The Camel & Artichoke

Was here for a few drinks weekend just gone and while there’s nothing particularly pulling my rating down there’s also nothing particularly bringing it up either.
It’s a pub. It sells drinks. They’re medium priced. There’s a medium amount of seating. The selection is okay. There is a garden, that’s quite nice I guess. I’d go back, but wouldn’t chose it as a venue I suppose.

Embiance is amazing. The couches upstairs are great and the Beatles pics. Watched the Liverpool game while I ate a lamb Sunday roast. They were out of beef. My friend got the chicken roast. The lamb was terrible and the gravy not nearly thick enough but the service was great and the vibes in the place we’re awesome. Felt like a local. Definately come back. And hope the beef isn’t sold out ;).

I hesitate to review this un-​touristy South Bank pub in hopes of keeping it that way. We ate here twice during our 5-​day London stay. Nice menu, reasonable prices. Lovely garden in the back. Go for beer and appetizers or dinner.

Lovely pub. Standard drinks but nice and chilled. I look very young so the staff were me within seconds for an I. D check. (Which Is always nice!) and glad they were doing their job. Nice drinks chilled atmosphere nice to venture upstairs and although I didn’t venture into the garden it looked just as chilled in such a buzzing place.
P.S check out the camel on the back of the pub if you can! Out of place and quirky but cool.

LOVE this bar! We went on a Sunday, so it was nice and quiet, how we like. Weeknights are very busy. Lovely outdoor area for smokers or al fresco diners. They even have umbrellas over the tables, which is perfect for London. The food was pretty good, not spectacular. I suspect microwaves were involved. Good enough if you’re in need of a buzz reduction. GREAT bartenders and a lovely selection of beers. I’d go back in a heartbeat.

If you have ever taken the train out of Waterloo station and wondered why on earth a building has a Camal on its roof now you know the answer.
This pub is located a short walk from Waterloo station very close to Ian Allen bookshop. Inside it’s split on two levels with upstairs a bit quieter. It’s a good place to meet a group of friends and whilst I didn’t try it the food looked okay. The beer selection is quite boring though (just 3 real ales).

Nice pub for a beer, great garden and just a nice, real neighbourhood pub kind of atmosphere. Nice ale. But the food… general pub grub but straight from the microwave. Had sausage and mash, sausage bits were like cardboard. Partner had the steak and ale pie, which was great tastewise, but clearly zapped too. Food does not get that hot so fast and meat does nog dry out like that in the middle of the plate, unless… Big no, can’t do that.
So have a beer there and skip the food.

Surprised in all my London pub explorations I’d never discovered this pub before. It’s rather nice looking and the food menu was quite tempting.
The beer range wasn’t really that noteworthy, but they do have four ales and GK St Edmunds Ale is one I’m always happy to find!

I truly loved this pub. The service was excellent. Beer selection very good and reasonably priced. Food is about as good as one could get in a pub.

Came here on my first night in London and the service was pretty good. The girl who served us was helpful and patient with us considering we weren’t familiar with the menu or the money. Friend and I noticed a pulley system behind the bar that delivers the food from the kitchen. Pretty darn cool!

A gem of a pub, just a stones throw from Waterloo, the Southbank and the cut. Service is great, efficient, heplful and friendly. Good range of food including huge burgers, yummy nachos, proper English pies and lots more. Always a good choice of specials to tempt me when I don’t know what I want (the chorizo and halloumi salad is my favourite not-​so-​healthy but delish dish).
Nice upstairs area can be reserved for gatherings, a few TV’s showing sport if that’s your thing and a secluded beer garden is a surprising extra and a great find for a sunny lunchtime or a summer evening.

This is a locals hang out. We were starving and stumbled in looking for fish and chips and found them but they weren’t so great. The fish batter was hard, but the chips were good. They get a star for having WiFi. They also have a nice little patio outside. The staff didn’t seem very welcoming and didn’t look like they really gave a shit since they didn’t know us.

Friendly service, no nonsense generous helpings of burgers, chips… plus curries, nachos, chilli. Big range of beers and all at a good price, right round the corner from Waterloo station!

