please note - reviews on this site are purely the opinion of site visitors, so don't take them too seriously.
My November visit here was the first time I have been to the Fire Station. No need to guess what it used to be and the white tiling creates a pleasant, if not a little cold, drinking environment. With there being a rugby game on at Twickenham, most pubs including this one, were busy. 5 ales were on - Hackney Best Bitter, Wychwood Hobgoblin, Sambrook's Wandle & Marston's EPA & Pedigree. Probably wouldn't make a special return visit.
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I planned a night out with a friend in the Waterloo area and was looking for somewhere to meet so I chose the recently reopened Fire Station. I’m unsure how long the bar / restaurant has been closed for but it’s only been open a matter of weeks.
Thursday 6pm and it’s already packed both inside and out the front where there are 2 standing area separated from the main road by metal barriers.
As you enter through the main entrance all tables for dining are to your right and to the rear. On the left is a long bar that after pushing my way to the front was served very promptly. 3 ales on the hand pumps with my choice of Brakespears Oxford Gold being very good and keenly priced for the area.
I took my drink and went out the front as the weather was good and I had a bit more space to stand. During my 30 minutes here the place got busier and took on quite a nice atmosphere.
Seems like it’s the place to go after work and also being very close to the main line station it serves a double purpose for food and drink.
I may return for another visit soon
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May be reopening soon , as they are looking for bar staff.
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Builders still at work . Not sure if they are constructing a pub......!
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Closed and boarded up with builders at work.
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Beers can be good, but the cavernous layout of the place doesn't work for me.
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Overpriced shithouse with ignorant staff.
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Quite a good pub. Bit pricey but the beers are usually well kept. Service can be a bit slow at times.
tanky - 12 Feb 2012 01:57 |
Not my cup of tea. Maybe OK for a meet up venue, but a bit bland and cavernous for a session. Pricey as well.
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Is it a Pub? Or something else? However, I really can't believe, that so many people in London drink "Peroni"...
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Getting more and more expensive every visit. Managed a �4.20 pint this week - pleasant enough but not quite sure why I am not keen on the place (prices aside!) - maybe the sterile atmosphere and lack of warmth?
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Called in yesterday and found it a very nice place. Conversion is quite good and still retains some of the fire station bay-doors and herringbone tiles that fire stations featured of that era.
It did seem a bit of a upper-class place, and at �4.20 per pint I wont be rushing back in a hurry, but still its definately worth a pint if your in the area.
PS - It got is name as it is the old Waterloo Fire Station, the Great Fire of London didnt start there!
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This place is the muts nuts. One of the few pubs I venture into but luckily this place is within my comfort zone. Often come here with me old mucker Barney. The pub gets it's name from the fact that the great fire of London started here in 1066, not Pudding Hill as you may have read. P.s they do a great BLT.
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Popped in here for a pint after a curry across the road having started in the Kings Arms on Roupell St.
Loud venue, loud clientele but does have some decent ales on offer. The high ceilings does make it feel a little like a bus station and lacks the atmosphere of a proper pub. Maybe if I was 20 years younger it would appeal.
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A nice pint of Braekspeare but at �3.20 a pint I won't be going back. More of a restaurant than a pub and a poncey one at that.
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Interesting conversion, but despite the high ceilings the decorative tiles reflect every shouty decibel meaning that it gets very loud when busy. It is also a pity that such a large area at the back is roped-off as an (expensive) dining room as this can leave the bar area at the front (and outside on the pavement) very crowded. Six handpumps, but these were doubled up to offer a choice of London Pride, a decent pint of Brakspear and Shipyard Independence Pale Ale (altogether an odd selection for a Marstons pub).
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I really have it down as a Restaurant. I am not sure I could face eating here however given how busy it gets. Surprisingly they serve a few good real ales which makes up for it. Still this is hardly a MUST-VISIT type place when visiting London.
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Popped in for a quick one this evening. Pride, Ringwood Best and Brakspear which was a decent pint. Drinking at front, roped off eating area at the back. Busy, brash and noisy but ok.
