The Lighterman

Good service. Good very tasty. I had the trout to start followed by the chicken and leek pie and then the strawberry cheesecake for desert

It’s a lovely venue with well spaced tables, and covered and heated outdoor seating (not what we hoped we’d need at the end of Jul). However, the waiting staff looked like they’d rather be anywhere else. With a couple of exceptions, I’d even say surely. I was given a corked glass of red (literal vinegar just from the smell alone), and when I (very politely) asked it be changed, the waiter clearly didn’t believe it was off, no apology and a new glass dumped in front of me with “that’s from a new bottle”. The food was good, but clearly paying for the location. £250 for 4 of us to have mains, a bottle of wine and another round of drinks. The wine was average at best and hugely overpriced. Convenient location but probably won’t be going back unless it’s for a quick drink. And it won’t be a glass of wine!

Fairly average

Just a good meal

The food was great but our dining experience was spoiled by the large number of staff not wearing face masks. Please can you make sure all staff do wear masks? It creates an unpleasant environment and The Lighterman is so much better than this.

Lovely food, beautiful view, friendly staff and great cocktails. Could do with more staff but that is a sign of the times- and it does get very loud but again- that might be out of their control. Great experience.

Great large group meeting place and good food. Lovely location and attentive staff. Can be very noisy!

It rained so hard and we had booked two slots of 4 tables to throw a retirement do. The lighterman reopened down stairs to accommodate us as outside was too wet. Thank you so much. Food and service was amazing too.

The noise was intolerable and we had to shout to make ourselves heard. So it wasn’t conducive to a relaxed chat over our meal. We were satisfied with the food and the people serving were very pleasant and attentive. I won’t be returning because of the noise problem.

Nice drinks as the sun went down and happy kids ran through the fountains in the square.

Buzzy, airy restaurant in spacious canalside development near King's Cross station. Friendly, attentive staff, tasty modern cuisine from a slightly pricey menu.

Lovely afternoon on the terrace in the sun. All 4 of us found the food to be delicious. The watermelon cocktail and elderflower spritz are lush and very easy to drink. The waiter was super friendly, as were the rest of the staff. Been here a few times and we always have a good time.

It was a lovely lunch, we had the vegetarian sharing platter, which I would recommend

I prefer to be welcomed and shown the menus before I am told my booking is only for 2 hours. Similarly I’d like to be offered a drink or desert before you remind me that I need to leave in 30 minutes.

Seems you are only interested in getting as many covers through the door as possible rather than ensuring that the people who are already there have a great experience.

Delicious food and great service. Highly recommend!

Enjoyed a really good evening at The Lighterman. I have to say the staff were absolutely excellent, very efficient, attentive and polite. The top floor felt like a very safe, airy space and the spacing between tables was still good. Only minor gripes were that all my friends had the crispy squid starter which arrived lukewarm, which is apparently not great (my soup was piping hot) and people were not asked how they wanted their burgers which resulted in them arriving far more well done than would have been preferred. Small things to improve on but overall great.

Service excellent venue good noise level awfully loud

Great location with a real buzz and great food. Down to earth, perfect for drinks or dining out.

Seemed to have not enough staff, so it was all a bit slow and to ask for forgotten items.

A lovely place for a special treat for a birthday. Excellent service. Great cocktails, delicious food and not too expensive for central London. Great location and ambience too. We’ll definitely be back! Thank you to the staff there.

Beautiful setting, great food. Service started off great and very attentive, did get slower/ less attentive as the evening went on.

Very nice and cozy evening, we were very glad to be seated outside on the terrace! And thank you for not kicking us out after 3 hours of dining - it was so good! Cheers xx

Lovely food
Sat outside & weather was warm & then we turned the heaters on as got cold later on
Staff friendly & on the ball
We will go back

Lovely food atmosphere and service. Great location. Recommend the fish and chips and thank service team for being so easy going around our table’s poor time keeping

The cocktails were amazing, beautiful food, friendly staff that were so helpful. Couldn’t have been happier.

Loved the roof terrace. Swift service, quality food and well mixed cocktails.

Lovely staff, great location and amazing views! We were looked after really well and for that reason, I will definitely return.

Food was nice, the staff were fantastic but it’s totally overpriced.

I invited my family for my final goodbye dinner in London because I wanted to have my last dinner on a rooftop bar. I had called and somehow between the phone conversation and OpenTable reservation that got lost. It was disappointing when they said we had to be seated downstairs with half of the party on a bench, not a regular chairs. When you make your reservation, be sure to call back to re-check with them. They were super super busy, so service was slow at times, hard to find our server sometimes. Appetizers, drinks, and main dish selections were fantastic. But their dessert menu is very limited, could use a fresh fruit option for those who need to avoid sugar. The vibe was great, but the noise level was sometimes too high we could not hear each other.

Wonderful! We had the two - they let us move when we got to hot yes two best tables on the terrace and the service was so good. So helpful and friendly. It was a great experience!

Food was delicious, wait staff were friendly and help, terrace was shaded and very pleasant

First time at The Lighterman and certainly won’t be the last. I booked the same morning for lunch and requested an outside shaded table if possible. The request was not only noted on the system and acknowledged by the staff, not always the case, but we were provided with the perfect table on the first floor balcony, in shade looking onto the canal. The service was friendly and faultless. The menu offered a great range and the food was excellent. We were unhurried and enjoyed the perfect lunch with my son. Will be a regular in the future.

Perfect location, great food, lovely service, plenty of variety to choose from on the food and drinks menu.

Very busy sunny lunchtime & yet service was spot on & efficient! Had a wonderful visit -loved the jug of summer sip smith!

Great location and beautiful patio with pretty views. Service was top notch and most of the food was excellent. The burger was VERY well-done so make sure to ask for it medium as this is the default temperature.

Waiting staff good.
Food reasonable, Pimms jelly gorgeous!

Food was lovely and staff were great.

Generally good, could be a bit better. Excellent service.

Accommodated us al really well considering the short staff and the heat

My guest and I both went for the Sunday chicken roast and it was delicious. I can honestly say it was the most flavoursome roast we’ve eaten in a while. The portion size was spot on and there were lots of tasty vegetables provided too.
It was the hottest day of the year so far and although all the doors were open it was very hot inside so some ceiling fans would have been ideal. All in all, a great lunch.