Imbibe Bar & Restaurant

London, United Kingdom

3.2

16 reviews

Accepts Credit Cards

Contacts

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Telephone:
+44 20 7922 1223
Website:
www.imbibe-bar.com
Address:
173 Blackfriars Road, London, United Kingdom, SE1 8ER
Southwark
Nearby public transportation stops & stations:
120 ftPocock Street
810 ftSouthwark Station
0.2 miThe Old Vic
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Bussiness info

Accepts Credit Cards
Yes
Parking
Street
Wheelchair Accessible
Yes
Good for Groups
Yes
Music
DJ
Good For Dancing
Yes
Alcohol
Full Bar
Happy Hour
No
Coat Check
Yes
Smoking
Outdoor Area/ Patio Only
Outdoor Seating
Yes
Has TV
Yes

Today

Today –
Local time (London) 23:50 Thursday, 28 November 2024

Business hours

Monday –
Tuesday –
Wednesday –
Thursday –
Friday –
Saturday –
Sunday –

Description

Specialties

Two minutes from Southwark tube station, Imbibe has an eclectic offering. Whether it is a business lunch or a relaxed dinner with a friend, our modern menu has a diverse mix of dishes to cater for everyone, from £3.95.

Inside, Imbibe has space available for up to 200 people which can be reserved. The Whole Venue is also available for hire Mon — Thu + Sat Night and all day Sunday which Includes our heated beer garden.

In the summer why not enjoy lunch in the sunshine, or book a private BBQ in the evening with our outdoor seating capacity of 85, and BBQ facilities for up to 150. Our close proximity to Smithfield provides us with some of the best BBQ ingredients.

We also have a quiz night on the first Tuesday of every month to cater for the intellectuals among us or if you like to relax with a drink watching live music, why not come down for our music night which show cases seven live bands on the last Thursday of every month.

Meet the Manager

Sam B.

Manager

Our very own Tom Cruise is Manager/​Partner of Imbibe and has been so for seven years. He’s usually doing the boring stuff upstairs but if you see him in the bar area, order a cocktail, he’s good.

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Nearby

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16 reviews of Imbibe Bar & Restaurant

