London Bridge Pool Hall With 7 Tables: N1 Bar

N1 Bar, at 1 Duke Street Hill, London Bridge, SE1 2SW, is a sports bar that rents out pool tables by the hour. It has five American and two English pool tables, three giant screens and fifteen large HD televisions. The sports bar is open every day from 2 pm until 3 am, and a table costs £15 an hour. You leave a bank card and ID behind to secure the payment, and it is worth booking for match nights.

The London Bridge page of the N1 Bar website spells out what the room offers: five American pool tables and two English pool tables, both hired by the hour, plus table tennis and a boxing machine. That is a modest hall by the standards of King's Cross or Colindale, but it is one of the few places within a few minutes of London Bridge station where you can hire a proper pool table instead of waiting for a pub's coin slot.

American tables have larger pockets and numbered balls, while English pool uses red and yellow balls on a smaller table. If your group includes mixed ability, start on the American table, where the bigger pockets forgive a rushed shot, and move to English for a tighter game once everyone has warmed up. The bar recommends booking in advance so you do not turn up to find every table taken.

The pool table price is £15 per hour, per table, not per person, so four players pay under £4 each for the first hour. The bar asks you to leave your bank card and ID at the bar to secure the payment. Bring both, because the bar requires them before it will start your table.

Weekend entry carries a fee of between £5 and £10 depending on the night, and the bar says the price can be higher for events organised by its collaborators. Walk-ins are always welcome, but the bar recommends reserving a table. A weekday visit is the cheaper way in, because the entry fee applies to weekends.

N1 Bar sells itself first as a sports bar. Three giant screens and fifteen large HD televisions are spread through the venue, showing the FIFA World Cup, the Premier League and Championship, the UEFA Champions League and Europa League, La Liga, Serie A and the Bundesliga. The bar also lists rugby, boxing, NFL, golf, tennis, Formula 1 and college football.

The venue publishes a fixtures calendar, and you can email marketing@n1bar.com to ask for a match that is not listed. That makes it a useful choice for a group that is split between people who want to play pool and people who want to watch the game: the tables and the screens share the same room, so nobody has to leave. On big match days, though, expect a crowd and book early.

After the sports bar, the venue turns into a nightclub. The London Bridge page describes a resident DJ and guest DJs playing house, R&B, hip-hop, UK chart music, reggaeton and afrobeats, with a VIP area for birthdays, hen parties and corporate events. It describes itself as the only nightclub in London Bridge that opens until 6 am, with Thursday to Saturday sessions from 10 pm to 6 am and a Sunday session from 9 pm to 3 am.

If you came for pool, that matters: the entry fee and the crowd change when the club side takes over. Last re-entry is at 3 am, valid ID is required or you do not get in, and the bar reserves the right to deny entry. Ladies get free entry before 11 pm. Plan your pool game for the afternoon or early evening if you want a quiet table.

This is not a specialist cue-sports club. There is no coaching, no league and no wall of snooker tables. What you get is table tennis and a boxing machine for the downtime between frames, and a convenient, central place to book a pool table at £15 an hour, watch a match and stay out late. For a serious game of snooker, go to a dedicated hall instead; for a birthday group of eight who want pool, a screen and a late bar near London Bridge station, this is the practical choice.

The bar runs a second site at Elephant & Castle with the same ownership. The same number takes bookings, and the bar also answers on WhatsApp on 07584 177715.

Before you head out, think about the order of your evening. The bar opens at 2 pm, which makes a late-afternoon game the calmest option, and the match schedule on its calendar tells you which nights the screens will draw a crowd. Looking at the calendar first costs a minute and can save you from arriving on a derby night with no table booked, which is the one mistake that spoils a trip here.

Duke Street Hill runs down from the southern end of London Bridge, so you are at the edge of one of London's most walkable districts. Borough Market is a few minutes away and is the obvious stop for food before a game, while Southwark Cathedral stands close by. The Shard rises directly above London Bridge station and is the landmark you will use to find your way back.

Along the Thames path you can reach HMS Belfast, the Second World War cruiser moored near Tower Bridge, in a walk of around fifteen minutes. A sensible evening is dinner at Borough Market, a walk along the river, then a few hours of pool at N1 Bar before the nightclub crowd arrives.

N1 Bar, 1 Duke Street Hill, London Bridge, London SE1 2SW. Sports bar open every day from 2 pm until 3 am. Pool tables: five American and two English at £15 per hour, with a bank card and ID left as security. Weekend entry fee £5 to £10. Valid ID is required for entry. Nearest station: London Bridge.