Latest reviews from Southbank

“Visited many times over the years, last time a Sunday early afternoon in August 2023 - located on the southern part of the Thames side under Hungerford Bridge this place has been serving a great range of cask keg for some time now. Beers from many London and general UK breweries and a few EU from time to time, we always manage to get some new ticks here. Bonus is they serve beer in thirds so always useful when there is lots to choose from. Service is good and pretty quick even when busy, plenty of seating in the food area around to combine some grub with your beer, overall a very recommended place and worth also combining a visit with the other Hop Locker location nearby.“

Desverger 233 days ago

“Visited December 2009.“

fonefan 431 days ago

“Pop up, but now seemingly established bar under Hungerford Bridge and flanked by a gourmet hamburger joint (no longer Bleecker Burger but very good) and a gourmet hipster Hot Dog joint on the other side. Decent range of hoppy craft beers and lagers including Augustiner Hells on tap. Seating is wooden benches next to the Thames watching the world go by.“

EdKing 1692 days ago

“Pop up container bar under Hungerford Bridge. Slightly less weather dependent than Hop Locker 1 due to it's location. Usually an interesting tap list worth seeking out“

Cheeseboard 1715 days ago

“There are two branches of Canteen. This one is tucked under the Royal Festival Hall on the back road that runs parallel to the South Bank. I only went in for a coffee, which was exorbitantly expensive - £3.30 for a miniscule latte plus 12.5% service charge (and the service was very slow). I should have had a beer as it was marginally better value. They have three Meantime beers on draft and a small “craft beer” list of six bottles. (Visited 8 April 2017).“

Boudicca 2053 days ago

“Of the various pubs near Waterloo this is probably the most relaxed and well presented. Possibly due to the fact that it was a hot day and most people were sat outside. The array of beers indecent enough although I was initially taken back - having read reviews the first thing I spotted was various Meantime beers. However I then spotted some decent beers! It's not a particularly large beer - and I may well have arrived when shifts were changing but there was barley breathing space behind the bar, 6 or so staff stood there. Was pleased to hear that they did thirds but was then surprised to be told I could only have a half of the Cloudwater Imperial.Brown. I said, "Does that 'halves only' post-it note mean you can't sell more than a half?" Onlyy to be told that due to the computerised tills they could literally only sell me half a pint. Not heard that one before. As I am a lazy bastard I would not necessarily be back on my own for ticks as it's 1 minute further walk away from where I'd usually be and your looking at 6 options but would come back with other people for drinks as it's the kind of place with the benefit of decent beers.“

BeardedAvenger 2067 days ago

“My only real beer stop during 3 days in London :(. It is what it says; a popup under the bridge, well lit with abundant seating and standing room, in between a hamburger and hot dog place. Fairly efficient service, half and full pours, interesting taplist. Prefer payment by card; no tabs.“

bytemesis 2092 days ago

“Small pop-up across from The Understudy at the National Theatre between the river walk and the building. Outdoor patio seating is their seating. A small selection of various British brews with occasional tap takeovers. Service was good and prices were all right. Probably a place to get more experimental locals than the more permanent Understudy just across the plaza. Prices weren't bad.“

DeanF 2141 days ago

“There are actually three places to get beer in the Tate Modern - two restaurants on the higher levels and the "bar" on the second (first) floor. The higher restaurants have good views and they all have the same selection including some Tate specific beers which aren't bad. Prices are rather high but that's the usual gallery/café markup. Ambiance is standard museum. If you go to the top of the second building there are great views of London. Worth a stop to try some of the Tate specific beers that have come out, which are decent (but not exceptional).“

DeanF 2141 days ago

“Nice big bar on the ground level of the National Theatre. Many taps on hand for unique brews, not all English bitters. Good service, I deign to say that there were too many people behind the bar, maybe it was expected to pick up after 6pm. Prices weren't bad, lots of seating outside too close to the riverfront.“

DeanF 2141 days ago

“Outdoor seating area, bar right under the bridge. Lots of taps of unique brews, a variety of good craft brews across a variety of styles. Service was quick. Food can be had on either side in the way of hot dogs or hamburgers. After so many bars in London only offering minor variations on English bitters this was a refreshing change (even if a little cold sometimes).“

DeanF 2141 days ago

“Single room bar under the National Theatre on South Bank. Lots of outside table space, it can get busy when the sun comes out. Pretty decent range of keg options including beers from Anspach & Kernel, plus more variety in the fridge. Friendly efficient service“

