User name:

Password:

Login


Sign in with Facebook


Not already a member?
Join our community and - Rate & review pubs - Upload pictures - Add events JOIN for free NOW


Chat about:
Cambridge PuG Crawl, Friday 5th April 2024 with Gann on the Pub Forum

Northcote Arms, SW11

Pub added by elizabeth mcgraw
94 Northcote Road
SW11
SW11 6QW
Phone: 02079241814

Return to pub summary

Reviews (Current Rating Average: of 10) Add Review see review guidelines


Tris C left this review about Northcote Arms

This was the second of three pubs in this vicinity visited by me the other Friday, lured in because of the traditional pub name, only for me to find out that in fact, like the other two, this is a modern conversion, situated in the middle of Northcote Road, the epicentre of Battersea’s so-called ‘Nappy Valley’.
Originally a Pitcher & Piano, this is now a ‘stealth’ BrewDog, with a J-shaped interior, pale boarded, bluish green walls and white ceiling with décor in the form of some mixed prints. Customers were a bunch of squawking younger people, me standing out as the solitary older drinker.
Surprisingly, there were two cask options, with an unused pump then Wandle and Alpha Delta’s ROCA DDH which was ‘hazy’, ‘juicy’ and crappy, served by a vacant barmaid at a horrific £3.40 a half; I should have gone for the Wandle, more fool me.
The presence of cask gets the score up by one, the high price knocks it down by one, but otherwise it’s not a place for me.

On 20th September 2023 - rating: 4
[User has posted 1955 recommendations about 1922 pubs]


Please Note: This review is over a year old.


Moby Duck left this review about Draft House

More bar than pub I would say,lively on my Saturday afternoon visit, particularly with the young set and as such I am as much in the dark as Malden Man below regarding the statements on the wall. Three pumps as mentioned with two from Sambrookes and the days £2.75 beer was Siren Craft- Undercurrent and was the best beer of some very good beer enjoyed on this day, however I wasn't aware of the pricing structure until after ordering so myself and drinking companion went for a half each of the Siren beer and and charged £2.00 each with no mention of the discount on a pint of the same, so be warned.Like Malden Man this is also not really my cuppa but given the quality of beer tasted would possibly look in again.

On 1st March 2015 - rating: 6
[User has posted 1868 recommendations about 1841 pubs]


Please Note: This review is over a year old.


Malden man left this review about Draft House

Two rooms inside this fairly small corner pub, the rear looked to be purely for those eating, the front section has the bar to one side, boarded flooring, basic and non-too-comfortable seating solely at high lime green wooden stools set at the bar, a side shelf and a high table in the front window. Décor includes various music related items, album covers, old NME front pages, strange statements, "Yolk, Smoke, Poke", "Stamp out Bald Peaches"......I have no idea.
Despite the brad, the beer range, particularly the cask range, was rather low key, just three handpumps served Sambrook's Wandle, King's Brighton Blonde, and the firkin-noon offer, Welton's Pride and Joy. The offer is such that at noon each day a firkin is tapped and sold until gone at £2.75. Sounds good? This beer is 2.8%, so probably priced about right tax wise in my opinion. There are more keg options and an impressive fridge selection at the top end of the bar, out of curiosity I enquired about a 7.2% beer from Marble on keg but was put off by a price tag just short of £5+ for a half, stuff that.
No TV in here as far as I could see, some indiscernible music played, drowned by the loud conversation in a hard surfaced environment.
Outdoor café style pavement seating provides an overflow and probably a more comfortable seating option.
I felt it promised much but didn't really deliver, especially on the cask ale front. The location is on a rather pretentious trendy South London street, so this may be what the Bright Young Things want, but it wasn't my cuppa. There are obviously worse pubs but I felt a little let down.

On 15th October 2014 - rating: 5
[User has posted 1707 recommendations about 1681 pubs]


Please Note: This review is over a year old.


john gray left this review about Draft House

The high tables and chairs make it uncomfortable to sit and relax but they have outside seating.Good selection of beers.Rear bar area now seems to be for dining.Couple of handpumps with a very good Dancing Duck beer Dark Drake and I tried a keg from a new brewery Firebrand -Double rye pa.Superb and worth the high price this chain of pubs charges.

On 12th April 2014 - rating: 7
[User has posted 1023 recommendations about 1009 pubs]


Please Note: This review is over a year old.


