The Lighterman in Camden - Phone Number, Reservations, Reviews

We arrived here for a drink; downstairs is the bar, and upstairs is the restaurant area. The bar garden was packed out, but we easily found somewhere to sit. Nice views of the canal, very picturesque.

Only had a drink but it was a decent place

Have been coming to the Lighterman for years with friends for drinks along the canal, it’s a great spot for that. Decided to try out the food and visited with a party of 4, we had a table out on the roof terrace which may have been the reason for my slight concerns. The table itself was excellent, looking over the square outside Central St Martins. However, we felt that frustratingly the outside tables were left a little to their own devices and service was not nearly as quick as you would have hoped. This is a relatively small issue given the food itself was actually incredibly good for what we had thought would be pub standard. One thing to add was that the server called V almost entirely made up for the experience, such as nice guy and really good server. The chorizo flatbread, beef carpaccio and hake & chips are all highly recommended - could not fault any of the courses and as a result would definitely go back even with the slightly slow service. All round, if you can get a table on a sunny day out on the balcony then this place is a great shout for a group of friends to catch up at. Good wine list, great selection of beers and excellent food. In terms of price, I would say to expect anywhere between £40 - £80 pp depending on your choice of wine / drinks.

Terrible table service for food. Servers pointedly ignore you and still impose a completely unearned service charge.

Writing this review as I sit here, frustrated by the service. Despite our repeated attempts to order, the waitress consistently ignored us, making the experience even more disappointing. Her demeanor was cold and unapproachable, and she barely attended to our table. We eventually had to approach the kitchen just to place our order, and even then, she turned away until one of my friends had to raise her arm to finally get her attention. To make matters worse, they still had the nerve to include a service charge on top of all this.

A very good drinking / eating spot right on Granary Square, with attentive and friendly service and a decent wine list. The food was a little overpriced for what you get, and the menu is sparse, but tasty nonetheless.

Nice views in Granary Square, but portion sizes for the prices were v poor value. Good and friendly service. This is my second visit but o won’t return as there is better value elsewhere in this great area of London

Good place although trying to get a coffee was hard work "A decaff Americano please" Not a difficult question one would think!!

Great location, but the service is a joke and it will cost you a fortune

Great place to end a lovely Saturday put with evening drinks by the canal.

Had a lovely meal with friends here on Monday night. Great atmosphere and we would definitely come back. The Spiced margarita was amazing!

Nice spot to have lunch. Friendly service. Food was a bit tasteless

A delightful place to enjoy your drinks with your friends and family. Excellent service

Was very busy but got a table and had a few drinks and snacks outside. Nice place

Service and atmosphere is great! Good veggie options

It was a great experience, lovely food and excellent services. Specially the manager Jon and his staff were really friendly. Great day out to celebrate London sunny day😎👌.

Great spot buzzing reasonably priced great view setting by the regents canal

**PLEASE READ** I would like to say that this place has immense potential, but on our visit with a party of 11 they fell short on various aspects. I found the food prices slightly excessive and the food quality very mediocre. Portion sizes for some dishes are reasonable and for others it was abysmal. Service was awful. Very long waits for drinks orders, we needed to confirm how many of a certain dish we needed to order, and we were still OVERCHARGED on the bill for a dish we didn’t order. I believe they are abusing the location to maximise profits and not focusing on the core of the purpose of a gastropub; to offer good quality food, good service for a good price. I urge you all to attend to for drinks as then venue is lovely, BUT PLEASE be outspoken about anything you’re unhappy with. They’ve been getting away with it for too long.

Good place to meet after work. The downside is you have to order food to sit on level 1.

12.5 % discretionary tax exempted service charge. We got up and left. Raise prices instead of guilt-tripping customers. This is NOT advertised on the outside menu. Shame.

Very rude bartender wanted to charge me for someone else drink. No apologies either.

Had a lovely evening and service from V was excellent. He was attentive and helpful whenever we needed anything-especially friendly and helpful with the kids!

My benedict eggs were disappointing, the muffin was cold, the egg no runny, wish I had ordered something else. My friend was very happy with her avocado on toast. The natural juices and the coffee were great.