Cheeseboard 2190 days ago

“Worth noting - reopened under the name Bar Under the Bridge for Winter 2017/18. In a more sheltered position and with more seating. Visited 06/09/17. Was slightly taken aback when I first approached this set up. I knew it was only there for the summer months but it was a lot more basis than I expected. However they have a good array of beers on, in fact they all seemed to be breweries who are on at the Beavertown Extravaganza this weekend (AleSmith, Arizona, amongst others). The two blokes manning the bar were welcoming and chatty. Only 4 or so tables but plenty of standing room. Although at 15:30 or so there were only two other customers besides me and the wife. I did discover one major drawback - having spent ?5 on a third of AleSmith Speedway Stout, I'd drank about 40% of it when the wind blew the plastic cup over!! The barman explained that the beers sometimes comes sideways out of the taps when it's really windy. In hindsight I should have asked for a couple of tasters to make up for the hazardous conditions! Anyway, if its the summer a perfect spot for me when I am heading back to Waterloo station (plus can then visit Waterloo Tap). Scoring low for the ambiance because as well as being empty the bridge itself is pretty shitty grimey location. In respect of ManVsBeer's review, I wonder how many thirds of Imperial Stout they sell to passing tourists?!“

BeardedAvenger 2287 days ago

“Visited 15/11/17. Now, this place did my head in. So dark I couldn't read the pump clips. Pretty dead so whilst it's trying to be hip and craft it just lacked atmosphere (and lighting). The bottles in the fridges looked interesting but the keg choices less so. Seemed to be a lot of Camden beers on. Would stop in if passing by or if I wanted to impress some of the kids from work.“

BeardedAvenger 2342 days ago

“Visited on 22nd September 2017. Situated a few minutes away from Blackfriars Bridge and around 5-10 mins from Waterloo, this is a modern craft beer bar and is a sister pub to the Three Johns. Decor is really smart, lots of seating, food available is pizzas and the overall feel to the place is good. Beer range sees 3 handpulls plus a good range of keg beers from around the world, picked up a couple of new beers here, prices and service were decent enough. A solid venue and one I'd revisit.“

WingmanWillis 2394 days ago

“Spacious with canteen feel, professional service. Food served in canteen style. Plenty of sandwiches and cakes to choose from, already made. Beer selection is all keg, bottles and cans. They have a house beer made by Fourpure which I quite liked. More common but good quality bottle selections, standard beers from the likes of Magic Rock, Kernel & Fourpure so amazingly good for a museum bar really. For a museum this is an amazing selection really. No need go out of your way to visit this place but if you are already at the Tate Modern you can do no wrong quickly popping in here. Slightly steep prices.“

77ships 2400 days ago

“Right next to the bridge, stupidly big multiple floors place that felt far more like a restaurant than a bar to me. Stark contrast of needless middleclass excess and a homeless person sleeping outside. Very upbeat service, silent televisions with subtitles playing the news. Visited early on a work day so I was the only costumer here. Vegetarian food options available, looking at the below ratings vegan possible as well. Beer selection was uninteresting usual suspects almost entirely Fuller’s, pale lager etc. Cask & keg. Felt like an overpriced dull restaurant, uninteresting for beer. Didn’t eat here. Average price for beer.“

77ships 2401 days ago

“Great find while strolling the Thames on my way to Westminster. Container with a bar, lovely set-up. I ordered their Lervig brewed house beer which was great. The selection was indeed very good. Nice idea!“

rhoihessegold 2405 days ago

“It took me some time to find this place as it is located underneath the bridge near the Thames which has surprisingly ugly water, if you sit right you can look at the Big Ben. It looks like a food stall and it is located between American styled burger & hotdog footstalls. Small number of chairs but not many customers and you can use the tables of the nearby footstalls. Clearly a summer place as it is quite chilly to sit here, you can hear the trains pass overbuy. Oddly I actually quite liked the place and not the least due to the surprisingly great strongly foreign beer selection Arizona Wilderness offerings, Lervig including a house beer but also the likes of Siren. Small but very nice beer selection, decent prices. Beer served in paper cups which can fly away if not full so beware of that, food stall conditions. Great selection and an odd charm. No bottles available.“

77ships 2407 days ago

“Beer and art, quite inspiring place. Small selection with some (easy to find) London locals, but at least its a lot better than the regular pub with fizzy lager. They have some small tap takeovers sometimes. Not a place to travel for, but most tourists will be in this area anyway. So why not enjoy a decent craft while you're there?“

caesar 2408 days ago

“Great location. Service okay. Fourpure on tap. Some Kernel bottles.“

skortila 2413 days ago

“Visited this place several times with my parents. Perfect pitstop when being a tourist. Not the greatest selection of beers, but such a lovely wiew over the Thames River. They do sandwiches and cakes there as well. Perfect end when seen the exibition ;-)“

