The first experience in London ended up being the most unpleasant and the worst experience in London. This experience was at The Draft House. We originally headed over to the Anchor Tap pub to enjoy some pub food since we had just arrived in London earlier in the day and had built up quite the appetite. Unfortunately, they stopped serving food already, so while looking for a nearby place to grub we ran into this place. Wow. ...and not in a good way. The bald headed bartender that day could not have been much more rude and dismissive if he tried. I attempted to place an order at the bar (as this is apparently how it is done out here) and was told, "Wait at a table, I'm helping these people." He pointed at a table of 4 who were already eating. Ok. So we sat. and sat. and waited. and waited. He never made any attempt to make any kind of contact after that. We sat there for about 15 more minutes before deciding eff this. The only other employee there that we saw was a young lady who kept wiping down the same 2 tables over and over. (??) By the time we got up and walked out of the place, there were at least 2 other couples sitting at tables waiting to be acknowledged. That guy needs to find a new line of work. What a rude, miserable little man. We were there practically begging them to take our money and business and they simply weren't interested. Unless you enjoy hostile and rude service for no apparent reason, I would avoid this place like the plague. 1 star. read more

The Draft House - Gastropubs Near Me - London, XGL

LOUD. OMG Loud. Saturday night. So fair enough. I walked in, then 5 minutes later, walked back out. Went for a short walk. Then walked back in. Fellow Yelpers had goood things yo say. So I gotta try. Bartenders are on the ball. Ordered a pint. And fish n chips. Service is good for such a crowded busy place. The fish n chips were ok. Like ok minus. Chips were steak fries. I was expecting better. Even on a busy Saturday night. It was fun. But one and done. read more

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Went here after touring the Tower Bridge and was pleasantly surprised to find such a chill and good spot. The staff was friendly and helpful. Split the fish and chips and it was more than enough food -- and we are big eaters. Paired with a local IPA and a sticky toffee pudding with vanilla ice cream for dessert, it was a delightful meal that gave us sustenance to trek on with sightseeing. Pro-tip: Mondays they have half-price burgers! One of the people in my party took up the offer and was not disappointed. read more

The Draft House - Fish and chips -- this is HALF an order and plenty of food! YUM!!! - Gastropubs Near Me - London, XGL

Good beer selection, solid pub grub. It was a bit confusing regarding seating, as apparently only half the place has table service. You have to ask to get instructions on where to order if you're in the "non table service" side. Not exactly proactive with help, and cleanliness doesn't seem to be a high priority here, but then, it's a pub, even though it's a chain pub. Location was convenient for the Tower Bridge. read more

The Draft House - Crispy whitebait - Gastropubs Near Me - London, XGL

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Walked pass and stopped to grab lunch. It was packed, we got burgers and fish and chips. The burger was good, the fish was not so good. Service was good, prices were pretty good too. Also my first time trying Scottish egg, it was very good. But the best thing I had was the pomegranate mojito. It was amazing never had that before. But it was delicious. The down side on this place was the restroom/toilet was not clean. Their was no toilet paper either. read more

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You're smart, and I like you. Now, you may or not be aware that I like beer. If you have read any of my other reviews, you may get an inkling. But since you're smart, I don't want you to think my 3-star review of Draft House is negative in anyway. It's not. This place had a better beer selection that most of the places I visited in London. The bartenders were very nice. The location was nice. But there was just something missing, and I can't put my finger on it. It seemed kind of sterile to me. It's roomy, clean and friendly so I definitely recommend giving it a go, but it's just not the type of place I could see myself drinking regularly and comfortably. There's absolutely nothing wrong with it, it's just not my scene. But you're smart so you get that. And that's one of the reasons why I like you. Plus that one other thing you do, but let's not talk about that here. read more

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Like many people, we stumbled upon this place by accident. Coming across the Tower Bridge and looking for lunch we came across a pub with a decent food selection and we sat down. They had a better beer selection than most places, however on the day we went there they had 4 kegs that were out. Still plenty of good beers on though Food was good and delivered quickly. The service we received there was better than most places we attended in London. One big knock is the bathrooms. Not atypical of a pub but the bathrooms were pretty gross. Overall, highly recommend and would return read more

