The Lighterman in Ewo

Visited the Lighterman last night for dinner with and was so disappointed. We have wanted to come for dinner here for a while having been for drinks before and loving the setting, therefore I thought this was be perfect for a special occasion and booked a while in advance. I had noted in the reservation that this was a special occasion yet the table we were given had no view and was in a busy area right next to the waiting station. We had the crispy squid and flatbread to start which were nice but nothing special. For mains I had the mushroom and beetroot burger and I’m not sure if the kitchen had run out of ingredients because it was literally just a patty and vegan cheese, and it didn’t even taste or look like a beetroot burger. I’ve seen a photo on another review and what I received looked nothing like it - their patty was pink so actually looks like it had beetroot in it, as well as some actual toppings such as salad, coleslaw etc. The sweet potato fries it came with weren’t even hot. I’m not a fussy eater but this was surprising for £16. I had requested a congratulations be written on the desert but we didn’t end up ordering any as the rest of the meal had been so disappointing. Overall, for over £100 for a meal for two we were left very disappointed. Perhaps Saturday night is not the best time for good quality food, or maybe we just got unlucky! I wouldn’t have minded so much if this hadn’t effected a celebration meal.

Great venue with some stunning views of the surrounding area, staff friendly and accommodating as we were a large group. Food hit the spot but felt a bit pricey so didnt really feel like we got bang for buck. Definitely worth a visit if youre in the area and looking for somewhere to catch-up with friends over a bite and a drink. Also dog friendly!

This place looks great in photos but quite frankly the food was average (price of it was not justified), i didnt get what I had ordered, it was so loud i felt like I had cotton balls in my ears all the way home and had to scream to be heard. not exactly a relaxing experience. The vegan board was good but again, not worth the price

Lovely location and lovely staff but music was quite loud for the morning. The fresh orange juice was just a normal juice. And £13 for one salmon toast with a very hard bread was quite disappointing. Also very slow service.

Laughably poor service although the food is pretty good. There is no connection between your food order and your drink order (assuming you can find a waiter willing to take your order), so when they come is haphazard. I ordered a burger and a Guinness. The burger took about 20 minutes, and the beer finally showed up long after I’d finished eating. Be sure to check your bill carefully: I was charged for stuff I’d never ordered. You can do better.

I’ve been using the Lighterman for regular events since 2021 and it has always been a great venue space.The staff are very friendly and attentive, they look after myself, my team and my attendees very well, I couldn’t ask for more!The food always goes down well with my attendees, and as a customer I’ve always found their menu very tasty.The venue itself has great aesthetics, we always book the top floor, which has great views over Coal Drops Yard and the canal path. Having a drink with those views from the balcony always goes down well!Special shoutout to Patricia, Juan, Geraldine and Abdul who always look after us!

Food & service was good, we went for dinner but some might say it was like fast food, as turn around was to fast.While I agree most say its to slow diring course,s here we have the opposite, but when you have a bottle of wine being finish after coffee, this is an indication. A lot of noise more than a normal restaurant but unsure if this should have controlled by the staff. But the above does not take away from good food and the team serving.

Great location overlooking the canal and square. Lively atmosphere. Excellent service for our large group of 10. Food & drinks menu good, fresh & tasty, including options for our veggie friends.

A degree of chaos rules in the totally app-driven downstairs drinking area but dont be alarmed, all is well in the restaurant upstairs. Food is simple by KC standards, but the steak was impeccable and done just as we ordered, no microwave here. The wine list outdoes many a more expensive location, we found one of our favourite Bandols, marked up but not unreasonably so We booked at the last minute so had to sit indoors which is quite noisy, if you get the chance and the weather is good choose the outdoor area.

The best restaurant in London ever to go with friends! And the price was shockingly affordable! Food was in high quality, so tasty. Our waiter, Vini, show how professional the staffs were and high trained to provide us the best experience ever. We have ordered Roasted beef and Roasted Chicken. The atmosphere was great. Highly recommended.