I don’t usually write bad reviews but I had a terrible experience at this restaurant. The dining experience itself was good but the restaurant charged me £80 for a no show despite me dining at the time of my reservation. Once I realised, I immediately called them to rectify the issue and the person on the line told me they would get back to me via email. This happened, I was asked to send a copy of either an invoice or the bill and once I sent them a copy of my transaction which clearly states time date name and location I am still being questioned and the restaurant hasn’t started its refund process yet. Quite ridiculous service, what had to be a casual dinner with friends ended up in multiple calls and an email chain trying to prove that I showed up with my guests.

Absolutely fantastic for Summer Friday Drinks and food. Fully accessible (many restaurants in Coal Drops Yard are not accessible), take a seat upstairs on the terrace overlooking the whole of Coal Drops Yard. I recommend the Chalkstream trout ceviche, St Ives monkfish scampi and fish and chips. The service is great: we chatted to the newly appointed manager and he was lovely! Great atmosphere and a brilliant place to meet lots of friends. Very highly recommended.

A rare occasion when a restaurant was too quick. We just had a main course, which was OK rather than great. The food was served almost immediately after ordering, so that we'd finished eating 27 minutes after arriving at the restaurant and had largely finished before our drinks arrived.

Great vibe. We came in for drinks and was served by Pedro, who was a great host behind the bar.

Unfortunately I dined here for dinner last night and didn’t have a pleased experience. I had the Chicken Schnitzel and grilled broccoli and contracted food poisoning. The chicken looked cooked but it was covered in breadcrumbs so it’s hard to tell. Apart from that, the atmosphere is great with views over the canal.

Lovely food and staff, bit expensive tho,but it is in a tourist spot.

There needs to be an allergy list as servers get their information wrong. The restaurant gave me an item on the house due to them serving me with the thing I am allergic to Food taste was lovely and the restaurant is very clean, atmosphere is relaxed and the location is beautiful

Food is average Nice atmosphere The service was excellent

Great bar, great food it's situated right next toothed canal, it's a great place to meet up, talk, socialise and enjoy

Waited over 30mins in outside queue for beer, only to be told they had run out and had to join the inside queue. No apology or help offered, appreciate it was busy, but no customer service. Also there was no cleanliness for the outside bar, the barmen where pouring beer into bins, no sink. So smell was getting worse in the hot weather.

Beautiful pub great views. Smashing Guinness. Proper pub.

An awesome meal! Well prepared & delicious.

Had a group lunch, food was good and reasonable value, will definitely come back in the future

What a find - quite by accident. Fantastic food and an excellent range of drinks. Good value and good service. Hake and chips was fab and pannacotte superb

Sorry guys but pathetic, lack of taste, long wait, no ambience. But staff really nice

A great location near to King’s Cross Station. A nice spot when the sun is shining and you’re looking to have brunch or a late lunch. Varied menu and good cocktail menu. Looking forward to returning to sample their famous roast.

While roaming around the granary square on a Tuesday evening, the outside ambience of the lighterman caught our attention first. We didn't book earlier, so they couldn't give us a table by the window and also rooftop was privately hired that day. Highly recommend booking in advance. Went to the restaurant mainly to have some light snacks, but the lovely staff rahat was so accommodating that we ended up having our main dinner there. I am so happy that he made my parents' first time UK visit memorable. We wanted to add some more on top of the service charge, but he requested to leave a review instead. Thank you!

We went to The Lighterman for a work lunch to celebrate as a team. When ordering, I asked the waiter (Ibra / Ibham?) if their risotto dish could be made without any cheese of any kind advising the waiter that I was vegan, yet also allergic to vegan cheese. The waiter said that was no problem. I was then brought real cheese and had to send the dish back. Then I was brought the replacement risotto, with vegan cheese mixed throughout the dish. I was then told that it was not possible to make the risotto without any cheese. I explained to the manager that I highlighted my allergy and dietary preferences to the waiter when first ordering, and it had not been communicated to me that my request was impossible. The female manager then worked hard to create a variation of a dish that I could eat, which was kind of her, however by the time my food finally arrived all of my team had finished eating and I was left alone eating at the table feeling even more self-conscious after all the back and forth from earlier also. It was such an embarrassment and then the male manager kept coming over to try and make out that it wasn't their fault that they'd not advised me as a customer initially, and then that they'd brought out the wrong food to me twice. I appreciate my dietary requirements are very specific, but all I was after was clear communication from the start, and to have a meal with my colleagues where attention wasn't continually drawn to me and my alternative dietary needs. The Lighterman is a nice venue, but they need to learn a lot more about how to communicate with customers transparently and respectfully.