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Hmmm! Can't really make my mind up about this one. What you do have is some good beers and a top location in a fine venue. Unfortunately the beer is expensive even by London standards, the clientele in there can be VERY loud and can get very busy very easily. Slightly disappointed but is handy for the train and hope that the place can improve as it does have potential.
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Absolutely packed on a friday evening after work, this place served a good pint of Ringwood and the bar staff coped I thought very well with the hoardes of thirsty punters. Attracts generally quite a young, trendy crowd (oh well - one out of two ain't bad) with prices to match but nevertheless you could do alot worse. An attractive option in the first instance because you can stumble out and get on the tube/train in less than 5 minutes.
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I had been looking forward to finally visiting this pub, as it is something of a landmark and is always spilling over with after-work drinkers. I was bitterly disappointed. Admittedly I did not visit at peak time and did not sample the alcohol - it was a Saturday morning for a cooked breakfast. But despite a selective menu, two staff behind the bar and only a handful of other customers, it took them 25 minutes to serve our group, and then much of the food was cold and the rest was only luke-warm. We asked for some of it to be replaced (hot bacon, a mushroom that didn't resemble a fossil) and it was, but then to add insult to injury, one of the bar staff then came and said that they had served more dishes than they had tickets for. We had received the right food, and eventually the mistake was identified - they had undercharged one person. Despite everything (the slow service, poor quality food and the fact that the payment issue was their mistake - we had all paid the amount they had asked us for), they still wanted the extra money.
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Quite a good pub/restaurant/bar, good beers, reasonable service and prices and open later than most as a bonus (midnight I think at weekends?)
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Any building that has been converted from a previous use into a pub has to be commended and this is a good conversion from its previous use. Located on Waterloo Road, and you can virtually fall into it from Waterloo Station. It�s a large cavernous place with high ceilings. As mentioned below it�s more of a trendy bar than a pub and was very busy and noisy on this particular Friday night. It does benefit from a decent range of real ales but I�m a bit of an old codger and do prefer my pubs a bit more traditional�
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Popped in here briefly late on a midweek night. On the plus side, I liked the interior and especially the tiled walls. Perhaps unusually for what is more a bar/restaurant than a pub, three real ales were available (Pride, Brakspears and a guest ale), which is commendable. On the downside, the layout of the bar is wasteful - it wasn't very busy when I arrived yet every table was in use - too few of them with many of the tables being too big, is the answer I think. And the ale I had wasn't very well-served - I tried a half of the guest and didn't like it. And at �3.30 for two halves of said guest, it wasn't cheap.
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We went there on Saturday night. Tellingly, it was pretty much empty at 9pm. We found out why! What a catalogue of bad service, bad food and ridiculous prices..
The barmaid brought us extremely short measured pints and was clearly terrified to take them back to be filled properly as 'her manager had poured them'.
The food was ridiculously overpriced and mediocre, thin sinewy steaks which were on the cool side of tepid by the time they arrived and were not cooked in accordance with instructions, chips that could almost have been frozen, small portions. An extra charge for veg on top of over �16 for the above steak and chips.
They ran out of balsamic vinegar for salad dressing. They also ran out of biscuits to accompany one of the puddings on the menu but we were only told 10 minutes after actually ordering that pudding.
It was a very expensive and disappointing evening. I would never go back.
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Have never been treated so rudely by a bar manager or the bar staff. There are many great places to go in Waterloo - don't waste your money here, as your custom is not appreciated!
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All the charm of drinking in a portaloo with 5 strangers. Too packed, too noisy. Rubbish.
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Nice boozer but usually far, far too packed and can take a lifetime getting served. Loads of suits in here.
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Only good thing about this pub is that it is next to Waterloo. There is certainly no other reason to go in here. Expensive beer which is poorly kept served by staff who are helpful enough, but are usually too few in number to maintain efficient service.
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I'll rate it as a restaurant then - Oh wait actually just had a drink here, pint of I can't remember what was well over �3. No seats available, they were saved for the people dining. 1/10
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This place is a restaurant not a pub!!!!
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Last posted something about this pub in 2005, gave it a 3, but to say the place gets worse, definitely now a 2.
