Special brew: The venue will feature a slide from one floor to the next
(Picture: BrewDog)Craft beer behemoth BrewDog will open what it claims is London’s biggest bar this week.
The Waterloo venue — which is set to feature 60 taps, an on-site brewhouse, duckpin bowling lanes, co-working spaces, a podcast studio and even a slide from one floor to the next — covers some 27,500 sq ft. By comparison, the Royal Victoria Pavilion, a Wetherspoon pub in Ramsgate, Kent, which made headlines when it opened in 2017 as the UK’s largest pub, has 11,000 sq ft of customer space.
BrewDog Waterloo is more than double the size of the brewer’s previous largest location, across the Atlantic at the DogTap Columbus in Ohio.
The 1,775-capacity venue will sit a short walk away from the platforms of Waterloo station, and will serve its own house beer, Trainspotter, available to be taken away in kegs or one-litre crowler cans.
A hidden cocktail bar, called the Lost Property Office, will serve “martini roulettes”: a trio of mini martinis each looking the same, but tasting different.
Food options range from oak-fired chicken and Neapolitan pizza to loaded burgers and wings. Coffee and cocktail chain Grind will serve bottomless brunches, caffeinated drinks and full breakfasts, while Hackney Gelato will collaborate with BrewDog on a dessert dubbed Jet Black Heart gelato.
Elsewhere, there will be a free-use co-working area with desks that turn into ping pong tables after hours, as well as After the Rain, a not-for-profit florist supporting the London Development Fund.
James Watt, co-founder and “captain” of BrewDog, said: “London has supported us since the very beginning, so whether you live in the capital, work in the city or are just visiting, get ready for the biggest BrewDog Bar on Earth. Minutes from the landmarks, moments from the platforms, great beer and food are seconds away.”
BrewDog was founded in 2007 by Watt and Martin Dickie. A leading force in the craft beer scene, and known for provocative marketing stunts and crowdfunding initiatives, the brewer now has 100 bars around the world, exporting their beers to 60 countries.
