The Driver

My mom and I were looking for a pub near our rented flat near King’s Cross. The Drive had some good reviews and looked interesting. We ordered the £13 fish & chips and the £11 beetroot, butternut squash, peppadew pepper risotto. The fish & chips were great, but the risotto was AMAZING. I am not a fan of peppers in general, but these peppers were stuffed with goat cheese and mixed in with the risotto. The effect was spectacular, and I’m determined to learn how to make this at home. The £5 sticky toffee pudding was some of the best we have had in England, and we have made it a point to sample it wherever possible. :)
The service was okay, a bit on the slow side considering that we got there at the beginning of the dinner service, but there was a hen party and a baby shower going on at the same time. If we ever stay in this area in the future, we’ll definitely eat here again.
Ambiance was elegantly trendy, but still comfortable. Important to remember that it is a Gastropub, not a typical pub. We didn’t see any of the upper floors.

I’ve been a few times, and mostly to catch the rooftop patio. It’s up several flights of stairs, and fairly walled in (not that there’s much scenery to be had around King’s Cross). The drink selection is fairly standard, and they didn’t have a bar set up at the roof when I went so it was a bit of a trek for drinks. But feel free to check it out if you want some elevation with your libations.

Nice gastro pub hidden off the main streets of Kings Cross. Good food, nice staff and a fabulous roof terrace. Little gem in the area.

What a lovely restaurant, Staff fantastic, food yum, just needs attention to detail.
The staff are amazingly attentive, friendly and service was excellent and welcoming, Our drinks were topped up, never empty. The staff deserve a massive well done, I felt there was nothing I couldn’t have asked for.
The ambiance was nice, had a bit of an eclectic feel, large wooden tables, candle holders, some silver stag heads. I wish they music matched the venue, there was some weird house music playing.
It was large and very empty when we arrived at 7pm but we were seated nearby other guests so didn’t feel alone! It did bustled up come 8.30pm as we were heading out.
The food was delicious! I had risotto which was nicely cooked, way too heavy on the garlic before my Saturday night out
But yyuummm! My friend had the sea bass which she loved and was light and tasty. The price was very reasonable at £10−15 per main.
Only two things I really noticed…
Water on the table & had to ask twice for it,
No side plates for bread & oil but to be fair it’s a gastropub (but nowhere to put my balsamic and oil for dipping)
I will definately recommend and be back! Thank you the Driver and its staff.

Not a bad option –especially for business dinners as it has large spaces that can be rented and reserved (private). A Kings cross gastropus that remains relatively quiet for its size (several stories– nice roof terrace when weather is nice). The menu, though a little small, is reliably good. They offer a nice drink selection, from which the Merlot is my favorite.

I came here on a Groupon deal which was absolutely fantastic. We got a starter, main course and glass of wine — none of which can be faulted whatsoever. The main course (smoked haddock with potato dauphinoise) was cooked to perfection and the service was lovely and very friendly too. I’ve returned once since but again it was with a friend who had a tastecard as, wonderful as the food is, it’s just a little too expensive for me to go and pay the full price.

What a lovely surprise!
My friend and I were wandering around Kings cross (waiting for another friend, who was planning to have a drink with us before jumping on a train to the North.) I had never heard of this pub, and we only came here because I have just received a tastecard through the post, so was keen to see what kind of venues were listed on the tastecard app.
I called as we walked up the road to book a table, so we were seated straight away (yay). The ground floor seems like a warm homely pub, while upstairs was a calm, relaxing dining space. Now I’ve seen the photo of the roof garden (thanks Unilocal folks!), I’ll definitely come back with my boyfriend.
The menu was full of lovely typical gastro-​pub-​ish dinners, but it really wasn’t too expensive. I tried some delicious pan-​fried trout and my friend had a decent-​looking pie. Even with my massive glass of wine and the service charge, we only spent £12 each. It was basically a delicious bargain.
Tastecard saving: £11ish — yay!