Located near the tower bridge and the Tower of London. Pub life where you order at the bar and food will be delivered to your table. I was surprised that one drink is included with your burger! I paid around 8 pounds for a veggie burger and local hazy hog cider. You can't beat this! I loved that it was a hang out for the locals as well. Great place to play some cards and do some people watching. read more

Fine spot in a good location with a decent selection of beers. Due to social distancing rules they ask you to order through an App which ended up being a mess with our orders being cancelled. Nevertheless, the waiter was kind to offer us some shots to make up for the issue. read more

The Draft House - Gastropubs Near Me - London, XGL

Came for an early dinner on New Year's Eve and it was very busy. It was one of the few places serving food at 5pm. Good service and beverage choices, but my steak and ale pie was half burnt. Would have been delicious otherwise. Cozy environment and great location by Tower Bridge. read more

Well placed for the passing tourist trade, just south as it is of Tower Bridge, the Draft House remains refreshingly local and (from what I've seen) is never overwhelmingly busy. This is probably due, actually, to its location. It's not an obvious choice as a drinking establishment for tourists, since there aren't any hotels in the immediate vicinity. And it doesn't draw a huge after-work crowd, since Shad Thames isn't particularly known for its office buildings and it isn't immediately near any underground stations. Therefore, yes, it's mostly a hangout for those who live in Shad Thames. And not just Shad Thamers, but those Shad Thamers who aren't keen on the posh riverside eating/drinking establishments. So what I'm saying is, the vibe - it's cool. More importantly, the beer - it's good. 20-something beers on tap, 4 ales, 2 ciders and even more bottled options. If you can't find something here that you like to drink, you may as well give up on life now. Because I imagine your life is a dark hole of straight-laced misery and despair. And, finally, the food. While a bit on the pedestrian side, it certainly didn't disappoint. And the very American-style service you'll receive (table-service, actually getting you stuff you ask for, checking back on you, explaining drink and food menus, etc) makes up for anything the food may be lacking, certainly. I'm well impressed by the Draft House. The fact that I live 3 minutes' walk away, well, that probably helps too. But even if I didn't, I'd travel for the beer selection. Oh, and it has a brunch menu at the weekend. Bonus points. read more

My favorite place for fish and chips in London. Also my favorite beer here is the sour cherry beer they have on draft! Location is great since it's walking distance to the tower bridge. I don't have a picture but we also loved their hot wings! read more

The Draft House - Gastropubs Near Me - London, XGL

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So I actually stumble upon this place while walking across the tower bridge. It is the 3rd-4th restaurant you see once you cross the tower bridge and as I found out, I would not be disappointed. They have about 20-25 beers on tap and after have 3 full glasses and about 8 taste, I can say that there all top of the line. For food I had a couple of things. First I had a starter and my choice of a boat load of wings (the container is shaped that of a boat.). The wings were basically baked and the sauce was like a frank hot sauce glaze. They gave you about 14-16 and the wings were great, the best wings I had in the city of London. For my meal I went with a bratwurst with sauerkraut( pretty good, however mustard in London is either the Dijon or the hot mustard and i learned the hard way) and a boatload of Cajun fries, which to were really good. Overall I am really glad I ran into this place and yes I would/will come back. read more

I'm writing this review about Bump Caves, their underground bar. My boyfriend and I visited as we had a great value voucher to try out the cocktails. It's a really great spot - music is good and isn't too loud. The decor is cool and the staff were friendly and knowledgeable. The cocktail menu is very unique and was quite intriguing, such as the Electric Kool Aid Acid Test where you pour in the citric acid and lick a battery to change the drink's flavour, or the savoury ingredients (blue cheese?!) included in some other drinks. They all tasted great and we had a great evening. Only 2 things I could possibly say as negative is that 1) our night would have been way more expensive without the voucher (but that's London for you so I suppose that doesn't count) and 2) it was just not that busy at all, leaving the place feeling a bit lack luster. We thought it was such a shame as this place definitely deserves to be popular! It's still a relatively new place so I hope it picks up soon. read more

