Monday to
Saturday
8AM – 8PM
Sunday
9AM – 7PM
The Sidings,
Waterloo Station,
London SE1 7BH
We can all agree that South Bank is a great night out, but what if you are looking for somewhere to go with work colleagues for a bonding session, or maybe to let your hair down after a particularly tough project closes?
Fear not, there are loads of places and because we understand that not all work groups are the same, we’ve come up with several options, so whether you are a group of introverts that don’t really talk to each other or your team are the party animals looking to let their hair down, we have the option for you.
If you’ve got a team that’s not great talkers and prefers to be away from the busy bars and loud tourists, then why not take them along to the Roof Garden at Queen Elizabeth Hall.
It’s an oasis of calm, where you are surrounded by plants, a beautiful lawn and some of the best views of the River Thames.
It also has a cafe and bar, so you can grab a drink and let this chilled crowd come together and have an evening that better fits their personality. And if it gets too busy, then you can always get the lift to the Olivier Circle level of the National Theatre, which is packed with benches, seats and even more stunning views.
If your team has recently been pulled together and they don’t know each other very well, it can make that first night out awkward. You’ll need somewhere a little different that will capture the imagination and get people to interact with each other – welcome to Leake Street Arches.
It’s an incredible space next to Waterloo station that combines eight former railway arches to make a venue where you can do everything from drink through to painting the walls – literally!
It certainly has options if you are looking for food or drink, with the best dive bar in London and the tasty Mamuska for food. But why not head into Draughts, the board game cafe where you can get these newbies playing with and against each other on one of their hundreds of games.
And if that doesn’t get this new team collaborating, then how about doing a bit of graffiti? That’s right, you are allowed to pick up the spray cans and paint the walls, no one will be coming to tell you off. That’s surely getting a new crowd chatting with each other.
If you are looking for the perfect spot for that sales team that likes to win at EVERYTHING, then we have a couple of different options for you to consider.
We’ll start with the route one answer and send you off to play some sport and get the drinks in. What about playing a few holes on some of the most famous golf courses from around the world? Right in front of Waterloo station, you can find Caddi Club, a brand new indoor golf venue. It utilises the best technology to allow you to track where your shots are heading, all the while sipping your drink of choice and selecting from a fine bar menu.
As an alternative, how about we get the team competing inside a fully immersive room playing computer games via a visor on their heads! Sounds odd, but it’s very addictive and is perfect for competitive work groups. Immersive Gamebox is growing massively around the UK and in their South Bank venue you can play against colleagues on massive screens that surround the whole playroom, with titles ranging from classics like Tetris to Squid Game.
We’ve all been part of a work crowd that’s not interested in silly bonding events or trust exercises, if you want to take us out, buy us a drink and we’ll be fine!
Fortunately for that crowd, South Bank is full of amazing bars and restaurants to spend the evening. We thought we’d suggest one that combines quality drinking with other activities, so maybe you can get the booze hounds away from the bar for at least five minutes.
In the Sidings we have the largest BrewDog bar in the world with an on-site micro-brewery. That in itself should be a good reason to drag your work colleagues along but within the venue, you have so much more starting with a slide that connects the two floors!
That’s right, you can get from the top floor to the bottom by simply jumping on the slide and reconnecting with your mates in seconds – who needs boring stairs.
If they fancy a bit of competition, it has its own bowling alley. When looking for food, not only does it have an excellent menu but if you need dessert, why not try out the ice cream van that is permanently parked inside the venue. You could even sneak off to the secret hideaway cocktail bar if you fancy an exclusive tipple.
We wanted to leave you with an idea that you’ll be able to do very soon here at The Sidings – Lucky Voice! The karaoke kings are bringing a brand new venue to South Bank in 2024, so the team can get a private room and sing to their hearts’ content. If you follow us on Facebook or Instagram, we’ll let you know the precise launch dates and maybe even share a few opening offers with you! Bookings open at the beginning of March, so get choosing your karaoke songs!
