Having presciently acquired the freehold long before Shoreditch’s meteoric rise, the owners of this oddball tavern – Maria and Michael, arguably E1’s most eccentric landlords – sold it at a humongous profit, we hear. New brooms Barworks have kept most of the original loopy decor in the main bar and in the bonkers-baroque salon upstairs: a magpie mix of flea-market tat, dusty French chateau chic, kasbah kitsch, lurid 1960s pop art and Popeye cartoon wallpaper. Hence, a huge sigh of relief among old Shoreditch hands was palpable when The Commercial’s doors reopened in autumn 2016. What is new, is an improved selection of wine and beers – Thornbridge’s grapefruity, floral malted IPA, Jaywick, is among those on tap – and a menu that offers sourdough pizzas with such toppings as burrata, spiced lamb, five cheeses or piquant chorizo. The previous landlords’ priceless banter will, however, be much missed.