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Alchemy, Croydon
Croydon
CR0 1YJ
Reviews (Current Rating Average: 2½ of 10) see review guidelines
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Steve C left this review about Alchemy
I popped into Alchemy on Thursday afternoon last week to find myself to be the only customer. I ordered a generic lager but was informed that all of the limited standard draught was unavailable. I ended up with a bottle of Peroni which set me back £3.50.
The large single room interior consists of a bar on the rear wall with a sofa to the left. In the centre of the room is a large table-like feature that originates from a supporting pillar. Raised seating runs along the front windows and in the front left corner is an area set up with DJ equipment.
This place advertises itself as a bar and restaurant, but the décor led me to believe that this is a late bar/club. I didn’t notice any food being advertised and I could not smell any cooking going on. Even though the service was friendly this isn’t a place I will be rushing back to.
On 29th March 2015
- rating: 3
[User has posted 5251 recommendations about 5219 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Pub SignMan left this review about Alchemy
Well, Taberners didn't last very long. It closed and was empty for a while, before reopening as a Caribbean themed restaurant. That didn't last long either, but now we've got a new enterprise called Alchemy - a bar, restaurant and nightclub. A quick look revealed there are no handpulls on the bar, just standard keg products. The décor has been freshened up a bit, but it's all white walls and looks brighter but blander than before. I walked past at 21:00 on a Wednesday evening and it was empty. I suspect Alchemy might not last too long either.
Review of Taberners Lounge Bar from 18th December 2010
Previously known as the Wig and Pen and C.R.O., this bar has remained closed since developers announced plans to demolish St Georges Walk and replace it with yet another bland shopping centre. However, the development never really got off the ground, and gradually stores started to reopen, including this bar, which has been going for several months now.
The pub has one large, split-level room, with a lot of space in front of the bar for vertical drinking as well as a number of tables on the raised area, seemingly best suited to diners. A couple of nice, long curved sofas take pride of place in the front two corners and there are plenty of fancy fixtures and fittings to liven up what is essentially a very drab building. The place seems to be looking to compete with the big chain bars on the High Street and offers a number of themed club nights with cocktails and various DJ's. There are a lot of 80's record sleeves on the walls, which I thought might relate to the music they play, but there was ambient electronic music playing on my lunchtime visit, and I suspect the music policy varies according to which night you go there.
Beer-wise, there were three hand pumps. One had a London Pride clip turned around and the other two were unused. Guinness and Worthington’s were also on display, but they were also both off, so I had to settle for a half of Carling (£1.00). I thought it was a bit poor that they had so little to offer at 14:00 on a week day and the pleasant barmaid was very apologetic for the fact. I was the only customer for the whole length of my visit and I have to say that I have never seen anyone eating or drinking in here in the afternoon.
It's great to see a pub reopen, especially in an area so badly neglected as St George's Walk, but this is just another bland drinking barn as far as I can tell. It will probably appeal to some of the nearby office workers, but I didn't see anything that made me want to return.
On 24th August 2014
- rating: 2
[User has posted 3114 recommendations about 3114 pubs]