Imperial College Union is situated in the beit quad of London's Imperial College. At one point, there was a host of bands that played here but that seems to have died down now. The music venue itself was not that great, the sound system was a bit rubbish and it all just felt a little run down. One of the best things about this union obviously is the cheap student drinks. For a fiver I ended up being able to get a shot, a bag of crisps and a small glass of wine - not bad at all, I forgot how cheap it was being a student every time I visited here. It's a little out of the way for drinks or to see a band so unless you are a student, there's no real need to visit Imperial College Union... read more

Imperial College Union - Hotels Near Me - London, XGL

I spent many a happy hour in here, and indeed met most of my closest friends whilst propping up the wood-panelled union bar queuing for another bargin guest ale or a pint of Weston's Old Rosie scrumpy cider. The now legendary "turbo Rosie" was invented here. Half a pint of real ale, half an old Rosie, and a double vodka top. You didn't need too many of those before you were vomiting in the roadworks in front of the Royal Albert Hall. These days it's not as cheap a venue as it used to be, but still well worth a look in as you don't generally need any student ID, and where better a place to relive the old days?! Well in fact, the only choice since the excellent southside bar has now been knocked down. When you get bored of the crappy student service, pop round to The Queens Arms around the corner. read more

Imperial College Union - Hotels Near Me - London, XGL

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Very laid back atmosphere in this primarily student bar. Straightforward wooden decor with two big screen TVs usually playing sports indoors and a great outdoor seating area means you are sorted whatever the weather is. Not to mention unbeatable prices for London yet decent bar food (plus a very impressive looking vegan menu). The curly fries are definitely my go-to. Get extra cheese to go with it and you get a full plate of glorious carbs. They do a bunch of offers too like pizza and curry nights. Place does tend to get noisy in evenings and term time. read more

I stayed at Imperial College in the summer of 2005 and 2006 and enjoyed this little bar. It was very close to home, people seemed friendly, and they had a lot of good beer and cider on tap. I really enjoyed the outdoor seating areas as well...in 2005 smoking was allowed indoors, but when I came back in 2006 smoking was only allowed outdoors. The staff was alright, nothing remarkable..seemed like some of them didn't want to be there and it showed. Even when the bar closes the outdoor seating area remains avilable to hang out at. I really enjoyed this place but would only recommend stopping by if you're staying close by...no need to make a special trip. Next time I'm in London I'll probably stop by to see how things have changed. read more

So I used to frequent here quite a bit when I did my postgrad course here, my friends and I would meet here and in the summer it was beautiful because it's situated in this wonderful west london type quad there is a grass to sit on and it's lively and buzzing. Now that I'm not a student anymore, apparently you can't use the union, unless you are a lifetime alumni. But I still have contacts in the college that will get us in and it's right next door to the royal Albert hall which is really convenient for quick food and drink at a student price before any show. So it's basic grub but can't really complain when the drinks are so darn expensive in the royal Albert hall! The bar itself is a genius move, it's massive, takes up 80 percent the length of the bar so getting served is actually quite easy. At the moment, they're doing specialty shots which I didn't try but if you're student and you go here, that is something to do! read more

Now I recently reviewed ULU and have decided to be diplomatic. Mainly because I have friends at both universities and would like them to remain friends. Also because I want access to both unions even though I don't go to either university anymore! Plus points for ICU: - The building is stunning and set in a brilliant area of London. Hyde Park, Royal Albert Hall, museums all on your doorstep. - Cheap drinks and decent food. What else do you expect from a student union - 3 different bars, so at least you can try other options if one is packed Negatives: - Small. Not a lot of space for a lot of people to actually hang out, vs ULU anyway. - One bar is called 568. Now I know that whoever came up with thinks it's really witty & clever, but it's actually just geeky (nothing wrong with that, I love being a geek. but there are limits). Translation, union serves pints, which in IMPERIAL units is 569 mL. Oh dear. - Location. Kensington is EXPENSIVE and not as close to central central London than ULU (in Bloomsbury, also expensive) The diplomat in me says it's a tie. I actually have a favourite... ;) read more

This is the place we always go drinking after going to the Proms, or other event at the Albert Hall. It is a general meeting point for an one who knows we were there that night; brothers, and yes, even a perfomer once or twice. I like the courtyard feel. I like sitting there on a warm balmy evening listening to my companions debate the merits of the orchestra etc. I know this is a part of my tradition, and really I just love the place. read more

