The Lighterman has always been one of those places that everyone knows about in King’s Cross. Slap bang in the middle of Coal Drops Yard, overlooking Granary Square, it has long been a failsafe for after-work drinks, spontaneous catch-ups and afternoons sat in the sunshine.
I’ve been here plenty of times over the years, but what I hadn’t really done was sit down properly, take a closer look at the menu and see what The Lighterman is like as a dinner destination in its own right. Visiting on a warm Wednesday evening was the perfect way to find out.
A Summer Spot In King’s Cross
King’s Cross is especially good in summer. People spill out onto the steps by the canal with picnics, bottles of wine and street food, while Granary Square has that buzzy, post-work energy that makes London feel genuinely alive. On the night we visited, there was salsa dancing outside in the sunshine, an England game showing on the terrace next door, and Bridget Jones fired up on Screen on the Green.
The Lighterman sits right in the middle of it all, with wraparound terraces, a canalside bar and plenty of outdoor seating stretching towards Granary Square. Inside, it is slicker than your average pub, with a smart ground-floor bar, warm lighting and a polished, modern feel. It is a big space, spread across three floors with extensive terraces and canalside seating, but it still manages to feel inviting and chic.
The Olmeca Altos Margarita Bar
It was busy when we arrived, mostly with people drinking, catching up and making the most of the terrace. There were margaritas everywhere, thanks to The Lighterman’s newly reimagined ground-floor terrace in partnership with Olmeca Altos Tequila, which brings a splash of Mexican spirit to the canalside setting throughout summer.
Margaritas First, Obviously
Service was warm from the start. The team were friendly, relaxed and genuinely chatty, asking how our day had been and talking us through drinks without making the whole thing feel overworked.
With the Olmeca Altos Margarita Bar in full swing, it would have been rude not to start there. I went for the Smoked & Spiced, made with tequila, mezcal, lime and chilli. Smoky, bitter and with a little heat, it felt very much made for a hot evening by the canal.
My friend opted for The Lighterman No.10, a classic margarita created to mark the venue’s 10th anniversary and available for £10 throughout the season.
What I really liked was that once we had our drinks, we were left to our own devices. No rushing, no constant reminders that the table was needed back, no awkward hovering. We were tucked into a corner outside, close enough to feel the atmosphere but still able to hear each other properly, which is exactly what you want from a midweek dinner with a friend.
The Menu: Polished Crowd-Pleasers
The menu is best described as a polished crowd-pleaser. There are flatbreads from the wood oven, seasonal salads, fish, meat, vegetarian options, pub classics and more considered dishes cooked over coals. It is the sort of menu where everyone will find something that gets them excited.
To Start
We started with the house bread, served with black garlic and truffle butter. It arrived as a generous, rounded loaf, warm and soft.
We also ordered the cured rainbow trout with kaffir lime and pink peppercorn, which was fresh, bright and almost ceviche-like in feel. It had a lovely citrusy sharpness, with the pink peppercorn adding just enough bite to cut through the richness of the fish beautifully.
There were plenty of other starters I could happily have ordered too, from tiger prawn scampi with chilli aioli to baked mussels with smoked nduja and chilli butter. The “Steak on Chips” beef tartare with crispy potato and pecorino also sounds like exactly the sort of clever pub-adjacent dish that would go down very well with a cocktail, and my boyfriend, who has had it before, said he still remembers the taste to this day.
The Mains
For mains, we went all-in on fish. The seared yellowfin tuna was the standout. Huge, beautifully seared and perfectly seasoned, it had that meaty, melt-in-the-mouth texture that makes tuna feel like such a treat when it is done well. It came with a green apple and fennel salad: fresh, light and quietly clever alongside the richness of the fish.
The grilled king prawns were equally impressive. Served with garlic butter, lime and shoestring fries, these were proper jumbo prawns, not the tiny, forgettable kind. They were juicy and messy in the best way. We counted at least six or seven on the plate, and every single one disappeared.
Save Room For Dessert
By this point, we were full, but our waiter insisted that we couldn’t leave without trying the cheesecake. I admit, I can be persuaded quite easily by dessert, but even I wasn’t expecting it to be the dish I kept thinking about afterwards.
The ginger brûlée cheesecake was genuinely excellent. It had the rich, creamy texture of a Basque cheesecake but with the biscuity base that, in my opinion, every cheesecake should have. The top had that lightly caramelised finish, while the yuzu sorbet on the side brought a sharp, citrusy freshness that stopped it from feeling too heavy.
It was one of those desserts where you immediately regret sharing. Next time, I’d order one each, and another to go!
The Verdict
The Lighterman is already a King’s Cross staple for good reason. The location is brilliant, the terrace is made for summer and the Margarita Bar gives it a fun after-work pull. But what surprised me most was just how good the food was.
This is an easy spot to underestimate if you only think of it as somewhere for a drink by the canal. In reality, it works just as well for a proper dinner, a relaxed date night, a long-overdue catch-up with friends or a few margaritas and flatbreads after work.
Book your table here.