The Jellied Eel

Please note, sadly The Jellied Eel has now closed.

L. Manze has been serving up the classic Cockney dishes of pie, mash and jellied eels in Walthamstow since 1929.

And now, 90 years later, they’re unleashing part two of their perfectly calculated master plan: serving up cocktails & croquetas after hours on weekends.

How’s that for a mash-up.

The bar was the idea of locals Charlie Westover and (the suitably named) Paul Jellis, who joined forces with former Lacy Nook chef Elena Smileva. And after a string of successful pop up stints over the past year, the Jellied Eel is now going to be a permanent resident in the shop.

Every Friday & Saturday night, they dim the lights & pull out the shakers, setting up the space for cocktail-hunting punters – and what a space it is. The Grade II listed shop has remained unchanged since it opened almost a century ago, and is still filled with its original Art Deco white tiled walls, vintage lighting and wooden, all-booth seating. They’ve even reopened the old goods yard out the back to create a little cocktail garden.

The cocktails they’re putting out from behind the long marble counter/bar include a Sailor’s Old Fashioned made with black spiced rum & pepper syrup; a Mumbling Negroni that’s smartly updated with rhubarb bitters; and the Spring in Tokyo, which smoothly blends sake with red wine by using vermouth as a bridging flavour. There’s even a ‘sharing Martini’ big enough for two, with a huge stick of olives.

The croquetas side of the whole equation at the Jellied Eel is filled by trios of crispy golden treats, whose flavours include some meltingly good Jamon Iberico, a little blue cheese, some classic spinach, and more. Since going permanent, they’ve added a couple of other dishes into the mix, too: Merguez sausages with hot pepper sauce; fried squid with homemade aioli and roasted mushrooms with pesto.

In fact, like all the best eels, this place is electric.

NOTE: Please note, sadly The Jellied Eel has now closed.

The Jellied Eel | L. Manze’s Pie & Mash Shop, 76 High Street, E17 7LD 

Last Updated: 20th September 2020

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