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Clapham's grand pubs and clubs
By Scott Manson, London Lite 09.05.08
Cosy and chic: The Loft in Clapham High Street has great food, fancy cocktails and a smart crowd
Chilled out: The Whitehouse has a top floor for members
Get lost: Lost Society is an award-winning bar
Young crowd: Clapham North is a hit with twentysomethings
Relaxed vibe: The Falcoln is a place where you lose track of time
Packed: SO:UK has good looking clientele
Look here too
It was once the favoured area for pink shirt-wearing rugby types who couldn't afford to live in nearby Fulham, and twenty- and thirtysome-thing females who shrieked that their lives were “just like the girls in Sex And The City”. But Clapham has changed. Identikit boozers playing plodding “bar house” have been replaced by destination venues with cracking DJs, good food and stylish punters. Clapham is cool these days. Better still, its compact size makes bar-hopping a cinch. Here's our pick of the best:
THE LOFT
Set up by the team behind Brixton's Plan B and Old Street's Legion pub, The Loft is the latest addition to Clapham's growing stable of stylish bars. Big leather chairs, a huge bar, great food and DJs dropping house grooves await the smart set who head here at weekends. Less raucous than late-night drinking alternatives nearby, The Loft is great for a first date, or hooking up with someone.
67 Clapham High Street, SW4 (020 7627 0792)
Bottled lager: £3.50
Vodka and mixer: £4.90
THE WHITEHOUSE
After seven years, the White-house still packs in party people from all over south London. With last year's refurb, it is closer to a club than the slinky bar it once was. The DJ talent it attracts means locals no longer need to head up west or out east to hear electro from the likes of Tool-room Knights, courtesy of Tall Paul. The outdoor terrace is a bonus on a summer evening and the chilledout members' top floor is worth signing up for.
65 Clapham Park Road, SW4 (020 7498 3388)
Bottle of lager: £3.50
Vodka and mixer: £4.90
LOST CITY
An award-winning bar which boasts arguably the finest cocktail mixologists this side of Soho, the weekend queues outside prove that if you get a venue right, location doesn't matter. Despite being on an unlovely stretch of Wandsworth Road, this is an intimate, classy space with a laid-back feel, plus an outdoor garden that's a haven for smokers or those looking to sink a few sundowners.
697 Wandsworth Road, SW8 (020 7652 6526)
Bottle of lager: £3.30
Vodka and mixer: £3.50
INIGO
Inigo is a proper spit-and-sawdust pub with scarred tables, old sofas and a loo that wouldn't look out of place in Trainspotting. But the atmosphere is electric and the DJ line-up second-to-none, with spinners such as Yousef, James Zabiela, Plump DJs and Mark Moore all gracing its decks. It's a hectic, loud house-party style “club pub”.
642 Wandsworth Road, SW8 (020 7622 4884)
Bottle of lager: £3.10
Vodka and mixer: £4.30
CLAPHAM NORTH
The crowd comprises dressed-up twentysomethings banging down shots as if someone's about to snatch them away, and for whom a snog in the corner is a way of saying hello. Arrive early and snare a comfy seat at the back, or join smokers spluttering by the patio heaters out front.
409 Clapham Road, SW9 (020 7274 2472)
Bottle of lager: £3.50
Vodka and mixer: £4.40
THE FALCON
The relaxed vibe, good-looking punters and decent grub make this a place where you lose track of time and, if you stay long enough, space. Summer is when it comes into its own, with tables out front and a huge beer garden at the back almost tripling the capacity of this south London stalwart.
33 Bedford Road, SW4 (020 7274 2428)
Bottle of lager: £3.30
Vodka and mixer: £3.35
THE SUN
This pub also comes into its own when the weather is good. A decent-sized beer garden catches the rays most of the day and it's an ideal spot for beginning an evening of barhopping. Inside, high ceilings and big windows give it a light, airy feel. If the reasonably-priced menu looks familiar, that's because it's run by the group who own The Falcon and The Railway, near Clapham North station.
47 Clapham Old Town, SW4 (020 7622 4980)
Bottle of lager: £3.20
Vodka and mixer: £3
SO:UK
There's a DJ, and people are dancing, but you'd be hard pushed to cut a rug here, given how packed it gets at the weekend. Better then, to concentrate on the excellent cocktail list and the good-looking crowd of mid-twenties Claphamites who have made this Moroccan-themed high street bar their own. Prices are on the high side, but that helps to keep the more chavvy types out of this stylish little bar.
165 Clapham High Street, SW4 (020 7622 4004)
Bottle of lager: £3.50
Vodka and mixer: £4.90
REVOLUTION
If you're after a high-octane party vibe with reasonable prices, this huge pre-club bar is a shoo-in for a lively night. Downstairs, the smartly dressed twentysomething crowd shimmy about as a DJ drops house and electro, while upstairs the vibe is more sedate. Vodka is the house speciality and you can try one of the unusual flavours, such as birthday cake or bubblegum.
95-97 Clapham High Street, SW4 (020 7720 6642)
Bottle of lager: £3.50
Vodka and mixer: £4
Reader views (2)
Here's a sample of the latest views published. You can click view all to read all views that readers have sent in.
Among all the bars in Clapham, I will definitely rate the loft as the bottom of my list with lost society at the top.
- Frank Lebaron, Clapham
Looks great...so many cool pubs in one area...in Winnipeg there are no pubs so you can imagine how much we all love to visit London!
- Will Oliver, Winnipeg, Canada
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