please note - reviews on this site are purely the opinion of site visitors, so don't take them too seriously.
I agree the Karaoke is definately not the best! However the staff have always been friendly, and the food is good value for money. It is spacious, with lots of seats outside. We are currently doing a music/theatre production in the pub on Saturday 30th August, 10th and 13th September. Its £7 entry from about half seven finishing up about nine. The music is great and the Actors are super; a really different night out. Please see www.crowtheatre.co.uk for details...Although a bit of a tired pub, with new forms of entertianment drawing in new customers they are moving in the right direction! Hooray!!
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yet another pointless "review" from K&S ... yawn.
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Is this venue under new management yet again?
Having visited for the first time a few months back, at that time, we were greeted by lovely friendly staff, and had a super meal, so much so we returned the following evening. The venue was clean and welcoming and had a real buzz, with a real mix of characters, young and old, adding to the friendly vibe.
But things have certainly changed since our last visit.
Last night we were greeted by an unfriendly barmaid in a Roxy Mitchell wig, the type that assumes every male fancies them (maybe her Gaydar needs an overhaul)
Anyway, my partner had a pint of IPA, which was undrinkable, It smelt of vinegar. He reluctantly returned it to the bar, and the barmaid went to pull another pint of it, which he declined. We did not see her report the problem with the IPA.
I had a Southern Comfort and Lemonade, which was obviously watered down.
The food menu seems to have changed, and the sticky menu put us off actually ordering from it!
The venue is not as clean as it once was.
There was also a girl no older than 12 (seemingly related to the unfriendly barmaid?) collecting glasses and strutting around the pub, which was very offputting.
It was also karaoke night last night, and the fact there were more people outside the pub, than at the tables, speaks volumes.
An assortment of strange people were turning up as karaoke began, and we felt more and more uncomfortable, so made a swift exit.
This venue was great a few months back, welcoming to all. But going on last nights visit, it is being run by people who do not realise how lucky they are yo be in charge of a potentially wonderful venue. We won't be returning unless we read/hear of a return to form.
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Sorry if my comments have upset "upferret"...see 25th March comment, however, I believe in the freedom of speech and consider that my comments are as valid as the next persons.
Having revisited the Trafalgar Arms recently I can only speak as I have found. We were very well looked after by a lovely girl called Ursula and had a wonderful meal. We found all the staff to be friendly and the ambiance was really good. The beer was excellent and we considered that we got value for money. I am happy to recommend this pub to anybody looking for a clean environment, a decent meal at reasonable prices and spotless toilets!For the record, I have no connection with this pub, it is one of several that I have visited over the past year and I only post a comment when I believe that it is truely deserved. " I could lie down like a quiet child and sleep away this life of care, which I have borne and yet must bear".
Upferret, my comments are not about adding value...they are simply a record of my experience at this facility and I believe that I have the same right as you do to express them!
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all i know is that when i went into the trafalgar, compared to (yes, your right the pubs to the left and right) i had a lovely time. Don't get me wrong i love the Tram and Social, i love Jack Beards or if im feeling up to it i'll wonder up to The Wheatsheaf. I'm just saying that the trafalgar is not nearly so bad as it was!
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dear noggintnog
it is interesting how you slag off the venue to the left and right of this pub , which you rave about
i think i will check out the other two places just to see if what you say is true ! cant say i found this place to be anything like what it used to be. Staff weren't particularly bubbly on my visit , the music was the poorest i have heard in ages( off the freeview box )and the drinks selection was plain mediocre.
You must have been to another place !
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whoever KeatsandShelly are, they're obviously biased.
However, this is turning back into a wonderful pub. Happy, bubbly staff, good beer, good ale, wonderful food and good variety of music. Think i will keep my eye on this one. Think it might be on the up
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keatsandshelly why on earth do you keep on writing on here with the same experience it doesn't really add any value does it?