After buying a Groupon voucher, i was a little concerned as to what we had in store for us at The Driver but I needn’t have worried! Our waitress (Marta/​Martha?) was absolutely outstanding. She welcomed us warmly to the gorgeous dining room on the first floor, knew that we were on the Groupon deal and asked us for the voucher so she could see what the deal was (two courses with cocktail and coffee for £26 for the two of us BARGAIN!), supplied us with our menus and then explained that we could have a starter OR a dessert as well as our main, it was our choice (or both if we wanted to pay the extra), that our included cocktail was a bellini but we could just have Prosecco if we liked and that we could have any of the coffees or tea. She then told us which dishes were new on the menu, which she recommended, which had gone down well at lunchtime and was just very attentive and friendly without being OTT. It wasn’t like we were the only diners, but we certainly felt that way :) Antelope ‘pattie’ on lentil and chorizo cassoulet with red onion jam: Yes, my main was really just a ‘burger’. I have never had antelope before, but it was extremely nice. lean and meaty with a beefish texture, very slightly gamey but very subtle. The cassoulet was fabulously flavourful, but then I am very much a chorizo fiend and think it can enhance nearly every dish :) Braised rabbit with celeriac mash and savoy cabbage: I had a taste of my mate’s rabbit, and it was beautifully tender and delicately flavoured with a smooth, creamy sauce and crispy cabbage (which wasn’t the best looking but tasted scrummy!). Pear and chocolate shortbread with blackcurrant sorbet: This was SO scrummy! The shortbread was crumbly and moreish and not too sweet, and the pear was tender and peary! It was slightly warm which I hadn’t been expecting, and was perfectly balanced with the slightly sharp sorbet! Chocolate pecan brownie with champagne ice cream: This was rich and gooey without being sickly, and the champagne ice creamwas smooth and luxurious. I only had one bite as I was happy with my own dessert! All in all, The Driver is a lovely pleace with an unusual and varied menu and absolutely fantastic service, thanks to Marta/​Martha!

Went here last summer with some friends using Groupon deals — we got a glass of sparkly, starter and main for only £16!
It really was a bargain, the food was very pleasant, tasty and satisfying — Gastro grub.
After the meal, we headed up to the roof top for a post dinner bevvie, what a cracking spot! Great views of the surrounding area.
The place has 5 levels.
Overall, a nice place to have a meal or just a drink — especially in Summertime on the roof.

I ended up going here with everyone for work for our alternative Christmas party (as we didn’t really want to pay the crappy canteen for a quasi-​expensive Christmas Lunch). It seemed a bit unorganized, but they did an alright job overall.
The food was tasty. I mean I’ve had better (cleary, just check my reviews!), but for a gastropub it was quite nice. It could have been the large party as well, I don’t know. My starter was a beef salad, which was nice, but was lacking a bit of something special. My main of pan friend chicken breast was tasty. The chicken was a bit overdone, but there was plenty of sauce. My partner had the chicken pie, which was heavenly. I had a chocolate brownie with strawberry champagne ice cream, which was quite nice. The cheese platter was also quite tasty.
There was a reasonable wine list: we had Californian wine. All in all, I’d go back if I were in the area and not with a large group.
One thing that held us up at the end is they miscalculated our bill, and ended up trying to charge us 100 pounds more than we should have been paying, which was a bit of a nightmare to get sorted, but when it was, everyone was happy.

The bartenders manning the third floor at The Driver deserve a massive round of applause. The ability to keep up with a room full of thirsty patrons without looking at all flustered is a rare talent.
I didn’t try them, but the bowls of steaming chips that came out from the kitchens (via dumbwaiter, apparently?) looked tantalising enough to warrant a return trip. Whether that be to the cosy pub on the ground floor or the proper restaurant on the first, I’m utterly game.
Now, could someone clarify for me where the ‘vertical garden’ is? Is it really that growth of green shrubbery covering the exterior?!

My birthday party at The Driver last Friday couldn’t have been more perfect. Starting from dinner all the way to the club and roof terrace later, The Driver was the perfect venue for a party with a difference. I surveyed my friends and they all agreed the food was superb. I had the steak with mushroom sauce, chips and French beans. The meat was juicy and tender, the mushrooms fragrant, and the portion was huge, I felt like a caveman! I needed that because there was quite a bit of drinking going on (starting a detox now as we speak!). I must say the roof terrace is to die for, and the music from DJ Fabrizia was uplifting and got us dancing until the early hours.
Go check it out!

This is a real find — having grown up in the rolling countryside, the one thing I miss most now that I’m a Londoner is the spacious, warm, welcoming and comforting amosphere of a pub. Not a dirty after work boozer, or a pretentious gastro pub… a pub. Good food, good wine and good service.
Well, when I say good, I mean great. The food is delicious and the wine list/​draught selection is varied and vast, and of top quality.
Sofas to relax in, three floors of dining and seating to fulfil casual dining as well as private parties and meetings. My only criticism is the lack of heat, but I guess that is only prevalent now in the midst of winter.

