A pub crawl around Waterloo Station's FOUR pubs.
Let's not mince our words. Station pubs used to be shit. A stale pint of Pride in a cramped, smokey room was about the best you could hope for. That all changed with the coming of the Betjeman Arms during the Noughties revamp of St Pancras. Station pubs, we learned, could be stylish and relaxing. They could even dispense decent beer. It probably helped that this new concept coincided with the smoking ban.
A wave of superior rail-side drinking spots have opened since. But Waterloo has taken things to the next level (literally, because not one of its venues is at concourse level). The terminus has seen the arrival of four new pubs in the recent past. In words that call to action, it is the only London railway station where you can enjoy a four-venue pub crawl. So let's do it, beginning with the most recent of all...
The Lion & Unicorn
JD Wetherspoon has pumped some £2.8 million into its new Waterloo branch. That said, it doesn't look especially flash — a kind of stripped-back industrial demi-chic with wall to ceiling windows. It feels a bit like an airport pub to be honest.
The chain typically names its pubs after local historical features, and this one namechecks a long-demolished modernist pavilion built on the South Bank for the 1951 Festival of Britain. In a neat touch, the festival's logo is emblazoned on the entrance mat, with festival motifs recapitulating all over the carpet (a touch we know will excite the numerous fans of the chain's soft furnishings estate).
Like all Wetherspoons, the L&U selling point is its prices. A Southwark Brewery Routemaster Red at £4.79 is not to be sniffed at, unless you have very peculiar drinking habits. And that's one of the spendy options. You can get a pint here for just £3.29 if you're happy to settle at Greene King IPA.
The pub can be found in the station's Sidings development — the miniature shopping mall beneath the old Eurostar platforms. It is literally next door to a massive BrewDog pub (see below), which opened in 2022. It will be interesting to see how the very different chains will compete with one another. Would you back a Dog against a Lion and a Unicorn?
In summary: Cheap and cheerful with a lovely carpet.
BrewDog Waterloo
London's largest pub? It has to be a contender. If you can call it a pub, that is. It could be classed as a bar or restaurant. The late opening (till 2am some nights) could make it a club. Or, with the inclusion of an improbable helter-skelter, might this be a funfair? The clincher for us is the beer choice. As with all BrewDogs, the ale selection is vast, and mostly drawn from the brewery's own tipples. Not everyone's a fan of the company, but it's hard to argue that they don't do good beer.
It's just about possible to order from the bar (I had to holler to get attention). The 'done thing' is to find a table (not hard, there are hundreds) and order via QR, app or catching the eye of a passing staff member. Such is the inexorable direction of 2020s drinking.
In summary: So big it could contain half the dogs in London. A big, brash place but also full of quiet corners where you could happily read a book or get some work done.
Waterloo Arms (also BrewDog)
Walk as far as you can through Waterloo and, right at the other end, you'll find another BrewDog. The Waterloo Arms is the latest incarnation to fill the basement space opposite Platform 1. You might remember it as The Beer House Waterloo, or the Wellesley, or simply as that dingy subterranean place you stumbled across when trying to find the toilets.
The old Beer House was OK, I guess. Not a place you'd plan a massive session or a hot date, but a decent enough bolt hole if you wanted somewhere with reasonable ale choice and a dodgy phone signal in which to tally the minutes until your train.
Now recast as the Waterloo Arms, it's upped its game and its prices under the stewardship of the BrewDog chain. Things definitely looks fresher. The old place was all dark wood and downbeat — exactly what you'd expect from a station pub in a converted toilet. The new look uses lighter materials and plastic foliage to raise a cheer, quickly stifled by the BrewDog prices.
The menu's anchored around what the chain calls "Beer food" (nachos and the like), with a sideline in burgers. Most of these weigh in at £17 (including fries).
In summary: Better than it was; pricier than it was. You have better options nearby, unless you really need to be near Platforms 1-4.
The Victory
Oo, this is good. In, like, a station pub kind of way. Again, you probably wouldn't pick the mezzanine-level Victory if you were out to impress your future in-laws or celebrate your 30th, but you might choose this place if you were writing a "Best nine pubs near the South Bank" article — which I was , a few months ago, before this place properly opened in its current form. Damnit.
As soon as you step inside, you're greeted with a fair simulacrum of sophistication. The counterfeit foliage is a real step up from the plastic vines we saw at the Waterloo Arms. Just look at this bogus blossom, which dominates the far room.
Alternatively, you might choose to sit out on the balcony, from which you can watch the comings and goings of commuters, or keep an eye on the destination boards.
The pub is certainly a pleasant place to wait for a train, but it also has a tempting food menu, sport screens and a good range of drinks — you'd be happy if the place was on your high street. It's run by Urban Pubs & Bars, who are swiftly building up a beery empire across London to rival BrewDog and Wetherspoon.
In summary: The Victory is the best positioned, and named, to win the Beer Battle of Waterloo, and our personal favourite among this modern quartet.
Summary of summaries: All four pubs offer decent beer and a pleasant drinking environment. We'll probably still go to the King's Arms on Roupell Street, though.
