The Walrus Social

This is a great bar and hostel and the staff are HUUUGGGE contributors to this awesome location!!! I decided to stay here while backpacking because the price is extremely affordable and the location is walking distance from most famous attractions.
The bar is very mellow, tons of seating, and very cozy. They have a good selection of drinks and also serve happy hour! They have a large tv projector so it’s a great place to come to watch a sporting event. Since it’s a hostel, you’ll meet a wide variety of people and also locals! I met numerous people from London who say they love coming here over other bars. They allow you to bring outside food to eat too! There’s a few spots that have late night yummy food within walking distance, very affordable and flavorful! Friday’s and Saturdays they’re open until 1am, all other days are until 11pm.
The hostel part is also very cool. This location is a 5 story hostel with the top 3 levels being dedicated for rooms. I stayed on the top 4^th floor which yea could be a pain to walk up but helped with lowering the outside noise. Compared to the other levels, the toilet room and shower room aren’t as nice on the 4^th floor but you’re not forced to only use what’s on your level. The beds were actually pretty comfy too! I have extremely sensitive skin & am super happy that the bed didn’t bother me because I’ve heard horror stories about bed bugs in hostels. Since they have a bar downstairs, it’s easy to do late night check in & if you come when the bar is closed, someone is always by the phone to check you in. Each room has lockers for you to secure your goods in, you can put a £5 deposit to borrow their lock. I brought my own lock &just locked a zipper on my backpack with my passport and other sensitive items in there but to be honest, everyone is trying to be safe so I didn’t feel uncomfortable leaving my valuables in a room with strangers from around the world. I mean we’re all there to have a good time and not feel threatened, right? It was also cool when the bar bathroom had a line, I was able to walk up the next floor to use the bathroom! They also have an open kitchen and we left some beers in the frij which did not get touched by others so it was nice!
I DEFINITELY recommend this spot to stay at and/​or have a drink at! I know that I’ll be staying here during my visit to London!

Great place to grab a pint on the other side of the Thames. I had a few free hours after arriving into London on a business trip and thanks to my lovely UK Unilocalers, I found myself settling in here for a pint (s). This bar is at a hostel so you can expect cheap drinks (which are actually VERY good), a great crowd and no attitude. The folks behind the bar are super nice and ensure that we had a great time. Not touristy but again, as this is a hostel, it has a young, international vibe. Definitely worth checking out.

This was an amazing hostel. I had the chance to stay here while visiting the UK for a few days and it was certainly worth it. The staff was very friendly and helpful and they were pretty good bartender’s as well which is always a plus. the pub is also conveniently located down the street from the tube which makes traveling around the city easy. I stayed in two different rooms while I was here. One that was meant for 6 people and another that was meant for about 20. The rooms were clean and there was a person who came in and cleaned the bathroom each morning. The only negatives were that they did not serve food but this was countered by offering a discount on food at the pub up the street. The other negative was that there weren’t any elevators. So if you’re traveling with big bags, prepare yourself for those steps. Although some of the staff did offer to help out which was nice but it was still a bit of a struggle. Overall, I would recommend this place to a friend and I would stay here again next time I’m in the UK.

A hidden gem! I can’t believe it took so long for me to get to know this place, and I will definitely be back soon. £4.95 standard price for a cocktail in zone 1! I feel like I don’t need to say anymore, but I will. The atmosphere here is brilliant, the staff are super helpful and very quick. At least twice two of them worked on our order at once (a far cry from the places that take 20 orders at once and so you think you’ve ordered but really you are just agreeing to watch 8 other orders be made and end up wanting to change your order and really thirsty but I digress, sorry). The cocktails and shooters are really good, I tried a few different ones to make sure (oh the things we do for Unilocal) and they were all delicious. And I can’t believe that with such low standard prices they still have offers including mojito Mondays (£4 mojitos
all night!) and happy hour. As the whole place just feels so relaxed and friendly and welcoming and comfy the main problem is that you really don’t want to leave. But luckily the staff are polite about letting you know that they are closing. The idea that a super cheap dorm room awaits upstairs is also a draw, if the night bus seems too challenging or you have had one too many (very easy at these prices!!) it’s good to know that there are options — that are probably cheaper than a cab. Another downside (not really) is that being around so many backpackers really gives you itchy feet, but I am sure that they have a special ingredient in the shooters that helps with that as after a few your feet become perfectly content exactly where they are.

Walrus Social is dangerous! It is a bar adjoining an international hostel. The décor, crowd and vibe is very hipster, with it’s ecletic furniture and indie/​alternative soundtrack.
But here is the dangerous bit — it’s ridiculously cheap for London. Cocktails, £4.95 and shooters, £2.75 and don’t let the price mislead you, they’re not too bad.
They do special offers on different nights of the week with Mojito Mondays, Beer Tuesdays and Wine Wednesdays.
A very cool and undiscovered gem not far from the touristy Southbank.

