If you’re local, you’ll no doubt have seen that popular Leyton Midland brewery taproom Gravity Well have just taken over the adjoining arch and doubled their outdoor seating area, with benches now occupying the whole space. It’s always nice to see it busy with punters when we descend from the Overground platform.
Yearning for foliage? The good news is there are plans to landscape the terrace (subject to planning consent): designs already in place from a local architect include leafy planters, tropical colour and other beacons of much-needed greenery to lift the urban views.
But the big news today is that now there’s more than enough space for a pop-up food offering to partner with their extensive beer menu. And who better than East London’s seminal plant-based dons Club Mexicana? They’ll now be serving their world-class vegan dishes from 1pm, Saturday October 7th, so pop that date in your diary.
Why Club Mexicana? “The brewery itself is vegan,” says Ben, one half of Gravity Well, “the taproom is vegan and all of our crisps and snacks (dry roasted peanuts, bombay mix, giant corn and thai chilli rice crackers) are vegan. When we started talking to Club Mexicana, it was clear that our businesses are very aligned in terms of core principles. And, of course, it goes without saying that their food is fantastic.”
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For the uninitiated, Club Mexicana, who have branches in Brixton, Shoreditch and Soho, are known for their flavourbomb tacos, nachos and burritos. Here in E10 you’ll be able to choose from To-Fish & Chips Taco (Beer battered to-fish, tiny fries, pickled cabbage, tartare sauce, avocado-mint salsa, gherkin), BBQ Short ‘Rib’ Taco (Sticky glazed ‘ribs’, BBQ sauce, slaw, pink onions, pickled jalapenÞos, garlic mayo) the Al Pastor Taco (Adobo marinated shawarma, onion & coriander, salsa verde, charred pineapple) and Nachos (Tortilla chips, queso, pico de gallo, pink onions, pickled jalapeños, chipotle oil, chilli lime salt). Prices start at £4.50 a taco (3 for £12,) and £11 for classic nachos.
“Our journey started out as an East London pop-up,” says Club Mexicana founder Meriel Armitage, “so we’re coming back to our roots. I’ve also been coming to Gravity Well as a customer, so it’s a natural fit.”
The team will serving street food initially on Fridays and Saturdays, which may become more regular as demand grows. There will also be, as autumn takes its blustery hold, increased seating area for customers now that the brewery have the second arch (more on this below.) And don’t forget the lofty mezzanine in the main arch, always a nice spot to perch with a burrito ‘n’ beer and survey the action.
Some history? Well, we first encountered Gravity Well when it was a once-a-week taproom on Tilbury Road back in 2019 (a site now occupied by Libertalia Brewery), before it moved to its current Leyton Midland Overground site just as lockdown hit in 2020.
It’s testament to owners Ben and Andy’s laid-back approach that it survived a move to much bigger premises during the pandemic, its success having steadily grown through word of mouth; it’s certainly the place we meet with friends more than any other watering hole in Leyton. Being open daily also helps its reliability.
“I think that’s probably the thing that personally I’m most proud of,” says Ben. “Although we didn’t necessarily intend to set out to do it, it’s clear how many people the taproom has brought together in a very friendly, unpretentious welcoming environment. New friendships are being forged all the time amongst diverse demographics you may not necessarily expect to be drinking in a craft beer bar.”
On the beer front, there are also some changes, with more variety following the expansion of the brewery in Tottenham (at the moment this is not open to the public apart from the occasional event).
“We’re now consistently brewing our own lagers,” says Ben. “With the move to Tottenham we’ve got the space to do it, because it takes a lot of tank time. We’re starting with more traditional Pilsners and Helles style lagers, but also modern hoppy lagers as well.”
Two we can vouch for – also available in cans at the taproom – are Distant Glimmer, a clean Czech-inspired pilsner, and the Deep Space Side Quest, a drier but still refreshing NZ (New Zealand) Pilsner.
As the taproom staff are friendly and knowledgeable, they’re pretty relaxed about letting you try the different beers, of which there are ten at any time on draft (as well as cans), including long-term faves such as the juicy New England IPA Galaxies Apart, which packs a punch at 6%, pale ale Termination Shock and the easygoing Cosmic Dust Session IPA, not to mention signature hazy, juicy pales, fruited sours and porters. Non-beer drinkers can get stuck into the carefully chosen wines, cocktails, spirits and non-alcoholic options.
Lastly, a community shout-out. While inside the new arch will initially be a prep kitchen, the hope is, says Andy, for it to host a whole range of exciting local events, from film screenings to pop-ups and one-offs. So if you have an idea that might work in a railway arch environment, get in touch via social media @gravitywellbrewing
Club Mexicana launches at Gravity Well on Saturday October 7th at 1pm and thereafter Fri/Sat evenings (5-9pm/ 1-8pm). The taproom is open daily Monday-Thursday 4-10pm, Fridays 4-11pm, Saturdays 12-11pm, Sunday 2-9pm. Arch 155 Midland Rd, London E10 6JT, follow @gravitywellbrewing or check out more online here.