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Enjoyed a wonderful lunch at the trafalgar on Mother's day with my family. The food was first class and the beer was excellent.All the staff were welcoming and the atmostphere was friendly. There was a nice mix of people there and we felt at home and well cared for. Would recommend this pub to anybody who is looking for a good meal at very reasonable prices and a nice relaxed clean environment. We will be back to see Elvis at the weekend!
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i think this is a great pub, great food, lager is kept well and the staff are super camp and super friendly- we've seen drag acts, elvis and had new year here - best pub in tooting for me
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Went for lunch to the Trafalgar today with some friends and we all thought that the food was fantastic.The place was busy but the staff were all very pleasant and friendly.
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Enjoyed a great Christmas Eve at the Trafalgar Arms. Cheerful ambiance and a nice mix of people. Nothing garish, just good and simple food.Beer was excellent.
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We had a fab time last Saturday at the Trafalgar. The food was great and the staff were really friendly.Disco was ok, a very varied mix of people and the beer was good.
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Had a really wonderful time at this pub on Sunday night. Lots of students and a very relaxed atmostphere. New Manager appears to have made some improvements but she needs to be more welcoming and attentive to her customers.This pub has alot to recommend it and could be the best place around for Christmas.
anonymous - 26 Nov 2007 22:56 |
Had a very enjoyable lunch in this pub today. There was a good food choice available and a very nice relaxed atmosphere. Value for money definitely.
anonymous - 18 Nov 2007 21:33 |
The beers on draught are absolutely awful. Pipes could do with a clean. Hardly ever anyone in the place.
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Dropped in last evening for a few drinks with friends. The place was busy, nice mixed group of people all appeared to be enjoying themselves. Didnt see any rough types as described below. We all thought the beer quality was good and not that expensive. We expect to meet there again next time we are in Tooting.
anonymous - 10 Nov 2007 01:32 |
have to agree with other posters , this place really does not have anything going for it and there are certainly some rough types and not much atmosphere.
try the garden house 2 mins down the road , or the spirit bar ( tho its the size of a match box ! )
anonymous - 24 Oct 2007 15:30 |
Zero atmosphere in this pub on Saturday night. Only thing that kept it entertaining was the group of students in fancy dress but they left fairly early. Expensive and not brilliant. Decidely dodgy clientele.
anonymous - 17 Oct 2007 13:25 |
People leave reviews about the toilets for the simple fact that toilets (especially if the pub is offering food)say alot about the cleanliness of the pub itself.
Alot of people rate a venue on its toilets and its fair enough.
anonymous - 13 Oct 2007 14:15 |
Why, oh why, does everyone get such a hard on about good toilets? Unless you are a cottager, incontinent or a coke fiend, the average Joe only spends about 2% of their pub visit in them. Surely the more important things about about a pub are a: atmosphere, b: beer quality and c: good music? Incidently this pub has none of the above....
anonymous - 7 Oct 2007 12:54 |
we were there on Saturday night and the place was buzzing. great beer and good nosh.cool space out front for smokers and the toilets are the best around. see you all again.
anonymous - 1 Oct 2007 18:30 |
Totally agree. While the actual owner seems to be a nice enough bloke, the builder pretending to be the manager is a violent thug who is bringing an entirely unwanted group of customers into the pub.
I've been having the odd drink in here for years and for the past year or two it's got worse and worse. There have been brief periods of an upturn and the outside area is a lot better now (although get rid of those bloody heaters) but over all this place is getting very rough and, frankly, horrible.
anonymous - 26 Sep 2007 15:42 |
Really enjoyed the Elvis night, great atmostphere and good beer.Nice clean pub,food was exceptionally good value.
anonymous - 25 Sep 2007 00:11 |
Visited twice over the past week and enjoyed ourselves on both visits. The facilities for those of us who still smoke are excellent.Bar staff were friendly and overall our imprssions were good.Foodwise, value for money and well worth a visit.
