The Regent, Balham, SW12

A corner pub , open plan inside though divided into two halves.Six handles on the bar but just two disappointing beers on offer, Doom Bar and Hobgoblin, a few craft beers on tap made up for it and Drop Project Crush was decent. Probably won't return to this one.

A large Victorian street corner pub with two main sections,the front a vast array of pine,opened out and charmless with families with screaming brats and buggies with bawling babies . Maybe the pricey pub grub had drawn them here.I escaped to the rear room,with almost exclusively high tables infront of a huge drop down Sky Sports screen with other screens dotted about . Three handpumps but only the dull Doom Bore available,NBSS 2.5.At least the charming young barmaid did apolgise for the screaming brat once it had left but the damage had been done and other punters in the back room also made their thoughts known to her about out of control children and their moronic parent(s) being allowed into pubs. There is no good reason to visit this pub,just keep on walking.

Originally the Balham Hotel and dating from the 19th century, it’s well described by Blackthorn and even Rex’s review still stands firm. There’s a huge gloomy room to the rear with blinding football showing on a Megavision screen, the front section having been done up in a trendy, contemporary style which can be seen on their website, but broadly with a shades of pale blue colour scheme with some bare brick to a bar back with tubular steel and herringbone floor, lit by filament bulbs; trendy prints, palms and wooden antlers complete the ensemble. Thereafter, there are doggy beds (the pub is obsessed with them), bored games and mixed customers, a few conspicuously old, looking out of place. A non-starter cask choice exhibited Gloom then a reversed clip and one unused pump, a half of ‘craft’ Brixton Atlantic IPA, price forgotten like the drink itself. This is a passable place which would be improved with some thought given to the discerning cask drinker; happily, the Clapham Bowls Club doesn’t suffer from these problems and is opposite.

Official site of The Regent - www.instagram.com

Facebook page of The Regent - www.facebook.com

Official site of The Regent - www.instagram.com

Facebook page of The Regent - www.facebook.com

This is a large, two room pub down a side street close to Balham station. The front room is the main bar and dining area and has some decent dark floorboards, bare brick and full height wood panelled walls, attractive arched windows down two sides, and many rows of tables and chairs through the centre with a few benches around the perimeter. The servery is on the left-hand wall and has a nice counter with detailed support pillars, an ugly metal gantry and matching bar back with some sort of weird original mirror to one side, which was adorned with a flowery model reindeer. A few odd pictures line the walls, there's a tidy fireplace to the rear and potted plants appear here and there to add some colour. The second room is out the back and has its own servery, some plusher seating and more of the same tidy wood panelling, plus a large TV screen on the back wall and banging music. This was perhaps because it was occupied by a private function when I arrived, which also meant I couldn't properly explore. Three handpulls were sadly limited to just Sharps Doom Bar, with two reversed clips on the remaining handles. There was a modest craft keg line up though, including beers from the local Brockley and Brixton breweries. The barman who served me seemed very personable and it felt like there were loads of staff working on this Friday evening visit, which meant wait times at the bar were minimal. This pub must being doing something right, as it was absolutely rocking when I arrived, with not a free seat in the house and a cracking atmosphere as a result. It's a shame that there was just the one mediocre cask ale to choose from and the formally arranged seating did make it feel a bit too food-led for my liking, but this ended up being much better than I'd expected and could be a good option for a swift pint before taking a train. Date of visit - 8th December 2023

Official site of The Regent - www.theregentbalham.co.uk

Official site of The Regent - www.theregentbalham.co.uk

The door opens into what is mainly a dining area with the bar to the left side. There is another room further along which was packed with football fans so I couldn't see if the bar extended down there, but I assume it did as the first room was fairly empty. Three weak real ales on offer. Outside area to the far right.