No registration required
Place rating: 5
Venice, CA
Had my leaving party here and I had such a great time!
The venue is pretty funky looking and has a gorgeous outside area. Unfortunately it was raining so we stayed inside the whole time. The bar staff were very friendly and we had a good laugh with them all night.
The DJ was playing a good mix of top 40’s and classics and kept us on the dance floor all night. I loved the chalk walls on the back of the toilet cubicles and really loved reading all the messages left for me on there.
I ordered the sausages from the BBQ and it was ok, just a normal sausage. There were loads of toppings though which is always nice to have. The wedges were super delicious and I wish we’d ordered more of them.
If I wasn’t leaving I’d defo come back here!
Place rating: 2
London, United Kingdom
What irritates is the restaurant thats takes the piss out of vegetarians. These are the places where if you have the misfortune to order their token effort, they high five each other in the kitchen because they can trott out the laziest, cheapest, rubbish and charge the same price as a meat dish.
Well imbibe is just such a place. The have this nice concept in theory of an outdoor burger kitchen, and ok the meat option looked alright, my friend enjoyed it (though the bun was clearly a Costco bulk buy effort, sort of fluffy and absent of any resistance), but the veggie falafel option was disgusting. Straight from the freezer and deep fried, it has some whole chick peas in it so I guess that passes as a falafel in Southwark. No taste. No imagination. No effort. Go to GBK or Nando’s if you want a proper veggie burger. Both round the corner.
Place rating: 5
London, United Kingdom
Booked an out door table here for drinks last Friday and had a great time. Being in Britain, the time of year ment the weather was not great but with umbrella/​canopy and heaters there were no complaints. The atmosphere was great and the staff were amazing, very friendly and accommodating. A definite venue for future drinks and possibly even parties.
Place rating: 3
London, United Kingdom
My cousin took me there last week for a drink and catch up. Honestly this is not my place, in terms of drinks. I have to admit the atmosphere is lovely though. Outdoor, peace and the smell of food. It was very suitable for a quiet conversation with someone you haven’t met long time.
Place rating: 1
Yountville, CA
Worst service ever.
The «events» person didn’t follow any of my very simple instructions for the set up (there was no table for my DJ for example — did she expect him to play on the floor?) and then all the sockets on one side of the bar blew and she blamed ME!!! Not sure that is very fair at all! My DJ couldn’t play. People started to leave the party and I was refused a refund.
Also, the food is terrible and so basic it is painful — one printed A4 sheet with about 5 items on it. And overpriced for what it was — the smallest meat patty on a stale bun.
There are plenty of other great places in the area who will provide you with GOOD service and not try to rip you off such as Jack’s Bar, Baltic bar, Thai Silk, The Union Jack — even The Ring pub is a nicer place to go!
Avoid Imbibe.
Place rating: 3
London, United Kingdom
Imbibe has nice atmosphere with Victorian feel inside and lovely garden outside where they do BBQs until 10pm on Summer evenings. Staff are friendly. Cocktails are really sweet, but they have a decent beer selection. Good tunes as well.
Place rating: 3
London, United Kingdom
The weekday lunch menu appears to be dominated by burgers of various sorts — perfectly fine for an American like myself.
The good: Service was prompt and friendly. The indoor dining area was awash with sunlight on the day of my visit. The entire property is spacious and decorated to contemporary standards, offering an alternative to the all too dreadfully ubiquitous pub scene in this city. Imbibe also offers a charming and well maintained outside dining/​smoking patio.
The bad: The beef patties and the chicken burgers were delivered quite dry; the medium rare beef patties turned out completely well done. Judging from the degree of searing and dryness, I can only conclude that it was thanks to the impatient pressing of the meat onto the grill by a spatula. It also probably didn’t help that British beef tends to have low fat content. I’m just sayin’.
Place rating: 3
London, United Kingdom
The décor is pretty cool and the garden is lovely. On a weeknight though the place doesn’t offer much in the way of atmosphere but there isn’t much else on the same road so I can see how it gets some business. A friend told me the BBQ food they had there before I arrived was really good so I’d be interested to try that but otherwise it’s a bit out of the way for me to rush back.
Place rating: 1
London, United Kingdom
Staff lackadaisical, uninterested and unsurprised when the food was uncooked. They didn’t think there was tomato on the burger (there was). Ordered medium cooked, but got close to raw. After complaining they took the nibbled burger and threw it on the grill for another couple of minutes. Still not enough cooking to be edible. Got it knocked off the bill, but it still ruined a nice sunny lunch time.
So, poor service, can’t even get a burger right, served on a board (utterly pointless). I hope to goodness the staff were all hungover, because if that’s their usual level of service they should all be sacked.
Place rating: 3
San Francisco, CA
Working across the road from this bar makes it quite convenient for me, and I used to be a regular diner there. I hadn’t been in a while and entered today to find a new menu. They hired a new chef who decided to change the old one and make it a new menu everyday. Sorry chef but the veggie options were pretty poor, the only up side was that the chips taste good :)
I go there for coffee in the afternoon, but unfortunately for now it will just be for that.
There are many places to eat in the area, so if you are in the area take a look at the other options.
On a good note, the décor inside is very nice and they have a fire place :)
Place rating: 3
Dublin, Republic of Ireland
Not a pub to go to for the food… UNLESS you’re around in the summer and they’re doing a barbecue in the outisde area. I’ve sampled said offering and happily stuffed my face.
I’ve enjoyed a few post-​work drinks here and it does that job just fine.
Place rating: 5
Oakland, CA
excellently done burger and fries. very close to the southwark stop and convenient lunch destination before /​after the tate. would like to go back to try their other menu items.
cheers, imbibe.
Place rating: 4
London, United Kingdom
I visited Imbibe for a staff Christmas party a couple of years ago and though that doesn’t give a good idea of the place on a day to day basis I can say with confidence that a marvellous time was had by all!
The booze was flowing from the moment we sat down so while I can’t remember the specifics of what I ate I do remember it was absolutely gorgeous, as was the wine. The staff were really happy and friendly and didn’t seem at all stressed by the large number of people growing more and more sozzled as the courses came and went.
After the food we were encouraged to take part in some range shooting at the back of the bar — electronic shooting gear had been set up by the fireplaces and you can imagine the hilarity of thirty or so drunken idiots trying to aim at red dots masquerading as clay pigeons. When the MD started to get a bit friendly with the drunkest office girl I decided to cut the boozing and think about making my way home — apparently I left at just the right time and it descended in to chaotic messiness soon after. Sorry about that, lovely staff of Imbibe!
Place rating: 3
London, United Kingdom
Was there for a leaving do last Friday and I must say the décor is wonderful! Gorgeous black and white pattern wallpaper, a large fireplace at the far end of the bar and the modern chair and couches are comfy and beautiful.
They have a fair sized patio in the back that would be fabulous for lunch and dinner in warmer weather.
The drinks are reasonably price and the food is also good! Great veggie burger!
The service was great and staff very friendly.
Luckily I work close by and would go back without a doubt. Highly recommend if you are in the area.
Place rating: 3
Rochester, United Kingdom
Went here for the first time last night for a work’s leaving do.
The décor is great, and very homely. At the far end of the bar there is a huge fireplace which was on. Got a bit hot if you were down that end, but aesthetically the place is very pleasing.
They serve food too, which although we only ordered a couple of platters, were very nice. Drinks are incredibly reasonable for a London bar — so we will definitely be going back!
Place rating: 4
London, United Kingdom
I’m a regular at Imbibe as I work around the corner. It’s definitely one of the best in the area.
Although the menu isn’t extensive the restaurant serves some tasty and well prepared food, especially if you’re a vegetarian (try the vegetarian steak or the veggie burger!).
There’s a garden at the rear which is often packed at lunch and apparently Imbibe turns into a buzzing pub in the evenings.