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The London & South Western (JD Wetherspoon), SW11
SW11
SW11 1LJ
Reviews (Current Rating Average: 5½ of 10) see review guidelines
paulof horsham left this review about The London & South Western (JD Wetherspoon)
As busy as you'd expect. Just as understaffed as you've come to expect. It's a Wetherspoons. A good selection of beers (6 of the current festival specials), so you might want to check it out if you have time between trains.
On 12th March 2025
- rating: 4
[User has posted 554 recommendations about 516 pubs]
David Walton left this review about The London & South Western (JD Wetherspoon)
Visited on 18/06/24
Not sure how I had missed visiting this expansive venue, but which is definitely isn't one of the architectural gems in the JDW crown! It is indeed a long rectangular pub with a long bar along the back wall. Tilled area in front of bar, obviously not trusting of punter capability to avoid spillage on picking their chosen quaff up on the expensive JDW carpets! Lots of tables packed in including a row of circular copper topped standing tables on the border between the tiles and the wooden floor throughout the next section of pub before it becomes carpeted in the slightly raised area along the glass front of the pub. Small flight of steps up to another carpeted area on right hand side presumably more for "diners". There were a lot of people sitting out the front on a pleasant evening, but generally the venue was heaving during my early evening visit.
I don't think i have ever seen so many taps in a single venue. It felt like they had every lager under the sun - the only one i would say that don't see with some regularity was the Stiegl Goldbrau from Salzburg. Add to that about half a dozen mainstream ciders and about the same keg pale ales / IPAs, albeit nothing too exciting, your abacus is already malfunctioning totting up the choice before you get to the hand pumps! There were 12 hand pumps (amazingly only one for each of the JDW staples of Abbot, Doom Bar and Ruddles Best), with the others offered being Valkyrie from Rudgate, Ranmore from Surrey Hills Brewery, Pumphouse from Sambrook's (the Valkyrie, Ranmore and Pumphouse each being doubled up), Knight of the Garter from Windsor & Eton (my choice and drinking lovely) and finally Red Sky and Naked Ladies from Twickenham.
Not a particularly interesting Spoons and hardly one to have a modestly quiet pint in, but saved from being just average by a perfectly reasonable cask selection that based on my sample seemed to be doing just fine.
On 27th June 2024
- rating: 6
[User has posted 631 recommendations about 631 pubs]
Pub SignMan left this review about The London & South Western (JD Wetherspoon)
A return to Clapham Junction revealed that this formerly dismal drinking barn has been nicely made over by the Wetherspoons team, who have added plenty of partitioning, moved the servery and set out seating across a split-level interior. The main bar space benefits from the large front windows that allow plenty of light in, whilst the notional side room provides a cosier space that wouldn't look out of place as a dining room in your average chain pub. Aside from the handy departure boards for the nearby station, there's not much here that stands out from any other recent 'Spoons opening - the muted TV screens showing rolling news channels, the local history boards, lots of dark wood panelling, flashing slot machines - it's all present and correct. The staff seemed friendly, certainly by 'Spoons usual standards, although they could've done with a few extra hands during the busy post-work period in which I visited. There were three regular 'Spoons ales and three guest beers on the handpulls, and I tried what turned out to be an excellent pint of Redemption Fellowship Porter. A massive improvement here - for all their faults, 'Spoons usually tend to improve upon whatever went before them and that's certainly the case here.
Original review as Revolution Bar on 18th January 2016 - rating: 2
This is part of a nationwide chain of bars with a vague cocktail/vodka theme, doubling up as a restaurant in the day and club in the evenings. Situated in a former Yates's, just outside Clapham Junction station, the place is well positioned to attract plenty of customers and we found the venue absolutely packed when we foolhardily arrived late on a Friday. Entry was a complicated affair, with rude arrogant doorman demanding photo ID from all customers, irrespective of age, with one of them manhandling me when I thought I had been given the go-ahead to enter, pulling me back and barking at me to wait my turn. Charming. Inside, there is a single, enormous room with the bar running along most of the rear wall, assuming you can fight your way through the crowds to reach it and get served. The servery has a wood panelled counter, mirrored bar back and a large, high gantry with cabinets perched on top displaying various ornate teapots and other such bits and bobs. High tables and stools can be found opposite the bar, where a few large pillars help break up the vast space a little, and further into the room there is a mix of seating, mostly padded benches, some of which are formed into low backed booths. A DJ was set up in the rear left corner, playing some dodgy tunes throughout our stay at a loud volume to a crowd of wasted youngsters and the occasional local 'character'. The menu includes all your pub favourites, plus a few unexpected extras such as lobster risotto and the dishes seem slightly better quality than the usual pre-cooked chain bar rubbish.
No ale at the bar, which can't come as much of a surprise. A wide selection of standard and premium lagers can be found on keg and in bottles, whilst cocktails seem to be a speciality, as does vodka, with posters and flyers just about everywhere you look urging you to sample their range from around the world. Happy hour is 5-7pm Monday - Friday when you can get 2 for 1 on cocktails.
