Victoria Pool Hall for Snooker and Darts: Rileys London

Rileys London Victoria, at 16 Semley Place, London SW1W 9QJ, is a members-only sports bar with snooker, English pool, American pool and darts, and it backs directly onto Victoria Coach Station. It opens daily from 12 pm to 11 pm. Joining is free, but you need ID, the bar takes no cash, and it is strictly over-18s. For a central London pool hall that runs on a booking system, it is easy to get right once you know the rules.

Rileys is a members-only club, and the chain's FAQ gives the reason plainly: membership lets it keep a safe environment and run longer hours. Anyone who wants to play has to be a member, but joining costs nothing. You fill in the form on rileys.co.uk, you can book a table immediately, and your card is issued on your first visit. The card works at every Rileys, from Leeds to Swansea, and you can add it to an Apple Wallet.

Bring proof of who you are. Adults need a photographic driving licence or a utility bill with their name and address, and students can use an NUS card. Under-18s need a guardian's consent for junior membership, but the Victoria venue itself is described as strictly over 18s. Membership renewals happen in person at the club you joined, and replacement cards are not posted out, so keep the card safe.

The club recommends booking in advance because that guarantees your table at your chosen time, though you can book on arrival if tables are free. The limits are firm: a maximum of two tables per booking, four people per table, and eight per dartboard oche.

Two rules catch people out. First, refunds are not offered if you or your guests cannot play on the booked date, although you can change the date and time online, by phone or in person. Second, the club reserves the right to move you to a different table than the one you chose, which it says is done so that as many people as possible get to play. Read the booking terms before you pay.

The Victoria page lists English pool, American pool, snooker and darts, plus air conditioning, free wifi, food served all day, a giant screen and a Sky Sports HD fan zone. It does not publish a table count, so do not expect a fixed number when you book. The venue was refurbished recently, and the hall now pitches itself as the place in Victoria to play snooker, pool and darts while still watching the match.

Time Out has described the venue as the only remaining outpost of the national pool hall chain in London, which explains why it draws people from all over the capital rather than just Victoria commuters. The appeal is a game on proper snooker and pool tables rather than a single coin-op in a pub corner.

The club serves food all day, and its menu is built around chicken, burgers, pizzas and loaded fries, the kind of dishes you can eat with one hand while holding a cue. That is a sensible match for a pool table, because nobody wants cutlery between shots. The venue also has a dedicated London menu on the Rileys site, so check it before you go rather than assuming the chain-wide menu applies.

The honest judgement is that this is bar food in generous portions, not a reason to cross town. Order early if you want to eat during your first frame. If you want a proper sit-down dinner, Victoria has plenty of restaurants nearby, and the 11 pm close leaves time for a late meal after you finish.

Every member is enrolled in Rileys Rewards automatically. Visit 16 times in a year and you move up to Gold, which unlocks better discounts on table hours and drinks. More useful for a first-timer is the off-peak scheme: scan your card during off-peak slots, which the club defines as all day Sunday to Thursday, and you can unlock deals such as 3 for 2 on table hours, plus offers on pints of Amstel, beer towers and cocktails.

That makes a Sunday-to-Thursday visit the cheapest time to play for members who scan their card, and a good fit for anyone learning snooker. For Friday and Saturday evenings, a pre-booked table is the safer choice. The Rack Up & Roll Winter Series 2026 has its own page on the Rileys site if you want to play competitively.

The club's directions are easy to follow: find Victoria Coach Station and the venue backs directly onto it. Victoria and Sloane Square stations are both about five minutes' walk away, and buses 11, 211, C10, 44, N44, C1, 170 and N11 stop at the coach station. Semley Place runs off Buckingham Palace Road, just past the coach station entrance.

If you are driving, the Semley Place NCP car park sits above the venue, and the club says parking outside is free after 8 pm. The late-night buses run past the door, which is useful because the tables are open until 11 pm and the Tube can be slow on weekends.

Westminster Cathedral is a short walk away, with its striped red-brick and white-stone tower that you can see from the end of Victoria Street. Buckingham Palace is a longer walk down Buckingham Palace Road, and the quiet streets of Belgravia lie on the other side of the coach station. Sloane Square, with the Royal Court Theatre, is the stop for anyone who wants to walk in from Chelsea.

A sensible plan is to walk around Belgravia in the late afternoon, then head to Semley Place for a 6 pm game and a meal. The streets are residential and calm, so the contrast with the pool hall's big screens and noise is part of the appeal of a night out here.

Rileys London Victoria, 16 Semley Place, Victoria, London SW1W 9QJ. Open Monday to Sunday 12 pm to 11 pm. Over-18s only; free membership with ID; card payment only, no cash. Maximum two tables per booking and four players per table. Nearest stations: Victoria and Sloane Square, each about five minutes' walk.