anonymous - 13 Sep 2007 21:45 |
Keatsandshelly clearly the management - totally agree with the poster below. The outside smoking area is fantastic though with heaters and lights - the best by far in the area. Shame the pub itself is on the slide.
anonymous - 24 Aug 2007 15:46 |
I think the last comment was written by the management as the place has no charm and is the roughest place I know since the builder thought he was the manager!!! I would give this place a wide perth as the person below obviously works there...
anonymous - 21 Aug 2007 14:18 |
I have visited this pub many times over the past few years. I was there on saturday evening and was very pleasantly surprised. The interior has been freshly decorated and the toilets were spotless. The barmaid Amber was friendly and attentive. Eddie was busy and polite towards everybody. The seating outside was ideal for the smokers as the large umbrellas with their heaters gave protection from the elements.
I had a very enjoyable meal with my friends, (generous portions and very tasty).The place has great character and a very mixed clientelle. We all agreed that this Pub has alot to offer and we will definitely be back.
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That builder who attacked the Manager who has always pretended to be the manager, is now running the place -into the ground if you ask me!!!
Don't think anyone wants to be the manager - the whole place has lost its charm!!!!
All I've noticed in underage drinking and drugs being passed round by the builder and friends - I think this place will end up being the roughest place in Tooting, and that's saying something - Garden House here I come!!!!
anonymous - 15 Aug 2007 16:52 |
Made the mistake of drinking here on Saturday. The manager verbally abused several customers. Not content with that decided to try and glass another customer - all in front of children and other punters. Glass everywhere. Then the manager was attacked by some builder. The place is rapidly declining hopefully now the Manager has gone it will come back again. Who is the builder who pretends to be the manager?
anonymous - 13 Aug 2007 16:31 |
As an alternative from where I spend the vast majority of my time and money, a few bevvies in the Traf' proved to be a bit of a laugh on Wednesday night.
Nice manager and good mix of punters and even Karaoke blasting out.
O.K. the old dude mumbling out "Angels" is so cliche it hurts but the two super sexy guys who sung "Total Eclipse of the Heart" rocked! Great fun. Good luck to Mark and co in a vastly improved boozer.
:)
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I can't believe someone called this place chavvy... the punters (me included) I've seen in there are an eclectic mix of Tooting residents... if you want snotty, trendy, pretentious people around you, then do go to the pubs that the other person mentioned or Clapham!!!!
anonymous - 26 Jun 2007 17:18 |
have to say i disagree. Went in here on friday night and had a corker.Yeah, i agree they haven't exactly done much apart from sorted out the freezing cold toilets, (now a spacious, two-sinked room a vast improvement)and given it a paint job, but the girl behind the bar said theres more improvements on the way(new bar, outside area) so I will be watching the Trafalgar.Yeah, the Garden house etc are good places to, but i think i'll give the Trafalgar another chance, it has so much more character.
anonymous - 25 Jun 2007 09:32 |
have been in since the 'refit' and new management.
can't see any real change other than a crappy paint job.. same menu and same chavvy punters.
don't bother. Try the long rooms, garden house or selkirk for an altogether better experience !
anonymous - 21 Jun 2007 14:42 |
I’ve been in Tooting for a year now, and have to say I’ve found my home in the Trafalgar, the staff are lovely and the atmosphere is so relaxing. It’s turned into a real local not as in the League of Gentleman!!!! But more like the Winchester in Shaun of the Dead…No pun intended.
anonymous - 14 Jun 2007 15:49 |
we popped down saturday night and had a lovely time.we were never going to come back but much excitment was caused by the "new management sign".and my god!lovely smiley staff, happy manager. Quality of food, beer, service seems to be 100 times better!then nipped in yesterday and again, smiley chatty bar girl very pleased.will be coming back for more!but i must say, the students are a pain as they all pay separately and then pay with cards :(
anonymous - 7 Jun 2007 09:53 |
Why are the Police being called to this pub all the time? Loads of them arrived on Saturday night and it wasn't even late (about 7pm). In recent weeks they've been visiting there a lot. Most disturbing.
anonymous - 15 May 2007 10:25 |
Have to agree with previous postings, the place is a hole. Hopefully the building work will rejuvinate the place, but line cleaning during opening hours must be a health and safety issue.