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Had to send back a pint of Pride as it was undrinkable - next one was still pretty poor so switch to lager. When they poured the lager short, I ask for a topup - instead of most pubs and politely topping it up, the lass just stood back and deferred to the manager who said that the line was supposed to be for the pint AND the head and that these are oversized pint glasses which he doesnt like. Clearly this is a lie. Total rubbish and definately won't go back. Non-existent customer service, miserable staff, bad beer and not full pints for �3.50 - AVOID!
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good bar,.get very buesy
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Full of blokes in suits/city boys who will happily pay �10 for 2 drinks. zero space to manoeuvre inside and precious little outside unless you want to sit around the back under the extractor fans blowing rancid fat from mcdonalds (really).
oh, and the bar staff leave sycophantic messages claiming the prices are typical of the area. they're not. there are plenty of cheaper bars just round the corner on lower marsh.
The camel's a better alternative.
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Is it me, or do they always serve short pints in here?
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The food is usually good but its just soul-less to me. Like drinking in a hotel lobby. Ale is actually OK quality but probably not what you've gone for. Everyone is trying to be ferociously trendy drinking Paulener. Outdoor smoking area fumes just blow straight through the stupid huge doors and its like being back in an episode of "Life on Mars".
Price check 2 x pints Pedigree and 1 x Sauv Blanc (250ml) - �12.50 ... harsh
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I can't believe the stupid remarks I read here, prices up, food standards down, blah di blah. It just makes me wonder why these so hard to please people aren't dining at the Ritz!
Excellent food, priced as prices are now, in such an area - have been going there for years and it is always busy and the food and drinks are always good. Always.
Ditzy - 17 Mar 2008 10:39 |
How someone can compare this place to the hole in the wall is beyond me!?
This is a nice place, yes it's probably classed by most as a trendy bar and it's a little on the expensive side, but it's a cool place to sit (if you can) with your mates or missus and have some drinks. There is no blaring music and it doesn't get too rammed.
The hole in the wall however, is a dump.
We had a few of the small plates to share. Bread with dips, Nachos, Potato wedges and prawns and thought they were very good and you got a lot for your money.
The only thing I would say is that the service is pretty poor, there seem to be a lot of staff just roaming around not doing much whilst your waiting to get a drink.
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Love the reviews thus far.
Easy to state that this place has 'retro' decor and 'new world' wines, and to be honest if I was my other half I'd be delighted with such decor and delights - particularly the idea of paying 6 quid for house red/white.
However I'm not. I like pubs to be pubs and restaurants/bars to be as such. This place is extortionate and given the option I'd watch this place burn to the ground - then we'll see if the fire house has any purpose.....
It has a flunkie in the toilet. It has ale at over 3 quid. Save the money, lose the tie, go to the Hole In The Wall and look at the chimp eating mash potato. BTW - this also has Paulaner on tap but you can watch sports....
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this is a great spot for a burger in the bar for lunch or a slightly more formal meal in the restaurant tucked away at the back. It's not cheap, but the food is better than the rest of the processed rubbish available everywhere else close to the station.
anonymous - 19 Nov 2007 14:17 |
I went here recently after a gap of a few years and was very disappointed. The food's definitely gone downhill while the price has gone up. The beer was OK - and they do have Paulaner - which is a plus, but again it was expensive. Planner_21 might like to know that the "pong monkey" has disappeared. I think they have also removed some tables - it was always crowded, but I always got a seat; not on this visit though.
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I know it's a converted fire station, still a crap name.
if they're gonna be literal about things, why not call it 'overpiced'?
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Anonymous 10th Sept - good point. London pubs, by and large, are a bit pricey. This one may be 50p over my comfort zone, though. It's a good pub, a bit busy maybe but nice food and quite atmospheric.
David Waspnest - "rubbish name" - you do realise it's a converted fire station, right? Seems like a pretty appropriate name to me.
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Hell
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Whatever the manager tries to convince us (10 Sep 2007) �6+ for a bog standard glass of wine is simply too much. Its certainly more pricey than other places in the area, coupled with a pretty average atmosphere.
BITE is a legitimate forum for complaint and compared to the majority of other places in London, the Fire station is too expensive.
