please note - reviews on this site are purely the opinion of site visitors, so don't take them too seriously.
With 30 minutes to kill before our train to Kingston for football a pal and I popped in for a quick beer. Rugby seven’s on television kept some of the punters entertained.
Fairly quick service form the bar staff, several ales o the hand pumps, all pretty much bog standard ales, I opted for a pint of St Austell’s Tribute, which was decent enough.
As per my last posting, the Beer house serves a purpose for a beer while waiting for your train and without having to leave the station. Pleasant enough.
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On then way back from football in Kingston on a Tuesday night and wanting a couple of beers before home we opted for the “newly” named Beer House opposite the platforms at Waterloo Station.
This was my first visit to this pub for a very long time, the last time I was here it was named something else (the name escapes me so I cannot confirm it was called Coopers) it was pretty grotty & from memory had a poor choice of ales.
The Beer House is now a Greene King pub and this is reflected on the 6 hand pumps with the ales being from the GK family. The pair of us both had a couple of pints of GK’s Scrum Down @ 4.2%. A decent ale and not badly priced either, especially for this area.
Pretty busy with a mix of drinkers and people waiting for their trains home.
It’s certainly no Kings Arms but it’s not a bad option if you want a beer and cannot be bothered to leave the station.
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Apparently now under new ownership and imaginatively called "The Beer House". Since we had half an hour to kill before meeting friends to catch a train, we popped in for a quick pint. No surprise that at 11.15am it wasn't particularly busy and as the only other customer at the bar was just picking up his beer and change, I was expecting to be served next. I was rather curtly told by the only person behind the bar that she was "doing coffees" and we'd have to wait. After watching her messing about at the coffee machine for five minutes, we decided we weren't THAT desperate for a couple of expensive pints from their (not particularly imaginative) selection of ales and walked out. Who's fault? The "punters" who don't grasp what the name "The Beer House" means? It's not as if Waterloo Station suffers from a shortage of places specifically serving coffee - Costa for instance? Greedy organisations who run a bar in a prime site at a busy station with only one staff member? Or me, who perhaps unreasonably expects to get served as soon as the only other guy standing at the bar has picked up his drink and change and sat down?
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I should have realised what was ahead when, at 1pm on a weekday, this pub was almost empty. My friend and I ordered a cheese burger and a chicken burger, both of which were terrible. My burger was grey and overcooked, flavourless, and served in a stale bun. My friend's chicken burger, also served in a stale bun, was devoid of any flavour other than the coating. Not surprising as the amount of actual meat in it was miniscule. When asked by the staff member who cleared the table if the meal was all right, we both said "no" and my friend added that the chicken burger he had just eaten some of was "the worst he had ever eaten". The only response from the member of staff was "Oh", as he walked away. Given the price of the food, it was appalling value for money.
The chance of either of us ever going back - NIL!
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Got it, PUDendum ! That sums you up.
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Little man I bet you float, in your dark world.
Be appy
anonymous - 27 Nov 2012 15:27 |
PUD sey Bear? PUDdy Cats? PUDdles in the Ladies Toilet? PUDatoes?
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Six weeks later, surely an awful long time in the Ladies Loo !
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Go back to your dark world slerpy you little man.
anonymous - 25 Nov 2012 13:43 |
A station PUD is that some type of dessert ? Another outstanding piece of brilliance from B.I.T.E..'s resident Idiot. ... clean loos... he obviosly uses the Ladies and Gents, hardly a surprise. Clearly an hermaphrodite.
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For a station pud this is good, Always find the staff friendly and very good service.
ps and clean loos.
anonymous - 31 Aug 2012 12:40 |
Nice little pub, the staff is very polite and charming, much better than the nearby crowded places who offer poor and rushed service, I will definitely go back soon.
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This is one strange place, can't even notice it from the outside but actually once went in is a real pub and all, dusty , old fashion pub, the decor is cheap and honestly horrible for any pub, red carpet!??? They did have nice videos on telly though, i can't complain about the drinks as they were served at reasonable price and all, they should have more lagers though, as someone else stated before the service is top notch, was reasonably busy and still managed to be served very quickly by the staff and they were really approachable and chatty and spoke perfect English, nice chaps.
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Hidden little pub in Waterloo train station, I had a quick stop between trains, ordered pint and some really tasty chips, it might need some refurbishing as looks a bit worn out but service is incredibly good especially when compared to most London's pubs let alon station bars, a rare gem.
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A very nice basement boozer. I had a decent pint and the service was friendly and efficient. The food looked good and some people had clearly come there to eat, not just wait for a train (which, given the number of places to eat on and around the station is quite a complment). Still need a door code for the loos.
Pity the bar at Paddington station isn't as good!
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Had a surprisingly decent breakfast here on Saturday (�8 for lots of food and coffee).
Beer selection wasn't very inspiring, though.
Sky Sports News on several TVs, and also plenty of flies hovering around.
Friendly staff.
Need a code for the toilets just in case you were only planning on heading downstairs to abuse the facilities.