Food below even pub grub fare in my opinion, £6.50 for a birdseye battered fish is not my idea of decent food.
What could be a great boozer has been let down by uninterested management and staff
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Positively dreadful. The female toilets are a disgrace, filthy dirty, when flushing the loo the water rushes out from the bottom - gross! Holes kicked into the plasterboard walls, one hand dryer and one sink for three cubicles - the place could be condemned alone for the state of those toilets. The building work is v.messy and not cleaned up properly before opening time. What was once a fabulous pub has rapidly gone downhill. I sincerely hope the building works mean it's changing hands and will be run properly like it used to be.
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was in this pub today and what a mess the male bogs are not working building work going on well if you can call it that. dust every where , could do with being shut while they finish it. but staff are great,
anonymous - 20 Apr 2007 20:16 |
This place is rapidly going down hill.
The male toilets are appalling and the male staff (plus their friends) use the female toilets whenever they want.
Many of the chairs & stools are falling apart, half the light fittings don’t work (including some which don’t look like they’d pass any kind of health and safety test) and the fake fireplaces are full of cigarette buts, half burnt paper and other litter.
It’s also in needs to be decorated. It was partly painted about a year ago but never looks like it’s been finished: bare, smoke-stained walls and non of the character it used to have with art and Trafalgar-related info. A new coat of varnish on the floor (they seem to have sanded it recently) isn’t going to sort that out.
Most bizarrely of all it seems to run out of lager/beer on a semi-regular basis.
It’s a great building with some nice staff and great potential but it needs some care and attention. It feels as if it hasn’t had any effort expended on it for at least a year and it’s really showing.
anonymous - 11 Apr 2007 14:56 |
Got drunk and went in here the other day for a pint.
Whoops. Smelly toilets and weird punters....how times have changed. Sort it out.
Check out the new Long room, Garden house or Selkirk for an all round better experience!
3/10
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I guess I must’ve mistaken the platter of salami, parma ham, pepperoni, olives and ciabatta (that I ate in the Trafalgar Arms in Tooting with my girlfriend) with scampi and chips then?
Is it conceivable that the last time I ate in here was before you – sorry the pub – changed the menu? Well, it was was because it was when that pleasant Northern chap (from Doncaster if memory serves), who used to live above the pub, worked there. He was markedly nicer than the current crop of staff.
Read the reviews of your customers (or indeed former customers) rather than quibbling over previous incantations of your menu. According to the punter, the “straight facts” are that you should be more concerned with sorting out your revolting third-world toilets and badly-kept ale.
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AleKing. we don't have an "Italian Platter" on our menu. Get your facts straight.
Thanks
anonymous - 20 Mar 2007 20:52 |
Going downhill fast.
The standard ale fare of GK IPA and Spitfire is no longer well-kept. The staff are by no means offensive, but they are not as friendly as previous workers.
As for the food, last time I went in there I had an "Italian platter", which was identical to the contents of the packed "Italian meat plater" from Sainsbury's. Of course I am not claiming it is packaged stuff, just pointed out the similarity.
Anyway, go down to The Garden House or up to Spirit Bar.
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How the mighty have fallen. Dark. Not Cheap or well maintained. Take a towel if you want to dry your hands after using the Gents, the hand-dryer has not worked for 6 months. The high point of my last visit was playing with a candle, when it went out I left depressed. A pub in serious need of revitalisation.
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i keep popping in here to understand why its been so positevely rated.
