This Anchor Bankside was a great choice! We had some fun cocktails to cool us down (the Aperol Spritz was fantastic!) during the heat wave. We also ordered the fish and chips and basically licked our plate clean they were so delicious! You have to order at the bar, but super easy. Location is great, right by the river, and right next to the Globe Theater, London Bridge, and Borough Market! Definitely stop in and give it a try! read more

Great pub! My wife and I were visiting from New York, and are admittedly not the curators of London cuisine, but we had some great food and a great time! Service was quick and friendly, the prices were definitely a bit steep compared to some of the other pubs we visited, but we felt the end justified the means. This place is a bit of a landmark, and you definitely pay for it, but the interior and exterior are adorable, and the location is bar-none right on the Thames. Notes for outsiders (like us!): There is traditionally no wait service at pubs in London (probably everywhere in the UK? I can only speak to London). You order and pay at the bar and the food is brought to your table. The ordering and paying also takes place at the same time. Additionally, tipping is a whole different ball game here. What most of the locals and others explained is that tip is not expected but is appreciated and you typically just round off your bill with the tip. For example, if you bill is 27.50 pounds, you can be nice and just give them 30 and call it even. Maybe we're wrong, but that's what everyone seemed to be doing. Now, a vast number of the pubs in London are "Fuller's" pubs. I never really understood this entirely, but it basically means that the menu and beers are extremely similar everywhere you go with slight deviations (a different pie here, a different beer there) but we were a little confused when so many of the pubs (despite having different names) were nigh carbon copies of each other as far as the menu went. We didn't complain, because it was all great and we were having great experiences, but that was definitely noteworthy. read more

The Anchor - A+ for the choice of red. This place is as cool as it looks. We loved it! - Pubs Near Me - London, XGL

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Great location and good times. Amazing views right on the Thames and several areas to choose from: indoors, outside standing room, beer garden patio, or rooftop terrace. Great selection of food and drinks, good crowd but not rowdy. read more

The Anchor - Pubs Near Me - London, XGL

Yummy cider.. great food.. Cozy place, with great service. Upstairs n downstairs, so plenty of space. Fish n chips are finger licking good read more

The Anchor Bankside is a wonderful historic building located right on the banks of the River Thames. It has enjoyed a colourful history providing services to the local community since 1822. Nowadays, however, the only services this place provides are aimed at increasing the already large numbers of tourists that come for the 'quaint' appeal of this drinking establishment. As such continued refurbishments have robbed it of much of its original character and the prices and quality of service have respectively gone up and down. The Anchor is massive. Set over a sprawling four floors it incorporates a fish and chip shop, restaurant, bar, roof terrace and a tearoom. The large outdoor spaces of this pub make it an extremely popular location during the summer months. The atmosphere here is loud and raucous and the crowd made up predominantly of office workers, tourists and a few shoppers from the nearby Borough Market. After office hours the place can become filled to the rafters so this place is one to avoid if you're after a quiet drink. In terms of drinks you'll find a decent selection of bottled and draught beers but not much else besides. The tourist trade ensures that the prices here can also be quite steep. It's a shame that such a rich historic building as this has been rinsed of the identity it once had, hopefully other historic pubs will not go the same way. read more

The Anchor - Pubs Near Me - London, XGL

I have fond memories of my recent visit to the Anchor. I was able to enjoy a few pints along the river in their beer garden and even got a sunburn. The location is great and makes it a tourist trap. I've never eaten here, just drank some good beers of which they have a nice variety. Since the usual gloomy weather parted and the sun baked London, everyone was outside and the riverwalk was a popular place to be. The beer garden was splendid on this particular day and I found myself a quiet table and read my book, people watched and had a few nice brews. Whenever I'm around Borough Market, The Globe or Tate Modern I always make my way here for a pint. Sunburned, in London. I can't make this stuff up. read more

Beautiful looking from the outside, lot of character from the outside and brilliant location - as many before me have written. Lots of space inside, but maze like in the ground floor and a nice out door patio to sit. Went after dark so the view was so so. From the fare perspective - while the bar tenders were friendly they didn't have basic single malts we asked for, asked for a double gin and tonic but I believe I got vodka lemonade instead. I am was told by my friends that the house wine was nice. Food was below average - we ordered some veggie nachos but it was too salty. We asked for some ketchup for the chips which never came. No one cleared the tables on cue and there were broken chairs lying around which had the potential to cause serious bodily harm - with protruding nails. As many would agree - looks good from the outside, nice location that's pretty much it. Tourists might enjoy but I will probably not visit again. read more