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I was there last friday with my boyfriend, the bar is cosy and calm, good variety of food and drinks but what blew me away was a member of the staff, a young italian man who was absolutely amazing at engaging with people and transmitted positivity. 8/10 Cindy
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I called in last Sunday, I noticed that the beer was being served in plastic containers, instead of the usual glasses, I will not drink beer out of plastic in spoils the taste for me. Why do they find that they have to use plastic?
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Popped in here to wait for my mate MUFC to arrive befor epartaking of a pub crawl in the City. Opted for the Pride which was a mistake, I could have asked for a portion of chips to go with the pint of vinegar but decided to raise the point with the barmaid who quite happily changed it for me to a pint of Speckled Hen. Would only pop in jere if I was early for a train and had time to kill.
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An interesting bar, this one: Years ago the men's toilets were located there (at the bottom of that long flight of stairs) and the urinals were situated where what is now the back of the bar! Perhaps 'The Cheltenham' would have been a more suitable name! Joking aside, not too bad a boozer.
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Much better than the other place nearby. This is a comfortable and cosy place to come if just arriving or soon to be leaving Waterloo! Also not that crowded given its so tucked away. Also a fine choice of beer and snacks. This is relaxing, given London is so hectic. Remember to ask for the code when using the bathroom!
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Always had a good pint here and reasonable choice of ale,service good and friendly.Above average station bar. 7/10.
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I was there with my friend few days ago, nice pub and nice cocktails, there should be discounts for students though, Edy and Ciro are very friendly, fun and easy on the eye, love them, will go visit again with my girlfriends. xxxooo Mya
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A basement bar in a railway station, so expectations were not high. However, it was a bit more spacious than most and really wasn't too bad. Four real ales on, including a reasonable pint of Bombardier. Could have done without the Select Service Partner "would you a packet of crisps or peanuts with that" sales script, though...
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A warm and pleasant interior - this is a nice enough first stop off after getting the train to Waterloo. 4 real ales on and the London Pride was good. Showing Sky Sports news on the box which gets repetitive.
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I visit this pub at least twice a week. I have always had good service from the staff and they do a good pint of Guinness. The pub has a relaxed feel to it and I'm now using it whenever I am in the station catching a train.
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I spent 1 hour yesterday with my mates, nice cozy pub, the prices arent't bad and the guys who work in it are very nice and professional and i agree with the other reviewer they are really attractive young men, can't wait to go back to see them and have a nice drink.
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Sexy and friendly staff, good products and vibe, will go back! J
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Spent an hour at this place last saturday. For a station pub it was a pleasant experience, friendly attentive staff with air conditioning and carling at �3.15 a pint what is there to complain about.
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Bought a glass of white wine in this bar that had lip stick marks on it. When I complained they poured the wine into another glass. They did not pour me a new one. when I complained they said they did not know what my problem was.
I didn't drink it and left. I will not go back.
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I visited this bar after a long day of golf at around 5.30pm on Sunday 17th May 2009. Having been playing all day I thought I would go in here quickly on my way home, have something to eat and watch the remainder of the football.
I ordered a green Thai curry and a real ale. When the curry arrived, the sauce was luke warm and the chicken was very cold (it was obviously frozen). I had to spit this into a napkin. The bar supervisor took the curry away an returned less than a minute later with the same dish (which must have been thrown in a microwave for 30 seconds). I told the bar supervisor that I did not want the meal as i had no confidence in it being prepared properly and wanted a refund.
This was denied. When I persisted I was told (by now 2 members of staff) that I was a liar and the food was not cold. I was told that I did not like the taste of the food and just wanted my money back. They told me that the chicken would still be "hard" if it had been frozen.
I can assure you the food was ice cold and the arrogance and lack of customer care was terrible. I was only refunded with my money when other customers urged them to repay the money.
I asked for the 2 members of staff names so I could complain about them and they did not seem to care (I am unsure if this is a family member run business).
The food in this bar is not prepared with care and I would urge anyone (especially those with children) to stay away from this bar. Hopefully it will be inspected by Health insectors soon.
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A visit purely due to a train delay and a full bladder. Sadly the toilet code has changed since my last visit so I was embarrassed into buying a drink. Despite this, having found my nadir of station bars some years ago in Birmingham New St, I now consider these places more objectively. A below ground level bar, at least serving real ale, usual suspects, ie Pride, Youngs, Deuchers, but you need to keep on top of the staff re filling your glass. My pint initially was so short I thought the cask had run out. It does however serve a purpose and the beer was ok.
A good place to play watch the punter try the toilets having pretended to seek out a friend before finding out the code is needed.
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Quite a nice station bar really. Terribly expensive, but a decent clientele and decent staff. Watch out for the code number if your just using the gentlemans room mind you. 8/10
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As station bars go this is a good one.
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I quite often pop in here for a pint while waiting on good old Southwest Trains,have always found it ok staff are normally on the ball and lager cold and wet.Seeing alemans comment would buy my bloody crisps before entering station (not that i`m a tight git or anything).
I remember the good old Casey Jones burger joint just up from here where you used to eat the packaging and chuck the burger o for the Good Old Days !!
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�1.79 for a regular black coffee and 80p for a packet of ready salted! Well it is a convinient spot.
