The Oliver Conquest

A friend of mine had his birthday celebrations here on Friday night and I was very impressed! I hadn’t even known this place existed, but I will definitely have to go back when I can afford to buy a gin cocktail or two (around £10 each). The bar tender was creating bespoke gin-​based cocktails for the members of my group and one by one, they were unfailing ecstatic at the deliciousness of each drink! The upstairs space is great for a gathering or celebration, and they provided tasty canapés to accompany the alcohol (for free! Everyone is a winner, as I would think these help to slow down the drunkening process slightly — this is not a place for beer louts and stereotypical stag dos, for sure).
The décor of the space is lovely, quite grown up and classy but not in an intimidating way — the space is quite intimate and very welcoming — lots of seating (chairs, little stools and a sofa with lovely soft cushions and a fluffy throw/​blanket). I did have trouble when I first arrived as I couldn’t figure out how to get to the upstairs area (to my eyes it looked like I’d have to go outside to go up the stairs the way the bar tender downstairs pointed, but it was actually a door in the back that led to a hallway, with windows behind that made it look that way (I need to get my eyes tested! But anyway…). The downstairs bar is quite small, but cosy — it was busy on Friday!
If you are looking for somewhere to go for a slightly special occasion, or a date, I can definitely recommend this place. And the bar staff certainly know their gins and concoctions!

Cosy, is the perfect word for this pub. An intimate little space with an emphasis on Gin. Rows of gin greet you at the bar, for those who have a soft spot for this juniper delight. Gin has come a long way from its original medicinal use to a key ingredient of a night out drinking. Gin is versatile, have it straight (if you have game), with a mixer or as part of a range of great classic cocktails.
The Oliver Conquest is just the spot to try it. A great selection of gin, knowledgeable staff and a speakeasy style setting. Love the big bowl wine glasses they serve the gin cococtions in by the way.
Never fear, gin is not all they do — they have wine, beer and a solid bar menu to soak up the alcohol with dishes like macaroni cheese.
Slip in, chill out and enjoy.

I’ve been there only once but the place looks really nice. Full of City suits but it does not get overcrowded on the week nights (although it is busy).
The interior is looking quite fresh although classy. The space is not too big, I would say rather cozy.
Now that I know they have all these fancy gins I would definitely return to check out how they do G&T there.

The Oliver Conquest looks to be one of the most popular pubs in East London going off a few Lists, so I couldn’t resist checking it out on the way back from an Art Gallery Event.
It’s quite near to Aldgate East, but (happily) with none of the Hipster-​ish pretensions on many of the other pubs in the area. In saying that, this is an absolute Gin-​shop, and therefore not the best place for this lover of Craft Beers or (at a pinch) Whiskeys.
Not sure if the Gins are cheap and strong, but the Beers are most certainly neither (pleasant Ales, but of the 3−4% range, not the 5−6% Red/​Amber Ales that I’d favour).
In saying that, the place still appealed to me, and I can see why it would be many other people’s (you English with your Gin) favourite place for a tipple. It’s quiet, relaxed, has many comfortable chairs, and a really beautiful place to unwind towards the end of an evening.

If you love gin you will love this place! Over 100 gins on offer all of which are very reasonably priced. The staff are knowledgable and helpful and always happy to help you pick a gin. The pub itself has an old school feel to it with dark woods and low lighting but in my opinion this just adds to its charm. One of my favourite pubs in London!

This is one of my favourite bars! It is so fun to go through the huge menu and pick gins and see how different they all taste. And despite how fancy everything on the gin list sounds, it’s not too expensive and the atmosphere is really chill. Gets busy after work but weekends are way less crowded.

Recent winners of the Time Out best pub in Whitechapel & Stepney (E1) the Oliver Conquest has a vast and ever growing collection of gin.
Currently with 230 gins on the menu this is the place for a gin connoisseur!
Disclaimer — whilst I’m a bone-​fide gin addict I love this place so much I used to work here!
The gin of the month changes regularly, it’s super cheap at £4 for a single g&t and £7.40 for a single. Currently it’s Ferdinands Saar (Nov 14, a little birdy says Dec will be Halfhitch!) and there are usually tastings every month.
I love the way you can grab a gin list and tick off what you’ve tried and then leave the list behind the bar for your next visit.
Gin Club with a Reading Problem (a book club corrupted by gin — it’s how I first got introduced to the pub!) have ticked off several pages from the list, but have yet to conquer it! Sara keeps adding gins faster than we can drink them…
There is also a food menu — based on good old comfort food! Think nachos, chilli, sausages, stew etc as well as deli plates, cheese and houmous to share.
I rate this place — why don’t you come down and check it out?! There is a gin for everyone here!

Yes, as the sign says on the door, they actually do have over a hundred gins in here. That might sound intimidating depending on your viewpoint, but rest assured this is a very casual bar, with a bar staff that is low key and friendly. They are always very willing to discuss options, make whatever you want, and it’s not too expensive. There’s a good menu, with simplified pricing.
By the way, not everyone in there is drinking gin-​based drinks. Along with other types of spirits, they also have various beers on tap, including some of the newer craft beers like Meantime.
It has the feel of a good college bar combined with a former pub (which it is), and we found it surprisingly fun and relaxed. That’s not to say I didn’t have a couple of killer dry martinis that rocked my weekend!

This place is chilled out as hell. So un-​pretentious and generally a place I’d love to spend many an evening.
By now you’ll know it’s a gin specialist and the mates I went with were definitely using it to its full potential. I however got a couple of pints, much kinder to the bank balance, and as lovely as a lager is, but with great atmosphere to boot.
I spotted a pile of board games — they are getting played.

Huge selection of gins, nice mixed drinks, decent prices and great staff. I was impressed. This place even has St. George’s Gin from Alameda, California which is more than a little out of the way. I recommend it.

Fantastic gin selection, prices not prohibitive. Not stuffed with hipster types. It’s a really relaxing, chiled out place to sink a few drinks. They have board games and quizzes, the food is decent and the portions are generous. It’s a warm, inclusive atmosphere.
This place has just become my favourite drinking spot.

I like this place a lot, it’s a little bohemian, the girls working here are a lot of fun, they have 65 gins. I’ll say that again, they have 65 gins. They have a snack menu rather than a food menu. It’s great, come here!