The Draft House - Their controversial cocktail: Electric Kool Aid Acid Test - Gastropubs Near Me - London, XGL

- one of the best craft beer bars in london..huge selection! - food doesn't appear to be strong point. Came here around 8pm after other dinner plans had fallen though at last minute. This is a large establishment with an american style diner section behind the main bar. Our waitress came to take drinks orders, however, she couldn't recall what draught beers were available that night so i had to walk around to the bar to find out. (apparently rotate their taps every few days). In fairness, however, the service was very good and staff made you feel welcome. The menu was american diner style so I got the monster dog and the wife got the Korea town chicken. The hot dog was huge and came with either hand-cut chips or fries, however, it was a quite bland and the chips under cooked. The wife's chicken on the other hand, although looking a quite unappetising, was very juicy and tasty. Mixed results all around, however in fairness, the waitress did mention earlier they are know for their burgers and fish and chips. i would go back to this bar, but not for dinner. The beer list is fantastic, and along with the dean swift bar around the corner...this corner of london is a hot spot for the amber nectar. read more

The Draft House - Monster dog and korea town wings - Gastropubs Near Me - London, XGL

It's a walking distance to Tower Bridge. Literally at the end of it's not difficult to find. We met with some of our friends while on vacation at this place. We ordered their burgers. I'm not sure if it's normal in other countries to ask how your burgers are done but they didn't. Surprisingly, it came out perfectly cooked (medium to medium well), which is the way I like it. If you like your burger cooked differently, you probably would have to specifically tell them. They have a large variety of beers you could pick from which was nice. They also carry beers that are known around the world (although I recommend getting local beer). I'm pretty sure they brew their own beers, too. It wasn't packed when we got there but there are two areas where you could sit. There's a dining area behind the bar so if you want to just eat without being tempted by beers around you, they have an area for that. Overall, the place is very casual and it's a nice pub to meet at for a casual drink after work. read more

The Draft House - Burger with poutine fries! - Gastropubs Near Me - London, XGL

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We stumbled across this place when we wanted to go somewhere for a quick drink and snack, and ended up having dinner. The bar is quite big and spacious that's perfect for having huge groups of friends, but there are little tables if you're with one other person, which is where we sat. It's great when the sun's out because the sunlight pours through the big windows and right where you sit. We ordered drinks and three appetisers: fried wings, nachos and cajun fries. They came in huge portions so if you're looking for just a light meal, don't order too much! The fried wings were definitely my favourite... crispy on the outside and so juicy on the inside. The whole thing was covered in buttery bread crumbs, which I've never had before. Absolutely addicting. The nachos were great as well, just enough stuff on top so there was no chips left behind. The fries were covered with cajun powder-stuff along with cajun mayo... the whole combination was phenomenal. Just the three choices left us completely full and satisfied. Felt really guilty because it was so unhealthy but hey, that's what weekend gluttony is for. So if you're down for a fattening experience with a bunch of friends, this is a great place to indulge :) read more

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Good beer selection but at 10:55 on a Friday night they sold my friend and I a beer without calling last call and then 5m later turned the nights up to max and turned off the music. Completely ruined the mood and atmosphere. Why not say anything when we got beers?? read more

Went here for a leaving party with work colleagues. Huge range of beer, and a small, but well chosen range of wines. Excellent range of beers on tap, which change on a regular basis. Large range of craft ales from around the world in the fridges in the back; Hitachino from Japan, and some more obscure ones from Scandinavia. Staff are attentive,and are keen to warn you when you're about to make a purchase of a (1) very strong (2) very expensive (3) all of the above beer. A few of us stayed quite late (read, they were sweeping up around us) - and the staff were very good about us being late. Food is good, service is swift. read more

The Draft House - A beer of Liquid Confidence... - Gastropubs Near Me - London, XGL

Excellent range of beers and American style food. Right on Tower Bridge Road so visit the tourist locations then relax at the Draft House. Half price burgers every Monday. Regular quiz nights. Great atmosphere. read more