Brugmansia 2445 days ago

“About 5 mins from Hop Locker. An airy and well appointed bar with very attentive and prompt service (think opposite of Euston Tap). The selection of beers on my visit was modest but I understand there is often Kernel on here and indeed there were plenty of bottles in the fridge. If you are in the area and not in a rush, well worth a look in.“

madmitch76 2483 days ago

“A clever converted container unit sitting under Hungerford bride and very close to the Thames. I believe this self contained bar unit can be unplugged and moved by lorry to anywhere. It’s at it current location until the end of September 2017. Nice long bar with some outside tables, the bridge providing some cover. A very pleasant place to sit and watch the world go by with nice views out over the Thames, only the occasional clanking of a train overhead disturbs the peace. All other characteristics are shared with HL1 except there are no bottles sales here, tap only. Very nice bar, wish it was more easily accessible for me. Perhaps they could move it to Spitalfields after their tenure here is done, that would be splendid!“

madmitch76 2483 days ago

“The first building on the south side of Blackfriars Bridge, it’s a Nicholsons’ pub with its usual current range of beers available down a set of stairs from the road entrance. The large windows overlooking the Thames by the side of the bar area a nice place to frequent, but better still, and as long as the weather is good, are the seats right on the riverbank below the side of the bridge - and are probably the best reason to visit in reality.“

ManVsBeer 2487 days ago

“On the other side of the road to the London Studios where many an ITV show has been made over the last four decades. Although it’s a Youngs pub, it has a good range of guests on in here, in what is quite a plush effort from this brewer. Entry through a makeshift front patio area with the entrance full open on a good weather day. There is an upstairs but I didn’t venture up there.“

ManVsBeer 2487 days ago

“Found this place whilst looking for the now closed ’Look Mum No Hands’ venue but found this instead. It initially looked like the beer side for Bleecker Street as this cabin and that one are side by side underneath the south side of the Hungerford Bridge. Whoever runs it, they are doing a decent job with the selection and it’s very eclectic, albeit very expensive, but this is and was tourist central on a hot Saturday in June so is to be expected. There were some very strong double digit percentage beers available.“

ManVsBeer 2487 days ago

“Visited on 2nd June 2017. Large single room under the National Theatre on Southbank. Decor is modern and simple, plenty of tables as the place is pretty popular. A good list of beers including a special from Anspach on tap, the beer lists wasn’t up to date as a couple on there had kicked. 3 Kernel on tap too! Prices were OK, service was good. Decent enough stop and one I would revisit.“

WingmanWillis 2503 days ago

“Against the small maze of steps at the southern end of the Hungerford Bridge, this is a very small cabin offering up a number of keg ales with a fair selection. The hardest part on a hot summer’s day is getting to the bar and finding somewhere to sit as space is very limited in and around this place and it’s tourist heavy as you might expect, especially at the weekend.“

ManVsBeer 2507 days ago

“Sizzling cabin with all manor of dead animals constantly being cooked for the heavy flow of tourists in this area in the summer months. As a vegetarian it wasn’t an appealing place to grab a drink. With a dedicated beer cabin just a few metres away, it’s hard to see why you’d want to order a drink from here, especially as the selection is weak.“

ManVsBeer 2507 days ago

“Visited earlier today. Was recommended for the coffee, however I had a pint with my pain au chocolat. Would have stopped by back in the summer but was way too busy and nowhere to sit. Not a problem in January and I guess the cold also masked any urine/sewer aroma. A sign suggests that the three Fourpure beers + a guest is a permanent arrangement. Friendly staff, one certainly considered himself a comedian.“

BeardedAvenger 2642 days ago

“Terrace bar by the Switchhouse entrance, long and modernist interior, five guest beers on tap plus London Pride & Schiehallion and a selection of bottles and cans from London and other interesting micros - Moor, Orbit, Burning Sky, Partizan, Wild Beer, etc.“

BeerViking 2728 days ago

“Visited on 31st August 2016. As described a caravan with 4 taps of beer, 3 from Fourpure on my visit. Seating under the bridge and is an AstroTurf area opposite. Prices a little lower here. £5 for a pint. Service friendly. No loud music but hassled by big issue sellers and does have a hint of urinal. Handy for a beer but another I’ll not be dashing back to.“

WingmanWillis 2785 days ago

“Visited on 31st August 2016. Burger joint under Hungerford bridge on the South Bank. 2 bars with a mix of cans and keg beers. Sierra Nevada provide majority of taps and picked up Hop Hunter which was dawned expensive for a half. Ambiance not particularly pleasant as smells of rotting rubbish and loud rumble of trains mixed with loud music. Service slow. Not one I’ll be dashing back to soon.“