We enjoyed a lovely team dinner at The Lighterman on a Wednesday evening. The menu had plenty of great options, everybody enjoyed their food, all dishes arrived quickly and our waitress was lovely. Thank you Sophie for looking after us so well - we had a great time.

There are no sound buffers and it’s all open plan, so it’s very loud. The scampi was 10/10, but my burger was dry and tasteless. The chips were more scraps than potato. They added a 12.5% service charge to the bill - which is standard these days - but then our server handed me the card machine and explained that I could leave a tip if I wanted?! I felt like he was trying to pull a fast one by trying to make me tip on top of a tip. Not good!

There are no sound buffers and it’s all open plan, so it’s very loud. The scampi was 10/10, but my burger was dry and tasteless. The chips were more scraps than potato. They added a 12.5% service charge to the bill - which is standard these days - but then our server handed me the card machine and explained that I could leave a tip if I wanted?! I felt like he was trying to pull a fast one by trying to make me tip on top of a tip. Not good!

Great location, good food, friendly and efficient service

We were a party of 13, so always a challenge for a venue, especially one as busy as The Lighterman. However, the service and food were great. The food was hot, tasty and all arrived together, so we were not eating in shifts! We were served by Rahat who was friendly, very helpful and patient! I was particularly pleased to receive help for my gluten free diet. Nothing was too much trouble and Rahat quickly went through the menu identifying all the items that were suitable. For once I didn’t feel I needed to apologise for having a medical condition! We all enjoyed our evening in this extremely popular venue. Thank you so much.

Amazing place with excellent service and great food. We arrived by foot after having googled from our airbnb near by. From the lower level we decided not to spend time because of the noise. We went up to the square and here the level of noise was much better. We got a nice table in a corner outside and started to order. The Indian servant was super attentive and friendly. The starter cocktail was sweet as we like it and from there things was just showing that it was the right choice. The starter was a flat bread with mozarelka and tomatoes. I was expecting a bruscetta-thing but it was actually a small pizza. Super tasty. The waiter gave us a break before the main. We chose a wagyo burger which unfortunately was over done but everything else was amazing. I highly recommend this place for a nice informal meal.

Good food and wine, nice view from the top terrace.

We had a great time, a big thank you to rahat, such an amazing waiter, he provided a great service, with precise and spotted recomandations. We will definitely be back.

Nice place and good food however one of the hosts there wasn't particularly nice, doesn't bother me massively but not sure if others would cope with such thing. Food is good, can recommend the burata.

Great night. Fun pub. Excellent service from Rosie. Thank you!

Terrible service, avoid anytime after 3pm

Today was the hottest day of the year, I was in the king's cross/st pancras area and I came across this place. The staff were really lovely and friendly, even though the bar was incredibly busy I was able to be served relatively quickly. I bought a bottle of prosecco and two glasses of water and I'll certainly be going back to the lighterman.

Had our best meal so far and shout out to Sophie who was our wonderful waitress! Had the tuna which was very tasty. Staff were very attentive and the atmosphere was fun and lively.

Nice place when the sun is shining

Awful bar, avoid at all cost, rip off and poor atmosphere.

The food and atmosphere are great, but really what makes the place a 5 star establishment is the staff. Everyone is so kind and there to help (we had an event) and especially Giuseppe. He went out of his way to make sure every guest was having the best of nights! Great work Lighterman crew.

Overpriced and bad service from staff (rude)

Very nice pub by the river with great food options! Really enjoyed they fish n chips!

The staff here were genuinely lovely but the food left a lot to be desired! Very expensive for what you actually get and my chicken schnitzel was undercooked in the middle and overcooked at the edges.. the ‘salad’ was literally a handful of rocket and a tiny dish or tomatoe salsa…. There are some amazing restaurants within 5 mins… but the location was great!

Great pub beats Kings Cross station on the canal. Great little beer garden downstairs. Lots of space. Great place to meet people out watch a game.

