Search

The Riverfront

Ground floor, entrance under Waterloo Bridge, BFI Southbank, Belvedere Road, SE1 8XT Full details & map

Café: British

Time Out says 1 Users say 4/5 Rate it

By Time Out Editors Posted: Sep 23 2009

What used to be called the Film Café (under the bridge, facing the second-hand book stalls) has been spruced up and brought into the Noughties with a new, posh-gastropub look. Service is chipper, and the place certainly looks much improved under the new management, the people behind Benugo.

However, the dishes we tried were disappointing. A crab sandwich, costing a whopping £7 (plus an 87p service charge), was made using bread not a million miles from a white supermarket loaf. The filling consisted of tough, longlife salad leaves plus a smear of crabmeat - barely more than a tablespoon.

Perhaps we would have done better with the chicken & chips in a basket (£8.50), or the cheddar ploughmans (£7.50). Apple crumble and custard costs £4.50. You might do better in the adjoining bar area, which doesn't have many seats (all the better for coping with hordes) but which does serve a couple of Doom ales from Cornwall, among other things. The Riverfront will be busy no matter what, because it has one of the most prime locations in London, and doesn't need repeat custom with a constant throughput of tourists and South Bank strollers.

Tags: European, British, Families & kids, Water side, South, Waterloo, Budget, Café

Comment 2 Tweet Share

The Riverfront details

Address

The Riverfront

Ground floor, entrance under Waterloo Bridge, BFI Southbank, Belvedere Road SE1 8XT

Transport Waterloo rail/tube

Telephone

020 7401 3332

The Riverfront website

Open 9am-11pm Mon-Sat, 10am-11pm Sun and Bank Holidays

Facilities

Tables outdoors, Disabled ( Wheelchair accessible toilets )

The Riverfront map

Restaurants & cafés near The Riverfront

See all restaurants near The Riverfront

Bars & pubs near The Riverfront

White Hart

See all bars & pubs near The Riverfront

Just drinking? See Bars & Pubs

Share your thoughts

Name (will appear on the site) *
Email (will not appear on the site) *
Add a star rating Min 1 star. Zero stars will be treated as unrated.
Enter text...
Keep me in the know with the latest London news, offers and events.

* Mandatory fields for leaving a comment

Comments & ratings 4/5 (Average of 1 rating)

By Annie Flower - Dec 22 2011

4/5

The above review is out of date in my opinion. Finding a place to eat on the Southbank in the week before Christmas is nightmare without booking in advance. Most places that reliably seat you within about 10 minutes any other day of the year had about a 45 minute wait for a table for 2. So we found ourselves here at The Riverfront of the BFI and it was fantastic. The concierge was so friendly and always keeping us updated on the likelihood of our getting a table as we perused the menu. We were in a hurry to scoff down some food ahead of a performance at the National Theatre next door. Feeling both grumpy and disheartened by the queue monitors at Giraffe a few doors down, we headed in to the BFI on the offchance they could squeeze us in and they did so very swiftly!
I had the daily special which was the slow cooked duck with butternut squash and plum chutney which came with a glass of house wine for £10 it was scrumptious. My partner had a veggie burger and yummy fries and we shared an epic and delicious sticky toffee pudding. The service was so friendly that the service charge which is added to all bills did not cause an issue for us and the atmosphere was buzzing. They are obviously used to serving people in a hurry and they do it with aplomb. I will be going back!!

Report

By Marion FitzGerald - Aug 5 2010

I ordered a buck rarebit here. The chef does not know what it is. The bread was not toasted, the cheese was not on the bread but on an indeterminate piece of grey meat. I sent it back. I had a similar problem another time with caesar salad- no croutons or anchovies. I wonder if he has a cookery book. Will I risk it again?