An oasis of beer at The Waterloo Tap

By Bill Lacy

For many years now, whenever I travel north I get to Euston railway station early and pop into The Euston Tap, one of the best station pubs I’ve been to.

Known as perhaps the only pub in the country where you can be run over (it is split into two buildings – part of the original station frontage – with a road traversing through it).

So expectations were high, perhaps too high, when I visited its sister pub, The Waterloo Tap.

Firstly this is not a ‘station’ pub like its sister pub, but rather located a short way from the station on the way to South Bank. But it’s still near enough to squeeze in a couple of pints before your train.

This was a dangerous find as it’s the kind of place that sucks you in. I began to calculate the exact minute I could get to nearby County Hall for my theatre showing without being turned away, so that I could spend more time in this oasis of beer.

It is located in a railway arch which seems a bit cliched these days but is still an impressive structure, although rather small (with a rather strange boxed bathroom shoehorned into the corner).

At Euston you could almost walk past the Tap without knowing it was there, but there is no such subtle quality about Waterloo, with transparent front revealing just how busy it was before we got there, along with the hordes spilling outside.

Showcasing a quality selection of beers outside the country’s busiest station, without a tremendous amount of space, it was thronged with punters, packed to pre-Covid levels.

No quiet pint at rush-hour in here, although it thins out later on.

The selection of beers is truly impressive, with six cask and 20 cask lines, regularly changing, at surprisingly reasonable prices.

There’s a great range of styles and countries represented, but it especially focuses on the best British craft brews, and I would be amazed if even the most dedicated craft beer fan could not find something new.

The food offering comes from a gyoza kitchen, which makes a nice change from the normal pizzas served up with craft beer.

This is a specialist bar with knowledgeable but not overbearing staff.

If you are on the way to visit your mum, best ring her to say you will be a couple of hours late.

The Waterloo Tap, Sutton Walk  SE1 8RL