I loved staying at the The Walrus.
Imagine staying in London, near the River Thames close to Big Ben and all those touristy areas, and then imagine that your brother owns a bar near this area. Your brother rents out all the rooms above his bar really cheap because he loves to meet people from all over the world. That brother’s name is Alex and he’s a really cool dude. He has the answer to all your questions, and he feeds you breakfast every morning before wishing you a great day in London. He’s a short walk from two different Tube Stations, and London is nearly an Oyster Card away from everything. Alex keeps his place clean and comfortable. He’s your older brother and hey, not everything is brand new and up to your standards, more for the younger crowd or physically in shape because he doesn’t have an elevator to the 3 or 4 floor, but he’s a lot of fun and we love him!
The beds were clean, we locked up our suitcases and slide them under the bed, we borrowed an electrical converter US to UK and logged onto our computer, free WiFi, discounted drinks at the bar, and the breakfast was «English.» This is Europe so forget A/​C, not even the 5-​star hotels have A/​C, we just opened a window. and we wore earplugs at night, we slept well. Use the showers closer to the first floor, they have more water pressure. But the bathroom/​showers are PRIVATE — and most hostels don’t have that privacy (which I find creepy).
Thanks Alex!
Eleise & Christa

This was my first hostel that I’ve stayed at it was for 4 days and 3 nights. It’s a 3 minute walk from the Lambeth North Underground station, it’s super close the hospital, the London Eye, Starbucks and the Waterloo rail station. There are a couple of supermarkets and pharmacy close by. The hostel building is literally next to/​side by side the train rail.
When you walk in, just talk to the bartender if you’re checking in. They are your front desk and you will be asked for the payment upfront. All of the staff is super friendly and Alex is their night manager so you will see him often and during breakfast hours.
The room I booked is for a 4 bed dorm and it’s mixed. The lockers are super tiny and narrow, you can barely put a large woman’s handbag in it. It’s best to get the rooms away from the rail so you can get some sleep. On my last night, my roommates and I got moved to the «newer» room and we barely slept. We’re supposed to be moved to the «newer» room and it looked the same as our last one. If you look out the window of our new room, you can barely touch the train track. It’s that close. So forget about sleeping. The new addition they added was a sink in the bedroom.
Each floor seems to have a toilet and shower areas available. They do have 2 decent showers that’s been renovated and has a steady stream of water and 3 other shower stalls that are so so.
The breakfast serves your usual cereal, toast and jams, some sort of fruit, milk, tea and juices.
The so called secured area where you can put your valuable away is another storage room in the bar area where it’s only accessable to the employees.
I heard this hostel is one of the better one in london itself and for me it was ok, not the best but just another place to sleep in.

This place is awesome! Great location, very chill and friendly staff, clean rooms and facilities, breakfast included, a bar downstairs, and fun walrusy décor! Right down the street from an awesome graffiti-​allowed area! Short walk from the London Eye. It does get loud because it’s right next to a train station, but they give you earplugs.

Great hostel! The staff are all amazing — super friendly and helpful. The location is great, the price is great and the rooms are nice too. It does get a bit loud on weekends with the bar below but nothing too bad — I honestly had a really great stay here and loved the location.

Cool place to stay in London, Tube 2 blocks away and Big Ben and the Eye all within walking distance. Staff is very friendly. Free breakfast consists of cereal, toast, coffee, and juice.

Hostel pubs are often hostile in décor.
Walrus, on the other hand, is modern and swank in comparison.
It’s a big, open room with low-​slung seating great for groups, and the bar offers as many wines as beers. I liked the vibe and the staff were nice.
It’s not a place you’d want to travel across town to visit, but it’s a fine place if in the area and wanting to enjoy a bev.
«goo goo g’joob»

The Walrus is not just a pub, but also a hostel!
We found the hostel online and liked the location and price.
My friend arrived a few hours before I did, and they let her go to our room even though the reservation was in my name.
The staff is excellent and gave us tons of suggestions whenever we asked them about places to go or things to do.
The rooms are not huge, but they are perfect for what you need them for. We stayed in a room with 3 bunk beds, and met the coolest people.
My favourite thing was actually meeting the people in our room. We stayed with Australians, Canadians, Italians… It was awesome and everyone was so sociable.
The pub downstairs was only open on one of the nights we stayed.
The hostel provides a free breakfast which consists of of tea, cereal, and toast. It was a great start to the morning.
I liked the kitchen that was available for guests to cook in. I bought groceries at a nearby supermarket and prepared my own lunch a few times.
The beds were comfortable, and the sheets were washed after each stay.
The walrus is conveniently located near the Lambeth North tube station, and only a short walk from the Waterloo station as well.
Some people complain about the trains but I slept right through the noise.
I would stay here again in a heart beat.
Video about the hostel/​pub:

A lovely little bar for after work drinks. The bar staff are ace. We even had a wine tasting with Steve, who we now have a crush on. The beer garden is ‘interesting’ with AstroTurf for grass and the sound of the trains above. But there’s a good atmosphere and I’ll definitely be back.

Cleaniness: Above average
Food: didn’t have breakfast, but your standard toast and jam thingy
Service: very attentive, especially Alex who will help you with about almost everything!!!
Price: very reasonable prices, cheap
Overall: Price very reasonable for it’s location and what they offer. — highly recommend

A strange place, it used to be an old London boozer and now it’s bar. The conversion must have cost the new owners £5 or maybe even £6 and seems mostly to have involved replacing all the old pub furniture with whatever was available from a nearby charity shop; getting rid of any pesky ales and raising the prices.
A baggy jumper of a bar really, not bad, not cool, but kind of comfortable.