We noticed that you're using an unsupported browser. The Tripadvisor website may not display properly.We support the following browsers:
Windows: Internet Explorer, Mozilla Firefox, Google Chrome. Mac: Safari.
Special Diets
Vegetarian Friendly
Meals
Breakfast, Lunch
CUISINES
Cafe, European, British
FEATURES
Takeout, Outdoor Seating, Seating
Reviews (191)
We perform checks on reviews.
Tripadvisor’s approach to reviews
Before posting, each Tripadvisor review goes through an automated tracking system, which collects information, answering the following questions: how, what, where and when. If the system detects something that potentially contradicts our community guidelines, the review is not published.
When the system detects a problem, a review may be automatically rejected, sent to the reviewer for validation, or manually reviewed by our team of content specialists, who work 24/7 to maintain the quality of the reviews on our site.
Our team checks each review posted on the site disputed by our community as not meeting our community guidelines.
Learn more about our review moderation.
Filter reviews
154 results
Traveller rating
42
62
22
17
11
Traveller type
Time of year
LanguageEnglish
More languages
Traveller rating
42
62
22
17
11
Show reviews that mention
All reviews paninis salad salmon little venice camden market paddington basin outside seating slice
Sort and selected filters
Sort FilterEnglish
Updating list...
Reviewed 15 April 2023 via mobile

We took a short ride on the tube from Paddington to get to Little Venice just to eat at the Waterside Cafe. It’s just a five minutes walk from the station to the canal. The cafe is adorable. The day was sunny, calm, and warmish...so the boat was completely still. There is outside seating but we went for the experience of eating inside a longboat. If you like paninis these are good. They’re not fancy but the bread is perfect which is what makes or breaks a panini in my opinion. It was VERY warm inside, and it was springtime when I was there. I don’t know if they use a cooler in the summer, if not it might be sweltering in high heat weather. We loved seeing all the photos of the boat’s history, and watching the birds and canal activity through the windows. The only reason I kept this review at 4 🌟 is that the lady running the place wasn’t super friendly or informative. But we are glad we went!More

Date of visit: March 2023
Helpful?
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Reviewed 13 September 2022 via mobile

Popped in for coffee & cake in lieu of breakfast. Lovely service, carrot cake & good quality coffee. Just opposite from my narrow boat trip to Camden. Unique venue & well priced.

Date of visit: September 2022
Helpful?
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Reviewed 4 September 2022

Came here for BF before the canal ride (which I highly recommend) .Quaint refurbished canal boat. My son had the ham & cheese wrap which was quite tasty & a good size. I had the scramble eggs on toast with smoked salmon. Salmon was quite...good & a nice portion. We both had a cappuccino. You can sit outside…unfortunately the inside seats a too low & the boat sides too high to see the canal.More

Date of visit: September 2022
Helpful?
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Reviewed 4 September 2022

Had a very pleasant light lunch here yesterday, on a warm afternoon. My friend and I both had omlettes and were very impressed with how fluffy they were. Staff were friendly and working hard to keep the outside tables clean and free of pigeons. I...would definitely go here again when in the area. As I am vegetarian and type 2 diabetic it's not that easy to find suitable fare when out & about but the omlette & salad was perfect. Very enjoyable experience.More

Date of visit: September 2022
Helpful?
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Reviewed 21 August 2022 via mobile

Lovely peaceful location and the breakfast was great! Service was quick and staff were very friendly :) great selection of breakfast items available and in the perfect spot to start your day!

Date of visit: August 2022
Helpful?
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Reviewed 6 August 2022 via mobile

Decided to go for a walk along Little Venice with friends and came across this interesting Cafe. We stopped for some food which to be honest was extortionately priced - I understand london prices but nearly £11 for a tuna melt with a poor excuse...of a side salad is ridiculous. The staff are also uninterested and too busy talking to each other rather than paying attention their customers. There are also no toilet facilities at this cafe either. Personally I would avoid stopping there.More

Date of visit: August 2022
Helpful?2  
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Reviewed 30 June 2022 via mobile

Super Impressed. We stopped off for a coffee, by the canal. Service and coffee good. What was exceptional was that I accidentally left my very valuable handbag & contents at a table (we moved tables to get into the shade). Staff took the bag inside...the boat. I subsequently panicked when I thought my handbag had been stolen. They quickly reassured me they had my bag. All contents included!! In London to find service and such honesty was mind blowing. Thank you SO much and I am forever gratefulMore

Date of visit: June 2022
Helpful?1  
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Reviewed 9 May 2022 via mobile

Lovely place with beautiful views of Little Venice. The breakfast was good and the staff were kind. You seat yourself and then go order food when you’re ready. I’m not sure if they were short staffed or if that’s the way it always is but...thats my only reason for knocking off 1 star.More

Date of visit: May 2022
Helpful?
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Reviewed 21 April 2022 via mobile

We had tea and cake on the Canel very good service then we went on to Camden Market lovely place loads of street food would visit again

Date of visit: April 2022
Helpful?
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Reviewed 19 April 2022 via mobile

We visited Little Venice on a very quiet weekday afternoon. There was not much around, & this was the only place we found for a drink. It’s a really cute little boat, & it could be great! Once inside it was cold, & we were...the only customers. The staff were not very friendly & I got the impression that they weren’t keen on interacting with their customers! The tea was served in a mug with the tea bag left in, but no spoon. We had to help ourselves to the sugars, but it would have been nice for the lady that served us to point out where they were. We were left to enjoy our drinks which was fine, but we never even got a goodbye when we left, despite us giving them a thank you & goodbye. Felt like we were interrupting their lunch break maybe??More

