Most Londoners will be all too familiar with the fact that taking the tube is not always a pleasant experience.
It’s hot, it’s stuffy, you’re squashed between the curved door and the backpack that tourist just refuses to take off.
A dozen raised arms and hands clutching bars produce that all-too-familiar end of day aroma as the Tube hurtles into the tunnel.
You endure more than enough of the London Underground during the working week, so why would you want to spend even more time crammed within it’s doors?
The only reasonable explanation is that the tube carriage transforms into one of London’s coolest and most exclusive fine dining restaurants.
Last week, I dined at Supperclub Tube where I ate a six-course Latin American inspired menu inside a 1967 Victoria line tube carriage
It sounds like a scene from a spy movie but it’s actually something that I got to experience last weekend at Supperclub Tube – and it was a far stretch from the usual Victoria line slog.
Most people don’t feel comfortable whipping out a £3.50 meal deal on the Underground, nevermind tucking into a six-course Latin American inspired menu.
As the UK’s only dine-in tube carriage, it offers guests a unique experience they can’t get anywhere else.
For only three nights a week, seating just 35 people each evening, the abandoned carriage comes alive and turns into an upper-class eatery.
Not being the biggest fan of the tube anyway, I was unsure of what to expect of the bizarre dining concept.
Upon arrival, we were seated inside a stationary 1967 Victoria line tube carriage, located at the Pumphouse Museum in Walthamstow.
I was on the communal table for ten people. We were all sat close together on normal Tube seats – it was a strangely social experience compared to the usual lack of eye contact with commuters studying their phones.
As the UK’s only dine-in tube carriage, it offers guests a unique experience they can’t get anywhere else
The carriage had turned into a fully functioning 35-cover restaurant, complete with tables, linen, and first-class service
The six-course dining experience starts from £67 per person, with vegetarian and vegan options also on offer- if you want a bit more privacy, you can pay £73 per person for a private table
Thankfully, I was able to ignore my instinct to race and claim my rush hour seat because this time it had already been reserved.
My partner and I took our seats just before the service began at 7pm, and the carriage doors actually slid shut as they normally do, shutting us inside.
By this time the carriage had turned into a fully functioning 35-cover restaurant, complete with tables, linen, and first-class service.
Atmospheric lighting and soft music added a stark contrast to what the hustle and bustle of rush hour is usually like.
The six-course dining experience starts from £67 per person, with vegetarian and vegan options also on offer- if you want a bit more privacy, you can pay £73 per person for a private table.
Before the first course arrived, the room went quiet as head chef Beatriz Maldonado Carreno, known as Bea to her guests, gave a talk about what to expect from the evening and her menu.
She introduced the first dish of the tasting menu, ‘Sopa Azteca’ which was a tomato and chipotle soup with blue corn tortilla, yellow corn, chicken, soured cream and corriander.
The chef explained that her dishes mix elements from numerous cultures, including recipes from her homeland Colombia mixed with British seasonal produce.
As we took our seats just before the service began at 7pm, the working doors actually slid shut as they normally do, shutting us inside
Looking around the interior of the tube was like being frozen in time – from the maps on the walls to the signage, all of the original features had been retained which made the experience more authentic
Atmospheric lighting and soft music added a stark contrast to what the hustle and bustle of rush hour is usually like
Next up on the menu was ‘Carimañolas de queso’ which was cassava and white corn croquettes filled with mozarella and chedder cheese, yellow chilli sauce and cavolo nero.
Other courses included lime-cured hake and cuban style shredded beef brisket.
Dessert consisted of a chocolate soil and a corn and passion fruit cake with coconut and lime ice cream – however, the menu changes with the seasons.
The whole experience had an air of luxury, which is something I never thought I’d say about being sat on the Victoria line.
Taking inspiration from ‘old-school glamour’, Supperclub Tube’s interior aims to blend ‘vintage charm’ and contemporary elegance’, complete with TFL’s iconic Moquette seating.
The immersive dining restaurant has been running for almost eight years at the The Walthamstow Pumphouse Museum, which is centered around a Grade II listed Victorian pumping station.
Looking around the interior of the tube was like being frozen in time – from the maps on the walls to the signage, all of the original features had been retained which made the experience more authentic.
The tube carriage itself is a 1967 tube stock DM (Driving Motor) unit that went into service in 1968 and it now fits up to 35 people in for dinner, three times a week.
Before the first course arrived, head chef Beatriz Maldonado Carreno, known as Bea to her guests, gave a talk about what to expect from the evening and her menu
I was on the communal table, which consisted of about ten guests – like normal tube seats, we were sat quite close together, which was a strangely social experience compared to the usual heads down and headphones in
The chef explained that her dishes mix elements from numerous cultures, including recipes from her homeland Colombia mixed with British seasonal produce
The six-course dining experience starts from £67 per person, with vegetarian and vegan options also on offer- if you want a bit more privacy, you can pay £73 per person for a private table
The delicious food combined with the bizarrely fun setting makes for a great evening for any Londoner
With such a small amount of people compared to usual restaurants, it created an intimate dinner party atmosphere, forcing you to meet people which reflects the ‘supper club’ element.
While the food was an amazing fine dining experience, for me it was the atmosphere that really made the experience special.
Creating a complete reverse to the usual London Underground fashion, diners were chatting and laughing with each other up and down the carriage.
From first dates to special occasions, there were a variety of people who came along to experience the strange dining concept – we even sang happy birthday to a few people who were there to celebrate.
Overall, it definitely revolutionized the classic tube experience and was an evening I won’t forget for a while.
Still relatively undiscovered, it’s a hidden gem that not too many people know exists.
The delicious food combined with the bizarrely fun setting makes for a great evening for any Londoner – although, it is going to make my daily commute a lot more boring now.
It’s open three nights a week Thursdays through to Saturdays and you can book your space here.
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