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Detail Pages
The Falcon, SW11
SW11
SW11 1RU
Pub Type
Nicholsons (Mitchells & Butlers)Reviews (Current Rating Average: 7½ of 10) see review guidelines
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Mark Davey left this review about The Falcon
23/04/12 Popped in for a couple following a Quins v Tigers match at the Stoop. Excellent second visit to this great real ale destination. Loads of beer choice, managed a pint of Proper Job and a Harveys. Others in our party tried some of the dark brews but they are not really to my taste. Pub was rammed on a Saturday evening and initially finding a seat was difficult but we wormed our way in. Great atmosphere in this unusually well regarded chain pub. Well worth the visit, will return.
08/11/13 Arranged to meet friends here on a Friday night. Rammed as usual, with a few less brews than I remember. Spent the night on Purity UBU, which was fantastic. managed to find a seat later, when a 6pm reserved table was still empty at 7pm. Why do people do that? Still a great pub and well worth a visit if you are in the Clapham Junction area.
On 12th November 2013
- rating: 7
[User has posted 292 recommendations about 276 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Quinno _ left this review about The Falcon
A long overdue revisit found the Falcon at its very worst; half the ales off and others were clearly running low, a number of the clientele were boorish and staff were overstretched and inattentive. Yes it does get extremely busy in here but surely it doesn’t take much gumption to roster properly? I managed to piggyback on someone else’s order and got a serviceable Titanic Cappuccino although it was a short measure, presumably due to the rush of serving. There were also several smashes of glassware behind the bar during my 30 minutes. I noticed that it was over £4 for a scotch egg as well. It’s still a ‘should see’ pub but I think, given the other reviews posted recently, that standards are slipping.
January 2010
Large corner pub by Clapham Junction rail station. It was acquired by Nicholsons a while back and has been sympathetically renovated in a way that enhances the charms of the Victorian bar back and the longest continuous bar counter in Britain (at 125ft). The ale range has increased massively and unlike a number of other Nicholsons pubs, the quality seems to be consistently good with some unusual choices on offer. The rest of the interior is large windows, etched glass, chandeliers and dark wood. Food-wise they seem to be big on sausages. I tried some and they were fairly good given the price. Well-worth a visit. Rating: 8
On 6th May 2013
- rating: 7
[User has posted 5107 recommendations about 5090 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
paulof horsham left this review about The Falcon
Not much to add regarding the interior, but there's plenty of room in there. On my visit, I was pleasantly surprised to find a beer festival on the go, with 18 casks racked up in the corner, to add to the 15 or so ales on the bar. Given its proximity to Clapham Junction station, I can see myself returning.
On 11th February 2013
- rating: 7
[User has posted 453 recommendations about 425 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
E TA left this review about The Falcon
I can't improve on the description provided by John Bonser below. When I visited, it wasn't too crowded, and I was able easily to get a seat by the old corner door where I whiled away the 40 minutes or so it took my fish and chips to arrive by chatting to an octogenarian local about his time in the RAF and about the changes in Clapham since WW2. The locals were very friendly, the staff reasonably competent and the ambiance calm despite it being a busy period. There were 5 ales on - I had a pint of Rooster which was a good pint, in excellent condition and served at the right temperature. Very handy for the station, and well worth stopping for refreshments before hitting London proper.
On 3rd March 2012
- rating: 7
[User has posted 3289 recommendations about 3254 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
John Bonser left this review about The Falcon
Update – June 2011
Pub has now re-opened following a minor refurbishment. The only really noticeable change is that the back area ( the area with the two coloured skylights ) has become a dedicated restaurant area. On my Saturday lunchtime visit, this area was fully laid out for diners with place mats, cutlery and wine glasses on every table. This had the unfortunate effect of pushing drinkers into the less characterful and cosy front bar. It will be interesting to see how this change develops – I wouldn’t have thought that they would get a lot in the way of food trade during the week, as there’s hardly any offices / suits in the area, unlike in the City of London Square Mile for instance.
Pleasingly, the range of real ale sold – and the quality – remains impressive. Approx 12 beers were on, mainly sourced from the Nicholsons 2011 Summer Range and included Cropton Dragon Slayer, Titanic Centenary, Nethergate Umbel Ale, Mike Hall – Wanderer and Vale Black Beauty Porter. The Titanic beer was really good – worth sampling if you get the chance
My overall opinion of this pub remains unchanged from my December 2009 review below – you should definitely pop in if the opportunity presents itself
December 2009 review
Large, imposing pub occupying a prominent corner position on a busy road junction just outside Clapham Junction station.
Its impressively ornate Victorian interior, including much wood pannelling and coloured stained falcon - logo windows earn it a place in CAMRA's National Inventory of Unspoilt Interiors. Note also the mini-snug with wood and glass screens as you come in from the main entrance and the stained glass in the rear room with the skylights.
It's a long continuous bar counter that serves round a huge central bar servery with a notable high bar back with etched mirrors. The bar counter serves a number of interconnecting drinking areas.