Looks nowt from outside, but its a real pub on the inside, selection of lagers, strongbow an what looked like cracking food. Lovely (well for waterloo) courtyard garden + tele’s for sporting events. Deffo worth the trot round from waterloo train station to sit in a fairly chilled enviroment. Nice…

came here for a londonist meetup (well, more like interloped, i guess, but thanks to y’all for making me feel welcome!).
long and narrow, the bar is on the lower floor with a couple tables and an upstairs with more seating. the patio with its 8(?) tables, however, is a great outdoor spot for good-​weather days, leafy and otherwise quiet (it seems to be hidden away on a not-​too-​busy street). the food menu seemed to be fairly standard (not like i’m a pub food expert). i got the steak and guinness pie which came drenched in sauce and was a bit too salty (i expected salty but this was a bit much). service was friendly (i heard a chuckle when i left a tip at the bar after i placed my food order lol).
if it weren’t for the nice outdoor spot, i would have given this place a 3. definitely take advantage of it when it’s nice out!
easy access from waterloo and lambeth north.

I love this place. Been holding the regular London Bloggers meetup here since November last year but we’ve had to move on as the function room isn’t wheelchair friendly.
None the less, it has a great bar, good food at reasonable prices and a good outdoor patio for you smokers (and everyone else in the summer). Add all that to the fact is it hidden away behind Waterloo means you can normally get a seat and served fairly quickly.

I don’t mind this pub at all. I don’t think I’ve spent enough itme there and as I too was at the bloggers meet-​up, I don’t think I got to experience it full. A return trip may be in order.
The things I did notice? The food looked great and I should have eaten some.
The bar is also very tall. I find this strange. But It feels about 6 inches higher than it should be. I’m apparently pretty short so I could not have stood at the bar comfortably with my rather enjoyable pint.
It’s the strangest thing I’ve ever had to say about a pub.

Nice pub with a decent selection of beer (I stuck with Peroni and Budvar). The Camel & Artichoke’s upstairs was a perfect spot for last week’s London Bloggers Meetup and I look forward to next one in February.
Also, it was good to see Lower Marsh still retains a bit of quirkiness and originality (I hadn’t ambled down that street in ages).

If you’re walking to the Camel & Artichoke at 7pm on a Tuesday night, you’d be forgiven for wondering if you’re going the right way. Lower Marsh may be busy at weekends, but walking down the nearly empty street at mid-​week might make you doubt the little Google map clutched in your hand.
The firm of purpose are rewarded with an open, friendly pub, however. And, if you’re a blogger attending a Qype-​sponsored meetup, you might be rewarded with a couple of pints.
As you enter the pub it feels surprisingly roomy, probably because of the high ceiling. They’ve got some outdoor tables in a garden at the back too, though I’ve not tried them out yet. It’s a comfortable-​feeling pub.
Last night it was busy downstairs, with plenty of the after-​work crowd enjoying some tasty-​looking food. However, when I stopped to remark to one young lady about the apparent quality of her meal by telling her that I’d never seen tastier morsels than hers, I got such a negative reaction that I wondered if the food really is up to par.
Drinks worked out better, though. I’ve been very pleased on both my visits here that they’ve got proper ales here (Abbot! yes!), as well as a decent selection of spirits. The bar staff are always up for a laugh here, too, I’ve noticed.
The room upstairs is perfect for events like our Blogger Meetup: we got the privacy to geek out on our own, and we were completely segregated from Ordinary Humans. Once again, Andy did a bang-​up job organising it all. And thanks have to go to Qype for buying us each a couple of drinks.
Whether you’re meeting friends near Waterloo and want a friendly pub that’s a few steps away from the heaving ones just outside the station doors, or you’re trying to get ideas on how to monetise your Captain Scarlet and the Mysterons collectibles blog, the Camel & Artichoke is the place to do it.

Camel and Artichoke, eh? The old name of Reluctant Camel probably had to go, because of the obvious reference to ‘bricking the camel’ which is probably inappropriate in a well-​made over and diversity friendly venue.
I was along for the London Bloggers Meetup which was in the upstairs part of the pub, nicely laid out with sofas, tables and little leather seats. Friendly, vibrant, good beer from the bar with good staff. Already several groups in the downstairs area seemed to be in for a sensibly chilled session.
Our upstairs area was vibrant with conversations in what is an attractive venue great for maybe an informal group up to around 40 people. Will definitely return and its useful to know its only about five minutes from Waterloo if you use the exit by the cashpoints and cut down the steps to Lower Marsh.
A useful haven from the train station bustle.
rashbre (
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