hours:
Wed 4pm–10pm
Thu 4pm–11pm
Fri 4pm–midnight
Sat midday–midnight
Sun midday–9pm