We stayed in the Imperial College Beit Hall for 2 Nights in mid September. After Days & Days of searching for a hotel in a decent location that was under £100 per night we came across Beit Hall. Apart from my Days in University i've never stayed in a Halls of residence so was a little unsure of what to expect but I was suitably impressed. Location is perfect, almost next door to the Royal Albert Hall, One road back from Hyde Park / Kensington Gardens, 5mins walk to the Science & Natural History Museum, 10mins Walk to Knightsbridge, and a Bus Stop right outside that takes you into Central London - Picadilly. We booked a Twin (En-Suite) which was situated on the 2nd floor and overlooked the main street. The Decor was plain and Simple & reminded me of my own Halls of residence. The main thing was that everywhere was clean. The Room was quite spacious, with two single beds, Wardrobe, a bedside table and extra large desk. The windows were huge so it was quite light even on a dull London day! The bathroom was fairly basic with a small shower but adequate for a short stay. I did overhear somebody saying that the rooms on the higher floors with shared bathroom were very small and claustrophobic so pay the extra for an en-suite if you can. The best thing by far was the Breakfast (included in the Price), taken in the Senior Common Room which was a short walk across the road into another building. The Common Room had plenty of Tables and always a fresh stock of Hot and Cold Food. Your Breakfast Voucher entitled you to a Full English Breakfast, Fruit or Cereal, Toast or Crossaints and Juice or a Hot Drink. Unlike some other Buffett Food i've had it was always Hot and Fresh and they never ran out of anything. They also had a lovely Coffee machine which you could use to have a take-away coffee. Beit Hall is a lovely Old building, the Quadrant (Courtyard) has Benches/Tables/Chairs where you can enjoy a drink from the Student Union bar - which was always busy in the evenings. Even though your room was so close to the bar we never experineced any noise from it. In summary - If you can get it at the right price it's well worth it. Simple, Great Value accommodation in a good location and the Breakfast itself is well worth the stay! It's not a Hotel so dont expect all the usual facilites & services of a hotel, and dont expect Luxury. You get what you pay for and the Breakfast is an added bonus! Would def go back again. read more

Ah, IC Union. How I have spent too much time here and have lots of memories (and a few missing ones also). Anyone can drink here, as long as either you or you are with a student, imperial staff, member of the union or join the 'Imperial College Union Refectory Club' for £1. Apart from during term-time on Wednesdays and Saturdays generally you won't get asked for your membership card. Anyway, back to the review... Since the previous reviews of this place, there was a 7-figure refurb of all the bars and nightclub (which acts as a bar if no clubnight is on). It does show, Metric, the club is stunning, with an industrial feel and excellent sound system. The small Union bar with it's wooden decor and real ales is a throwback to traditional bars. 568 is the slight dissapointment. It looks great and has a humongously long bar, showing all major sports events. However for some reason they went for cafe style furniture. It means very few people can actually sit in the bar! This may change with a friend of mine being the Sabb for the bars next year. The real gem is the outside courtyard in the summer. This is the place to drink outside in the summer in South Ken. Either sit on the picnic tables, which can be covered in case of rain or laze on the two small grass lawns. Often a BBQ will run, which is a little expensive but generally nice. When the undergrads leave, the clientèle are postgrads and staff and clever Proms goers - some of the musicians end up here too. The main plus point is that it is the cheapest bar in South Kensington. Has a better range of lagers, beers and cider than you might think. Not so much choice for wine and spirits. Food is a bit hit and miss depending on what you have. I would avoid the bolognaise like the plague but the burgers in particular are generally good. Opening hours are generally midday to 11pm. read more

Best bar of imperial. Great vibe Lots of fun stuff Both indoor and outdoor seating Cheap drinks And very noisy. Always preferred to sit outside even in the winter, it has a better feeling Definitely recommend every imperial student to pick union bar when deciding between options. I wish they were offering cocktails and more often live music read more

Oh the Union... the land of cheap drinks and lots of students. This is the main student bar for Imperial College students. There are drink specials all over the place, and if you're a student at Imperial you'll probably love the place. If not, well either you put up with it, or you must have a pretty good reason to be there! That said, there is a huge outdoor area out front, and multiple bars inside. The main bar has three projectors that show matches on screens, and on the weekends there is a side bar (that's big!) that becomes a club at night. On the opposite side you'll find more of a pub feel with a dart board and tables to sit at. read more

Does what it says on the tin-- studenty priced drinks and bad music abounding and, well, not much reason to come if you're not studenty or want to meet those types. (I was here for an event) read more

Technically IC union is only for University of London students, but in reality they never check any identification if there's not a special event going on. If anyone questions you just start talking about fluid mechanics or something and they'll leave you alone. IC union bar is pretty good. It's divided into two parts: the main bar and the union bar. They both sell a good selection of real ales and the main bar shows sporting events etc. You can also sit outside in the quad in summer - very pleasant in the evening. The union bar is basically an 'old man's pub' with nice wooden tables and even more real ales. It's really nice and very cheap by london prices. An excellent place to kick off an evening. read more

In my day (~2000) I saw The Mighty Boosh, Dave Gorman, Ross Noble and Daniel Kitson live at IC Union in the space of one year. Wasn't as good in my final year though. As has been said already, cheap booze is the order of the day. Other great things that have happened here include 12-hour straight movie marathons (6pm-6am) for something like £10 which were legendary, and cocktail nights. That was a while ago though, dunno what it's like now. Just outside is the Royal Albert Hall, scene of Michael Caine's punch-up with some spooks in The Ipcress File. read more

Cheap drinks and (slightly dodgy) food, as you'd expect from a student union. In summer it's nice to sit out in the courtyard. Handy for the Albert Hall. read more

This has been my union for the past 6 years. And I've never had a dull night there. Unlike other student unions, Imperial College has a much more laid back approach - more pub than club - and the people are friendly and, well, studenty. With a new evening menu serving a wide variety of snacks and meals (not particularly great but you get what you pay for) and £1.50 a pint, this is a great place for an inexpensive night of drinks and chatter with mates. The weekly quiz is also worth noting. Free to enter and a £50 top prize. It has gone downhill in the past couple of years and often competes with the noise of football on the many widescreen TVs dotted about the place. Still good fun though. End of term is always a big celebration and is hosted by Radio 1 djs and the like. This union comes highly recommended - but I am biased! read more