Pub in South Kensington
Imperial College Union Bars
Beit Quadrangle, Prince Consort Road, South Kensington, SW7 2BBClosest station: Gloucester Road, about 13 min walk3.9out of 5 on Google, from 102 ratings
Details last checked October 2024. Things may have changed since.
About Imperial College Union Bars
Spacious union bar offering special prices on drinks and a menu of familiar British pub favourites.
The Union provides the main bars for students at the Imperial College main campus and offers them good value for money. Union membership is also available to alumini and, during the Proms season at the nearby Albert Hall, on a temporary basis for concert-goers. Situated at the northern end of the Beit Quad (accessed through the archway on Prince Consort Road) the two main bars, FiveSixEight and the Union Bar, are in adjacent rooms. Across the entrance hall is the (keg only) Metric nightclub.
Opening hours given are for the main FiveSixEight bar. This is a large modernised room with painted brick walls and a concrete-topped bar, believed to be the longest in any student union in the UK. "FiveSixEight"? Well, (of course), it's the number millilitres in a pint and reflects the progress from Imperial to SI units that this learned institution will have helped promote!
The adjacent Union Bar is open from 5pm but is used primarily for college Club and Society events. It is light oak floored and panelled and behind the oak bar is the Union's pewter tankard collection: each tankard belongs to a senior elected role within the Union and is engraved with the names of the various post-holders over the years.
Cask ales are supplied through a contract with Molson Coors. During the Christmas and Easter university vacations, the bars will often reduce the range, serving only one cask beer, or just keg.
Food is just what you might expect to suit students, but again offers good value. The bar website lists various deals.
Description from WhatPub, CAMRA’s pub guide, with a summary from Google Maps.
Features
- Outdoor Seating: Large quadrangle with seating
- Live Music
- Sports TV: Sky & TNT
- Serves Food
- Serves Lunch
- Serves Dinner
- Real Ale
- Function Room: Bars and other inside and outside spaces
- Events: See club website
- Disabled Access
- Accessible Restroom
- WiFi
- Good for Groups
- Smoking: Quadrangle
- Accepts Credit Cards
- Accepts Debit Cards
- Accepts NFC
Opening times
- Monday
- 12:00 – 10:30 PM
- Tuesday
- 12:00 – 10:30 PM
- Wednesday
- 12:00 PM – 12:30 AM
- Thursday
- 12:00 – 11:00 PM
- Friday
- 12:00 PM – 12:30 AM
- Saturday
- 12:00 – 10:30 PM
- Sunday
- 12:00 – 10:00 PM
As listed in October 2024. Hours change, and bank holidays differ: check with the pub.
Good to know
- Operator
- Imperial College
- Price
- 1 out of 4 (Google’s price level)
- Phone
- 020 7594 8090
Photos
Photos from Google Maps contributors, stored when the pub was last checked.
Google rating and reviews
3.9out of 5 on Google, from 102 ratings
4 out of 5Rog Edwardson Google, May 2019
Decent clean tidy modern bar with a coffee shop feel. Good prices especially for London, as of May 19 mains are about £5 to £7. Basic pub food. Nice courtyard patio. Wide range of beers lagers and ciders. Not certain of exact rules but you have be an Imperial College student or have some affiliation or you won't get served.
1 out of 5Hugh Christensenon Google, October 2024
Particularly bad 🤣 Better food quality and prices at Weatherspoons
5 out of 5Felix Xuon Google, September 2024
Love it
4 out of 5Tasos Tsibison Google, May 2023
Great spot for a pint, suitable for students with seatings both inside and outside. The beers are decently priced, as well as the food, but the latter could be better at times.
5 out of 5Matthew Woodon Google, April 2018
Fantastic food, pleasant student atmosphere. Drink prices are reasonable and sport is available on two large flat screen TVs at either end of the bar. Must be an Imperial College Union Refectory Club member (anybody can join at the bar for a few pounds for a year).
Rating and reviews are from Google Maps, as they stood in October 2024. See the latest on Google Maps.