Terrible policy on segregating tables based on food, ridiculous establishment

26th June upstairs closed for private function, half of downstairs the same. Sat out at front ordered drinks only to be told 5 minutes later by another member of staff that we had to order food to be served drinks. If I want food I go to a restaurant and by so e of the food reviews on here I wouldn't waste my throat muscles. Shame but won't bother again

Cashless😡 Everyone sleepwalking into a cashless society where the government control everyone 🤮

Service:... When you ask for food all you get is a No. Probably it's my mistake that I asked for food... It's too difficult.

Worst experience I've had in ages! Ordered the drinks, got brought the wrong order and it took three different waiters and two additional tries to get the order right (double rum and coke, you'd think pretty straight forward huh). As the last member of our party arrived 15mins late, we tried to flag down a waiter to place another round of drinks + drink for the late friend but instead got presented with a bill! We were so shocked, we tried to divide the bill between us and have asked the waiter for a suggestion, instead we got blessed with THE. MOST. DRAMATIC. SIGHT. EVER. Should've asked for the service charge taken out but didnt want to upset the already angry waiter.

It's shocking that you can only have a drink in one part of the building and food and drinks in the other, especially how the food menu is not that great... Nor is the food

Not many vegan/veggie options. Fun lively location though.

We waited 40 minutes for a drink ,when a waiter came he went to a table that had arrived after us,I pointed this out and he said he'd be over after he'd taken their order,he eventually took our order first,then told us there was no more chicken.i had the roast beef it was nice.one of the waiters was quite rude but the other staff were friendly and helpful

Got turned away, as they were “full for drinks”. They were maybe 60% full downstairs at best, with upstairs completely empty. The greeter was a bit snooty with us, and then let in the pretty girls that were behind us. Guess what - for drinks! Little did she know that we were celebrating and spent quite a lot of money on champagne … elsewhere.

Beautiful restaurant just a little noisy and my chicken snickcel was dry

First of all I must say the food and the cocktails were delicious, loved the mini burger and the pizza! But what really stand out was the incredible customer service and kindness of the team, Jasmine was the sweetest waiter i have ever met and Giuseppe (my fellow Sardinian) was so kind and welcoming! thank you for a great Tuesday!

If I could give 0 stars I would. The lady that stands by the door (hostess) or whatever she is, is so unprofessional, racist and rude. I have no words to describe it. I will definitely not go back to that place just because of her. These people should not be allowed to work on customer service. They should be banned from hospitality. We went there to actually spend money but we left after having a drink just because of her. I think the business lost of a lot from insecure people like her.. Just the lady that was taking order outside had manners and was friendly. To pray to get a drink to ask her to send someone. No one to show up for 15mins and to even do a movement with her hand like she wanted us to go away. She should feel ashamed treating people this way. Especially people that go there to spend.

Sooo lovely!!! I loved every single second I spent there! 💖💖💖💖

Very little attention to service and seriously overpriced food. Why serve a waygu burger if it’s well done.

Really lovely pub. Did not sample the food. Terrace level is for diners. Downstairs is for non-diners. Outside by the canal on a beautiful sunny day with gorgeous beer & lager on tap. Lovely. Will return for more.

Nice location by the canal but very overpriced (£16 for an Aperol spritz and a tiny bottle of diet Coke which is insane even for London). We sat outside and there were way too many people smoking/vaping blowing their disgusting cancerous lung excrement in our faces. Wouldn't rush to return.

Had a birthday dinner today and was served by Rahat. His service was exceptional, he was attentive, kind and patient. We had an amazing dinner and we are so happy with him as our server.

Some dishes are quite tasty, others less so. It is always a personal preference, but I don't see a need to top a hamburger with short ribs. Had to hail the wait staff to order, get water service, and to get the bill. Also, sat upstairs where there were multiple families with little ones, making for a loud and somewhat chaotic atmosphere.

Excellent bar-restaurant with a large space both inside and outside, while there is also a 2nd bar downstairs next to the river that gathers younger people for an afternoon. Great atmosphere and service. The food is delicious, nothing particularly special, but attentive. Large collection of cocktails. We sat for many hours in this particular shop, we started with cocktails and light food in the front outdoor area in the square and continued for a drink next to the river. We had a great time and will definitely choose it again.