Lovely open space mainly due to how the windows can open and the fact that there aren’t any buildings close to it. Food is acceptable, staff is friendly, the bill was fair for Central London but not for everyone especially if you are on a budget. View is great.

Came here for a Sunday lunch before heading home from Kings Cross. The beef was absolutely lovely but the roast potatoes and veg were only warm, and felt/tasted as if theyd had been reheated, which was a shame, particularly for £23.50 per meal.Food came out very quickly after ordering - too quickly to have it cooked fresh, and so much so we hadnt even had cutlery provided at the time.Although the staff were super friendly and attentive, if it werent for the beef the rating would have been lower as the food didnt live up to the star rating and/or price.

I was in Kings Cross with my mates and were looking for a pint yesterday. We came across the Lighterman by the side of Granary Square. What a place! We sat down on the terrace and had a great pint. The staff were quick and really friendly. We stayed for a couple more pints and shared artisan cured meat and flat breads. Great pint, great food, quick service with a smile. We are coming back again. Igor

Great Place for a drink, for brunch or for a Sunday roast, we always enjoy coming back here. Service is good and also the quality/price is worth it! Really recommended!

Absolutely boiling in there, no air conditioning, no fans, bottled water was warm. Food average. It was one of the hottest days of the year, we were all sweating and on the way home my dad had a funny turn. I will never go there again in the heat, how old fashioned.

Unlikely to discover anything exciting and new here but the Lighterman does its job serving British classics and does it well. Lots of seating both indoors and outdoors, but gets quite busy. Recommended booking in advance.

This place has so much potential.It could be the pearl of Coal Drops Yard.Though sadly, the stunning location and warm ambiance can’t make it up for a poor service and less-than-average quality food, and discontinued service.For context: 30 minutes to take our orders, both of my friends’ chicken breast was raw, waited 20 minutes after main course for a water to bring us the dessert menu, which at the end we didn’t order since it was late.Ah, 1 drink and one main course is £40 per person, and n case you’re wondering.Typical case of the widely spread mindset “let’s open a restaurant in a hip location and let’s let the hype make its job”.Just another one in a billion of soulless venues.

Up market grill restaurant with good views over the Coal drop yard.Reasonable prices and food was very niceLate afternoon the sun can be a nuisance blasting in to the terrace above but there is plenty of seating in the shadeModern and spaciousStaff efficient and attentive

Okay tasting food but nothing out of the ordinary. I would probably return for drinks due to the location, but the menu was uninspiring.Had some issues with waitress which took several tries to rectify.

Great location but unfortunately no option to request an outside table when booking on line. As a result we were upstairs which was noisy with very little cool air.Did ask if it was possible to move as appeared to be a number of empty tables. Rather disinterested waitress said they where full. Very hot day and took ages to get a bottle of water.Food good but on the expensive side at £10 for a roasted tomato flat bread and £17.5/£18.5 for burger and fries.Didn’t feel the service was worth the 12.5% added to the bill.

Absolutely terrible service!Waiters with absolutely nothing about them. No smile, no service, no chat, no empathy.We only went in for a few drinks. You have to use their app to order and pay an 12.5% service charge. No option to just go to the bar and order!Don’t get me wrong, no one minds paying for service when it’s good. But this, this was absolutely some of the worst service I’ve had in years. A miserable waste of space is how I’d describe the waiters here.Don’t bother wasting your money here, go to one of the many other bar/restaurants nearby!

Popped in for a quick dinner with no reservation. We were offered a table and we ordered their burger and elderflower cocktail. The burger was surprisingly good however the service was slow (it was a very busy evening to be fair). Expensive for what it is but then I guess thats expected given the area.