Also although I've only had to use the toilets here once a long time ago (in the restaurant section)there was one of those irritating toilet attendants in there. I wonder if they still employ them?
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we came in here when we werent the west-/end, we had to take how dog's that day becaude how fiend could'nt look atfer them when we got tob the pub the barman sayd we couul/dnt birng how dog's in near� i think that is no-t rite
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Why, when in London do people continually complain about the price? Does anyone know a web site I can go to to complain about my house costing too much? Or public transport being expensive? Or taxi's costing �5 a kilometer? London is expensive, the more prime the location the higher the price. Folk should be used to it by now.
Good news about this bar is snappy service, clean & looked after cold beer! & a good location. + Adorable bar staff, what more do you want & what's an extra quid for the privalege!
anonymous - 10 Sep 2007 15:15 |
that entry of 25 june 07 is hilarious. would you happen to be the manager of the fire station? '...some great award winning new and old world stuff...' oh per-lease, who writes stuff like that? someone who's trying to justify charging over �6 for a glass of wine, that's who.
if your idea of fun is shouting above the drone of traffic, breathing in exhaust fumes and paying handsomely for the privellige, this is the place for you. rubbish name as well.
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Disappointed...
Only went in here because the Windmill Tavern up the road on The Cut was closed for refurbishment.
Ordered a glass of wine but got stung with one of their more expensive wine offerings without really given any choice of which! Nearly 7 pound for a glass of 'house' white!?
I used to visit regularly and was always impressed but my latest trip has left me disappointed. Pity, it used to be a nice place! Luckily there are plenty of other great pubs within a short walk of here as I'm not sure I'll bother to try here again!
anonymous - 10 Aug 2007 08:43 |
Far too expensive...
anonymous - 4 Aug 2007 14:27 |
Food passable, (a fiver for a half cooked piece of halloumi?!)
Atmosphere OK. Beer drinkable.
�6.20 for a glass of table rose wine? Taking the P.
Congrats on my first 0/10 (I told the good humoured bar staff that I would have to do this after collapsing over the price of wine)
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What a good place spend time in during those awful delays. Gets busy but has a suchlike busy, buzzing atmosphere. You will particularly like this place if your name is Hannah and you live in Guildford and you are going out with your mate for a couple of beers tomorrow night.
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I'm a local and very regular user, I'm surprised with a paper pushing job title like that you haven't got better attention to detail. The range of product now is much wider than it was a year ago, and any bar that is this constantly packed and still manages to serve customers in no time at all while maintaining high standards with a smile(branded glasswear and 3or4 cask ales)needs a hats off! The wine list is something else, some great award winning new and old world stuff, it doesn't even bare resemblence to anything a chain of bars would put together & neither does the food menu for that matter. Keep it up Fire Station!
anonymous - 25 Jun 2007 14:46 |
I really disagree with the Civil Servants comments. We have visited the old fire station recetly and found the menus and selection of wines provided us with a good choice, the food was wonderful, staff were knowledgeable and attentive and I've no doubt we'll be back again and again.
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I returned to the Fire Station for the first time in a few months recently. I've been visiting occasionally for several years for an after-work pint. That will be my last visit - the Pitcher & Piano-style refurb has utterly destroyed any atmosphere the cavernous place used to have and the real ales seem to have all gone, bar a truly terrible pint of London Pride.
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Oh and I had a pint of Adnams Broadside & My partner a half of Brakespear. Variety on draught was great!
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I don't really get the negative feedback on this one, had a great pre-theatre meal here on weds night. 2 courses for only �12.50 for clearly fresh and well loved food is great value for money. As for the potato wedges comment, the bar grazer obviously didn't read the menu, even the chips with the rib eye steak are hand cut? Yes the bar is constantly busy in the evening, can you penalise a place for that? generally a sign of happy customers. The service @ the bar is fast & efficient and the waiting team were very attentive and friendly. We loved it!!
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Visited for a quick (sadly soft) drink today while in the area. Decor is retro-minimalist with nods to the former use as... you've guessed it, a fire station. The try-hard combination of 'rustic'/'shabby-chic' tables and cleaming chrome bar won't be to everyone's taste, but a pleasant enough place at midday when it's fairly quiet.
