Balham Bowls Club Reviews Summary

Atmosphere & Decor

Pros:

• "I was really impressed with this large, quirky, welcoming pub."
• "Vast pub with various wood-panelled rooms keeping alive the spirit of the bowls club."
• "The ambiance, oh, it's truly divine, With warm lighting that softly shines."
• "It is great to see these old members clubs throwing the doors to the public and retaining the atmosphere of the old days."
• "Lovely, very friendly place that hangs on well to its history."
• "The decor is vintage and the atmosphere is accentuated by the candles placed throughout."
• "Has genuinely retained its old school feel without feeling like a hipster matrix. Full of history."

Cons:

• "The furniture and decor are a bit moth eaten."
• "The shabby aesthetic is a bit depressing too, rather than quirky."
• "The decor and some furnishing requires some TLC."
• "£15 for the saddest, most insulting burger and chips I've ever had the displeasure of eating."
• "Sadly the rest of the meal was very poor. Three of the smallest rock hard spuds you've ever seen (NEEDS A DENTAL WARNING)."
• "The service was quite poor though. We weren’t asked if we wanted water and there was a bottle of tap water from the next table on ours."
• "Don't plan any kind of event of importance there. The worst and most rude insincere GM I've ever had the displeasure of meeting."

Food & Drink

Pros:

• "The roast was delicious and the service was amazing."
• "Good choice of beers and wines and the food is good value."
• "The Beef was outstanding and tasty gravy."
• "Food was amazing. My friend has the Bone Marrow Burger and I had the Vegan Burger, both were absolutely delicious."
• "The pulled pork burger I had was on point, tasty, balanced flavours, the chips were top-notch and the right amount."
• "Lamb and chicken as main course are DELICIOUS, extra carrots as side are amazing! Everything taste wonderful!!!!"
• "The Yorkshire puddings were amazing, as was the Roast Beef."

Cons:

• "Honestly, just no. The food, genuinely diabolical."
• "This place smacks of new ownership and no interest from the kitchen / management in their product at all. AVOID AT ALL COSTS."
• "Awful, awful service."
• "Shame! We always say BBC roasts are the best! Unfortunately, the beef was so tough and overcooked you couldn’t even cut through it!"
• "The roast dinner here is terrible."
• "Awful Sunday roast! Overcooked veg, soggy Yorkshire and bitter gravy."
• "Food is a little pricey for the quality."

Service & Staff

Pros:

• "Very accommodating staff, that make you feel welcome on every visit."
• "Staff are friendly."
• "Staff always top notch and unflappable, welcoming atmosphere."
• "What a lovely place with such kind and attentive staff."
• "Really attentive and kind staff, always making sure you have everything you need."
• "The staff made us feel really welcome and made our 9 year old son very happy with his rhubarb crumble and ice cream dessert."
• "The staff are super friendly, polite and very handy with any questions."

Cons:

• "Terrible communication from management, Lucy quite rude."
• "The place was severely understaffed."
• "However the service is lacking and bar staff are quite inattentive and rude - be prepared to wait!"
• "We were accused of harassing staff at the bar and one staff member confirmed we hadn’t done that, but we were told we couldn’t order more drinks."
• "The staff were clearly distracted by their own social lives and really took their time to respond to any requests."
• "Slow service from the prima Donnas behind the bar who seem more interested in grooming their man buns."
• "The service we received, while clearly well-intentioned, was sub-par."