The Camel & Artichoke, Waterloo, London

Tucked away on the brilliant and unexpected Lower Marsh to one side of Waterloo Station is this place, which you could walk past and miss quite easily. Although small on frontage it’s quite big inside and there’s a surprising, secluded beer garden out the back if it’s sunny.

The drinks are quite usual, with some ales and a selection of wines and spirits, and the food is good but pricey. I prefer to find a spot in the upstairs room which has sofas and is much more relaxing than the thin, barn-like downstairs bar. If you’re a reader there are loads of free books here too, part of the Bookcrossing project.

Not bad at all, you could do much worse in the area, but it can get busy after work and if they are showing the footie.

A nice pub with a cracking outdoor seating area. We staggered in here last night after a bit of knitting just down the road (I know, I know). At first site, the pub doesn’t look like it would have real-ale on. But fear not! They were well stock and had some interesting ciders knocking about too. We sat at out on the patio for about an hour last night which was very nice given the heat. Staff were friendly and efficient. Must come back and try the food!

I love this place. Been holding the regular London Bloggers meetup here since November last year but we’ve had to move on as the function room isn’t wheelchair friendly.

None the less, it has a great bar, good food at reasonable prices and a good outdoor patio for you smokers (and everyone else in the summer). Add all that to the fact is it hidden away behind Waterloo means you can normally get a seat and served fairly quickly.

I don’t mind this pub at all. I don’t think I’ve spent enough itme there and as I too was at the bloggers meet-up, I don’t think I got to experience it full. A return trip may be in order.

The things I did notice? The food looked great and I should have eaten some.

The bar is also very tall. I find this strange. But It feels about 6 inches higher than it should be. I’m apparently pretty short so I could not have stood at the bar comfortably with my rather enjoyable pint.

It’s the strangest thing I’ve ever had to say about a pub.

Nice pub with a decent selection of beer (I stuck with Peroni and Budvar). The Camel & Artichoke's upstairs was a perfect spot for last week's London Bloggers Meetup and I look forward to next one in February.

Also, it was good to see Lower Marsh still retains a bit of quirkiness and originality (I hadn't ambled down that street in ages).

Despite its place on a slightly scary street, especially if you don't know which exit to use from Waterloo station, the bar is quite bright and friendly, with plenty of seating downstairs by the bar, outside on the enclosed patio (which has heat lamps) and upstairs in the more comfortable lounge area, which has couches, leather chairs and tables of varying height.

The food looked good, though I didn't have any -- I did stare enviously at a plate of nachos being devoured by a group of friends -- and there was a decent selection of drinks. I decided to be a bit girly and bypassed the beer for wine, which although there was only a small selection, was quite decent.

The bar staff was friendly and the service was fast, and when it was time to leave, I made sure I wasn't walking alone and was shown the closer entrance to the train station.

Definitely a nice place to have an informal event, if only to have your attendees have to tell people they're going to such an absurdly named establishment.

And don't be scared by all the bloggers. They're only there once a month.

Interesting pub hidden behind Waterloo station. I would normally never go to a place like this but it was surprisingly large and open. The beer selection was average for a London pub and the bar staff were very friendly. Upstairs is great for larger get togethers of over 25.

This place have really comfy couches and the vibe was homely. It had less atmosphere downstairs but if you're with 4-5 friends, its a great spot.

I wouldn't go here on a date.

If you're walking to the Camel & Artichoke at 7pm on a Tuesday night, you'd be forgiven for wondering if you're going the right way. Lower Marsh may be busy at weekends, but walking down the nearly empty street at mid-week might make you doubt the little Google map clutched in your hand.

The firm of purpose are rewarded with an open, friendly pub, however. And, if you're a blogger attending a Qype-sponsored meetup, you might be rewarded with a couple of pints.

As you enter the pub it feels surprisingly roomy, probably because of the high ceiling. They've got some outdoor tables in a garden at the back too, though I've not tried them out yet. It's a comfortable-feeling pub.

Last night it was busy downstairs, with plenty of the after-work crowd enjoying some tasty-looking food. However, when I stopped to remark to one young lady about the apparent quality of her meal by telling her that I'd never seen tastier morsels than hers, I got such a negative reaction that I wondered if the food really is up to par.

Drinks worked out better, though. I've been very pleased on both my visits here that they've got proper ales here (Abbot! yes!), as well as a decent selection of spirits. The bar staff are always up for a laugh here, too, I've noticed.

The room upstairs is perfect for events like our Blogger Meetup: we got the privacy to geek out on our own, and we were completely segregated from Ordinary Humans. Once again, Andy did a bang-up job organising it all. And thanks have to go to Qype for buying us each a couple of drinks.

Whether you're meeting friends near Waterloo and want a friendly pub that's a few steps away from the heaving ones just outside the station doors, or you're trying to get ideas on how to monetise your Captain Scarlet and the Mysterons collectibles blog, the Camel & Artichoke is the place to do it.

Camel and Artichoke, eh? The old name of Reluctant Camel probably had to go, because of the obvious reference to 'bricking the camel' which is probably inappropriate in a well-made over and diversity friendly venue.

I was along for the London Bloggers Meetup which was in the upstairs part of the pub, nicely laid out with sofas, tables and little leather seats. Friendly, vibrant, good beer from the bar with good staff. Already several groups in the downstairs area seemed to be in for a sensibly chilled session.

Our upstairs area was vibrant with conversations in what is an attractive venue great for maybe an informal group up to around 40 people. Will definitely return and its useful to know its only about five minutes from Waterloo if you use the exit by the cashpoints and cut down the steps to Lower Marsh.

A useful haven from the train station bustle.

<a href="http://rashbre2.blogspot.com">rashbre&...

I've been packing bags in a Tesco in Lambeth for three years now, and we used to come to the Camel and Artichoke after work if we had a bit of spare change - perhaps a few pounds tip from an old lady we'd helped at the checkout. It's always been a friendly place, not normally too busy in the week, and has a fair range of drinks.

Anyway, I was excited to see that they were holding a meeting here especially for 'baggers' tonight, so I came along with some of my colleagues, perhaps hoping to network with others in our line of work, and hopefully landing that elusive job bagging for Waitrose.

After a few drinks very kindly sponsored by the Qype reviews site (never heard of 'em), I met lots of interesting people.. well, they seem to think they're interesting, and they write all about their sorry lives on the internet.

The Camel has a traditional pub ambiance, but is modern enough that you don't stick to the carpet or worry about the place falling down. Good facilities upstairs for an informal meeting, although the stairs are located in the centre of the space, so not so good if you're making a formal presentation.

Many thanks to Andy for organising the evening - he has to be the best-dressed bagger in the business!

It was weird going back to Lower Marsh to visit this pub. I used to work in the office opposite it about five years ago when this place was called Streets I think and bad ITV dramas would use it as a location when they needed somewhere that resembled a brothel or a crack den!

Anyway - it's got a lot nicer since then.

The pub's on two levels and I spent most of my time in the upstairs room as I was there for a meet up of London Bloggers (http://blog.meetup.com/395/?gj=sj9). The space upstairs is really good, although the huge wooden staircase kind of eats up a bit of the room.

At one point someone went to the bar and the bar staff offered them two free plates of food as the kitchen had made a mistake. I had half a turkey and cranberry baguette and can say it was very tasty!

The bar staff were very friendly too and looked after our group very well.

I'd recommend this place for anyone looking to have an informal gathering in Waterloo - great location right next to the river too.