Had a snack of potato wedges, which were undoubtedly shipped in frozen and heated up, but hit the spot beautifully.
Big gripe was the obscene price of soft drinks. 'Serves you right for not having a beer,' you may well say. But �4.10 for a pint of Coke is unjustifiable. The most expensive draught beer was Hoegaarden at �3.90, with London Pride and Marston's Pedigree (the two cask offerings) at �3.05 and �2.85 a pint respectively. Given the cost price of post-mix, these prices are daylight robbery. But what should one expect in a pub right next to Waterloo station?
Not an awful place. Not a great one.
quiff - 26 Mar 2007 16:57 |
crap pub, always to busy not helped by the fact that they seem to rope of half the place terrible slow service. you can stand out side then get harrassed by some scotish wino. great fun!
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Everything a pub shouldn't be.
I hate being given my change in a tray, did the half wit think that pouring one beer at the bar was worth a tip?
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Newly refurbished, though looking a little too chic for me. Only one beer on (Marstons naff Pedigree) so no reason to hang around either.
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I never got hassled in here. I think it's a great warm up pub for a big night out. Service is a bit slow though.
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I don't have a problem with the tramps and beggars per se, my issue is that this pub seems to have an "open door" policy for them and does nothing to encourage them to leave. If I want a beer next to a bearded urine soaked individual I will go see my gran!
I don't like to be hassled when I am having a beer and, as the customer, I don't see it is my job to get rid of these people. When they do come in the bar staff invariable disappear!
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I visited this pub/restaurant yesterday and was more than slightly depressed when I left. It has always been one of my favourite places to go for lunch and a drink on a Sunday afternoon; the food was delicious, the staff were lovely, and the atmosphere was relaxed and informal. I held my 40th birthday party for 50 people there in June and the staff couldn't have been more helpful; even my 80 year old parents liked it! I now find that the Fire Station has been bought by the Pitcher and Piano chain; the food is over-priced and tasteless, the atmosphere is gone, and we had to have several goes before we could order drinks that they actually had in stock. The one waitress on duty was very helpful but that's the best that I can say for it.
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OK I guess if you don't mind being hassled by beggars and tramps! Good selection of beers wines and spririts and a great place to meet before going elsewhere. At its very best early doors Saturday lunchtime for a swift eye-opener before heading into town!
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Against the recent flow I found this bar/restaurant very good.
I went there with 5 colleagues and had a very good meal, with good (touch short) London Pride and efficient service.
The building has been well converted and offers an airy space which is a bonus. It is also so close to Waterloo, I left 10 mins to catch my train and made it with 5 to spare.
Very happy.
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Agree with the previous few comments re. service. Abysmal. Bar staff seem to be more interested in posing than serving.
e.g... I spotted someone walking into the bar as I was waiting to be served - only to be told they'd been waiting longer than me by the incompetent staff!
More a 'bar' than a pub - used to enjoy going here. Thinking about it, I did wonder why it seemed a lot less busy than I'd previously experienced - now I know why!
Find a proper pub somewhere nearby - I will from now on...
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Waited 10 minutes to get served then two of the barman's cronies came in, stood next to me and got served straight away. A TERRIBLE pub, I will not be back
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Going downhill this place, the staff just couldn't give one and it's always pretty dirty with empty glasses/overflowing ashtrays everywhere. Sort it out please, the Hole in the Wall just isn't much of an option in the summer. By the way Conniwot you really are a sad, bitter little man. I'm guessing you're probably rather lonely too.
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Very handy for the train. Lively, spacious, good beer.
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We recently planned a function for 20 - 25 people at this venue. The food was great but the staff were unfriendly and no help at all. I found myself clearing the tables myself or having to call somebody for assistance.
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This pub is very interesting, its worth going out of your way to see. Conniwot - you are a really nasty piece of work full of bitterness - anyone who doubts my assessment look at this recent comments. Horrible.
