For decades, the Marksman was a proper London boozer in the heart of the Cockney East End. Times change, and while many such pubs have closed permanently, this one has a happier life. Upstairs is an informal dining room where two former St John’s chefs dish out gutsy Brit cooking, but downstairs is happily still a pub, with buffed-wood panelling, local beers and even a jukebox. The locals in Bethnal Green might have changed a bit since this place opened in Queen Victoria’s reign, but it’s a proper boozer still.