Walthamstow Supperclub; Dining on a Vintage Tube Carriage Review
A six-course Latin-American inspired menu, a disused 1967 Victoria Line tube carriage, unique fine dining, a warm welcoming atmosphere and high-quality seasonal ingredients. Read on for our honest review of the Walthamstow Supperclub; one of the most unique East London restaurants inside the UK’s only dine-in tube carriage.
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Ever wondered what it would be like to dine on a London tube carriage?
Well, you can find out at the northern end of the Victoria Line in this London tube Restaurant home to the Walthamstow Supperclub;Â the UK’s only dine-in tube carriage.
Walthamstow Supperclub is without a doubt one of the best East London restaurants. A six-course Latin American inspired menu served on a disused 1967 Victoria Line tube carriage; what’s not to love?!
In this review of the Walthamstow Supperclub, we’ll share its history and how it came to be, our honest review and everything else you need to know about this London tube restaurant including where it is, opening times, how to get there, cost and much more.
But first, let’s start with what exactly is a supperclub?!
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Contents
What is a Supperclub?
So, what is a supperclub?!Â
A supperclub is a bit of a cross between a dinner party and a restaurant. They’re usually part-time restaurants held in either people’s homes or venues that aren’t normally used as restaurants.
They’re very social and great for meeting new people as often you’ll sit at larger tables with other diners.
Often you’ll get to taste food that’s very different to what you’d get in restaurants. It tends to be “home-style” cooking with exotic dishes and you’ll hear first-hand from the chef how the dishes are developed.
There are a number of supper clubs in London with new ones continually popping up.
The supper club scene began in London in the 1930s as a way to socialise with the neighbours over a multi-course meal. Today, particularly since the pandemic, this social way of dining and meeting people has increased in popularity and chefs are reconnecting communities with creative and unpredictable ideas and flavours.
About Walthamstow Supperclub
The Walthamstow Supperclub has been running for almost 8 years thanks to the wonderful duo Bea and Nick.
Originally from Colombia, Head Chef, Beatriz Maldonado Carreño (Bea) has been creating culinary delights in various supper clubs in London and Columbia for over 15 years.
Nick Atkins started a supper club, The Elmore Jam, from his Islington home in 2015 and in 2018, he took over this project from its previous owner and expanded it into what it is today.
The vintage tube carriage is from 1967 and has retained all of its original features including the seating, TFL signage and even the adverts pinned to the wall!
Three nights a week, the carriage is transformed into a charming restaurant that seats up to 35 guests either at tables of 2 or a shared table of 12.Â
This is definitely one of the most unique East London restaurants and one of the best things to do in Walthamstow so read on for our complete review.
Review of Walthamstow Supperclub; one of the top restaurants in Walthamstow
On arrival at Walthamstow Supperclub, the location is nothing special. You’ll enter the grounds of the Walthamstow Pumphouse Museum, which, although very interesting and housed in a Victorian pumping station, isn’t exactly beautiful on entry. You’ll in fact be greeted by a bright red train.
The Walthamstow Pumphouse Museum focuses on local transport and industry and is centred around a Victorian pumping station – hence the name. The museum houses two 1967 Victoria Line tube carriages and this is where the unique Supperclub happens.
Three nights a week, these tube carriages are beautifully transformed into a fine dining venue with soft ambient music, dim warm lighting and a friendly and welcoming atmosphere by the staff and other diners.
The meal is a six-course tasting menu showcasing the ingredients and culinary techniques from Latin America. The menu changes with the seasons to reflect the availability of British produce.
On arrival, you’ll head into the tube carriage from the front, where the driver would sit. You’re greeted by the friendly staff and shown to your table.
Before your first course is served, Bea comes out to say hello and explain the origins of each dish and their meaning to the country they originate from. This is a lovely touch as it puts more meaning to the dishes you’re eating.