Date of visit: February 2022
Helpful?
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Reviewed 3 April 2022 via mobile

I never write poor reviews but this floating cafe has the potential to be great rather than the let down it is. Cute little boat with tow path seating in a beautiful location. We order cream tea for two and a tuna sandwich to share....They served a plate with two very dry scones & jam one small pot of tea, teeny tiny pot of milk, one cup, no saucer and no plates, cutlery for two. Asked if this was for two the waitress said she didn’t realise it was for two? Bought anther small pot of tea no milk a cup, no saucers no plates? Went and asked for plates and given one saucer size plate. Sadly the Waitress was clueless. Also ordered a Tuna Sandwich to share. Small salad garnish, toasted sandwich with mashed tuna no Mayo so fell apart when it was picked up? Such a disappointment, simple dishes could easily have been fabulous, no cooking required. It takes more than a great location. 2* for the boat and cute location 0* for the service and presentation. 0* for the food and value Maybe it was a bad day and still worth a visit. I’ll watch the reviews before I returnMore

Date of visit: April 2022
Helpful?
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Reviewed 19 March 2022

When you enter a cafe and the waitress turns her back and walks away you should really head straight back out of the door. Despite this warm greeting I sat down. There was a group of three young women at another table and no one...else. After waiting over 5 minutes with no sight of the waitress, no idea if it was table service and no menu proffered, I went to the counter and behold! There was a waitress sitting down behind it. I requested tea and a cake. A tea bag was shoved in a mug, hot water from the coffee machine poured on it, milk added, mug thrust at me with tea bag bobbing, slice of cake plonked on a plate. I paid there and then - who knew when I’d see her again?! In response to a request for a spoon to fish the tea bag out, a sullen “behind you” directed me to a small area with wooden cutlery. Other than the charm personified waitress, I must tell you the orange & polenta gluten free cake was very good hence the 2 star review. The setting of this barge cafe is great but the owner would do well to remember that there is much competition in the area. I would urge them to train their staff in offering a customer experience that is warm & welcoming. I would advise you, the reader, to walk a little further to Paddington basin where the Australian staff on another floating cafe will make you feel truly welcome. As a local I know which cafe I will be visiting in the future. It won’t be this one.More

Date of visit: March 2022
Helpful?1  
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Reviewed 18 March 2022

Ploughman's lunch...basically just cheese (and only one kind of cheese) pickle (Branston methinks) and a bit of lettuce and tomato. No ham or coleslaw or pork pie. More like a deconstructed cheese and salad sandwich. Overpriced. Nice place for a coffee.

Date of visit: March 2022
Helpful?
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Reviewed 9 March 2022

I never leave bad reviews but this cafe is honestly terrible. I had a English breakfast (£13) , it was freezing, the sausage was so hard I couldn’t even cut it. The only half decent thing was the toast. It’s a beautiful location but seriously,...do not waste your money. If I owned this boat I would seriously reevaluate what you are offering, as you have the perfect location and boat, but the worse food I have ever tasted. Gutted.More

Date of visit: March 2022
Helpful?1  
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Reviewed 27 February 2022 via mobile

I arrived here early on a Sunday morning. It looked nice from the outside. It was a cold, fresh morning, so I wanted something to warm us up. No, hello, on arrival. Seated ourselves where we liked. No menus, I had to look for one....The young girl behind the till didn't look like she wanted to be there. Very abrupt. I asked for a splash of milk in my tea and was given a mug of warm, watered milk and cheap tea bags. Breakfast was expensive £13.50 for full English. No potato serviced with it; it was OK, though. Husband had egg and sausage baguette which was OK too. No toilets, nearest is within 1 mile, which isn't great for somewhere that serves food and needs to wash your hands. The toilet a good 5-minute walk away was a cold park public toilet. Not ideal. We received No thanks or goodbyes when we left. It's such a shame as It could be a great place let down completely by all the girls in there.More

Date of visit: February 2022
Helpful?1  
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
View more reviews
Best nearby
Best nearby hotelsSee all
Novotel London Paddington
3,194 reviews
.13 miles away
The Colonnade Hotel
2,130 reviews
.23 miles away
Premier Inn London Paddington (Paddington Basin) hotel
292 reviews
.36 miles away
Park Grand London Hyde Park
4,103 reviews
.39 miles away
Best nearby restaurantsSee all
London Shell Co. Aboard The Prince Regent
287 reviews
.22 miles away
The Bridge House
372 reviews
.02 miles away
Darcie & May Green
374 reviews
.20 miles away
The Summerhouse
749 reviews
.14 miles away
Best nearby attractionsSee all
Regent's Canal
598 reviews
.04 miles away
Little Venice
1,068 reviews
.07 miles away
Paddington Waterside
61 reviews
.28 miles away
Maida Vale
35 reviews
.17 miles away
Questions & Answers
Get quick answers from Waterside cafe staff and past visitors.
Note: your question will be posted publicly on the Questions & Answers page.
Submit
Posting guidelines
Is This Your Listing?
Own or manage this property? Claim your listing for free to respond to reviews, update your profile and much more.
Claim Your Free Listing

WATERSIDE CAFE, London - Updated 2023 Restaurant Reviews, Menu & Prices - Tripadvisor

Frequently Asked Questions about Waterside cafe

Yes, Waterside cafe offers takeaway services.

Waterside cafe is rated accordingly in the following categories by Tripadvisor travellers:
  • Food: 4
  • Service: 3.5
  • Value: 3.5
  • Atmosphere: 4