The Anchor - Pubs Near Me - London, XGL

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This pub shares the name of a dive bar relatively close to my heart. It was less inspiring of affection, but I did have a good time at this Anchor. During my time in London I happened on a few pubs that shared an identical menu, down to the font and drawing of fish on the cover. This was one of them. If someone could explain this chain of unapparent chain pubs, I would appreciate it. I didn't eat here, but I did indulge in a couple bottles of some reasonably priced, potable wine with a few friends. The place was big, with a nice relaxed atmosphere suggestive of a long and very British history. Service at the bar was efficient and friendly enough. Otherwise, I have very little to report. I had a good time, but I don't exactly have strong feelings about this Anchor. Also, of all the places to have a Wikipedia page: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anchor_Bankside. read more

I will start by saying I am a shameless tourist. As most people have stated, this is a tourist trap, but we enjoyed it. We walked past it at a point in our day when we were hungry for anything and it wasn't crowded at all, around 1pm on a Monday. Ordered at the bar and the food was delivered to the table. It was hot and tasted ok. Good serving size filled me up. Bathrooms weren't as dreadful as has been stated. read more

The Anchor - Some fish and chips. It was ok. - Pubs Near Me - London, XGL

Stopped in for lunch on our first day...very charming exterior, a bit touristy inside (the pinball machines don't harken the 1800s so much ;o) However, we had a nice time here....food was tasty, especially the Big Ben Burger. Several nice cider selections for me...aka the drinking lightweight. read more

Unlike our first visit, the weather has changed, so an inside seat was required. Always a busy pub but you can always find a table somewhere. Friendly people so sharing can be fun and you never know those other sharers may like a chat, especially if they are visitors and want a little help with the ways of London. Plenty of space and a good choice of beers. Quick service even though very busy. read more

This beautiful old pub provides a great open mic and is an interesting place to perform. The staff are friendly also.

Given it's location, this is obviously a touristy pub. Still, it's got some good ambiance and a view that can't be beat if you're sitting outside on a warm afternoon. The food is entirely average. The burgers aren't bad, but they certainly won't impress your taste buds like a masterful creation from Byron. A weird caveat - when I ordered at the bar they told me it'd take 45 minutes for two burgers. This is around 6pm on a weekday. I said fine, but 15 minutes later our burgers arrived. So I'm not sure what that was about, but just FYI for anyone else who encounters the same! read more

The Anchor - A very fuzzy picture of a very busy bar! - Pubs Near Me - London, XGL

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The Anchor is a traditional pub on the river. It is lacking in character and atmosphere and, as with lots of old pubs, the inside is fairly dingy and uninspiring. There is also an outside seating area with views across the river, which is very much the place to be. The clientele is a mix of business people, tourists and people walking up the river to visit the various museums etc. Consequently there isn't really much of a crowd to help make it feel less anonymous. The Anchor is a fairly inoffensive and bland pub. Fine for a drink outside if the weather's nice. Otherwise perhaps avoid. read more

The Anchor - Pubs Near Me - London, XGL

The most advertised menu item... fish and chips (of course). But, you can't serve fish & chips when you have NO CHIPS! Bar tender couldn't care less and had no idea how to make a martini. I know, it's a pub. But it's London and I even said "shaken, not stirred." Actually, I didn't. But in James Bond's own country, they should've been able to take care of me. read more

Originally a classic and famous pub. It burned down a couple years ago and they did a nice job restoring the facade (except for the ghastly illuminated plastic sign in place of the previous brass one) but the interior has lost its previous charm. Four or five cask ales and many more taps of stuff that shouldn't be poured in a real pub, but it's very busy and I suppose that most of the tourists (unlike me) want the same stuff they can get in the States or in Europe. They've expanded and updated the terrace. It now has it's own bar and wicker chairs instead of the previous picnic benches. Directly upon the river, it's a very pleasant spot when the weather is nice. read more

Fun little pub on the Thames. Good for a pint. Didn't try the food but enjoyed a drink while watching the river go by.

