BFI Bar / BFI Cafe in Lambeth

It's quite gloomy and sterile - even in the bright sunshine - and the outside tables are whipped by the winds flowing under the bridge. The service was reasonably efficient. The food was rather bland and the coffee bitter and metallic. A bit of a disappointment.

Great food and beer. Service was fantastic and a good location by the river

The barman was so rude and had such an arrogant attitude. Will not be spending any more money there! Such a shame as it’s a lovely venue and I had a wonderful previous experience at the other bar/restaurant overlooking the river.

Don’t expect to grab a coffee after an evening screening - not even Coffee and Cigarettes. The bar is open until 10pm. The very expensive looking coffee machine behind the bar closes 2 hours earlier - for cleaning. There is no explanation for this except this is the instruction of Benugo HQ. Right now there are more staff behind the bar doing not much, than customers. Ditto Balcony Bar. At least the Coffee machine looks clean.

We had a wonderful time here. Thank you and a shout-out for our server Bibish who even helped us move to somewhere more quiet so we could all gossip in peace. Thank you

A bit noisy but great bar with nice service

This might be my favourite place to get a margarita ever

Lovely spot for a chilled something. Food is ok if somewhat overpriced. Service is quick and polite. The main attraction is the space and setting close to the Southbank. Lighting could be improved for a little more brightness without destroying the atmosphere as it can get quite dark.

Always love coming here. Such a great place to have a coffee or order a cocktail with a book or see a arty film

Great service. Tasty food but not much of it. Great location

Good for a pre and or after showing drink

Lovely relaxing atmosphere, friendly and cheerful staff and if you're a member the prices are really good, it's worth joining up just for that.

my friends and I had a delightful evening at the BFI Bar on 21/01/25. The bartender upstairs on this night around 5:30-8:30 was absolutely impeccable, so accommodating and kind (we wish we got her name for this review). We will 100% be attending once again. Can’t fault the service or recommend the house white enough. P.S. the padron peppers were perfection on a plate 😋

For me, there's a certain vibe that I just enjoy here!

Has a captive audience of BFI patrons. Bar is disorganised and wine is terrible. Draft beers better and staff are friendly enough. Closes bizarrely early.

This is a lovely hangout for avant-garde film and moving picture creatives such as actors and other film experts. Cinemas are amazing inside with super comfortable seatings and proper film buff kind of a feel inside. BFI often shows movies which are impossible to find in regular cinemas and in the mainstream picture houses. In the BFI you also have a very interesting media library, where you can watch movies in your own booth or with another person together. I believe this facility is free, with fair use terms applied to it. The cafe and restaurant is also very nice and has a great atmosphere to it with dimmed down lights.

Great place on the south bank to drink and chat quietly away from the crowds (except during film festival). Decent drink and bar food selection

Beware the bar snacks menu without vat or service charge..deceitful

Nice bar, very pricey. Good atmosphere and always buzzing with film lovers.

Really lovely atmosphere. I've never been to a cinema quite like it. I wish it didn't close so early!

Be sure that Valeria will serve your table! Great service from her! 😊

Great environment and super handy for the cinemas and theatres. Also good for laptopping with plenty of power sockets. I had some delicious croquettes with chorizo and manchego cheese, and a passable (but slightly sad-looking) Spicy Paloma to drink.

Always a stunning place to relax before and after good films.

Went to watch Sir Micheal Palin Nigerian Documentary preview. It was nice

Came to study on a Saturday. Google says it opens at 11 but they opened at 11.15 (not that big of a deal but it was freezing and there was a line of five other people). Walked in, freezing inside too. Got a latte and some treats to warm up. The carrot cake was okay, the millionaire slice was rock hard, and the chocolate slice was more like a tasteless brownie. Tables are big and lots of seating but I won’t come again as there are far better spots in London.

Love the BFI the place is unmatched especially if you’re a film lover but I go here to work a lot and there is one specific barista who is absolutely horrible - went to get a coffee today (Wednesday afternoon) and work and the man who took my order acted as if I killed his mum or something, I was being polite & I was laughing about something and he looked at me like I was an cancerous tumour, actually just ruined the BFI for me. All the other baristas are nice but just this one grown man is HORRIBLE no clue what his name is but I swear to God you work in the BFI for gods sake all of us film lovers would love to work here can you at least have some basic human decency thanks. Not going to be going here on a Wednesday afternoon because he made me feel rather ashamed to even be alive to be honest x

Nice space to work (kind of)…the atmosphere inside is nice, generally normal decent folk working and socialising. The staff at the coffee bar are borderline NPCs though, zero human qualities, maybe they hate their job but at least say hello or smile, it’s a baseline requirement. Wake up. The internet is a shambles, SORT IT OUT, is it really that hard? Senior management can you weigh in? It’s 2024 and I can’t play video or load my email properly. Give your tables a wipe. Smile. Drink some water.