Pub SignMan left this review about Draft House

This is a simple craft beer style bar about halfway down the lively Northcote Road. I'd never really fancied trying the place out as the Draft House chain has a reputation for expensive beer, but I found myself walking past recently with a bit of time on my hands and decided to risk a swift half. The premises has a narrow, shop conversion style layout, with a curved servery running down the right hand side dominating the front part of the pub. This area is bare boarded with some awkward looking high banquette and stool seating under the front windows and a few more high stools along a drinking ledge that runs down the left side of the room. The place certainly isn't built for comfort and I found that I was just as happy propping up the bar as I would have been sat anywhere else. The walls have been decorated with a mix of music and beer themed posters as well as some classic modern art prints such as the impressive Jeff Koons reproduction near the front door. As you move further into the pub, past the end of the servery and the open kitchen, the room opens out into a dining room of sorts with banquette and standard seating filling the well lit, L-shaped space. More posters and modern art on the walls make the place feel quite colourful and there were a few people sat enjoying food from the menu which prices burgers around the £11 mark. Music played quietly in the background throughout my stay and I didn't notice any TV screens nor did I see live sport advertised anywhere.
Only one ale - Purity War Lord Black - was available on my visit, with Sambrooks Wandle having recently been taken off and another hand pump left unclipped. Thankfully this was a pretty decent drink and the half slipped down nice and easy. Ironically, I failed to note how much it cost, so I remain none the wiser as to whether they overcharge for their beer. The keg range seems to be the real focus of their attention and there were some tempting options available including brews from Titanic, Magic Rock, Grain, Beavertown and London Fields as well as their own house lager, Belgian and German favourites and Mortimer Orchard Cider. A well thought out bottled beer range includes plenty of options from local London brewers and some US heavyweights.
I agree with previous reviewers that this isn't a pub you're likely to settle down in (unless you're stopping for food maybe), but I did think it was one of those places that would be worth a look in passing to see if there is anything interesting on the bar. I thought it sat quite well with other pubs and bars in the vicinity and I saw enough to make me consider giving some of the other Draft House pubs around the capital a try.

On 8th December 2013 - rating: 6
[User has posted 3102 recommendations about 3102 pubs]


Please Note: This review is over a year old.


Steve C left this review about Draft House

The Draft House is made up by a small L shaped bar that leads to a seating area and kitchen at the rear. The seating in the bar area consists of two high tables by the front windows and some bar stools that line a shelf that runs along the left hand wall. There are no televisions, but some low background music was playing during my recent Friday evening visit. It wasn’t overly busy inside the pub, but this was due to the nice weather as the seating on the path out front was very busy.
As the name suggests there is a selection of interesting draught products with a leaning towards American beers. The bar also supports three hand pumps that were drawing Sambrook’s Wandle, Magic Rock Brewery’s Curious and Surrey Hills Brewery’s Greensand IPA.

I found it difficult to get comfortable even though it was quiet so I do not plan to return anytime soon.

On 2nd July 2013 - rating: 5
[User has posted 5179 recommendations about 5148 pubs]


Please Note: This review is over a year old.


Rex Rattus left this review about Draft House

There were three handpumps clipped here when I wandered in on Wednesday afternoon - but unfortunately the barmaid couldn't get anything out of the Sambrook's Junction or Wandle pumps, leaving me with the remaining option of Tillingbourne Black Troll, at £1.90 a half. Being part of the Draft House chain there was a mass of interesting stuff on keg, and a large fridge behind the bar was jam packed with unusual bottled beers. There was an A-board outside advertising a burger deal, giving a "yoke, poke or smoke burger" plus fries and a pint of Wandle for £10.75. I certainly know what a pint of Wandle is, as well as fries, and I suppose I could hazard a guess at a "smoke burger", but a yoke or poke burger has me at a loss. Anyway, my half of Black Troll was OK though.

The main bar area as you enter is furnished with a tall upholstered bench with a bar to support your feet if you're tall enough, and some tall, solid wood stools painted a bright green. There's also a ledge by the wall with more green stools. Thess are undoubtedly the most garish and uncomfortable furnishings that I've ever encountered in a pub. Passing through an archway at the back of the bar takes you into into a room with all the tables laid for diners. The tables are all accompanied by simple wooden chairs, all painted he same bright green. One plus was the music being played. Frankly I'd rather do without having any music foisted on me, but others seem to like it so fair does. However, here they were playing some traditional blues which made a welcome change (for me anyway) from the usual banal pop music.

This place is OK for a beer - and I'm assuming that the problems with the Sambrook ales were a temporary glitch - but for me the place was just too uncomfortable to want to spend any length of time. But that's just my subjective opinion.

On 14th January 2013 - rating: 4
[User has posted 2606 recommendations about 2520 pubs]