BFI Southbank Reviews

A bit of a hidden gem. Cosy bar with snacks and free mediatheque area with 2-person booths to watch romantic classic with your date. And of course cinema showing no blockbusters. Please mind, the mediatheque is closed on Mondays.

Really lovely building on the inside. The screens are beautifully designed. Really pleasant place

One of my favourite places in London, without question. Amazing atmosphere at their inside bar, at the other bar you've got the views of the river and hustle and bustle of Southbank, especially on the weekend. One of the few places in London that still screens great cinema as well as new releases. Fun, creative vibe and a lovely hangout space.

A beautiful setting for films of all genres. The cinema I went in to see Seven Samurai was incredible.

Great cinema experience. No pop corn rustling, crisp packet nonsense here. Pure film.

One of my favourite places in London. Great location on the Southbank, Riverside restaurant has good value food, drinks are ok priced and bar usually easy to access. At the back there are two other bars and another restaurant that are great date venues. In addition the films and related shows are usually always worth seeing

The Mediatheque: the place to explore the BFI National Archive, for free. You can double up with a friend and watch together some of the old fashions, 39 steps, Alan Bennett, and Polanski's Repulsion (Catherine Deneuve). For new comers, More

The restaurant has great hamburgers that are well worth the journey. The hamburger is marketed as being Bar B Que but I am not really sure that this meets that quality standard.I am sure that the other treats that are available in the restaurant are quite good and I would like to go back there if the opportunity were to present itself..............

Fantastic cinema. The home of British film. Screen one is lovely - super comfortable seating, huge screen, and lovely sound. Great programme of events as well.

Love the atmosphere, the bar is cosy and the shop has good selection of film books.

#darkcrystal exhibition was so good, had no tickets but waited only a few minutes to get in and it was fab. We had free gifts, a free palaroid photo, free voiceover to the film clip as well. Staff members were so friendly as well. We were so happy also to find the duck confit food stand outside as well. Lovely couple of hours.. free london

For a guaranteed great trip to cinema, this is the place. The mediatheque is also one of the best things about it.

Held a Dark Crystal event for the launch of the new Netflix series. Was amazing!!

Mecca for London film folk. If you're an academic or filmmaker you've probably been already, but regardless, it's my favourite place to hole up in the whole city.

Staff very friendly. There are lots of nearby restaurants to visit and some places offered Happy Hour. Reasonable prices on set menus.

Good screens, good seats and excellent food and drink options

All your retrospective/new movie desires in one space.

Always showing a diverse range of interesting films and the seats are really comfy. Be careful not to get caught out though: unlike at a multiplex, films will start at the advertised time.

Really nice good for a set Christmas meal but very small portions. Staff were friendly and helpful.

The IMAX was huge with great sound, but I was disappointed with the "premier" seating. The leg space was minimal and what someone behind me commented, "what's the difference between premier and normal seats?", was definitely going through my mind.

A real treat for film buffs and those looking to deepen their cinema experience. They cinemas are surrounded by various snack and drink areas which are all great. There's great, more chilled food and a bar round the river entrance and fancier fare round the side. Both have Benugo coffee to offer and its well made. The staff have all been super friendly and i've never seen someone so happy to make me a coffee before. The films are great too - such a varied selection of modern hits, classics and gems waiting for you to discover them. A place to fall in love with the experience of cinema rather than settling on the sofa. Oh, but there's no popcorn! #icecreamexperiment

Great cinema, cheap tickets, lovely events, amazing movies, friendly staff. I loved it!

A fantastic multiple venue with so much going on. At the moment a Dark Crystal show is on at the British Film Institute

You should be shamed for the way you treated that poor woman. What's your game? Grow up!

If you love films. If you are fed up with the large chain of cinemas that limit themselves and their audiences with only big budget Hollywood films then BFI has something you'll fall in love with. The films the location and the staff make the BFI an experience you'll fall in love with.

Some of the staff need to maintain covid restrictions without being so officious

Amazing selection of films. Some of the staff were a bit clueless but 5/5 on cinema for sure.

Very slow service at the bar, staff didn't seem that keen on serving people.

Brilliant place for families couples and singles, bars cafes and cinemas and even street food at weekends, surrounded by theatres and art galleries cant support it enough!

Fabulous facility. Very comfortable to watch films.

Wonderful for morning coffee or evening. Of favorite London places, affordable prices.

Cineaste's paradise in London. This is the place for pre-release screenings, directors' Q&As, arthouse films, non-English language films and limited-release special showings. Location of the annual London Film Festival and other events. Gift shop includes hard to find DVDs, film books, publicity posters etc. Have a question about film? They can help. Venue includes multiple screens and a choice of places to eat and drink.

Lovely place for events and exhibitions. They Always have interesting films and documentaries to show. Plus there's a cool cafe to chill out in and have a coffee or tea before or after the show. And a restaurant too if you fancy a meal.

Perfect location too. Right in the heart of a busy busling metropolis with London Eye and big Ben plus royal festival hall and the houses of parliament and not forgetting Westminster Abbey to mention a few plus loads of other restaurants around for you if you wanna eat out somewhere different.

No parking but plenty of buses and tube stations around for you if you wanna travel here. Plus a nice funky market outside if you wanna walk and browse.

Definitely would recommend this place for you if you wanna try something different or new.

Staff are super friendly and accommodating all that's lacking is a little refurb or tlc to the place as it's becoming a little worn and dated after years and years of use.

The BFI is the right place if you have an addiction for cinema. This institution screens old and new films, with frequent occasions for debate and cultural activities. It also hosts two major events such as the London Film Festival and the Flare festival. At few minutes from Waterloo station, it is part of the Southbank area. There are two restaurants and a specialised library.

Great place to visit if you enjoy "classic" cinema; all the theatres comfortable with good sized screens and reasonable legroom.
There are several bars and a restaurant that servers a good selection of food at not too London prices.

Great place, really great variety of films for sale too.

We go and see films here from time to time, but took the opportunity to try their film and meal deal over the bank holiday. It proved to be excellent value and the deal gave us two courses from rheir standard menu. The food and service were excellent and we enjoyed the film too!

The biggest screen I've ever seen, and the steepest cinema (scary)!

Saw the Gursky exhibit, and was pretty impressed.
Visited for a first date, and we had a nice time walking around discussing the photographs. It's well laid out, lots of good content, orderly and quiet but not funereal.

great location, right near the eye. Great food options nearby. A little tricky to get to since it is located under the bridge on a little sideroad.

It was great visiting this place and see it from inside, in a great location btw.

Wonderful restaurant with delicious food. Staff seemed distracted, but were pleasant when interacting with the table. Prices seemed a little high, but you're paying for the atmospheric as much as the food.

BFI is the place to go for anyone who truly loves cinema, especially for a chance to catch up on films that you loved as a child.