Busy South Bank of Thames pub with good beer and fast service. Always busy and can get cramped inside, with tides of people as the nearby offices close in the evenings. There's a large amount of external seating (also busy) and so there will usually be people standing alongside the river, with its good views across to St Pauls. Pub grub and more seating upstairs, which still requires getting there early to be sure of a seat. Some reviewers say the service is slow; its one of those places that just has huge demands from the staff and the ones that can really work the bar can shift orders fast. Its also good to catch an eye and some staff can be stacking the orders well. Otherwise it could be a long wait. Experienced ordering required ;-) Oh yes, its old - circa 16-something. read more

The Anchor - Anchor - on the Thames - Pubs Near Me - London, XGL

I hate writing bad reviews but the food was terrible no one enjoyed there meals. Place is nice and laid out good... but food yuck

Good fish and chips, and chicken pie, however the beers listed were all missing. Service was lacking and the tables were dirty. This place is gorgeous on the outside but not a nice dinner place to come to. read more

The Anchor - Pubs Near Me - London, XGL

I thought this place was pretty good for being right on the border of tourist central. Decent food and drinks at a reasonable price. My wife really enjoyed the fish a chips. It's right on the river so the view is great. Draft beer was colder than most pubs we visited which is a huge plus for us Americans. read more

Apparently Shakespeare and Charles Dickens has had a drink here so I had to try it. Excellent location overlooking river Thames. Classic pub with a very classy interior. Big selection of beers. Famous for fish and chips. And oh for the vegetarians folks, they have veggie fish (cheese) and chips on the menu too. It was ok though. The balcony on the 1st floor has nice views. Check it out. read more

Down another few centuries from the Tate Modern this old pin is pretty good. The Guinness on tap is Evers so much better than what comes to the US. Food is adequate but a good stop read more

My first introduction to British fish and chips and mushy peas did not disappoint. The portion sizes were huge and the fish was lightly crusted and very tasty. Paired it with a cider, and had a great time in a fun pub environment. read more

The Anchor - Strawberry and Lime cider - Pubs Near Me - London, XGL

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Do use this as a central meeting point for a group of you. Do take advantage of the beer garden out the front when it's warm Do keep an eye on your belongings Don't eat here. Really, don't. Do enjoy the views of the river. Don't ask the staff for too much more than a drink, because they won't understand you. Don't stay here all night. Do come here expecting bad service, and maybe be pleasantly surprised. read more

Really loved this pub, especially with its ties to Shakespeare and old historic London! This is the kind of pub I remember going to with my mom when I was a kid traveling through Ireland and England. Dark, cozy with lots of happy laughter and drink clinking. We were just stopping by after a visit to the Globe, so we only had beers. Would like to come back next time for the full meal. You can't beat the atmosphere here. They also have a nice patio outside right on the river if it's a nice day. Have fun! read more

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It's hard to rate any old English pub poorly, considering the history and heritage each one possesses. We finished our night time on the river Thames bike tour with a pint from the anchor pub. According to our tour guide its one of the oldest in the cities. What I found to make this pub stand out from the others is that it was playing "club" top 40 music....some may love that, some may not. read more

First off, I'm visting from the US, so I'm no expert, but in the few days I've been here, this is the worst pub we've been to. I'll never go back, there are too many other choices. The fish and chips were bad and not even hot. The sausage roll was basically a large hotdog in the same (crappy) batter as the fish and chips. The service was "meh". We got served, but nobody smiled or made us feel like we were welcome there. We went in the first place because the location and building look amazing. So they go that going for them, which is nice. read more

We booked this for Christmas dinner. Paid 40 pounds upfront to secure our spot. Love this pub. It's such a standard English pub, very quaint but lots of seating. I've been before for drinks and it's always packed and is in a great location right on the Bankside promenade along the Thames. We booked this because it had a turkey dinner option but also standard fare to choose from on a set menu. When we arrived for our 4PM booking the pub was packed but our table was reserved and set with a sign, place settings and Christmas crackers. Loved that. Food was great, drinks were great. All in all a very festive Christmas dinner. My only complaint was that they had run out of TURKEY. What?? So I managed to get my dinner with all the fixings without turkey, sigh. And it took forever for our desserts to come out despite asking. Still, love The Anchor. read more

The Anchor Bankside is appealing because it is an old pub but beneath the elderly exterior, it is really just an average riverside pub. The views are lovely - especially in the summer but that is probably just about the only element that makes this pub special. It can get busy at times, especially at lunch but this ends to be from the surrounding companies and tourists. It doesn't have much of a friendly local pub vibe, and even on a night there isn't any atmosphere. The food is ok - I have tasted better. The chips are very nice though - big and chunky but that is probably the best choice to go for in my experience! The food is also very expensive and the portions rather small. My friend actually ordered 2 for himself! read more