The Driver should be nice. It’s a gorgeous building, it has expensive wallpaper, it has a roof terrace. I’m quite a fan of expensive wallpaper and roof terraces, so you would think I would like the Driver. However I’ve had one dreadful experience when a lady on the door was so utterly petty and rude to a friend of mine that I’m perfectly happy never to go back.
In a nutshell — A group of us had gone to the roof terrace after some lovely summer rounders in the park, my friend came to meet us later. It was early, the place was empty but they wanted to charge him £12 to come up to us on the roof. Ridiculous. Rather than cause a fuss we asked if we could go downstairs and join him for a drink in the pub rather than the ‘nite club’ on the roof. They said no. They still wanted my pal to pay to get in. They also insisted that it wasn’t a pub, it was a restaurant. Whatever it was, it was empty. We left.

My favourite post-​work local! Great little place that is never so busy that it’s unbearable. The lunch menu is pretty good and it varies from week to week, so if you are like me and you work in the area you won’t get bored of the menu too quickly (even though I tend to order steak everytime!)
The roof terrace is up four flights of stairs but once you get there it’s totally worth it! It’s a total suntrap and the comfy sofas, Buddha statues and leather bean bags make you feel a bit like you are chilling out at a classy house party rather than at a pub where you’ve just paid for that beer you are holding…

This is a gastro-​kitchen, pub, lounge, roof terrace that’s hard to miss, the exterior walls are a ‘vertical garden’… so, just look for the green ‘bushy’ building!
Unfortunately, I can only review the ground floor on school nights, and as a pub because I didn’t eat here. Hopefully, more people will review all that this establishment has to offer (see The Driver website, and you’ll know what I mean!)
The ground floor is a fantastic idyllic atmosphere; dark woods, contrasts with lighter colors, and perfect lighting to set the mood for a ‘loungey’ drink with friends or a date. The floor plan and layout makes for an intimate feel at your table, you feel like you’re in a social environment but in your own cozy little spot. They have decent beers including a nice Blue Moon import and the bar is stocked with some nice higher end whiskeys, vodkas, etc.
On the downside, on two separate occasions they had no orange slices for the Blue Moon, and at times, getting a drink at the bar can be a bit of a wait.
Again, hopefully more reviews will come up to give a more well-​rounded sense of this modern, yet quaint gastro-​kitchen, pub, lounge, roof terrace.

Close. Actuallyclose but no real ale on tap for me. Seeing them run out of one of my favourites (Tribute) while I was stood at the bar waiting to order a pint was mildly heartbreaking. This being their only ale led to a dilemma that the Clash were not unfamiliar with. In the end I had an extortionately priced bottle of Meantime’s wheat beer. It was the nicest wheat beer I have ever had. but I had actually requested a bottle of the pale ale.
I feel the need to give this place another chance somehow as I liked the dim, candlelit look of the pub (although I hate the website description of the place as a ’boutique venue’) and had the ale been on and good this could have been a 4 star review. I only saw the ground floor mind youI had no idea that there were various levels to explore.

Firmly in the gastropub/​bar camp as opposed to ‘pub’, I’m always surprised at how massive The Driver is. On a sunny evening the roof terrace is gorgeous and a great spot to unwind with work colleagues after a busy day in the office.
The food here is scrummy, although it’s not on the cheap side, so be prepared to spend a good £12 — £15 on a main meal. House plonk is £14.50 a bottle.
I was here for a friend’s birthday, and you can reserve one of the large upper floors, complete with its own bar, for free. The downside is that you have to guarantee to spend a certain amount at that particular bar. Since me and my friends had spent a good £70 or so downstairs on food and a couple of bottles of wine, I had to put my foot down a bit to make sure that it counted towards the bar spend. I hope it did, otherwise that’s really silly.

The Driver is a lovely pub, in a very strange location. Most people won’t even find it — which means unless you’re in ‘the know’ you’ll be missing out on a fantastic venue which ticks all the right boxes.
Firstly, a mention has to go to the outside of the building and it’s impressive green wall which covers the upper part of the building in amazing plants. Eco-​friendly? Tick.
Then you’ve got the bar staff who’ll bend over backwards or walk up 10 flights of stairs to deliver your lunch to you on the roof terrace, even though they don’t normally to table service up there. Über-​friendly? Tick.
The ambience is laid back, stylish and cool. We went for a Friday lunch and sat on the roof terrace in the best sun trap in Kings Cross — far removed from the traffic below — and the only people there. Chilled out and tourist free? Tick.
Prices are reasonable — lunch menus for around £7 and mains coming in between £12 — 17. Another tick.
They’ve also got 3 floors of rooms available for hire for free — you just need to guarantee a minimum bar spend. Great for meetings or private parties. Tick-​tock.
Finally — I can’t rate a venue unless I mention the toilets as so many great places are let down by disgusting toilets. I’m happy to say, this is not one of them. Clean with well styled vintage sinks. Bonus tick.
Worth a visit if you’re in the area — or need an option for a meeting that’s close to the station.