WingmanWillis 2785 days ago

“Good spot to grab a burger and a beer. Not a huge selection of beer on offer, but a few classics. Nice range of Sierra Nevada on my last visit. Perhaps not a destination on its own but a decent option for its area.“

Leighton 2785 days ago

“Visited the 25th May 2016 - under the national theater Southbank, access is on the corner. Good modern place with good atmosphere may be a little bit too louder. You can also enjoy an huge terrace with plenty of places. Good selection on tap and bottle (no cask), a little bit pricy for London but that must come from the location. Service is ok.“

sir__v 2877 days ago

“This is my after work place when I work in London. Great selection of beers, wonderful service though it does get busy and noisy at times.“

HPDalen 2909 days ago

“I’ve been here for brunch a few times and have quite enjoyed it. The food is all fresh, well prepared and very tasty. The service is great, and the value pretty decent. In addition to being a restaurant/cafe, Albion also operates as a take-away shop for upscale food, wine, beer, etc. The beer range has improved, and now has a range of bottles highlighting London and other UK breweries, such as Redchurch, Mondo and Siren. Albion actually has a few of its ’own brand’ beers brewed by East London Brewing, although I am fairly certain these are simply re-brands of the ELB Pale Ale and Wheat Porter. The location is quite convenient if you happen to be visiting the Tate Modern.

Not a beer destination in and of itself, but it is a rather nice place to have a solid brunch while enjoying a good craft beer.“

Leighton 3102 days ago

“Visited for a leaving do on a Wednesday night in September. Venue is not far from the river and in between Waterloo, Southwark and Blackfriars stations. Long, single roomed pub with a conservatory out the back. Modern decor, Young’s beer on tap was in good nick. A smattering of craft cans and bottles in the fridge plus a couple of Meantime keg beers. It’s not a fab beer destination but is a decent enough pub for an after work drink or a stop off whilst exploring the South Bank“

WingmanWillis 3120 days ago

“Bleecker Street is a seasonal bar right next door to Look Mum, No Hands underneath Hungerford Bridge. They have six keg taps (all American) and serve what are reputed to be very good burgers. (Visited 15 July 2015).“

Boudicca 3152 days ago

“This is the smallest of the three seasonal bars styling themselves as “the South Bank craft beer triangle” by Hungerford Bridge. It operates from a caravan, up one level from Look Mum, No Hands and the Bleecker Street bar. Beany Greeny has six keg taps with various London beers and also serves coffee, wine, cocktails and nibbles. (Visited 15 July 2015).“

Boudicca 3152 days ago

“A pretty decent Nicholson’s pub. They have a lot of casks on hand-pump, but the variety is somewhat unexciting - plenty of bitters and golds from the more conservative British breweries. Average prices, friendly staff. The venue itself is nice and large, spread across several levels, with a garden in the back and an outdoor seating area beside the Thames. This would be a nice place to sit by the river with a simple ale, but not a destination for great beers.“

Leighton 3210 days ago

“A nice find this, good selection of craft keg beer tucked away by the National Theatre on the South Bank. Lots of crappy Meantime but also some more interesting beers, an improved pre-theatre stop! Expensive though, even for London.“

JorgeLee 3268 days ago

“Excellent location on the south bank of the Thames. They had fourteen taps with ten of them cask. Excellent service, it helped that I was one of four customers. I had some bar food, not great. They had full restaurant food service available too. Well worth dropping in for a pint if it’s not busy.“

Fatehunter 3268 days ago

“A very pleasant (if a little noisy) modern bar tucked underneath a corner of the National Theatre on the Upper Ground of the South Bank, so there are great river views from the terrace outside. There are around twelve beers on keg, all from London or close to London craft breweries. Meantime dominates but they also had beers from Siren and Brew By Numbers - pretty good for a theatre bar! (Visited 12 March 2015).“

Boudicca 3322 days ago

“Largeish Nicholsons boozer on the banks of the Thames (south side). 5 or 6 cask lines, decent enough mix, from the usual Nicks SIBA roster. Place can get a little over ran by clueless tourists ordering coffees and god knows what, if you get your timing wrong. Ok if you’re passing by and in the area but in the grand scheme of modern day London drinking no reason to visit here, other Nicks pubs carry more cask lines.“

Theydon_Bois 3410 days ago

“Rather large and posh, this was both the closest to my hotel and listed by CAMRA, so of course I sat there. About 6 casks, a few draught beers and some bottles in a superb riverside location that reflects on the price. Staff was busy on a Sunday afternoon yet made an effort to find me a vegan dish, which was nice.“

kerenmk 3428 days ago