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Not bad for lunch between trains. Good food, and well-kept real ale (today had Bombardier, Youngs, Old Speckled Hen, and London Pride available).The Youngs was very good. Clean facilities (make sure you find out the PIN code to get in...!!!), nice atmos, and friendly service.
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As station pubs/bars go this is probably one of the better ones. Clean bathroom facilities, they also sell ale here.
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Probably the best place on the station if you want real ale although you are better off going to the Hole In The Wall. Normally Pride and Young's and maybe another. I expect it has improved since the smoking ban.
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I met up with friends in this establishment on Saturday morning and I have to say it wasn't as bad as one would expect. Had a decent pint of Young's. Certainly could have been far worse.
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This pub is horrific! Bad service, bad beer, bad atmosphere, smokey as hell and to make matters worse the only reason for going there, live sport if you have a spare half hour in the station, never seems to be on anymore, they seem to have substituted it for r&b pop channels or sky sports news, all thet while the cricket world cup is live every day! so now there is no reason to go there at all!
Oh and has anyone else noticed how all of the good reviews below are written by the same server pretending to be different people! Smart a?%e at least remember to take your name off when reviewing your own bar!!! Take the exit to waterloo road, same amount of steps! and check out the Wellington for live sport, or the fire station for a decent beer & a feed instead!
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I met up with a few lads I know from watching Charlton here when the Bolton, Arsenal game was on (Nov 25) while waiting for my girlfriend to arrive in the smoke. It was fairly busy early on this Saturday evening, but we all easily got a seat. I like the cosy feeling this boozer provides away from the hustle of Waterloo station, especially when it was heaving with rugby fans returning from Twickenham. Not sure on paying �3.99 for a Magners though, but I was served quickly.
I also watched the Man Yoo, Chelsea game here on the Sunday and again comfortably got a seat with my girlfriend. As mentioned in my previous posts, this pub has a great use if you want to watch televised football matches and happen to be in the area, despite drinks being relatively expensive here. Oh, remember to get the code for the toilets when you buy your drinks!
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Came here Sunday afternoon (29 Oct) while waiting for my girlfriend�s train to watch some of the West Ham, Blackburn match. I think this an excellent boozer to watch football in given its location. With Bonpartes and Reef Bar also in the station, it�s never busy when I have been here. The bar staff were friendly and efficient, even putting the match commentary on for me instead of having music playing over the football. Good for the reasons stated on my last review.
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Discovered this place while waiting for my girlfriend early Saturday evening after watching Charlton�s game with Watford, as I wanted to watch a bit of the Villa, Fulham game. Plenty of seats and 3 televisions showing the football, so this place is handy if you're either waiting for a train or waiting for someone to come into Waterloo and you want to watch Sky Sports for instance. Other than that, I would not bother waste your time and money coming to this place. In fact, when seeing my girlfriend off the next day, I watched some of the Man Utd, Liverpool game in here.
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Don't understand why the name's changed, cos there seems to be no change on the inside. Nevertheless far superior to the Bodaecia (sic) at Charing X and Victoria Spoons, with a good array of light ales. One drawback is the lack of a display board inside showing train departure times. Otherwise I'd say above average for a station pub.
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This place is awful, even for a train station pub.
anonymous - 25 Jun 2006 21:55 |
Refurbished yet one of the gents cubicles is already out of order. Much improved though despite the fact that they have just painted over the filth. I'd still rather drink here than get a can of Special Brew but its close.
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Currently being refurbished, when reopened it'll be called The Wellsley (I think)
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I'm old enough to remember when the space occupied by Cooper's was the main Gent's Loo at Waterloo. It smelled better then.
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Imagine that you've never been to Britain before and arrive here for the first time on the Eurostar into Waterloo Station. You step off the train, walk a few yards down the platform and call in here for your first pint of beer on English soil. Christ, you'd be back on the train again and on your way down that channel tunnel to frogland before you could say "Why does this beer smell so bad".
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Indifferent service, indifferent ale. Inadequate cleaning(loved the chundah on the stairs). If it wasn't so close to the trains I'd give it no stars, but since it's convenient, I'll give it a "1" Is this representative of all Coopers?
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Horrible horrible horrible. Do yourself a favour - go into Wine Rack, buy a couple of tins of special brew and drink them on one of the platforms instead. At least you might maintain a modicum of self respect that way.
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If you are female and alone totally avoid this place.
Zoe - 10 Sep 2004 15:31 |
C**p station pub...though after a c**p train journey, anything with a bar seems appealing...I suspect people would miss it if it were gone.
Rob - 22 Jul 2004 13:43 |
Where everybody knows your name, and they're always glad you came
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my company owns this one - yeah it is dingy! i like the way you delve down into it, but as a non smoker it's a bit too much :o( needs air con fast
oliver - 23 Apr 2004 16:51 |
Total pants nowadays - tho me and beer monster pal are rather frequent visitors - and far less interesting characters lately. But,in mitigation, it does smell even worse than usual.
angie - 19 Oct 2003 10:56 |
Total rip off. Why bother when the Hole in the Wall is nearby?
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Dingy, smelly and dirty.
Kevin - 13 Jul 2002 08:16 |
