A restaurant with floor-to-ceiling glass walls and visible seating at Benugo @ The BFI Southbank.
An event space with a yellow banquette, framed art on white walls, and floor-to-ceiling windows at Benugo @ The BFI Southbank.
A lounge with leather armchairs, a vintage bar, parquet flooring, and wall-to-wall bookshelves at Benugo @ The BFI Southbank.
An event space in a bar with a covered terrace and upper-level balcony at Benugo @ The BFI Southbank.

BFI Southbank

Bar

#18 of 152 Bar venues in Southwark
#99 of 3404 40th Birthday Party venues in London
  73 reviews  – 
BFI Southbank, Waterloo, London, SE1 8XT –
Waterloo Station (0.2 mi)
From £200
per person
Up to 60
seats
Up to 120
standing
Venue offers catering
British
cuisine
Parking not available
Manager's avatar
Naomi Erko
Your Personal Event Manager from Benugo
Response rate: 93%
Response time: Within a few hours
Message host
Partnered with Tagvenue for 9 years
This manager has been a trusted partner of Tagvenue, consistently recognised by customers for their reliability.
Excellent communication - 4.8/5
58 verified clients rated their communication with the venue manager as 4.8. They appreciated the manager's professionalism and quick response times.
Message host

Venue overview

BFI Bar, nestled in the vibrant South Bank, offers iconic Thames views, a chic lounge, and a quirky private room with standout cocktails. Perfect for intimate gatherings and stylish private dining.

This is an AI-generated summary based on client reviews and venue profile

Spaces for hire at BFI Southbank

The Balcony Bar at BFI Southbank
The Balcony Bar
Event Space
·
Private space
60 seats
120 standing
With large views of The Southbank and The River Thames, The Balcony Bar is the perfect space to host your event for a reception for up to 120 standing guests. The balcony bar is light, airy and complimentary decorated. The space also benefits from having your very own private bar & toilets, and there is also a lift should anyone in your group req...
Alcohol licence until 23:00
Alcohol licence extension
Unavailable: PA system / music speakers
Play your own music
from £2700 minimum spend
Pricing updated by venue 1 day ago
Enquire now
The Drawing Room at BFI Southbank
The Drawing Room
Function Room
·
Private space
20 seats
40 standing
The Drawing room, is a small and cosy space, set within the BFI BAR via secret doorway. The room boasts speakeasy vibe, yet it’s calmer and quieter, with ceiling-high bookshelves filled with quirky old books and old-school posters on the walls make this perfect for Private events. From a sit-down dinner for up to 20 people to a drinks and canapes...
Alcohol licence until 23:00
Alcohol licence extension
PA system / music speakers
Play your own music
from £200 per person
Pricing updated by venue 1 day ago
Enquire now

Reviews and ratings

4.7
Amenities
4.7
Cleanliness
4.9
Location
4.8
Service quality
4.7
Value for money
4.5
Catering
4.0
Communication
4.8
Verified reviews come from Tagvenue users. All reviews are checked by our team to uphold our trust and safety standards.
AL
Alex L.
Verified review
Bar · 30 guests · December 2024
Great staff, venue was amazing and service was incredible. We loved our event
The food portions were laughably small, definitely not worth the money and not as described. The fact this was meant to be enough food for 40 people was a bit of a joke
4.3
BG
Beatrice G.
Verified review
Bar · 10 guests · December 2024
lovely secret venue in the hear of the BFI and perfect for our needs! service was optimal and so was the catering, absolutely to reccomend
5.0
KD
Karisa D.
Verified review
Networking · 35 guests · December 2024
A really gorgeous event space and friendly and communicative staff - we will certainly host here again in the future.
I felt that the catering was a bit light for a lunch - but it worked well for this event as we were all standing and mingling for most of the event. The catering itself was delicious!
4.7
LN
Levi N.
Verified review
40th Birthday Party · 40 guests · November 2024
Fantastic venue. Great space. Unique and private. Able to play our own music. Included bartender to staff the bar. Polite people. All in all a successful event where everyone enjoyed themselvels.
Contact person on tagvenue disappearing weeks before the event without a word. Phone number not working. Lots of confusion, changes and poor communication causing stress from uncertainty and lack of confidence in the event going smoothly. Original contract contained wrong location and number of guests. Got resent the same wrong contract tree times. Venue booked from 18:00 - 00:00 but venue closed 23:00. Agreed to the earlier start time of 16:00 but this had not been communicated to any other staff and far travelling guests were unable to access the venue or get drinks from the prepaid tab. Had it been a surprise party with more time needed for decoration set up etc it would likely have been ruined. Deadline for food orders and catering got pushed forward, and because menu was going to change was told after making my initial order that only canapes would be available at £1,120. Never got sent the new menu despite multiple requests. Therefore ordered no food or catering, however arriving on the day, the menu had not changed anyway. (Dodged a bullet with the canapes). Prepaid tab of £660 went over and was asked whether I wanted to keep the tab going despite having agreed to move to cash bar after tab ran out. Went to pay the £40 something that ran over at the end of the evening but a different person told me I didn't have to pay (but since two people said different things I am still waiting to see if there will be an invoice or not). Was told cake was allowed, but no sparkling candles. Therefore left sparkling candles behind and instead purchased multiple options of regular candles for the birthday cake only to learn no candles of any type was allowed. This turned into a scene, however the staff was always polite, apologised and tried their best to accommodate. In general, anything discussed and agreed on tagvenue did not seem to have been communicated to anyone. If it was not for all the stress this caused, the venue was well worth the price.
3.7