This was a pretty dreadful experience, starting before we'd even crossed the threshold and not really improving from thereon in. I'm sure a daytime visit would find a much more enjoyable bar and I can imagine this makes a convenient spot to grab some food in passing, but I genuinely hated just about everything about this particular visit and will do my level best to avoid a return.
On 17th June 2024
- rating: 7
[User has posted 3350 recommendations about 3350 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Bucking Fastard left this review about The London & South Western
On the ground floor of a curved office block and opposite the Falcon,this is quite a modest sized 'spoons with a raised section to the right and lots of high tables opposite the bar which runs around a rear wall.Popular but not rammed prior to a Twickers rugby international,at least we found a free table here after searching in vain in the Falcon.
It's totally unmemorable,the ale selection dominted by the trio of Doom with guests Thornbridge Jaipur,Oakham Bishops Farewell (NBSS 1.5) and something I failed to note.Had either the Jaipur or the Bishops' been in good nick that could have saved the visit,but my pint was cloudy and tired and the food arrived at suspicious speed and was flabby.One to avoid.
On 12th March 2023
- rating: 5
[User has posted 2936 recommendations about 2936 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Rex Rattus left this review about The London & South Western
Yes, it's another 'spoons just like most other 'spoons. The main room at the front as you enter seems to be the busest (or it was when I was in - probably because that's where the bar counter is sited), with another smaller more comfortable room on the right. I was in fairly late (gone 10.00 PM) and at some stage before we finished our pints the staff decided to close the smaller room and required us the decant to the larger room. A bit of a nuisance, but not a showstopper.
I agree that the emergence of this pub is bad news for the Falcon opposite. Guest ales in the London & South West are £2.39 a pint, so with three CAMRA vouchers the three pints I bought cost £5.67 - almost exactly what I paid for a single pint in the Falcon. I much prefer the Falcon as a pub, but for a lot of people that sort of price difference is a deal breaker.
The one thing I do quite like about 'spoons pubs are the links to the local area included in the decor. In this one there is a tribute to the iconic film and play "Up the Junction", and of course the classic "Lavender Hill Mob".
An average 'spoons, but some may say that's a good thing.
On 13th June 2022
- rating: 5
[User has posted 2606 recommendations about 2520 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
john gray left this review about The London & South Western
Well its a Mcspoons so you know what you are getting.Thought it was pretty good and very busy.Good selection of guest beers from Oakham,Mad Squirrel and Twickenham.The Falcon opposite is doomed
On 15th April 2022
- rating: 7
[User has posted 1023 recommendations about 1009 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Blue Scrumpy left this review about The London & South Western
Fairly new (apparently opened Dec 20) Wetherspoon's branch in a prominent location on a busy junction near Clapham Junction. In fact, it's just opposite the Falcon.
I arrived at the bar to find it unoccupied and was shortly joined by another customer. I could have excused the barmaid from mistakenly serving the other customer first and out of order, as she hadn't seen us both arrive, but to then start serving other customers who had subsequently joined was simply poor customer service. I had to interject to ask when I was going to be served, as I was on the verge of walking out.
Greene King Abbot, Ruddles Best & Sharp's Doom Bar were all on, with 4 guests - Signal Solo & Sticky Hoppy Pudding, Milestone Donner & Blitzed & Bath Festivity. This branch does not stock any real cider.
A group of lads near the bar were being particularly rowdy and managed to knock a pint over, with plenty of subsequent guffawing, whilst bemused diners looked on.
Unsurprisingly, toilets were upstairs. All that space downstairs and 'spoon's persist in making it a trek to have a pee!
A fairly average Wetherspoon's branch that would not be worth crossing the street from the Falcon to.
On 17th December 2021
- rating: 5
[User has posted 3040 recommendations about 3038 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Graham Coombs left this review about The London & South Western
Now a Wetherspoons and, even though not one of their finest, is much improved over its previous incarnations as Revolution/Yates. Mostly in one large room, with the long rows of tables a bit regimented, then a side area offering a bit of variety. The large windows do offer a good view of the busy streetscape outside, otherwise a fairly standard Spoons. Guest ales were Twickenham Naked Ladies and a special from Surrey Hills alongside the usual stuff.
On 16th September 2021
- rating: 6
[User has posted 3641 recommendations about 3576 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Philip Carter left this review about Revolution Bar
A vodka bar, but does have lagers and Guinness. Food served all day. Has a separate bar area to the right, Very comfortable chesterfield sofas. The seat around the tables are equally as comfortable, but not all. If you are going to visit when it is busy, get there early as some tables have hard platistic seats, which look like they come from the 1970's.
On 23rd January 2010
- rating: 6
[User has posted 759 recommendations about 721 pubs]