The Lighterman

The 1st time I went there the food was good but the service was bad. They promptly followed up and apologized. Maybe they had a bad day? So I went back the next day for lunch and I had a great experience. The watermelon fizz doesn't have too much alchohol & is refreshing. The butternut squash flatbread is amazing: crispy thin dough. & the real show stopper: the carpaccio. One of the best I've had. Sunday roast and chicken salad were good.

This is an incredibly stunning location, the space is beautiful, tastefully decorated, and is near the canal. However, even though the Beaty of it is important, there needs to be more to elevate the whole experience. I ordered the monkfish scampi nuggets and the flatbread with shrimps, harissa and chives to start with, filled by the lamb cutlets. The 2 starters I ordered were ok but unremarkable, not very tasty at all, bordering on a lack of salt in both dishes. The best was the lamb cutlets that really saved the day . The service is ok, although not very prompt, despite of the fact this was lunchtime and it was not bust at all. It is a pity because the space, the location, everything is stunningly beautiful, but the food and service do need to match the location. I’m a dessert person, but I did not order one because I was not certain it was going to be good, and I preferred to finish on the high of the main course.

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.

I went there for my colleague's leaving do. We booked with a deposit and they booked us at the wrong place which we thought was very poor of them. As we had to be in the general area, rather than a private function room, it was very difficult to have a conversation with everyone. The general area is very echoey and noisy with other customers. The food was nice (I ordered tuna and chocolate mousse) but very expensive for what you get. I understand that everything is super expensive around King's X nowadays but we weren't impressed about the experience at all. I won't go there again for either work or private use.

Had a lovely lunch. Will definitely come again. Good menu with a good choice for both vegetarians and meat eater.

Had a really lovely experience at The Lighterman. Shout out to the wine list (lovely reds), the outdoor and indoor seating, the outdoor heating, smoking areas, lovely spacious clean well-scented bathrooms, and the lovely flatbreads. Open fairly late on a Sunday too. Major props. Here’s hoping my date likes me enough for us to end up back here one day.

There’s a lot of room for improvement at this place, starting with the service to the food. Everything was fried: from the scampi to the hake, and not specified on the menu. Service wasn’t great neither, very rushed and impatient.

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.