Very. Very basic… bland food, some staff members ignorant about cuisine

It's my regular writing spot. A decent place to work with your laptop. You see lots of others on their laptops. The atmosphere in the bar section is very chill and cosy. The cafe is a Benugo chain which is pricey. The bar food is also rather pricey and the drinks are priced mid-upper. However, the staff are very nice.

Easy place to meet for a quiet drink. Nice service. Food was average at best - ok if you’re really hungry but all quite deep fried.

Went for drinks for a birthday celebration. Atmosphere was lovely until we were kicked out, and when I say kicked out, there was no finish your drinks after last round at leisure... it was: we are closed, leave, now.

Spacious bar in the Southbank, easy place to meet people.

Overpriced, slow service, limited choice, overcrowded

Doesn't take cash,but there are no signs telling customers this. This is discrimination. Unhelpful bar staff.

Lovely spot for a drink. Comfy sofas and chairs and not packed or loud. Nice decor and chilled atmosphere.

Dont know about the food as we just watched a movie and drank wine afterwards

Over crowded with film types talking about their hopes and dreams of making a movie whilst sipping on £10 Flat Whites.

We had a wonderful lunch for 14 of us, the amazing lady that served us was brilliant & the food delicious - thank you !!

Nice place to hang out. Reminds me of Cactus Cafe in Canada

I was shocked by the service we got. The waitress made a mistake and served a medium glass of wine instead of a small one. When she realized, she threw the exceeding wine in the sink instead of gifting it. We ordered food and they didnt provide cutlery because they were too busy. They did not provide any options, just asked us to eat with our hands. First and last time.

I haven't tried their food yet. Friendly helpful staff, beautiful environment with seats having power sockets and various types of sofas and chairs. Not much 4G/5G signal though

Very bad service and too expensive for the regular food they offered.

Lovely atmosphere. Too high price.

A very lovely chilled out place to have a coffee

I have always had a good experience at the BFI in general but when I once asked to have a mock tail they said they didn’t know any recipes and could I provide them with one they then conceded to let me live it up to their discretion but if I were to come into a recipe could you make it for me?

Always a pleasure to spend time here. Great drinks and chilled atmosphere

Looks a lovely place but look closely at the floors as they are not clean specially the carpets

Visited the BFI for Tony Warner's Black History Walks and Films.

Great spot to do some quiet work. Cafe has lots of plugs and WiFi.

Lovely bar staff in the rear bar. They were accommodating and friendly. An extra star for having gluten free pizza options which went down a treat. Fast service in the main restaurant just a touch more of good customer service here could help.

We stopped here for a sit down and chat before heading back off to our base. We did not eat here but the drinks were nice and the service was good. A nice quiet place away from the hustle and bustle of the outside world.

Helpful staff and nice food. They can make tea properly as well. The only downside is the seating isn't very comfortable. The WiFi works well so this is a good place to get some work done when you get fed up with working at home!

Chilled, good vibe and deceng place to work if you can figure out how to get on the WiFi. Bad phone signal though

Really cool space but several staff members were rude and they got my order wrong. So come for the great space but don't expect to feel particularly welcome.

שני אברהם-קליניקת בוטיק! מקום מהמם איפור קבוע, הסרת שיער בלייזר וטיפולי פנים. מטפלת מקצועית ואיכותית!!! נהניתי מכל רגע!!!

One of the few places left in central London to enjoy conversation and drinks in a quiet atmosphere, with the added option of a stroll along the South Bank.

I usually love this bar and decided, because of its great location, that it would be good for hosting my 21st. Booked a table for Easter Sunday - where the website indicated no change in opening hours - from 5pm until close at 9pm. Emailed twice asking whether they were changing their hours for easter, but no one ever got back to me. There's no number you can call. We were told to leave at 7pm because they were shutting earlier. I love this place but their communication needs to be a lot better with prospective customers. I even went to order some food at twenty past six and was told their kitchen had already closed!

BFI Bistro ist sehr beliebt bei Studenten, wer hat hier studiert, was ist besonders, wir haben auch Restaurant und haben kein Bäckerei, manchmal machen selbe kekse, Torten und andere Desserts in der Küche. Sehr frisch, lecker und siehst sehr schön aus

Lovely location, bar staff generally leave a nasty feeling when dealing with them. BFI staff are lovely when you try to complain about the Benugo bar people, but those complaints don't ever seem to change anything

Shears a pleasure to start there as a BFI member

Nice seating, decent atmosphere. The staff act as if they are being forced to work. Backs turned, conversations with others while ordering, no detectable politeness anywhere. Rudeness without actually telling you to frack off. Food was mushy, no cutlery or napkins provided or offered. Noticeable decline from past visits.

We came here for a cup of coffee away from the crowded streets. There is a library, gift shop and upper gallery with some artwork.

