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Image posted by Rex Rattus
Submitted on Friday, 15th October 2010
With picture contributions to 1103 other pubs
View all this pub's pictures (4 more images)
Requested be closed with reason - Gone away: Closed in Sep 2011 according to Capital Pubcheck. Controversial decision by Merton Planning Committee to allow the upper floors to be converted to self-contained residential use, signifying the death knell for this historic pub.
Detail Pages
The Brewery Tap, Wimbledon Village, SW19
SW19
SW19 5EE
Served areas
Reviews of The Brewery Tap (Average Rating: 7 of 10) see review guidelines
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
hondo . left this review about The Brewery Tap
now a cafe
On 10th February 2016
- no rating submitted
[User has posted 2883 recommendations about 2820 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Rex Rattus left this review about The Brewery Tap
This is still the smallest pub in Wimbledon, so it is difficult to believe that it has been extended a couple of times in its past, most recently in 1995. I recall when it was a truly tiny two-room pub. It’s called The brewery Tap because it was once the tap room for Wimbledon Brewery next door. The brewery burnt down in 1889, largely as a result of the length of time it took the horse-drawn fire engine to get up the hill from Wimbledon. In a supreme irony the Fire Brigade purchased the burnt out brewery site for the new fire station.
I think the current bar is fairly plain and characterless, but albeit functional, inside. The walls and ceiling are painted light grey, and the front of the bar counter painted battleship grey. The floor’s bare-boarded; the furniture’s mainly solid wooden tables with normal chairs, plus a couple of tall tables/stools, and some banquette seating at the back. The main wall contains some adverts for forthcoming sporting events, presumably to be shown on the large flatscreen TV also on this wall. The said TV was switched off during my Saturday afternoon visit, although a punter that wanted to watch a bit of horse racing was able to see it on the small TV at the back. There’s also a fireplace on the left, with a (coal effect gas I suspect) fire on the go. The bar counter still has the copper top.
As usual in here there were five ales available. On this occasion they were Pride, Deuchars IPA, Everard’s Beacon, and Slater’s Premium and Arctic. In my experience they usually have at least one Slater’s ale on. Sandwiches cost £5 a throw; “Bargain Bites” such as homemade burger, fries, salad and BBQ sauce are £7.50. They might be good quality, but don’t seem much of a bargain to me. The menu also contains “Old Favourites” at £9 each, for such pub staples as Scotch steak pie with mash, veg and gravy.
This looks like a pub that has been madeover from the traditional boozer that I remember to give it an upmarket appearance, but which risks going downmarket (if such a thing is possible in this well-heeled area) by the inclusion of a fruit machine, jukebox, and promotion of sport on the TV. The rock music and reggae being played didn’t help much either. I’m still a bit undecided about this bar. Although it doesn’t have the atmosphere of a traditional pub, as a bar it fills a niche in this area, and the regular availability of five ales on handpump is a big plus point.
On 11th December 2010
- rating: 7
[User has posted 2606 recommendations about 2520 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Malden man left this review about The Brewery Tap
This is a fairly modern feeling pub in an historic building up the hill in "Wimbledon Village". It's a one room place now, wooden floors, angular copper topped bar at one end, bar stools with coat hooks, wooden floors, and lots of exposed old London Stock yellow brickwork....suspiciously in good nick so likely to have been retouched. The seating is generally traditional with tables in fours but there is also a larger oval table, a high table with stools in the window and banquettes around the rear perimeter walls. Lots of prints/paintings of the locality but the original plan drawings of the building I admired previously seem to have gone. I do not know who's "Tap" this once was, despite Googling, but if anyone out there knows I'd be pleased to discover.
A few books on a shelf are hidden away in a secluded rear corner, there is a fruit machine and digital juke box, but they do also have a stock of "London Drinker", always a good sign in my opinion.
The Sky Sports 24 channel on the back wall.....in Italian(?) was reporting further on the England captain (ex).
Five handpumps serving, today we had Pride, Harvey's Sussex Best, Theakston Old Peculiar, Isle of Purbeck Best Bitter, and Downton Honey Porter. This is really as good as it gets around here....Trafalgar excepted.....in a Youngs dominated area.
Cask Marque accredited with the accolade of "The Beautiful Beer Gold "award. There is a Monday evening quiz, and Thursday is tapas night.
On 5th February 2010
- rating: 8
[User has posted 1708 recommendations about 1681 pubs]
View more reviews of The Brewery Tap (7)
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- Randomness Guide to London - Brewery Tap entry
- CAMRA WhatPub :: The Brewery Tap - whatpub.com
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- Real Ale : No last updated 09 May 2014 by Dave McNally