We got a table, ordered a bottle of fairlyexpensive white wine. When we were presented with the wine we said the wine was warm. We were told initially that if we left it in an ice bucket it would be fine. Without wanting to be rude we obliged. After roughly ten minutes we tried the wine again and agreed that it was still warm and we needed to say something. They ran it by their manager, eventually we were given a cold bottle. After that bottle was done, we ordered a pint of beer and another glass of white wine. To our surprise both drinks were warm. When we reported this, the staff said they would send the manager. When the manager came, they told us that whilst they agreed the drinks weren’t cold enough, that is how they are. They then offered to bring us the drinks again to show they would be a similar temperature. True to their word they were, they were still warm. We weren’t sure what he was trying to prove. If he’s proud of serving drinks like that I’m not sure what they are doing there. I for one will never be going there again as I’m not prepared to be made to feel like a fool for wanting a cold drink when I’ve paid for one at a premium price.

This place has always been a favourite of mine. Lovely three tiers of bars but does get very popular when the sun is out for obvious reasons. Good selection of drinks and the food Isn’t too bad either.

Lovely setting beside the canal. We had a drink downstairs next to the water. For some reason, they were not serving cocktails (the misses was not happy). We didn’t have food but looked nice as it was coming out!

Had the baked eggs, they were pretty acidic, not a lot of flavor. Service was good, the ice latte was tasty.

£12.50 for this apparent superfood salad. I’ve had side salads with more sustenance. First came with no freekeh (as advertised as ingredient in menuso raised this. It was returned with a sprinkle of Freekeh. Basically, a salad. For £12.50. Rip offEven more annoyed as just noticed the beautiful looking superfood salad another reviewer received compared to mine - full of freekeh. If the freekeh had run out, I should have been told, rather than charging me £12.50 for a salad. The chef who prepared that obviously has no respect for your quality standards

Great atmosphere, overlooking Granary Square. On a sunny day you cant beat a cool beer and a pork pie!

We came out of the Kings Cross train station at 8pm exhausted from a day trip and walked over to the Coal Drop area on a recommendation from a local. Every establishment looked great, but we struck out at every restaurant. We initially skipped this location becaise it looked fairly high end and we were feeling a bit grubby from our long day.The Lighterman saved us as they were the only restaurant in the area that had 1immediate seating 2an open kitchen that was still serving food. We all ordered burgers- some meat, some vegan. They were all delicious and not a crumb was left. Salmon flatbread and the cocktails were also good. Very nice and stylish interior also!

Very thoughtful plant based options in a beautiful spot along the Regents Canal. British pea & lovage soup, crispy broadbeans & harrier butternut squash & nut roast wellington with portobello mushroom sauce was exactly what I needed after a long flight from California.

4.5 if I could. I think the views are great, service top drawer and vibes are great for any occasion. Id go back. Ive been multiple times. However there is room for improvement on the menu for sharing e.g. tapas style. Desserts arent that impressive given their descriptions, etc, I probably wouldnt have them there again. Also Id revise the pricing which is slightly too much for what it is. Im always wary to eat before going in the future because of this. I do however recommend the burger. If I see these changes Ill revise to 5 star but competition in this space is getting tougher in London.

If I had written this review closer to the time of my dining experience, it would have been deeply negative.Having had time to simmer, these are the things that will stick in my mind about this eatery.· Aesthetically, the restaurant looks absolutely lovely.· Service: the floor manager, Adam who was serving us, did above and beyond to accommodate us. Sadly some of the other colleagues didnt share the same practice. This partly contributed to this experience not being a good one.· Food: generally Id rate the food 2/5. Their fries are really nice though. There were items we ordered that simply were not up to par.· Allergens: if you do decide to eat here, please, please, please disclose all food intolerances as their menu doesnt clearly highlight allergens. My friend had to find out the hard way.· Seating time: you may have to rush your food and minimalise your conversation time as you have two hours. We were prompted to wrap things up as they wanted our table. I can state, there were other tables on our floor that were visibly unoccupied. The floor manager intervened and informed us we could continue our meal.Due to the number of issues that occurred during my visit, I cannot recommend this restaurant. I am sure many have dined here and have had a positive experience, sadly this was not the case for my friend and I.

We went for my best friends hen do for lunch and we had the best time. We were looked after brilliantly, the staff and the manager went above and beyond to make sure my friend had a positive time while we were there. The cocktails were lovely and the food was really good too. The portion size was generous. We sat on the upstairs balcony and it was gorgeous! What a lovely place to have lunch or even just a drink and relax in a great atmosphere. Will definitely be back!