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In there last night and three public school fannies were talking to each other while making noises like pigeons - cooing and the like. Presumably this was for the benefit of other drinkers - all commuter types. But no one was laughing, not even the Horray Henrys making tw@ts of themselves. What I should've done is treated them like proper London pigeons - booted them each as hard as possible up their jacksies and run off before being berated by bleedin' 'eart liberals.
anonymous - 10 Mar 2006 11:49 |
Used to have great food, now only really worth going to in the summer when it's poss to sit outside.
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By the time I finally visited the Fire Station, I had spent several hours in the Hole in the Wall. Wouldnt bother with the food, but you cant argue that the venue is spacious, airy and fairly well thought throughout. Beer (Pride) less than average, staff did their job without exception.
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Really, really expensive food, and totally agree with last reviewer about the seating. Service generally was dreadful so we ended up walking out. On another occasion just had a pint at bar. Not a good atmosphere. I think this place is rubbish personally.
anonymous - 12 Jan 2006 11:16 |
Dont know whats with the seating system which states. 'Please wait to be seated' Yeah, well its rather a long wait actually as the staff dont bother to seat you! Kind of makes it off-putting, a mixture of bar/restaurant. Wouldnt touch the restaurant area i dont think. Not a place i want to revisit in a hurry
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Well I'm not impressed. Why do they make you wait for ages to be seated when there are clearly loads of seats? If it is to give them a sense of authority they should know better than to play such silly games.
I'm still going to give this place 5/10 on the grounds that the Guinness is good and that I was in too much of a hurry to really care about being seated (it is the principle of it I disagree with, not the situation).
Had the good sense not to try the food
Will2 - 26 Nov 2005 20:17 |
Can't complain about the food, but the whole experience was spoilt by poor waitresses and inattentive service. The fact that they charge so much for pub grub and yet have such awful waiting and bar staff in attitude as well as service really does take the biscuit. A pub suitable for less adventurous commuters and unsuspecting tourists! I'll rate it a 3 as felt purely for the food!
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Having given up going to the Fire Station a few years ago due to the slow service, overpriced drinks and food we thought we'd try again to see if it had changed...if anything it's got worse, the bar staff seemed to want to do anything other than serve drinks, we were given warm bottles of lager, short measured pints and probably the worse poured pint of London Pride you're likely to see and a coke that was void of any fizz whatsoever, all at inflated prices by a barmen who has no idea what customer service means... why anyone goes here when you have far better pubs within a 5 minute walk stuns me...
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Busy, good atmosphere, never eaten in here but the menu is alright. Euro beer - alright if you like that sort of thing. Beware of incredibly efficient bag snatchers who hoodwinked my little lady and made off with her bag claiming cash back all the way to Elephant and Castle. And then bought a BBQ in Homebase at the weekend. Cheeky scamps.
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I was surprised when I visited this pub. I was expecting the usual range of beers, but they had on Paulener, Staropramen & Hogaarden and two real ales (though served through swan neck dispensers). Didn't eat, but was given a portion of complimentary peanuts!! More staff were put behind the bar as the evening progressed. Didn't think that it was over priced.
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I ate here last night and all I can say is never again. It was my own stupidity I suppose, ordering what was billed as 'tandori-seared tuna steak', which supposedly came with Sag Aloo, Banana Raitha, popodom and aubergine chutney. Far to ambitious a meal for this pub to pull off. The tuna would have been ok had it not been rubbed with some awful red gunk. The sag alloo was actually a bed of foul-tasting fried potatoes - tasted like the oil was rancid - and a scoop of wilted spinach leaves. The banana raitha tasted of chemicals and the pop was soft, as if it had been sitting around for too long. The aubergine was ok though. All this for just �12.95!
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Lovely characteristic pub, slightly overpriced (�9) for two drinks, only bar staff on who I felt really sorry for as he had about 100 people in the pub and outside. All the same good atmosphere, didn't eat but may try next time.
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Fairly nice place for the location. It is big with tall ceilings, much of it given over to a restaurant section. There is also a semi-separate area with a big screen for football fans. Good range of interesting real ales (Youngs amongst others) and one or two nice whiskys. You can see the "cellar" with all the beer barrels in an adjacent area. Long bench tables with individual chairs, and the walls are white tiled like an old-fashioned butchers. I think it is a nice atmosphere but it is fairly odd so YMMV. I guess it is an old Fire Station, so that will give you an idea! I think it makes a better gastro-pub than normal pub. Didn't try food so no comment on that. Directly opposite Evans cycle shop, which is nice.
