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Reviews of The Tower Bridge Arms

Tower Bridge Road, London SE1

 

Some reviews on this page may refer to a previous operator of the same premises.
Draft House service
Have to agree with the comment on the slow service at the Draft House... It's a nice pub and the choice of beers is interesting, but the service is even slower the {relatively} nearby All Bar One . I recently spent an evening at the King's Arms on Tooley Street, and the service remained efficient on a Friday night, even when bar staff went on a ciggie break...
Hit and Miss
Been to The Draft House a few times with mixed results. The beer selection is very good but the also very very pricey. I don't mind for a great beer which is hard to get elsewhere, but it means The Draft House is not going to be my regular.

The food veers from awful to sublime. The great: steak cooked to order and to perfection, cracking small plates/starters like British Charcuterie, ox tongue fritters, hand-made scotch eggs. The awful: measly, anemic fish and chips, half frozen poached pear with watery chocolate sauce. Someone has crafted a decent pub menu but the execution needs work.

The service is generally poor. The guys in there are very friendly but you often have to wait ages to be served at all, and then the main comes immediately after the starter, that sort of thing.

Great variety of beers
All,

I have recently been to The Draft House (public house) to try the variety of (draft!) beers they have there.

And this great local pub (206-208 Tower Bridge Road, London) did not disappoint! There are loads of different beers they have there (YES on "draft" before you ask - but also put in bottles, which I always think are not as good value for money, so watch out there). The lighting is nice but one of the barmen was a bit funny, so make sure you don't get him if you can help it (little ratty man with dark hair and a BIG attitude).

Great pub though - I will go there again for one of their beers!

Thanks,

"If in doubt - ask Winston out!"

Winston

Good local pub for wide selection of draft beers!
Anyone living in the Tower Bridge/ Shad Thames/Bermondsey should be pleased with the addition of this new place. Been there twice now to sample some of the beers (which incidently you would get in Shoreditch too!). great variety!!
Had food there too, sunday roast is ok but too expensive for what you get! I would stick with the burgers..LK
My favourite place to drink and eat
I've been in here a few times now for drinks with friends and family. Really nice beer and a great range. The staff are well informed about the beer and will let you have tasters. I'm happy to pay a bit more for it a lovely beer!
It's got a really nice atmosphere, they play good music which isn't too loud, and the interior design has clearly been given a lot of thought and I think it's really lovely. Plus extra points for the retro Ghostbusters wallpaper on the stairway!
I've eaten here once with the husband. The menu is excellent with some really thoughtful vegetarian options. The food was cooked to perfection, the prices aren't bad, although it's not cheap, it's good value for money.
The service was very good, the staff were very friendly, my only bugbear was that I had my heart set on the chocolate pud and apparently, it hadn't err...set. Not sure I believed that story, more than likely that the staff had eaten it all because it sounded flipping tasty.
Very glad it's near us, we will definitely be regulars.
Expensive beer
I can only comment on the beer as I did not eat.

I bought a round of 4 beers after asking the very pleasant lady behind the bar what she recommended - as I did not recognise a single one.

I gave her a crisp £20 note and got 10p change - I won't be going back.

We drank up and went to The Pommeler's Rest.

Odd place
"We're not really a pub" was what the barperson said to the two people who came in after us, looking for a drink.

Odd, because the group's website says: "I wanted to provide a place that recaptured my idea of the perfect public house. The Draft House is a charming place where you can - alone or with others - experience great beer, good food, interesting people and great conversation."

There's a wide choice of beers, but they're pretty darn pricey. And, personally, if I'm paying those sort of prices for a beer then I don't want to sit in a place which is decked out like an American diner with neon green banquettes and shiny metal tables. (Of course, I realise that I'm unlikely to be classed as an interior design guru. Even so, I think it's reasonable not to have to shade your eyes when drinking.)

And the cider selection shows close to zero imagination and/or knowledge of the fantastic craft cider and perry producers that the UK has in abundance.

There were plenty of staff around on a Saturday afternoon, but they were in need of some training. They seemed more interested in staying in motion whilst not actually doing anything and definitely not engaging with any of the customers, and in taking empty bottles and glasses away from our table as soon as they were finished, than in actually serving us any drinks in the first place.

I really wanted to like this place. The concept is attractive, but I found the execution to be poor. None of my companions warmed to the place either. We even stayed for a second drink, just to see if it got any better. It didn't. Shame.

Draft House- Good food
I went with my family last night to have dinner at The Draft House.
My starter was rolled rabbit with lentils and mint peas which was very tasty. Followed by pork belly with black pudding mash. UMM! it was delicious.
My husband had a steak for his main course. Asked for it rare and yes it came RARE!! Perfectly cooked, a sign of a good chef. My son had the same as I and kept saying "delicious, really good".

Unfortunately, the service was a bit of a let down. The girls did not keep an eye on the tables and we felt ignored. Although, they were cheerful, polite and friendly when they did serve us. I will put this down to teething problems as The Drafthouse has only just opened.

All in all a good evening. I will definitely return very soon.

Oh yes, had 50% off food as an opening offer. Always good having discounts!!

Welcome to the neighbourhood
I walk by this venue every day on my journey to / from work and home. I have eagerly been watching the recent refurbishment works and finally had the chance to go in last night.

Very friendly, knowledgeable staff. Excellent beers - all premium offerings and some really interesting variety.

My only complaint is that they don't (yet??) stock @kernelbrewery products, but I will definitely be back.

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