The Draft House - Draft House menu - Gastropubs Near Me - London, XGL

Just bluck...my fish and chips had no fish inside the soggy gooey breading. Obviously the oil was old and not hot when cooked. The chicken/ham pie's crust was cement hard with no taste. The drinks weak (especially when a double is ordered you should be able to taste the liquor) and service??? What service. Horrible at best. Our tough luck for stopping in. read more

If I am ever lucky enough to have my own pub, and I have a designer, I will make their job very simple. Get on a plane with me, come to London and see the Draft House. I want my place to be like this, down to the Ghostbuster wallpaper. I think this has to be one of the most comfortable, stylish and coolest places that I have ever been in. There is no bullshit here and the beer selection is awesome. My buddy and I walked in, grabbed a pint and sat at their communal high table. The bartender was super nice and chatted with me about american beers of which they stock a bunch of. They carry only the really good ones so definitely give it a shot if that's what you're looking for. They also carry a standard healthy selection of cask ales to please the Londoners. If I lived here, I would come here every week. read more

My go-to pub/restaurant. Sadly, I've seen it go downhill like a greased barrel in a mudslide. I don't know how they choose staff, but while some are nice, the majority seem weirdly reluctant to be there. There's one dude who alternates between picking his nose behind the bar, ignoring customers who have walked up to place and order, and then scornfully complying. It's like being at Fawlty Towers minus the boot-licking. Most recently, took our friends in town there, about 10 of us. The staff seemed mildly annoyed we were there at all. Despite it being a slow night, we had to get up and walk over to ask for food or drinks each time, and nearly every time they had forgotten something. So there was a lot of waiting on ourselves. The kicker was EVERYBODY who ate a burger getting violent food poisoning. We emailed them to let them know since 6 of us were so sick, but received no response. Yah. Methinks not. read more

My boyfriend and I came here for lunch on a rainy London day. We were seated right away and our server was very friendly. I ordered Fish n Chips and a beer and my boyfriend ordered some sort of sandwich. I'm not sure if it was because I was so hungry or if the food was just that good, but I ate every bite of my Fish n Chips. My beer was pretty good too. My boyfriend didn't eat all of his food, so I'm not sure that he was too impressed. I found the restaurant to be clean and the bathroom was located downstairs (odd). I'd recommend coming here since it is close to The Tower Bridge and you can easily get to the restaurant before or after your tour of the bridge. Cheers. read more

The Draft House at Tower Bridge offers a great range of beer and plenty of seating but so-so food and poor acoustics. Chief amongst the attractions here is the beer. Like its sister Draft Houses in Battersea, Clapham and Dulwich, the Draft House here offers somewhere between 50-100 beers. Beer lovers won't find truly exotic stuff, but it's still an impressive range comfortably better than the vast majority of London's pubs. The food, centered around burgers and steaks, is less convincing. I've had disappointing results when ordering burgers (they offer three: the 'Yoke', 'Toke' and 'Smoke') at other Draft houses cooked at medium, so here I opted to have a 'Yoke' well-done and the result was disappointing once more. So it's back to the drawing board. The acoustics at the large table we were at were also poor, making it difficult to hear each other sometimes. Service was a bit so-so too: it took me 5-10 minutes to get a drink when I arrived. Still, the combination of an unusually good range of beer AND (take note, Euston Tap) plenty of seating makes this a solid bet despite its failings. Definitely worth popping in for a decent beer if in the area. read more