The pub was acquired several years ago by Nicholsons whose restoration, including bringing in chandeliers, has brought out the best of the traditional interior. One dreads to think what the Wells and Youngs "sensitive refurbishment" brigade would have done to this splendid place!
Prior to Nicholsons arrival, ordering a pint of real ale required a certain leap of faith - on occasions only the London Pride was on and quality left room for improvement. Real ale trade seemed to be negligible and the pub seemed to have more than its fair share of scallies.
We now have a thriving pub with a broad customer mix.
There's 3 separate banks of handpumps strategically situated around the bar with usually about 12 different real ales on offer. I've often thought that that's too many, but, in fairness, I've never had a pint that's below par. One of the difficulties is that staff serving at one bank of pumps never seem to know what the other pumps round the other side of the bar are offering and if - as I encountered the other day - you come in with a couple of friends and each wants a pint from a different bank of pumps, it becomes a bit of a nightmarish experience.
The pub is listed in the CAMRA 2010 Good Beer Guide. On recent visits, I've had decent pints of Purity Amber Ale, Doom Bar, Harveys, amongst others.
Being very close to a busy station like Clapham Junction means that the pub is invariably crowded, but it's streets ahead of your typical station pub and you should definitely pop in if you get the chance.
On 14th June 2011
- rating: 8
[User has posted 560 recommendations about 560 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Malden man left this review about The Falcon
Currently closed for a refurb, hopefully a gentle one including a lick of paint. I believe the sign said reopening on 21st April. Nothing too extreme having looked through the window.
On 20th April 2011
- no rating submitted
[User has posted 1708 recommendations about 1681 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Steve of N21 left this review about The Falcon
I will concur with the reviewers below this is a very good pub. A fine traditional interior with several of the original fittings, including the bar back, retained and plenty of comfortable seating in the multi divided sections around the central serving area.
As mentioned it’s a Nicholson’s pub and probably has the most hand pumps I have seen in one of their establishments , just over 20 I believe. The chalk board showed about 17 ales on, so along with the usual Pride and TT Landlord there was an impressive selection from the current Nicholson Autumn season guest list.
All the ones tried were in good condition with the Salopian Darwin Origin being a very good pint and personal favourite. But then I didn’t try the Brewdog Punk IPA, like other members of the group I could mention.
On 25th November 2010
- rating: 9
[User has posted 2125 recommendations about 2001 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
john mcgraw left this review about The Falcon
A large old fashioned corner pub with a circular bar that is seperated into 3 distinct areas.A large front bar,a rear bar that seems to be used mainly for dining (and of course drinking)and a small and very comfortable snug where you can sit and enjoy the great selection of real ales.On my visit today there were at least 15 ales and 3 ciders on and those I tried were excelent.This pub is a great find in the Clapham Junction area and anyone who likes real ale should visit this pub when in the area as there seems to be a beer for all tastes.Almost next to Clapham Junction railway station and on several major bus routes.Give it a go.You will not be disappointed.Like other reviewers,I wiil be back.(well I was as I was there yesterday!)
On 25th August 2010
- rating: 9
[User has posted 2044 recommendations about 2025 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Rex Rattus left this review about The Falcon
They have now added a further six handpumps to the four in the back room, making a total of 22 for the pub. At lunchtime today they had 17 ales on; all the pumps were in use so some were clearly dispensing the same ales thus cutting down on the running around that the staff have had to do in the past. Also, they now seem to be offering the choice between straight glasses or jugs. The following from 9 Feb 2010: What an incredibly impressive pub interior. It has retained almost all of its original Victorian features – etched and cut glass everywhere; original panels and screens between separate drinking areas; and what some claim to be the longest bar counter in Britain. A very large pub, but because it hasn’t been turned into a drinking barn it has retained its essential character.
There were 16 (yes, sixteen!) ales on during my recent visit, with most from micro or lesser known breweries. All four that I had were in excellent nick, with Cropton Britannia being the pick of the bunch in my opinion. At one time there were four doors, presumably leading to separate drinking compartments, but it’s now been opened up a bit so that you can move easily from one area to another. Furnishings are fairly traditional, with mainly normal tables and chairs, but there were some high tables with high stools, and a couple of banquette style booths. The only minor downsides were that it wasn’t really warm enough (I kept my coat on the whole time) – though it has to be said that it was a very cold February evening, and the bar staff started clearing up around customers at around 10.30, well before they stopped serving. We didn’t feel too comfortable being in there, and felt as if they wanted us to leave. Probably true, I suppose. Anyway, the ale selection is truly impressive, and I shall certainly be back.
On 31st March 2010
- rating: 8
[User has posted 2606 recommendations about 2520 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Graham Coombs left this review about The Falcon
Have seen this pub change over many years and I think the present incarnation is one of the best. Range of about 20 draught/keg beers, from scruttocks old dirigible to eurofizz but, most importantly, has a really good feel to it - a nice place to spend the evening. Close to Clapham Junction station.
On 16th March 2010
- rating: 9
[User has posted 3352 recommendations about 3289 pubs]