The Queen Adelaide Formerly: Max's Bistro / Images VIP

In early December 2015 Richard Battye succumbed to market forces and closed his precious, adored and niche gay/straight corner pub the George & Dragon, opened in 2002 at 2 Hackney Rd, where it remained immune to the more commercially trendy Shoreditch that evolved around it during its 13-year run. But within days of the pub's sad closure, Battye opened this happy "duplex sequel" at the other end of Hackney Rd — a ground-floor/basement space that previously housed both Max's Bistro and a lap dancing club. This establishment never charges for entry. A notable arty component of this establishment is the White Cubicle Toilet Gallery, founded by Pablo Leon de la Barra in 2005 and previously staged (for ten years) within the Ladies Toilet of the George & Dragon. Billed as "a discerning programme of local and international manifestations as an antidote to London’s sometimes extremely commodified art scene", White Cubicle has been curated by Paul Sammut since 2012. The pub is sometimes referred to as The Queen Adelaide of Cambridge Heath. Tube station: Bethnal Green. Overground: Cambridge Heath.