Note: Thought I'd try something new and write a review as it happened. Normally this would never be the case, but since I've been to Draft House Tower Bridge several times before, I feel that I can represent this place properly. To start off, Mondays are excellent days for a bit of dinner and a pint at the Draft House. Why? Because they have an excellent burger Monday deal. You get any burger, chips, and a pint of house lager or Aspall cider for just under £9.75. How cool is that? The waitstaff are very friendly with one girl running the tables while looking as if she's just stepped out of a J Crew catalogue. I'm not quite sure how that matches with the general theme, but she makes it work. Now the big question, will they let me play a Drink Deck card in conjunction with the burger Monday offer? Yep, they will! Although you will need to order at least one more item as two burger Monday deals will leave you just shy by 50p. However, with the incredible range of beers and ales available on tap, in a cask, and bottled, the only problem you will have is making a choice (ask you server to recommend based on your tastes, they are usually quite knowledgeable). Food-wise, the burgers are interesting but with massive patties (we're talking almost 2 inches/7cm thick here) which leaves them a bit dry for the most part. I'd highly recommend ordering it medium rare rather than the standard medium to preserve some of the juices. The Yolk (burger with a fried egg on top) seems to be the most popular although I found the glazed hollandaise sauce to be far to rich for even my decandent tastes. The "Smoke" could do with a bit more smokiness (add bbq sauce please!). The chips and fries are both excellent with crisp skins and fluffy soft cores and the bun is toasted which adds a nice bit of crunch. Beers are of course excellent. The Draft House lager is slightly sweet and very refreshing. I also tried a Coopers Stout which was rich, slightly bitter, and had strong notes of dark chocolate. Excellent stout all around and it made me wish I had space for that chocolate brownie and ice cream I saw on the menu. Overall, a great place for a drink (be careful though, some of those beers range up to 10.0% abv), and a decent place for a bite. It's hard to beat the value especially when you play your Drink Deck Card! read more

I'd say their stronger on their beer selection than their burger selection (their 'Give me this our daily cask' promotion is clever where an ale is discounted until it's gone) as they have several pages of all styles of beer. They also do a really good job of having ongoing promotions for sporting events (Rugby World and Football World Cup) and mini competitions on social media between their various locations to make each visit unique and interesting. The 'Smoke' burger is quite tasty with streaky bacon and the veggie burger is also an unexpected surprise for a restaurant touting their meat credentials so hard. Chips are only okay based on my assessment as they seemed a bit lacking in the 'crispiness' department. read more

Chill spot right down from the Tower Bridge. The £5 paddle of the day is a flight of 3, 1/3 pints of beer and is a great way to sample a few different beers! You can also create your own paddle with 1/3 pint pours off their draft list. read more

Had fish and chips- awful. Undercooked chips- certainly not "triple cooked"- they were barely cooked from frozen. And the fish was super greasy, with yellow colored batter- but entirely flavorless. It tasted only of cooking oil. The tartar sauce was also odd- kind of a grey color (?!) which tasted like dried dill. read more

Not impressed with the food (we had nachos and pulled pork sandwich) but ultra impressed with their bar selection. the fact that I was able to get some mongozo coconut beer made me happy. It's a good location as it's right next to the tower bridge, but I wouldn't eat here. Take a break from sightseeing? Yes. Free wifi is a plus. read more

Mediocre food with pretty abysmal service really doesn't do it for me and this place was no exception. We felt forgotten about, had to ask several times for menus, water, to place an order etc. staff seemed like they couldn't care less! Food was only ok, chips quite salty and I've had better burgers at one of the many pop up places around town. Bathrooms also in quite a state- always a downer!! Won't be in a hurry back here, that's for sure. read more

How is this ranked so high? Horrible service and mediocre food. The Sunday roast came out cold and so tough I could barely cut it and the scotch egg tasted like it was cooked a week prior. Don't waste your time read more

Ok, so the whole London restaurant scene have convinced us that paying £15 for a burger and chips is the norm. I have finally made my peace with this fact and I can now start enjoying myself. As you would expect from the Draft House the beer menu has plenty of choices and ideal if you want to try something a little different. I had a pulled pork sandwich and my fellow diners both had burgers. We all agreed the food was above par, chips were cooked well and the pulled pork/burgers were extremely good. The bar was busy and the atmosphere was bustling. Our waiter was a little quirky but pleasant and efficient enough. I would fully recommend if you want a casual meal or even just a drink with friends. This is of course, only if you have become numb to what a normal London "gourmet" burger costs. read more

I like this place a lot. The atmosphere was fun, the bar was well stocked and delightfully varied. I expected it to be completely rammed after the jubilee celebration, given its location, but it was just about right. I will be back. read more