OK beer. Bad food. Worse service. Pimms from a tap. Nice location if it's sunny. (but, then, it's on the south side of the river where all the nice stuff to look at is and where the shadows come first, so...) Not as expensive as they could have made it. Patience with staff, customers, neighbours, cyclists, and more required. But you'll end up here anyway, at some point. Expect bad, and it'll be nicer. (Apparently Samuel Pepys watched the Fire from here) read more

Overcrowded, Overrated, Overpriced. The food arrived cold to table with a sauce that the bussgirl claimed she had no idea what it was. For fish and chips in London how could you mess it up. I get it if I went to long John Silvers.... but at highly suggested landmark restaurant bar, it is unacceptable. I think the sauce was gravy. Anyway your mileage may vary, but we were not impressed read more

We came here for a visit to escape the biting wind of the Thames and to sit down after transporting a couple of heavy bags around through Tower Bridge and the South Bank after checking out of the hotel. It's very much a "tourist trap" although some of the patrons appeared to be City workers unwinding after a day in the office. The gentleman who took my order from me was very pleasant although I would say that prices were above what I would call standard pub fare. However, I detract. The chips and side of bread & butter were delicious and warming! I have deducted one star for the state of the toilets. They weren't dirty but definitely lacked any attention in the decoration stakes. I would say that the dull paintwork and lighting gave it the aura of dirtiness. Would I recommend here? Based on my first visit, I would. There's a decent seating area outside which would be ideal for the Summer months. The staff were friendly and polite and after the hustle and bustle of being pushed around by the man on the street it made a pleasant change! read more

I love the Anchor because it epitomizes summer in London. The pub is always full of hustle and bustle, people from all walks of life are sitting in the sun on the roof, drinking a pint, eating some English pub delightful food and reveling in the beautiful weather. The view of the Thames and the surrounding area is outstanding, and I always feel like a local when coming here... read more

Great place for a beer on on a sunny day. We passed several hour on a sunny day there

Hopelessly touristy but the offerings are steadily consistent. You can't beat the location -- sublimely planted on the south bank of the Thames, near the Shakespeare Globe, The Anchor's facade embodies everything about charming London pubs: beautifully potted outdoor flowers, stone scaffolds, chalkboard signs, cask ales and MEAT PIES. The steak and ale pie was surely frozen and then heated - -but it didn't stop it from being pretty G-damn delicious. This isn't a bad stop on a warm (or cold!) day during a stroll. It's just not particularly remarkable. There isn't a neighborhood feel and it's chock a block with tourists. Still, when you need a drink, you need a drink. read more

An utterly unremarkable pub. The beer on offer is limited, they're usually really busy and under staffed so expect a frustrating wait at the bar whilst they serve people in the wrong order. Considering the pub itself has been around since the 1600's (or something) the interior is awful and unauthentic. It has a Wetherspoons feel. On the up side, the Chips I had from the Fish and Chip shop above the pub were pretty good and it has a really large seating area outside by the River - but it does get very busy! read more

I remember this place of old before the Borough was fashionable and before they built the ghastly hotel on the back and the extension by the garden. It was worth a visit then. It isn't any more. Tolp tip: If you are passing in the mrning and fancy a bacon sandwich walk-on-by they will tell you to have the hotel buffet breakfast which isn't expensive for what it is but £9 is outrageous for a sandwich. read more

Went in here before we saw our show at the Globe and had a Sunday roast while watching Wimbledon on the TV. The staff was a bit rude, especially when compared to the others at comparable locations...but seeing how this is in the "tourist" area, I'm assuming they get real tired real fast. The food was delicious. Chicken, veggies, gravy, and whatnot washed down with a lovely cider. The restrooms are annoyingly all the way down on the first floor. read more

I understand why this place isn't reviewed well - it's wholly unremarkable inside. I wouldn't go if I had to be inside. But the large seating area outside makes it good. And here's why: You can find a sunny spot next to the Thames with a great view of St Paul's Cathedral on the north side of the river. The cobblestone street will inevitably result in some good people watching as well - a favourite pastime of mine. Clearly it's a tourist spot since it's in close proximity to Borough Market and the Globe, but did I mention you can find a sunny spot on the Thames? I noticed the pub in the background during a Get Him to the Greek scene. If it's good enough for Aldous Snow, it's good enough for me. read more