Prices and opening hours

Monday
9:00 – 23:00
from £200 per person
The Drawing Room
18:00 – 22:00
from £200 per person
The Balcony Bar
9:00 – 23:00
from £600 hire fee + min. spend
Tuesday
9:00 – 23:00
from £200 per person
The Drawing Room
18:00 – 22:00
from £200 per person
The Balcony Bar
9:00 – 23:00
from £600 hire fee + min. spend
Wednesday
9:00 – 23:00
from £200 per person
The Drawing Room
18:00 – 22:00
from £200 per person
The Balcony Bar
9:00 – 23:00
from £600 hire fee + min. spend
Thursday
9:00 – 23:00
from £200 per person
The Drawing Room
18:00 – 22:00
from £200 per person
The Balcony Bar
9:00 – 23:00
from £600 hire fee + min. spend
Friday
9:00 – 23:00
from £200 per person
The Drawing Room
18:00 – 22:00
from £200 per person
The Balcony Bar
9:00 – 23:00
from £600 hire fee + min. spend
Saturday
9:00 – 23:00
from £200 per person
The Drawing Room
18:00 – 22:00
from £200 per person
The Balcony Bar
9:00 – 23:00
from £600 hire fee + min. spend
Sunday
9:00 – 23:00
from £200 per person
The Drawing Room
18:00 – 22:00
from £200 per person
The Balcony Bar
9:00 – 23:00
from £600 hire fee + min. spend
Pricing updated by venue 1 day ago
Pricing rated as accurate by 1 verified user

Best Price guarantee: you will always pay the same price as booking directly with the venue, and we never add hidden or processing fees.

Facilities and catering options

Up to 120
standing
Up to 60
seats
In-house catering
British
cuisine
Alcohol provided
Unavailable: External catering allowed
Unavailable: Parking available
Unavailable: Accommodation available
Unavailable: Promoted / ticketed events
Unavailable: BYO alcohol

About BFI Southbank

BFI Southbank is a Trusted Tagvenue Partner, validated by the Tagvenue team with a record of successful bookings on the platform.

BFI Southbank is the cultural hub of riverside London, offering two unique event spaces for hire.

Perched on the riverside with views across the Thames, Balcony Bar offers a unique and modern space ideal for a range of occasions - from corporate receptions and networking events to private dining and celebrations. The design-led interior is entirely flexible and can support a wide range of set ups including seated dinners, standing receptions and cabaret. The standout feature is the gorgeous outside terrace above the buzzing Southbank.

The Drawing Room offers an elegant and intimate setting, ideal for hosting everything from corporate dinners and client entertaining to special celebrations. With its refined interiors and flexible layout, it provides a more secluded space while still being at the heart of the Southbank.

FAQ

No, the room is not noise-free; interviews have been filmed there successfully.

No, external catering is not permitted on the premises.

No, the venue does not provide a DJ; a DJ must be arranged independently.

Yes, A/V equipment and Wi-Fi are available.

Yes, guests may bring and serve their own cake; plates will be provided.

At BFI Southbank, the following catering options are available:

  • In-house catering service is available

BFI Southbank does not offer parking facilities.

Here are some event spends from guests who recently held events at BFI Southbank:

  • The Drawing Room hosting 30 guests: £1684.80
  • The Balcony Bar hosting 50 guests: £2494.56

For detailed pricing tailored to your event, please contact the venue.

BFI Southbank is located at BFI Southbank, in Waterloo, London. The nearest metro station is Waterloo Station.

Yes! Here's what guests who have hosted their birthdays at this venue say:

  • Levi N. rated it 3.7/5 stars
    'Fantastic venue. Great space. Unique and private. Able to play our own music. Included bartender to staff the bar. Polite people. All in all a successful event where everyone enjoyed themselvels.'
  • Justin H. rated it 5/5 stars
    'We were actually at the bar not the secret drawing room. Enrique and the team looked after us remarkably well from preparation before and getting the right drinks and food secured for the night to keeping us well fed and refreshed on the night. It couldn't have gone better and I can't recommend the BFI more. Thanks guys!'
  • Bethan J. rated it 4.6/5 stars
    'Great service in a fantastic location. Really helpful staff and good sound system.'

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Explore other spaces in the area

BFI Southbank, Waterloo, London, SE1 8XT
Waterloo Station (0.2 mi)
Public transportation
Parking
Hotels
Public transportation
  • Bus Waterloo Station (Stop T) 0.1 mi
  • Bus Waterloo Road (Stop L) 0.1 mi
  • Bus Waterloo Road (Stop M) 0.1 mi
Parking
  • Parking National Theatre Car Park - Waterloo Campus, Upper Ground, London 0.1 mi
  • Parking Solo Motorcycle parking - Waterloo Campus, Southbank Centre, 9 Belvedere Rd, London 0.1 mi
Hotels
  • Marriot county hall 0.2 mi
  • Grosvenor Executive Chauffeurs 1.3 mi

BFI Southbank is popular for

Private Dining Engagement Party Function Room Corporate Event Outdoor Space Bar Meeting Party Birthday Party Unusual Space Christmas Party Restaurant

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UK > London > Central London > Waterloo > BFI Southbank