This is a pretty good solid place where to have a beer and something to eat while being in the block. I'd not get on a bus to dine here, but I'd love to get back here whenever I'll be in london bridge during the evening. Their selection of beers is huge, and I couldn't find something I'd not like to try (plus they open a barrel and they serve it at 2.75£ a pint as long as there is beer in it, so show up early and help them what they can't store!) and they serve some classical pub food, burgers, hot dogs and so on. We had fish and chips, which was definitely well done (not as well as Poppies, but definitely something I'd like to eat again) but I'd look over burgers next time, they seemed incredibly tasty (and massive!), probably on the bargain monday! Come here, drink beer, enjoy the place! read more

Came here to have a beer and burger. I was not disappointing on either front. We got a good spot next to the window so we could enjoy the mixed crowd full of some locals and some tourists. People seemed relaxed and happy here and it was contagious. My date and I split a burger with fries and a plate of nachos. The burger was great and the nachos were pretty good. If I was looking for a burger and pint, I could see myself heading over to this draft house location. read more

The Draft House - Dining room. - Gastropubs Near Me - London, XGL

This pub was exactly what we were looking for: a late midday snack and some good beers between our walking and the cinema. The Draft House did not disappoint. There beer selecting is amazing and already the best reason to visit. Several British, German and Belgian beers on draft and on bottle. I had a pint of Brugze Zot blonde and a pint of the Helle Weisse. We took some "healthy" finger-foot to go with it and ended up with a portion of fries,tacos and deep-fried chicken wings. Normally tacos in a pub are quite poor of quality as if they've been microwaved, but these were really good! The tomato salsa came with beans on top and some sauces on the side. But definitely the best item we ordered were the chicken-wings! Fried to perfection with some bbq-sauce on the side, these were crunchy on the outside and tender white chicken meat on the inside; well done! We even weren't that hungry but devoured everything. The service was extremely friendly and helpful. I definitely go back, since I didn't even had the chance to try one of their burgers or special hot-dogs! read more

We needed a small bite after The Tower of London and thankfully The Draft House was on the other side of the bridge. Positives: a GIANT plate of nachos that 3 of us shared. Could have used some more cheese but unlike other places, the nachos were wonderfully warm. A fabulous cider and black (throwback I know, but my first in 15 years), friendly servers, and excellent prices. Negatives: No one to greet you at the door. We found a table ourselves and had to flag someone down who said, "Oh, I didn't see you come in.". Had to get up and find someone to get the check. read more

Had been here a few times before but never eaten and now a while ago stumbled in here when trying to find a spot to watch the football on TV and have a bite to eat. First of all the place has a pretty nice design and feel to it. Despite being some sort of chain it does have a somewhat genuine feel to it. Staff were friendly and quickly had us seated at a table. The places is fairly good for watching some sports on TV as well although the TVs are not optimally placed to be able to watch from all the seats. Prices here decent, Mondays are a bargain with any burger and pint for £9.75 but otherwise the burgers and rest of the dishes as well are competitively priced. The beers are neither expensive nor cheap and the selection is really good, at least in theory - the two first items I tried to order were sold out so not sure it is a coincidence but they managed to find a decent substitute. The burger was pretty decent, not really cooked as requested (had asked for medium rare but this was a bit more than medium) but still tasty. The french fries are actually great, not normally a huge fan but these were great. Otherwise the service tended to get slower and slower the more people showed up, understandable but they could have been one more person working. Now had to wait 10 minutes for a drink, 5 minutes for cutlery, 10 minutes to pay so was a bit annoying but still like the place with so many beers on tap, good food at decent prices and friendly atmosphere. read more

Great location, great selection of beers, and great for groups! The interior is farmhouse chic. I didn't have any food but I was there with a large group and we were all able to crowd around an area with a large table and plenty of seating without crowding anyone else out. An even larger group showed up a bit later and claimed the island in the middle. They were able to do their own thing without bothering anyone else in the place including us. My only caveat, and the reason for 4 stars, is due to the wait at the bar. Gees! Can a girl get a beer over here? How about having more than two bartenders? Or, you're only pulling taps and popping bottles, how bout you manage more than one order at a time? Especially when you're just waiting for the debit purchase to go through. Staring at the machine doesn't mean I'm not still waiting for you to acknowledge me. Luckily, due to the large group, I only had to go to the bar once. But, had I been forced to go more than once I'm pretty sure, 3 months later, I'd still be waiting for my beer. read more