I am still failing to understand what makes this place 'stand out' according to other reviewers. The pub has not been upgraded ( apart from a horrible yellow paint job ) in all the years i have frequented it.
to me its just a bland pub aesthetically, the food is hardly wonderful , just very bog standard pub grub. Beer prices were pretty much standard. To commend the staff for doing there normal duties ( how are you ? etc ) doesn't exactly have me running back for more either !
not that i'm a phobic - but is this place gay , bisexual or just unsure ? some of the promos seem to involve drag queens etc - not the place you want to go with family !
anonymous - 9 Feb 2007 10:16 |
i think this pub is great. Went there the other week and now go regulary. staff are lovely and chatty, food is wonderful (they always give you loads so you get good value for money). beer isn't over priced and everyone seemed to know each other (noticed that several members of staff, who were off duty, were actually sitting down with customers who they knew and chatting away). lovely friendly atmosphere. Nice to find staff that actually ask you how you are and smile and are helpful and polite instead of looking at you like they dug you out of their ear.
anonymous - 28 Jan 2007 12:30 |
Good food and drink and an excellent atmosphere, friendly staff, definitely the best paub in this part of Tooting.
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have been here several times due to the discount given to local students and NHS staff...their sandwiches and chips are fantastic and the atmospherre is nice to spend an afternoon...
staff can be slow but have never had any real problems...still one of the only pubs in the area i'll attend
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i agree with other postings; this place used to be the pub to go to. Seems they have rested on their laurels and past success - being the only pub it had a monopoly. Now the selkirk & garden house are around they will need to pull their socks up. Rubbish music, smelly filthy toilets , pre made frozen food. Nothing to entice whatsoever .A couple of big fights comprising of local chavs. Avoid
anonymous - 24 Sep 2006 12:26 |
just moved to this area, went in to this pub on thursday night great atmosphere great staff and the food is great, shall be my new local while i am in tooting , great place keep up guys .
anonymous - 23 Sep 2006 19:57 |
it's nice to see a pub in tooting that is not a hell hole , atmosphere is great and the food is even better . nice to see that the manager is taken pride in the pub . been speking to the scotish guy behind the bar he tells me that there is going to be a lot more happning in the next few months sounds great. will be keeping a eye on this bar to see what happens, if he pulls it of it will be even better.
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HWhat happened to this pub? It used to be great, very cosy and welcoming - good beers and comfortable. Went again the other daya nd the quality of the ales was awful, the decor has gone to pot. Service was slow. Place was dirty.
This used to be great friendly drinking establishment, now it's gone downhill rapidly....
avoid.
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The Trafalgar was once by far the best pub in Tooting, a buzzing atmosphere, warm, friendly people and some actual stabs art culture: art on the walls, magazines (gay & straight) and games. Not to mention the great food! I went there last week and I can honestly say I have never seen a venue change for the worst in such a short space of time. The art has gone, the mixed happy crowd has given way to the standard rough docker-types you can find in any other Tooting venue and the charm seems to have gone. If I had the money, I would buy this pub and pay double for the old management to come back. The only good thing now is the irish barman, who is excellent, but this place now has all the appeal of a working mens pub. A real, real tragedy.
Sorry if this all sounds a bit snobbish but ,hey, it probably is!
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Full of grubby little men in Mr Buyrite suits and Next shirt an tie combos drinking wife-beater.
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I like the Trafalgar, but only on the weekends. The weeknights tend to be ramed full of hospital types, who crowd the bar and order drinks indivdually, which really slows down the service.
The weekend tends to be quieter, with a more relaxed vibe.
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Trafalgar arms was the first pub i'd a pint of beer and i must say untill now it has not let me down. The service is great and staff are very friendly and wellcoming. There's also a garden which is very nice to have a drink. Curry just next door. Perfect friday evening!!!
anonymous - 13 May 2006 06:40 |
Is this the friendliest pub in London? I have only been coming here for the past 2 months and the staff already treat me like i have been coming for ages.