The Young girls in the cafe, manager aside, are full of rudeness, lack any manners or respect, have a lazy and immature attitude, no please, no thank you, don't really want to be there or work, a big chip on their shoulders and bias against towards people who are not similar to themselves .. we were served spoons to eat cakes with, no trays take several drinks and food to the table, the manager of East European nationality a taller older girl is the only one who has some training and knows how to behave as a decent human being, I feel very sorry that she has to work with these brats who are just ridiculous but a typical example for their generation.

Great place to hangout. Good food and very friendly staff

Spatious, great to hang out with friends and chat

Busy space but has cosy seating in an industrial environment

Coffee tasty, cakes average, service awful

Really cosy and spacious place to snack,b drink and chat

Nice and quiet place to spend the weekend afternoon.

Expensive drinks, good shop and excellent experience.

There's 4 different places to drink at BFI. I sat in the inside part near the ticket office. Nice place with limited selection of drafts and wines. I suspect most visitors were going to see a film or had just been to one. Sometimes busy but if you wait 10-20 mins you can get a seat. No music. Variety seating areas - ok to chill.

Extremely rude and arrogant bar staff

Good food and service and not too expensive for central London

It closes too early but great place!

Great food, informal, a little noisy.

Incredibly rude disenfranchised staff. I’ve been to more atmospheric morgues. The BFI need to take their catering in-house. The whole thing is a bit sad.

I went here for a quick bite to eat at lunchtime and found it to be quieter than other places nearby. The only vegetarian option was an egg mayonnaise sandwich with white bread - the filling was delicious and the bread was very fresh. I only had water to drink. It seemed to be a place where you can go and sit with your laptop or phone and spend time without spending too much money. I would definitely go again and perhaps try their cakes next time.

Good Portion Food was lovely and drinks were good size. All beautiful and so was the view - well well worth the money! Table service was unbalanced and so was the table we sat at…very wonky indeed! Nearly sent my drink flying across my food at one point. Looking fwd to return!

Lovely little spot to hang out and work. Super friendly staff. Great beers. Nice coffee. Little expensive but real cosy.

Wonderful place. A big shout out to Kaitlin who's big serving smile summarises the atmospher here. It's not my first time here and definitely not my last! Cheers to all that work and rejoice in this wonderful establishment!

Eclectic crowd drawn to an upscale Benugo franchise with costly drinks. Saying that, it's air-conditioned and has ample comfy seating albeit in a very industrial setting. Being a BFI member helps get a discount.

Amazing food, I had the vegan burger and triple cooked chips. Definitely worth visiting the chips are awsome.

Excellent pizza, great choice of wine and fab service. I love sitting outside and watching the world go by.

Very pricey even by London standards. One particular member of staff needs to learn some customer service skills, didn't appreciate being treated like a criminal just because contactless didn't authorise. Very poor.

Great pizza, fantastic riverside views.

Busy ....but good for meeting up with friends...eating and drinking

Casual bar/cafe to relax with a friend or before a show.

Very relaxed and friendly with great whisky

Very nice bar good selection of beers but can get very busy

Nice relaxed place tho get a drink. A bit hit and miss on whether you well get a seat

When less busy this is a great place to visit if you are in the area

A perfectly adequate bar ruined by offensively loud music. Go somewhere else if you can.

Website not updated. It's not a restaurant at present. It's really just a bar. No laid tables as advertised, and a menu that consists of three sandwiches only. All the atmosphere of a Eastern block airport departure lounge. We left without ordering.

Always nice to be by the river and there's a good buzzy atmosphere here, but made the mistake of ordering a pizza. Tiny and tasteless, it induced a feeling somewhere between sadness and regret.

Terrible service, regardless of the price. Food ok at best. Hugely disappointing. Won’t return.

The two stars are for the food, which was fine, although you don’t expect main course options to run out by 5.30pm. We allowed one and a half hours to eat before a film, just a main course and a drink. Must be common around these parts, people trying to see films which start on time . We tried our best to order quickly though it was hard to attract attention. We were the first table in our area to sit down. We got our food 20 minutes before start time and had to bolt it. Also the staff had that hipster casual offhand thing going on and responding to our pleas and enquiries with barely concealed distaste. Don’t worry, they won’t have to deal with the likes of us again. If there’s a minimum time people should allow to eat before a film, might be good to say so. I used to love this place. Shame.

Great location and ambience but there was only one vegan option on the entire menu which was nicely presented but indigestible. Definitely could do better!

Good food, particularly enjoyed the globe artichoke, but the service was even better. Very friendly staff who did what they could to help us enjoy our time there.

Excellent bar, great location, ambiance and music, and no shouty oiks.

A distinctly underwhelming experience. Underwhelming cod with OK tartare sauce and a far too fatty lamb. Below par, not positive service. Not welcoming and a bit haughty. Portion sizes are too small and not good value-for-money. The physical space and atmosphere is better though. The house red wine was OK. Hardly competitive for value though on a busy Southbank. My advice is, have a drink in the bar while you wait for your movie and go elsewhere for food.