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A great pub for it's location (Right by Waterloo train station, and The Old Vic Theatre). However due to this, the pub is always crammed to excess, and as a result drink ordering becomes a mission in it's self. The outside seating is certainly the best place to take your drink to avoid the mad crush inside, but then you will leave yourself open to the many beggars who operate in this area of London.
However for a few quick pints before a play or after a train journey, you could do a lot worse. Recommended if your in the area for a few quicks drinks, if only for the novelty of the place itself.
anonymous - 21 Mar 2005 14:40 |
This place is ok. The building is great and they havnt crowed the tables in, so it might be hard to get a seat but its not over crowded. It has a nice casual atmosphere. The staff were really good, friendly, helpful and efficiant. They have a nice wine list and all the usual beers, however they are very overpriced. Over �4 for a vodka lemonade and �3 a pint. The food was average and out of the 6 of us who ate, 5 were quite dissapointed with their meals. Mainly because they are overpriced. The food was only ok and �12 a main which i think is steep for a pub and for what you get. However the service was very quick which is nice.
anonymous - 21 Jan 2005 10:19 |
The only option for drinking 'in' Waterloo Station. It is a bit barn like and always very busy, but the beer is fine if uninspired, the food is (I believe) award winning - certainly the chips are excellent (though at about 4 quid for a portion not cheap). If you really can't wait til you get to wherever you're going to have a beer, then this is where you have to come.
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I cn't believe any rates this pub at all. It is a nobby city pub lost south of the river. Full of pretentious types with clearly no discerning palate at all. What should be a charming environment just feels like a barn. Worse yet the clientele are so arrogant they crowd the pavement outside and are prepared to swear and curse at people just trying to walk by. I saw this happen to a lady with a baby buggy and and elderly man with a guide dog. Stay away or stay inside!
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One of my favourite places.A good range of beers and wines.(I like the Korenwolf white beer).The restaurant has always been good for me.The food is freshly prepared and the service is friendly and efficient.Good choice of food on the menu.My favourites are the Duck breast, breaded calves liver and bangers & mash.The atmosphere is pretty good, always lively though not the place for a romantic candlelit dinner.
Brian Riseam - 17 Jun 2004 23:14 |
I live near The Fire Station but I would never go there just for a pint as it's allways mobbed, but the resturant food always tastes great. However for the price the portions need to be twice the size.
Alan - 30 May 2004 11:05 |
Has always felt like a 50s diner to me, not sure why. Went there last night to meet people I've never actually seen in person before, and missed them by 5 minutes. In fairness, that's not the fault of the Fire Station, who serve Carling, Tiger (I think)on tap and a whole other range of alcoholic beverages.
Count yourself blessed if you get a seat.
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Well it's novel, I'll give it that. I have always struggled to find a seat in this place but we can't punish it for it own popularity can we? Resembling a prison canteen it could do with dimming the lights a bit. That aside it is a very decent place, although I imagine the food's a bit ricey. That's pure conjecture though.
Good for: Having a drink before the last train.
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One of my favourite places to go. Roomy, friendly and easy to get to from anywhere, a good place to meet up before a night out.
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You just get out from the Eurostar and you want to have a quickly good impression of what can London offers to you, let's go to that Bar & Restaurant.
Whatever you want to drink or eat, it will be with with good quality and very nice service.
People of all nationality are drinking or serving. Good meeting possible. 6U there
Tibal - 22 Oct 2003 22:17 |
Food in the restaurant is relatively expensive, compared to other local eateries and the increase in price does not equate to a better gastronomic experience. Simple dishes having exotic additions does nothing to enhance the flavours. The service remains excellent as does the bar area. Unfortunately it feels as if the food is the weak link of this establishment.
Nigel D'Cruze - 22 Aug 2003 15:45 |
Good, but it used to be a lot better. I've been told by numerous people that the food is very good. Not enough seating, too much given to diners.
Adrian Yorke - 8 Oct 2002 00:11 |
