The Archduke is a friendly bar and restaurant situated opposite the Royal Festival Hall underneath the railway arches of Hungerford Bridge. It’s sure to guarantee a delightful evening, once the sections and hideaways are navigated and elaborate foliage conquered.

The Venue
The building consists of several sections, most of them incorporating classic rattan-style furniture, ornate ceiling fans and overflowing plants to give the impression that you’re stepping out onto a colonial officer’s veranda. In keeping with the venue’s location underneath a railway arch, the reserved section of the Archduke is an impressively spacious hideaway with a curved brick wall ceiling and minimal lighting, suggesting that neglected jazz cafe/bomb shelter feel.

The Atmosphere
Some areas of the venue provide views of the surrounding cultural hotspots, but for the most part they’re obscured by enormous and obtrusive plants, both growing from pots and hanging from baskets, which may result in an unavoidable David Attenborough impression. The London Eye looms large, however, and looks terrific in the evening.

The Food
If you’re ordering from the gratifying bar menu, the Archduke requires you to make your order at the bar and grab one of those devices that look like mock mobile phones for children which will vibrate and flash when your food is ready: Not the most stylish approach but the food hits the spot and the staff are always affable so it’s never an ordeal. Plus the vibrating mock mobiles are always a useful conversational piece.

The main restaurant is often busy with the occasional live jazz artists accompanying the South Bank crowd. The menu changes weekly but you can expect a high standard of modern European cuisine with dishes such as braised lamb shank with mash and red cabbage, grilled rump steak with bearnaise sauce and cod in pancetta, all reasonably priced around the £15.00 mark. There is also a Presto Menu for lunch and early evening with similarly tantalising dishes on offer.

The Drink
As well as the usual range of beers including the strong yet flavoursome Paulaner, Archduke boasts an impressive international wine list with elegant offerings such as Chablis 2005 and spicier options in the form of Tempranillo 2004.

The Last Word
Sophisticated surroundings, a lively location and mouth-watering dishes make The Archduke as much of a South Bank landmark these days as the London Eye.

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