BFI Southbank Reviews Summary

Facilities and Atmosphere

Pros:

• "The cinemas are comfy, the coffee is hot and the mediatheque room offers hours of footage for free that you can really lose yourself in."
• "Extraordinarily lively cinematheque tucked away beneath the footing of Waterloo Bridge."
• "What a beautiful building. With a huge glass front, the main lobby is big and bright."
• "The BFI for me is not just a cinema, it's rather an experience, and a good one at that with great seating, cafe and food."
• "The BFI is my favourite place for film. Not only a place where you watch films but also a place of learning."
• "The BFI on the Southbank, is such a lovely venue to meet friends and family."
• "The best cinema in London bar none."

Cons:

• "The BFI buildings are a hideous eyesore."
• "For the BFI some of the cinemas are really badly laid out and cramped especially for the ticket prices."
• "Most of the screens are small, and the theatres, in spite of refurbishments still have a very run down look about them."
• "The venue looked a bit dated."
• "To be fair for the National and this supposed to the National Film Theatre it is very underwhelming. The whole space is very dated."
• "The outside of the building is really ugly though 😃"
• "It's a bit hidden away."

Staff and Service

Pros:

• "Staff are super friendly and accommodating all that's lacking is a little refurb or tlc to the place."
• "All in all, a good venue and location with friendly (and super helpful) staff."
• "The staff including security had excellent customer service."
• "Staff were great, explained the new distancing procedures without being over officious."
• "Filled with warm, intelligent kindly people who really want you to enjoy what BFI offers."
• "The staff were very helpful too and asked if it was our first time, then explained briefly where everything was."
• "The actual cinema staff are always lovely, as are the ushers, just to be clear."

Cons:

• "Got here 20 mins late for a film I had purchased a ticket for and they refused to let me in."
• "Once we were inside they were all really unpleasant considering they are working for the BFI."
• "Service is slow and never with a smile."
• "I've often found the security staff within the site to be actively unfriendly."
• "I do not love the bartender who was a bit condescending the last time I was there due to my membership card being out of date."
• "I've never once seen a member of staff that seemed genuinely happy, or even pretend to be nice or satisfied with their jobs."
• "The barman was not super nice upstairs, but well, I got a pint anyway and very much enjoyed being there."

Value and Pricing

Pros:

• "Really good value compared to the big cinema chains too."
• "Ticket for cinema is started from only £3 (and you'll enjoy it so much!)"
• "This is seemingly the most affordable place in London to see a film."
• "The under 25s 3 quid cinema tickets are invaluable."
• "If you're under 25, you can get £3 tickets if you sign up (for free)."
• "It offers very good value ticket prices particularly for members who pay a relatively small annual fee."
• "Under-25s can get film tickets for £3 which was amazing for me!"

Cons:

• "Fabulous facility but i think the food is quite expensive and cafes always madly busy."
• "Prices seemed a little high, but you're paying for the atmospheric as much as the food."
• "It's painful to see a film institute with outrageous prices and a pointless membership."
• "The place generally is of course great, but the restaurant has outstandingly charmless service, the food is mediocre."
• "Slow service and expensive drinks."
• "The cafe is ridiculously expensive."
• "More modern cinemas have plusher seats."

Accessibility and Location

Pros:

• "Located in Waterloo, its easily accessible by public transport."
• "It's situated under the Waterloo bridge so don't worry if it rains you'll still be dry."
• "Easy to get to with a number of tube stations close by and a great scenic setting on the Thames."
• "Great place on the South Bank with easy access from Waterloo, St Paul's or Embarkment."
• "It's so easy to have a whole day out around Southbank."

Cons:

• "The building is a bit of a maze so allow time to find your screen."
• "Access from the Thames front is via a seemingly endless corridor meander."
• "Could use more signage, especially as it is part of the interconnected Southbank building complex."