The Waterway - (Near Lambeth, South East)

3 /5 Sofia cardinali: I recently visited The Waterway in Maida Vale and unfortunately left feeling disappointed with the service. At the start, our waiter was very polite and welcoming, which gave us a great first impression. However, shortly after, his attention shifted to another couple, and we were seemingly forgotten about — despite him walking past our table numerous times on the way to the till. What made this more frustrating was that it was particularly quiet, with only three tables occupied, so there didn’t appear to be any reason for the lack of attentiveness. We asked for the dessert menu as we intended to order, but after being ignored for a while, we decided not to bother. It was frustrating trying to catch someone’s attention and feeling overlooked. I also ordered soup and was surprised that it didn’t come with bread. When I asked for some, they brought a single slice and then charged me for it, which felt unnecessary. It also took about 5–10 minutes to arrive, and we had to ask again as my soup was getting cold by the time the bread finally came. Overall, while the initial welcome was pleasant, the lack of attentiveness — especially on a quiet service with only three tables — and small details like charging for a slice of bread really let the experience down. I hope they improve their service so all tables feel equally valued.

5 /5 Ashley Thomson: Had such a nice meal here! The chicken pollo is 10/10, highly recommend!! Great service

4 /5 J Ennis: Great pub and service is very friendly. Menu is decent too. Dissapointed that there aren’t any bar snacks but have to settle for side orders. If you allow people to sit just for drinks, then should offer some snacks to those that don’t want a full meal. It would work out good for both customers and the pub in terms of generating extra sales and keeping people happy. Overall a good night as always.

4 /5 Mark Sutton: This was my first visit and overall it was a very positive experience. The location is excellent and the décor is stylish and well thought out, creating a really pleasant atmosphere. Although it was busy during my visit, the staff were clearly well organised, attentive, and appeared genuinely happy and confident in what they were doing, which always makes a big difference. The venue is dog friendly, which many guests will appreciate. However, during my visit there was some persistent barking, which was clearly unpleasant for a few nearby guests and did detract slightly from the otherwise relaxed atmosphere. There is a good range of draught beers available, along with a solid wine list. Unfortunately, there was no Shiraz available at the time, which was a slight disappointment, but there were still plenty of other options to choose from. The food arrived in good time, was served hot, and tasted very good — exactly what you’d hope for. Portion sizes were reasonable and the quality matched expectations given the setting. When it came to paying, I noticed that a compulsory 12.5% service charge had already been added to the bill. I had been intending to leave a 20% tip due to the good service, but as this was already included, I didn’t add anything further. Overall, a great experience in a fantastic location. A well-run venue with good food, a strong atmosphere, and professional staff — I would happily visit again and recommend it to others.

3 /5 Mil R: Had a late lunch as a group of 4 followed by drinks recently. Found the service to be hugely underwhelming for lunch, had to request water 3 times, including going to the bar to remind them. A very hot day, they provided water glasses then we had to glad someone down to take our order, even long after our wine was poured and our food delivered they hadnt bothered with our water. We werent overly happy that a 12.5% service charge was added but paid it anyway. We then moved to the garden and asked for a bottle of wine. No sign of this after 20 minutes (it wasnt so busy that they forgot). We stayed till around 9pm ordering drinks via the app and were not impressed that the app automatically adds a service charge so you have to make a point to remove it. Maybe they feel they dont need to work hard to earn tips, one waitress even looked like she was in a bad mood, we were cheerful and thanked her but she didnt crack a smile. He young chap who brought over our last 2 rounds was the most cheerful and friendly but he definitely was not on during the day! Probably wouldnt return here. The lunch dishes we had were nice enough but nothing special considering the prices. Oh and of the 2 ladies toilets, one had a broken seat and clearly no one was doing regular checks as the broken toilet seat seemed to be overly wet the duration of our visit (6 hours)!