The best pubs in South Bank and Waterloo

Vaulty Towers in Waterloo is a different kind of pub than what you'd probably expect. The outside is covered in colourful artwork, and inside feels like someone raided a prop cupboard from a West End theatre, which makes sense since it is tied to The Vaults across the road. Expect a mix of pub quizzes, comedy nights and live DJs, plus vegan fast food from Really Happy Chicken. It's one of the more playful drinking spots near the South Bank.

Just outside Waterloo station, BrewDog's huge outpost is more entertainment complex than classic pub. It's huge and loud with indie music, a microbrewery, meeting pods, bowling lanes and even an ice-cream truck tucked inside. If you want quiet pints and carpet, this probably isn't your stop, but the sixty-tap beer list means you won't run out of things to try, and American-style comfort food keeps people's stomachs lined.

Right on the river between Tate Modern and Millennium Bridge, The Founder's Arms is always full of tourists and locals avoiding the weekend crowds in Borough. It's a modern Young's pub with floor-to-ceiling windows, plenty of light and proper pints. The food is standard pub classics, and the beer list covers what you'd expect. If you want a sunny pint by the Thames or a warm spot on a winter walk, it does the job well.

Waterloo Tap, sitting under the railway arches by Waterloo station, is a tiny stop-in spot with a lot of craft beers. The focus is on what's for drinking rather than how things look, with rotating lines covering everything from crisp lagers to tart sours and rich stouts. It's bare-bones inside and seating can be tight, but the atmosphere is casual and chatty.

On The Cut near Waterloo station, The Anchor & Hope serves a pint of decent beer, but most people are here for the food, which changes often and takes British ingredients seriously. The menu is all about seasonal plates, big comforting mains and a Sunday roast that draws a crowd. The vibe is buzzy and lively, and it's worth booking ahead if dinner's the plan.

Situated beneath the National Theatre on the South Bank, The Understudy feels like more of a modern beer hall than a traditional pub. It serves craft beers, often with tap takeovers from London breweries, as well as wines, spritzes, and rotating street-food traders via KERB. The room is Scandi-inspired with communal tables and big windows, and it's packed pre-show and on sunny weekends. The real selling point is the terrace overlooking the Thames, where people sprawl with pints throughout the summer.

Doggett's is a big old-school Nicholson's pub with a distinct Brutalist exterior and roomy bars, including upper floors with river views when they're open. The beer selection is simple, and the food is classic pub fare. It's not trying to be trendy, but the riverside tables and generous terrace make it a fab stop for a relaxed pint after a walk along the Thames.

Right under the arches opposite Waterloo station, The Hole in the Wall is one of those proper London pubs. Expect Guinness poured properly, rotating cask ales, live music nights and regulars who've been coming for decades. The front bar is lively and old-school, the back is quieter, and there's a tiny outdoor area if you need some air. Trains rumble overhead constantly, and it's rough around the edges in the best way.

Set into the pretty backstreets of Waterloo, The King's Arms has a lovely wood-panelled interior, packed with knick-knacks and cosy corners where locals settle in for long evenings. There's a solid range of rotating ales at the bar and all the classic drinks you'd expect from a traditional pub. The Thai menu is a proper local hit, serving delicious curries and stir-fries that feel far too good to come from a pub kitchen and not from the streets of Bangkok.

A short walk from the river near the old ITV studios, The Mulberry Bush is a compact Young's pub that suits casual catch-ups and after-work pints rather than all-day sessions. The decor mixes cosy corners with brighter conservatory seating out back and you can usually grab a table even at busy times. The beer lineup is familiar, the food is straight-up pub cooking and it attracts more locals than tourists thanks to being tucked off the main walkway. Easygoing, reliable and a good option if the riverside spots are packed.