Waterloo Arms, Waterloo, SE1

Basement bar in Waterloo train station serving 6 real ales,"craft keg" and food. Does the job when killing time.

Formerly a Gents toilet before embarking on a career as a bar under a series of different names, this basement bolt hole can be found opposite platform 1 on the concourse of Waterloo. This is the latest of the Beer House projects that have found there way into London's main line stations. The layout is as it was prior to the recent refurbishment but it remains a quite soulless and bland establishment with little that grabs the attention. The carpets have now made way for bare floors taking a bit of the warmth away and just a few display cabinets with some bottled beers and a couple of TV’s are left for the wandering eye to focus on. A PIN No is required for the bogs which does at least deter hoards of stray commuters looking for a free leak. The ales are pretty disappointing for a venue that sells itself its beer range, the 6 ales badged on my visit being a brace of Greene Kings (IPA and Abbot), Fullers London Pride, Sharps Doom Bar, Shepherd Neame Spitfire and the only one of personal interest Castle Rock Harvest Pale (which was not available). Prices are ridiculous with Spitfire chalking up a hefty £4 (although Bite Card holders can get a healthy 20% discount). If you don’t think you’ve paid enough you can always leave a tip on the little silver tray offered with the change. They are Cask Marque accredited and to be fair the quality was far better than I had expected. Food prices were surprisingly realistic with the usual pub grub fare available for around £7-£9. Overall this is a mundane place but it is an improvement on the Gents toilet and can be useful for that missed train or for meeting up but it's hardly a place that you would spend an evening in.

This bar has taken a dive in standards over the last few months. Its subterranean location doesn't help as ventilation is problematic and there is an air of damp about it, especially when crowded. It is rather soulless. There were two ales on - I had GK IPA which was much too cold and served with a sneer by a troglodyte. Its single redeeming feature is its convenience (for the train, I mean, not the one you need a code to get in), so I would come back if pushed for time or carrying heavy luggage, although there are better pubs within 5 minutes' walk.

This place was a toilet once and not much has changed.