Vaulty Towers

Trees strung with chandeliers, painted oil drums, stairs to nowhere… and the moon.

Your seating options at Vaulty Towers are slightly unconventional.

This madcap, entirely surreal drinking establishment is essentially a giant props store for The Vaults, the underground theatre set in the tunnels of Waterloo station. Perched just opposite on Lower Marsh, it’s the perfect – and quite possibly only – place for a pre-theatre pint overlooked by a pair of giraffes.

Hundreds of old puppets, costumes and bits of scenery from productions past are festooned around the pub and its various nooks and crannies. A tiny staircase leads up to a private treehouse den; ottomans at the front swaddle you in glowing clouds. You can, if you so choose, sit inside a crescent moon. And up at the bar, giant fairground lettering illuminates comfortable pickings – beers on tap, wine, cocktails, and a lot of gin.

Filled with theatre-goers and theatre-makers kicking back after a show, Vaulty Towers is a solid bet any night of the week (especially if you have a theatre ticket, which’ll get you 10% off). Tucked beneath it all is a basement bar filled with Chesterfields that occasionally plays host to life drawing, comedy and cabaret. But there are a couple of special events in the calendar here too, including a famous Sunday roast (a pinch at £15), live blues on a Sunday, and a Monday night quiz (starring “lunges”, “punishments” and “weird bits”).

So just a normal Monday night, then.

NOTE: Vaulty Towers is usually open daily, but please check opening times as they vary under the current circumstances. You can find out more, and book a table, right HERE.

Vaulty Towers | 34 Lower Marsh, London SE1 7RG

Need some food to soak up all that booze? Give one of these Southbank restaurants a try.