The Cheese Barge

“Ate lunch there today. It was delicious and one of the dining highlights of our trip to London. Service was excellent, especially considering the level of some of the other service we received on this trip. I had the lunch deal with soup, a sandwich, and a nice dessert. Very good and a great value in my opinion. The only downside of the meal was we sat by the door and it was breezy and cool today. Also, the canal was filled with debris and that detracted of the atmosphere. I know that isn’t the restaurants fault, but it’s there nonetheless. Dining on the upper floor maybe would have reduced the vision of the trash in the canal. Even better would be the city actually cleaning it up some. I do recommend this restaurant for a good meal. Especially when the weather is nice to dine outside.”

“UPDATE: Thank you for the detailed reply. My mistake for not noticing the menu saying it was decanted wine - you reasons are of course completely fair… And it was perfectly fine wine :) I also appreciate your position on the service charge but I hadn’t appreciated the legal side. We normally leave the service charge as cash, and where we are there on a voucher base it on what would have been the full price of the meal. But if there is no way to include service then we will adjust our expectations! Thank you again. ORIGINAL REVIEW: OK, we used a voucher, but I don’t think that makes a huge difference. We had the curried curds to start and they were very nice. A bottle of house red which was OK but the first time I’ve had a named bottle of wine served in a bottle with no labels. Struck me as odd. The cheese board was nice but all the cheese seemed to be straight from the fridge - which for a cheese place struck me as odd. The Stilton (and others) would have had more flavour if at room temperature. So I was left a bit disappointed overall. I understand why they auto add 12.5% service on the voucher but it always leaves me a bit peeved as this is never obvious up front and makes me think there is a business model out there where service is included and the food is good enough to make you want to come back. That wasn’t the case here - one and only visit. So set your expectations low for a voucher/tourist focussed business and you will be OK. As I say, food was OK and service OK. Venue is good and I am sure great in the sunshine up top with a bottle of cold wine. Hopefully with its label on…”

“Superb all around. From the swaying of the barge, to the service, to the food. The cheese toasties (mozzarella and cheddar) were both spectacular. The spatzle was super cheesey and creamy. The curried cheese curds with hot honey were scrumptious, as was the tartiflette. The steak was amazingly tender and just fell apart. We also had a few drinks and the cider was a nice compliment to all the cheese. Such a great experience, thank you. Next time we are in London we will be back.”

“As a cheese lover, I have wanted to pay this place a visit for a while. Happened to be in the area and was only moments away so thought why not. I am glad to report it didnt disappoint, both the food and service were great! I had their £15 set lunch menu, which included a soup, one of their cheese toasties and a dessert. All 3 dishes were delicious. Being on the boat and the top deck was a lovely novelty, and we had glorious sunshine today, which made it all the special. Need to come back for the cheese and wine tastings, because I will definitely be back!”

“Absolutely out of this world flavours and very helpful friendly staff. The atmosphere is just perfect we live 200 miles away and will certainly be returning to enjoy the experience all over again. We had the westcombe curried cheese curds, bishop Stilton and Walnut croquettes and the braised chin beef sharing dish...absolutely heavenly.”