The Dickens Inn, Function Suite

After spending a day walking around the Tower of London, my friend and I were so glad to find this lovely pub and restaurant. Right in the centre of St Katharine Docks, it's a beautiful old building with great views. We dined on the top floor and our waiter Moon, couldn't do enough for us. The food and drinks were good and reasonably priced. I would definitely recommend and look forward to visiting again one day.

Visited this historic pub just a stone’s throw from the Tower of London, set inside a reconstructed 18th-century warehouse believed to date back to the early 1700s. It’s a beautiful spot full of character, decorated with plants and festive lights during my visit, though extremely busy on a Saturday. Plenty of seating, including an upstairs area (though the bar up there was closed). Good drink options — I even tried the unique Birra Moretti Sea Salt lager. Service was decent considering the crowds, and the location is worth the short walk from the nearest tube. Stunning pub overall, and I’ll definitely return on a quieter day for a better look.

I’ve walked past this pub a few times, but this time I decided to head in and grab a meal along with some soft drinks, it was a bit too early in the day for alcohol. First off, the exterior of the pub has such a vibe. The building looks old in the best way, almost like something you’d see in a horror game or a movie (and I mean that as a compliment, I thought it was really cool). That said, I did notice quite a few empty glasses left sitting on tables, and they weren’t cleared for a while. It took about 10 minutes before someone came around to collect them. If the place had been packed, I’d understand, but it wasn’t that busy. Some staff were doing bits and pieces around the bar, but it didn’t seem like anyone was actively keeping on top of clearing tables. Same with a few empty plates, they stayed out for a while before being taken away. Walking inside, I was blown away by how big and beautiful the place is. From what I saw, there are three floors: the second has a balcony section where you can sit outside to eat, drink, and smoke, and the top floor looked like a dining area, but it seemed closed so I didn’t go up there. When I went to order food, the person serving me was really nice. The dish I originally wanted wasn’t available, so I picked something else. They did let me know there’d be a wait, about 45 minutes to an hour, for food, which was fair enough given how busy the kitchen seemed. While waiting, I grabbed a couple of J2Os (one before the meal and one during) and headed up to sit on the balcony. The balcony view was amazing, especially with the nice weather. Even though I was practically roasting in the sun, it was still super relaxing 😂 When my food arrived, I loved the way it was presented. I’d ordered sausage and mash, which looked great. Taste-wise, it was decent, nothing awful, but nothing mind-blowing either. The flavors were a bit bland, but since I was starving, I still enjoyed it and finished it fairly quickly. Overall, satisfying but not the best sausage and mash I’ve had. One thing I did notice while looking around was that the staff seemed a bit bored, almost like they didn’t really want to be there. I don’t want to assume anything, but I hope the staff are treated well by management because the vibe felt a little off. That could also explain why glasses and plates were left around longer than they should’ve been, maybe just low motivation. Overall, though, the building itself is stunning inside and out. The person who served me was friendly, the balcony section is a huge highlight, and the food was decent. The staff vibe felt a little flat, but it might have just been an off day. I’d be open to visiting again another time to see if it feels different.