The Waterman’s Arms — Restaurant in London

What a shame. We looked from the outside and saw the menu and wow how fresh, something a bit different, so we went in down stairs there was a table of 6 having a Christmas lunch and another couple, we chose to go upstairs as we had a sleeping baby in a car seat. Upstairs there was one couple so we found a nice quiet corner. We ordered 2 ciabattas and two drinks. When ordering I asked the waitress is it only the lunch menu that is available for the 50% deal advertised on the door or is it the main menu as well. She said no just the lunch menu is on the lunch time offer. The drinks arrived and were consumed over the next 40 minutes while waiting for our incredibly complicated order to be delivered. Wondering what could piously be taking so long and slightly worried that we might have been forgotten I asked the waitress if they are coming. She said she would check. We waited and a few minutes later she returns with “5 more minutes yeah” to which o replied is there some problem as it has been 45 minutes already and I wondered what 5 more minutes would achieve. She responded “sorry but there is a Christmas party down stairs so things are just taking a bit longer”. Christmas party? There is a table of 6, no worse a pre-booked table of 6, so a known table of 6 at dare I say it .... lunch time. When the food arrived the ciabatta was chewy and the filling obviously not fresh. It was similar to one of those pre made sandwiches that they heat up for you at the petrol station. The salad was an embarrassment however the chips were excellent. (Credit where credit is due). It was so disappointing, the customer service was appalling the food not great and I can’t help feeling that the hour spent to eat a sandwich was just ridiculous. We thought what a shame it’s a beautiful site and the menu sounded interesting, for once. We thought let’s just pay and go, so we asked for the bill. When it came it did not have the deal attached to it so I went up and said something to which the waitress replied no it’s only the main menu that you get the discount on not the lunch menu. So the lunch time deal does not apply to the lunch time menu, and despite me specifically asking it turns out it’s actually not the lunch menu that you get the lunch deal on. Silly me. So we paid what they asked and it left us feeling like this... gutted, the one lunch a week we get together wasted on another rubbish business. I hope it improves because it has so much promise. Good quality fresh food does not need to...

The best Sunday roast dinner I’ve had in west London ever! (Second best to Hawksmoors) And I’ve tried a lot of them.. Having seen their adverts popping up on Instagram decided to go see for myself, and my dinner defo looked like the pics I’d seen online & did not disappoint.

Barman was knowledgable and keen to let us try alternatives -which were well suggested & we went with in the end! Great selection of tap for such a small bar 👏🏼

We got a great table upstairs sat away slightly from other diners in the window overlooking the street/river -perfect for people watching the Sunday strollers & for those with table anxiety or who don’t like sitting too near other diners!

Good flavourful hearty portions -meats cooked to request, stuffed full of veg & a huge side of cauliflower cheese 🤤 The closest I’ve come to getting a home roast dinner out! The waiter serving us was attentive, took the time to detail the menu, specials & gave us ideal time between to then order, service was fast, we did have a hiccup but was made right without a fuss or being made to feel awkward. (We understand mistakes can happen during a busy service -it’s how they’re managed that counts!) Despite nearly being in a food coma we went for it on desserts, sharing two between three, crumble was so warming & homely for a chilly day! The Oreo doughnut was not what we expected, ok but wouldn’t order again.

Great little spot, we will be back to try out the rest of the menu (and bar taps) again soon!

Room for improvement: Ensure ground floor staff keep watch for diners arriving & direct them upstairs. Keep ontop of the digital reservation system. Plz add stuffing w/roast (I do love ALL the trimmings 🐽) An alternative in lieu of cauli-cheese for the allergy diner would be nice (other menu sides didn’t fit w/roast) Lay cutlery before/with the desserts. Plz add Sticky toffee pudding!! We had two different servers which detracted from tipping & meant we had to...

Excellent food and an adventurous menu for a “pub”, especially for southwest London. The atmosphere is relaxed and the music mirrors the adventurous menu which you’d otherwise rather find in East London. Unfortunately, the service was very uncoordinated and unworthy of a restaurant with a menu of this caliber.

On our first visit in September we gave them the benefit of the doubt as the restaurant was still in its infancy. However, on our second visit, the host failed to communicate our arrival to the waiting staff upstairs, leaving us waiting for over 20 minutes until I took it upon myself to inform them. Our relatively simple order—starters, steak with chips, and a salad—took over an hour and a half to arrive, which is far longer than it should, especially given that this type of dish should not take longer than 30 minutes to prepare. To add to our frustration, the table next to us, who had arrived 10 to 15 minutes later, were served well ahead of us, despite a far more complex order of several starters and mains.

While the waitress who served us was charming and apologised by offering the last round of drinks on the house, the delays and lack of coordination were truly disappointing.

Despite the service, we will likely return given its proximity to our home and the outstanding menu which is indeed special for SW London.

However, if the service does not improve, I fear many patrons may not be as forgiving in the long term. The Waterman’s Arms presents itself as a restaurant with a refined, elevated menu, yet the service feels more in line with that of a below average pub.

Normally, I would rate a similar restaurant four to five stars, but the lack of service has left a sour aftertaste, prompting me to write this review in the hope that management addresses the staffing and...