Bars & Pubs

Royal Vauxhall Tavern

The grand dame of this so-called 'gay village', the RVT is a true icon. Gloriously faded, a bit louche and with a colourful past (the gay Kray used to drink here, and...

Vauxhall: 372 Kennington Lane, SE11 5HY

Distance: 0.3 mls

Dog House

Depressed by the dominance of identikit chain pubs? Fed up with ubiquitous refurbishments? Want cod and chips not pan-fried sea bass with curly fries? Has it all gone...

Kennington: 293 Kennington Road, SE11 6BY

Distance: 0.4 mls

White Hart

In stark contrast to the endearingly dishevelled Dog House across the road (see left) is the smarter, trendier but less characterful White Hart, with its office crowd,...

Kennington: 185 Kennington Lane, SE11 4EZ

Distance: 0.4 mls

Three Stags

The Three Stags has been through a turbulent period of late. Following an ill-advised flirtation with admitting diners only, new ownership has seen it recapture its...

Waterloo: 67-69 Kennington Road, SE1 7PZ

Distance: 0.5 mls

Prince of Wales

Tucked away in the corner of an archetypal, residential Georgian square is this delightful, traditional, Shepherd Neame pub, which wouldn't be out of place on the edge...

Kennington: 48 Cleaver Square, SE11 4EA

Distance: 0.5 mls

Cinnamon Club

Divided between an upscale Indian restaurant, a buzzy DJ basement and sedate, study-like cocktail bar by the main entrance, this former local library has a...

Westminster: The Old Westminster Library, 30-32 Great Smith Street, SW1P 3BU

Distance: 0.6 mls

Speaker

It's a while since we've heard such compelling bar banter as here, where the Friday lunch barflies - some suited, some in high-visibility vests - kept up an...

Westminster: 46 Great Peter Street, SW1P 2HA

Distance: 0.7 mls

Fentiman Arms

This gastropub has got it covered whatever the season, with lots of snug corners for winter boozing sessions and a compact back garden, brimming with potted and...

Vauxhall: 64 Fentiman Road, SW8 1LA

Distance: 0.7 mls

Red Lion

'A Great British Tradition' runs the wording around this 600-year-old pub between the Cenotaph and Big Ben. And with Spitfire, Courage Directors, Fuller's London...

Westminster: 48 Parliament Street, SW1A 2NH

Distance: 0.8 mls

Fire Station

The London County Council's grand Edwardian fire station on Waterloo Road was converted into one of the city's early gastrobars in the 1990s. The restaurant's in the...

Waterloo: 150 Waterloo Road, SE1 8SB

Distance: 0.8 mls

Albert

The former Blue Coat Boy was rebuilt in ornate Victorian style in the mid-19th century, its parliamentary connections illustrated by the portraits of past PMs up the...

Victoria: 52 Victoria Street, SW1H 0NP

Distance: 0.8 mls

Waterloo Brasserie

Like a true brasserie, this one is open all day, covering breakfast, supper and everything in between. Segregated bar and restaurant areas have a self-consciously...

Waterloo: 119 Waterloo Road, SE1 8UL

Distance: 0.9 mls

Bar Estrela

If it wasn't for the trouble that wearing a bikini and sarong on the mean streets of Stockwell could cause, a sunny afternoon spent at one of the pavement tables...

Stockwell: 111-115 South Lambeth Road, SW8 1UZ

Distance: 0.9 mls

Tapster (branch of Davy's)

Victoria: 3 Brewers Green, Buckingham Gate, SW1H 0RH

Distance: 0.9 mls

Hole in the Wall

Better than an ATM, the HITW is an unreconstructed drinking hole in 'the wall' of the old South Eastern Railway's line into Charing Cross. In a calculated snub to the...

Waterloo: 5 Mepham Street, SE1 8SQ

Distance: 0.9 mls

Crown

A thoroughly successful pub renovation, the Crown is worth the walk down bleak Blackfriars Road. Often less crowded than nearby locals, it's a comfortable, vaguely...

Waterloo: 108 Blackfriars Road, SE1 8HW

Distance: 0.9 mls

Royal Albert

Set well off the main drag, this is definitely a those-in-the-know local. Loads of gentlemen's club style leather sofas with hairy cushions and stacks of board games...

Stockwell: 43 St Stephen's Terrace, SW8 1DL

Distance: 0.9 mls

Beehive

You might not expect to find abstract expressionist art in a south London boozer just off Walworth Road, but then this graceful neighbourhood pub refuses to adhere to...

Kennington: 60-62 Carter Street, SE17 3EW

Distance: 0.9 mls

Ministry of Sound

With venues around the world not to mention compilations released every month of the year, the Ministry of Sound makes no bones about being a mega-successful clubbing...

Waterloo: 103 Gaunt Street, SE1 6DP

Distance: 0.9 mls

Zander Bar

Sister to the Bank Aldwych restaurant, this cocktail bar was all the rage in the early 1990s. Times have changed but not the long, gleaming zinc counter and service...

Victoria: 45 Buckingham Gate, SW1E 6BS

Distance: 1 mls

The Anchor & Hope

Waterloo's most famous gastropub remains a good place for a drink, though dining is certainly the main event, and it can become impossibly busy. Nibbles such as polish...

Waterloo: 36 The Cut, SE1 8LP

Distance: 1 mls

King's Arms

On one of central London’s last remaining terraces of Victorian workers’ cottages, this corner pub is now firmly on the tourist map, but also remains a firm...

Waterloo: 25 Roupell Street, SE1 8TB

Distance: 1 mls

Concrete

Thank the Lord. Starbucks has gone and in its place is a classy little bar/café with the tongue-in-cheek name of Concrete (set, as it is, in the vast Brutalist...

Waterloo: The Hayward, Southbank Centre, Belvedere Road, SE1 8XX

Distance: 1 mls

Skylon

There can't be many better transport views than this in all of London. Sit at the cocktail bar (in between the two restaurant areas), and gaze out of what seems like a...

Waterloo: Royal Festival Hall, Belvedere Road, SE1 8XX

Distance: 1 mls

Baltic

An unlikely find on Blackfriars Road, the Baltic is sleek, chic and discreet. The exceptional north-east European restaurant is a bright and airy Grade II-listed...

Waterloo: 74 Blackfriars Road, SE1 8HA

Distance: 1 mls

White Hart

Popular with employees from South Bank media offices, this bustling corner pub has big windows looking onto the short cut to Waterloo station. As well as several wheat...

Waterloo: 29-30 Cornwall Road, SE1 8TJ

Distance: 1 mls