The Cav, South Lambeth, SW8

Pub SignMan left this review about The Cav

This is another fun, eclectic backstreet pub in these parts, that has to be seen to be believed. The pub has a carpeted L-shaped room with the bar down the left side and a small overspill space to the front left. Extremely muted lighting throughout helps to create a warm ambiance during evening visits, thanks to lots of lounge style furniture, with no standard seats in sight - it's all plush sofas and armchairs, which limits the efficient use of the space but looks pretty impressive nonetheless. The bar is to the left and has a classic wood panelled counter and mirrored bar back, but with lots of quirky stuff adorning it, such as large ceramic dogs at either end of the counter, neon signs, some fancy pub name boards and even a pump clip collection. The room has lots of greenery which adds some colour plus beads, fabrics, bird cages, giant fish and a huge pointing finger hand hung from above. Fairy lights throughout, create a cool muted ambiance that extends to the sofa and snug in the front left corner, the latter hiding behind a bead string curtain. There's a good sized front garden seating area offering some overspill space in warmer months and an excellent little live music venue to the rear left.
Like most live music pubs, there's no cask ale, but the keg taps included Purity Mad Goose, Beavertown Neck Oil, Brixton Lager and a couple of Camden beers that were temporarily unavailable due to a problem with the line. The Mad Goose is a decent option that you don't see in London all that often and I enjoyed a few pints in between acts during a good value gig night.
I think this pub has a lot of charm, which can go a long way to cover up for the lack of any cask ale options. It feels like the sort of place that would work well with a bunch of mates, grabbing some of those comfy seating options and enjoying a few cask beers, or else as somewhere to enjoy a drink with some live music. There are better pubs for drinking nearby, but this is a fun place to visit and I'm sure I'll be happy to come back the next time they have some decent music on.

Date of visit - 12th September 2024

On 26^th December 2024 - rating: 6
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