There are QR codes on your tables to take you to the online menu telling you exactly what ingredients are in the dish. We found this very handy as a lot of the ingredients we don’t see very often and we weren’t sure what they were.
I’ll share with you everything we ate but bear in mind the menu changes with the season so you’ll have a different menu. Some of the ingredients and courses may be similar, however.
Our first course was corn feast; yellow corn cake with sweetcorn salsa, blue corn tostadas, confit baby corn, huitlacoche, sweetcorn and rum cream. The smoothness of the cream, crispiness of the tostadas and softness of the corn cake combined with all the flavours worked so well together and tasted absolutely delicious!
Next up was pan de bono con chorizo; cassava bread, Colombian-style chorizo and coriander aji which was probably my (Helen’s) favourite course.Â
The atmosphere over the course of the meal was lovely. Everyone was chatting and smiling, discussing their dishes and what they liked best about them.
The third course was ceviche Ecuatoriano (Ecuadorian ceviche); lime-cured cod with spring onions, heritage tomatoes, coriander, tomato and rocoto chilli leche de tigre. This was Andy’s favourite course. Very refreshing and flavourful and they even provided bread to mop up the rest of the sauce. I’m not a huge ceviche fan, however, this tasted amazing!
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Up next was the asado; cuadril (medium rare rump of beef) and corn-fed chicken thighs with chimichurri, cassava chips with aji de huacatay, roasted beetroot and carrots and mixed leaves.
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The beef was incredibly tender and melts in your mouth with lots of flavour and the chicken was lovely and juicy. The cassava chips were unreal! We’d never had them before and they were so crispy and very different to anything we’d ever eaten.
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That wraps up the main courses.
Next was a palate cleanser of a passion fruit ice dome sprinkled with chocolate soil. This was rather citrusy and sour but also refreshing and a great palate cleanser before the main dessert.
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For dessert we had tres leches; a light sponge cake with sweetened milk, Columbian mora mousse, mora coulis and seeded crackers. I don’t have a huge sweet tooth and never fancy dessert, however, this was the perfect end to the meal. So light and fluffy. Sweet, but not rich.
The presentation and delivery of the food are impeccable. It was sometimes quite difficult to cut into the food as it looked far too pretty to eat! Everyone in the carriage was taking photos of each course to remember it and chatting amongst themselves about what they liked the best.
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Eating in a tube carriage is definitely a novelty and it would be very easy to skimp on the food and still have an enjoyable quirky dining experience in a London tube restaurant. However, Bea really pulls out all the stops with the delivery, presentation and outstanding food.Â
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This London tube restaurant is a must-visit for a one-of-a-kind dining experience.
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That completes our review of the Walthamstow Supperclub; the best 2.5 hours you’ll spend on a tube for sure. Here’s everything you need to know to visit one of the best restaurants in Walthamstow.
Everything You Need to Know About Walthamstow Supperclub
Location
The Walthamstow Supperclub is located at Walthamstow Pumphouse, South Access Road, London, E17 8AX.
How to get there
- Overground: St James Street – 5 minute walk and Walthamstow Queen’s Road – 16 minute walk
- Underground: Walthamstow Central Station and Blackhorse Road –Â 19 minute walk
- Buses:Â 58, 158 and W19
Opening times
The Walthamstow Supperclub is on most Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays at 7pm
Price
At the time of writing, the Walthamstow Supperclub costs £67 per person to sit on the shared table or £73 for a private table. You pay in advance at the time of booking. Drinks need to be paid by card on the night.
Dietary Requirements
There are always vegetarian, vegan and gluten-free options available on request and advance notice. They try to cater for all dietary requirements but some may not always be possible so contact the Supperclub before booking to check.
How to book
Bookings are done online here and spaces fill up quickly so book in advance.
That completes our review of Walthamstow Supperclub. We’d 100% recommend a visit, particularly for a special occasion. If you have any questions, please leave a comment below. Also, don’t forget to follow us on Instagram to stay up to date with us in real time.
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