What a shame that hospitality businesses are losing cash for some silly rules at an early time of the day when the pub is almost empty on a week day. "You can't sit here, you can't sit there..." when there is a choice of 00s seats...Just lost £100+..

If it wasn’t for the location and the good food, I wouldn’t come back. Again the staff and service repeatedly lets this place down. I’ve been twice in the last month. First time we had to put up with a rude, stroppy and unprofessional waiter (he was annoyed because we walked in a little earlier than our booking time to use the washroom). Just petty and he shouldn’t be customer facing. Second time was on the bank holiday weekend. They say they are dog friendly. I have a giant breed puppy and booked a table and stated that I had a dog. Upon entry, they seated us on a specific table. It took a while to get to order drinks and when the drinks finally arrived and we were sitting comfortably, manager and the waiter came up making a massive fuss and asked us to “move the dog as the dog is in the way!”. They then had to re-seat us which was hugely disruptive. Just put a damper on what would have been a good dining experience with the dog. Arrived with 4 people for brunch and not impressed with the service. Particular staff member was especially prickly and we noticed that he laughed at us when we asked to be moved to another table (as guests were placed too close together). Immature, unprofessional and not customer focused! I hadn't been to this restaurant in a while because of repeated poor service and it's clear nothing has changed.

Lovely food in a great location in granary Square. Ideal for a work lunch

Disappointing. It used to be much better. The menu is very limited, the brunch is ok but the rest of the menu is very limited for vegetarian and vegan options as well as generally having very little choice. The vegetarian options are very basic and not great. The waiters were all quite rude and unprofessional as well. It used to be much nicer, there are plenty of much better options around.

Nice position by the Regents Canal. Not far from the main Coal Drops Yard. Service: disinterested. Wine: Rose, very nice. Pricing: Way too expensive to make the visit enjoyable.

We were welcomed by Milot who gave us the best table. Assad, our waiter, was absolutely fantastic! Great drinks, great food, great service - we had an amazing time and we will come back for sure

I had a nice time and also service is very good,very friendly staff

Viandra who served us was AMAZING!! Great hospitality and gives you beach vibes - loving the hat!

I went with a couple of friends to enjoy our get together. The waiter named Virendra was excellent. He made our evening good, his service and etiquettes were impeccable.Food was good

The terrace is really nice and the location is great! I'd say it's quite overpriced though, but what isn't in London these days...

The place was lovely. Staff were very helpful and kind. Food was delicious. We had a table for 2:30 hours. During that time we enjoyed. Price wise it was not too bad but still it’s bit expensive. We had a lovely time there.

Amazing place, but even when top floor empty the staff don't let you sit there in the sun with a drink (even after staff said fine to sit just drinks)... good luck in the industry treating customers like that 🤣

Great setting over looking the canal or the water features in Granary Square.. The pea and broad bean risotto was fabulous. You really need to book in advance. Will definitely go again

This is a nice bar and on a warm day has some lovely seating outside which is a great spot to watch the world go by. There are some outdoor heaters but when we visited only one was working. There’s plenty of seating inside but it does feel more geared to dining and when busy I’m not sure I’d feel comfortable staying for just drinks. There’s a rather limited range of drinks, with only one draught lager offered, and only a handful of flavoured gins, which is a shame given the size of the bar. But when you’re sat outside the table service is fast and effective even when busy. Prices aren’t too bad given the location. For a relaxing drink in the summer I’d return.

Nice food but not particularly creative if you’re vegan. The staff is nice. However, the level of noise is so bad that we won’t go again. From our apps we read 88 db, which when sustained is damaging for your hearing. And not being able to hear what the person in front of you says is quite unpleasant.

Had to wait an hour and a 10 minutes for our food. Continuously asking the waiter who kept promising it would be any minute. When I complained about the wait I was told that it’s expected because it’s busy. It wasn’t overly busy. Won’t be coming here again

Great venue and location Staff are good - food is fine too but dear! Overall decent place

Lovely food and service but the top floor was simply too loud to be enjoyable. I couldn't hear the person opposite. This is a general problem with London dining and was particularly evident here.

Cool atmosphere. Impossible to make a reservation in person? Whatever … not worth the hype.

Picked a great day to sit by the canal, having a few beers watching the world go by