The Avalon Reviews Summary

Staff Service

Pros:

• "Marley was helpful and very accommodating, and her staff worked really hard to give a great service during a very hot day in the garden."
• "The staff were very welcoming and explained the menu."
• "We all enjoyed the atmosphere and were served graciously by the staff in the restaurant area."
• "Staff are welcoming and extremely pleasant."
• "The staff are all friendly!"
• "The staff were lovely, very well oiled operation and my beer was well kept and delicious."
• "The staff were exceptional! Always attentive and polite!"

Cons:

• "What lets it down is the staff - surly, can't be bothered to give you a 'how do you do' and slow service doesn't even come close."
• "Poor service. Ordered breakfast and drinks, only to be told ten minutes later that they weren't serving breakfast."
• "Really bizarre and aggressive attitude which ruined the vibe."
• "I was assaulted by the bar manager on Saturday night, he was highly under the influence and had me thrown out of the bar for complaining."
• "Absolutely appalled by the attitude and service provided by your floor manager Ilias."
• "The staff were rude and aggressive, argued amongst themselves in front of us."
• "The staff here were so rude. I have tried to book a table a number of times and the staff have hung up half way through a conversation."

Food Quality

Pros:

• "I can't get enough of their Sunday roast - the roast beef is delicious!"
• "Guinness is always good and the food also hits."
• "Food looked great and the pizzas were huge."
• "The food was equally outstanding! Despite a few guests having dietary intolerances, the catering team swiftly and politely accommodated their needs. And those burgers – simply divine!"
• "We were still able to enjoy a freshly baked pizza with the finest ingredients and cooked to perfection."
• "Today I had one of the best meals ever. This garlic honey roasted pork belly was on the specials and it was everything you could want from a meal.. compliments to the chef!"
• "The food was absolutely gorgeous, far exceeded my expectations."

Cons:

• "Despite the presentation, the food was unremarkable."
• "The chicken skewers which were very dry and seemed as though they had just been microwaved."
• "Food is not as good as it used to be."
• "The only thing that's special about the special is the dryness of the pie and the 'mixed salad' which was essentially a handful of unwashed or dressed lettuce."
• "The food was pretty disappointing. Described as a chipotle lamb steak with tabbouleh but the tabbouleh was just plain giant couscous so very dry."
• "Unfortunately I did not have good luck with food, sharing plates were good, but my main which was Sunday roast was not that good."
• "Varying degrees of BAD. Went here for Sunday Roast, which was so chewy, I found the inner tubes of a bicycle more palatable."

Ambience and Atmosphere

Pros:

• "A lovely Street side pup in the south of Clapham. Plenty of keg beers and three cask ales on offer, all served by the delightful friendly staff."
• "The quiz on Monday nights is a great reason to pop in."
• "The music on Saturday evening makes this a must visit in Clapham South!"
• "Hosted a surprise birthday in the courtyard. The staff were amazingly helpful."
• "One of my favorite pubs in the Clapham area. The pub area has a decent atmosphere and has some screens for sport."
• "It’s perfect for a lone pint, for a family meal and, speaking from personal experience, the best place for a large scale event."
• "A beautiful place with great ambience."

Cons:

• "But its another Gastropub and that's why I prefer to avoid these places. It's become so formulaic that these places are like Weatherspoons with stripped wood floors."
• "The place has gone to the dogs."
• "It's a large place. Very corporate."
• "Floors, tables and stairs are sticky. Function room, or the blue room as they call it, is very tired."
• "Only downside is that it can get a bit noisy at peak times since it's such a big hall."
• "Wouldn't recommend at all."
• "The outside looks good but once inside it is clearly in need of a make over."

Value for Money

Pros:

• "With bottle of rosé £35 a head. Good value and good service too."
• "Went for a roast dinner, very good. Nice selection of sharers to start with. Good value and good service too."
• "Great food, very reasonable prices."
• "The beer selection is second-to-none and actually, considering the area and the fact the average salary among Balham residents is probably 40 times my life's savings, it was very good value for money!"
• "Had the menu with: Calamari, roast beef, chocolate brownie with ice cream just for £20 and everything was delicious!!"
• "Great beers, really good food for the price."
• "Fast and attentive service, delicious food in good portions."

Cons:

• "Don’t come here if you want to watch the rugby."
• "If anything, it is a bit too busy at the weekends with not enough bar staff."
• "£6:80 for a pint was a shock, but that comes from living in the south west without London prices!"
• "Drinks were a little pricey but nothing extreme for London."
• "Service was friendly, just disappointed that Avalon takes £1 for a card holding fee."
• "Poor service, no communication between staff, mildly overpriced."
• "A bit overpriced, but you expect this for the location."