Easter Butternut Squash Sunday Roast w/ Cox & Bramley Apple Juice in the April sun!! Excellent experience

Great location! Got a table right by the window facing the canal, and the views were lovely. Fish and chips were a good portion size and very tasty, and the selection of gins we tried were well priced

Nice restaurant right next to the canal, so it has amazing views and great location. The food was tasty although the service was slow. My husband finished his beer and we couldn’t get the waitress to come until about 15 minutes later. The restaurant was also very loud, it was packed even though we went around 9 PM. The food was tasty. We got a flat bread and their soup of the day (leek soup), and some fries to share.

Great ambience. Responsive staff. Polite and a bit abrupt. Almost friendly. The two types of bread on the meat platter were both really hard. Im not sure if they were old or overcooked.

The food was excellent. I had the ocean trout plate. Presentation was wonderful and the flavours between the sauce, garnish and fish went together beautifully. Enjoyed time with friends there, only issue is that the waitress there was a bit rude and carried an attitude.

Staff was accommodating at first, finding us a table even though we didn’t book it for a Sunday lunch. They even changed the table for us as it was a bit cold for our baby.Food was ok, pricey like average central London. The location was great, overlooking the canal.Experience ruined in the end when we felt we had to leave, and we were looked down for the mess made by my 9 months old. If you accept babies you should also accept a little mess babies make.

Nothing beats a table looking out over the canal with good food and nice wine. The staff are friendly even when supper busy. We opted for the sharing platter which was lovely

Came here for a quick dinner. Food tasted good and of high quality, you could tell that everything was made fresh. One thing that I found interesting is that the burger came medium rare, which was a first for me. I would have preferred if the waiter asked me how I wanted it done other than that The place is very lively at night and not a place if youre going to have a relaxing quiet meal all in all a good meal and relatively reasonable prices for London.

The food was good, and fresh with quality in ingredients. The pairing of items in dishes were also good. Toilets are nice and clean. The service really needs sorting however. We ended up looking up menus online because it took so long to get someone’s attention and the waiter didn’t seem to see any problem with leaving us without menus…

For a lively pint with mates or family, the Lighterman at the new Granary Square development is a great option. The restaurant is spread over 2 floors and has a big terrace. Which is perfect for these times. There is plenty of heating on the terrace too. The food is nice and the portions are pretty good too. Some good choices for vegans as well. They have a good selection of ales and wines. Prices are pretty good. Service was fantastic. We would go again for sure.

Came here for brunch on the weekend with some friends. Service and all staff were exceptional, very friendly and accomodating. Unfortunately the vegetarian roasts were a little bit of a let down, for the price you pay its a little expensive for what you get. Would still go here due to the service and ambience but will try something else next time. Banana waffle was delicious.

Great location. Menu is very limited. Food is presented well and is generally good, but not excellent. Vegan options could be better. Had salt beef hash and the vegan platter…hash was good but very small. Vegan platter could be excellent (looked awesome!)…pickled veggies were raw veggies that had been shown the pickling liquor rather than actually pickled. Could do with more cauliflower fritters. The toasted, crispy bread was just hard toast.

This place is amazing. The food and drinks are just to die for. So worth the visit. Great service and atmosphere is amazing. Worth Worth visit

Location was great but service was really slow. Asked to have our order taken at least 3 times.The food was really good with the new potatoes being my favourite dish.

Very friendly staffs. Coffee was decent and the food was delicious. Love the atmosphere!

Great service. Cocktails were way too sweet. The salad was amazing! Overall good place to hangout if your are around granary square.

Great vibe, casual and lively restaurant. Starters was fab and the Sunday roast beef was how I liked it. A little disappointed with the kids menu. The mini cheeseburger (not shownwasnt really mini, (the bun was standard size as the main coursecould have added some lettuce or gherkin and the main burger wasnt really a wow factor. Service was great