They need to keep an eye on the quality of the IPA and Spitfire, but the big fires and low lighting make up for it.
I dont think they need the big tele on though.
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The Trafalgar was our much loved local - always a quirky act on stage, gay-friendly, roaring fires, cosy drapes, glitter balls and fairy lights aplenty. We always took visitors there with pride - a complete find in otherwise uneventful South Tooting.
The Trafalgar Arms was a truly fantastic pub... until the new management ripped down all the fairy lights and drapes and to cap it all the reassuring rainbow sign has disappeared without a trace.
What's left?
A cold, characterless drinking space and (far worse) a plasma TV screen has appeared on one wall.
We've heard a rumour the new management is trying to make the place have 'family appeal'. Fine... but why not let the Trafalgar retain its warm, unique atmosphere?
Thankfully the lovely bar staff and mixed clientele have remained the same but for how long? We've decided not to return and know we're not the only ones - bring back the Trafalgar we know and love!!!
anonymous - 16 Apr 2006 18:32 |
The new management haven't made too many changes except for turning the volume right up on the music, at least whenever I'm there - I'm no old fogey but I too appreciated the "music never too intrusive" referred to below. Please! Turn it down, at least until late in the evening when everyone's had a few and is in a party mood!
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Quite a decent pub, can be pretty quiet when the med students are not around. Good space out front to sit in the summer even if it is right by the main road.
Pretty odd mix of drinkers, but friendly enough.
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The best roast dinners in South London!!
A great pub. eclectic mix of drinkers. A great menu and a perfect pub on a summers afternoon.
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Have been coming here on and off for 3 years. Lovely staff who are very friendly (Trev's a top bloke), great decor and cracking food (one of the biggest and best roasts ever imo). Good selection of drinks from wines and bottled lagers to Guinness and San Miguel on tap. Very much a 'winter boozer' - 2 nice open fires, candles and music never too intrusive. A good place for a chat and a pint on nights where other pubs will be heaving.
My only negative would be the toilets which are - as in many places these days - pretty dire and have been for years. Come on guys - sort it out! Women I've taken there have actually not wanted to use them because of open windows with no locks etc.
LM - 9 Nov 2004 17:07 |
Great pub as far as this area goes. Somewhere you can go and take family and friends! Food is v. good too and the staff are fantastic. Full marks!
anonymous - 30 Sep 2004 14:22 |
A lifesaver as far as drinking in Tooting goes. Great staff, good food and a lovely atmosphere!, My fave boozer in the area by far.
last_orders - 28 Jun 2004 13:14 |
Lived opposite for three years, so has a place in me heart. Hopefully still run by Trevor(a bear of a man with a lurid mohican.Candle - lit ambience attracts a good cross - section, from gay couples to raucous nurses from nearby St. Georges. Good to sit outside on a hot day. The roast dinners are fabulous.
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have revisited on hot balmy evening and sat outside which is ok despite the main road. Unfortunately the beer temperature matched that outside (although the second pint was nearer correct temperature). Food still good value
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Best pub in Tooting by miles. Nice atmosphere, genuinely friendly staff, good layout and good music played. Food is decent for a pub as well. Best place to go with a group of mates in Tooting or also for a quiet drink with your missus/fella. Beer is good.
fingers_malone - 5 May 2004 06:42 |
Good evenings to be had here - can be vibrant and cosy at the same time - everything lit by candle light - speedy staff - only downside it can get really smokey in there
Flawed - 24 Feb 2004 16:45 |
Excellent food - really great menu for snacks and full meals - very large portions so go hungry as you often never finish the food. Nice relaxed candle light friendly atmosphere with real fires and great beer and wine. Can sit out in large garden during the summer. Highly recommended and a little secret in south london
mark madams - 19 Nov 2003 16:38 |
good pub, 3 real ales, agree that it is more attractive inside than out (but true of any decent pub on a cold november night)
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Very friendly, good beer, I've had many great evenings at the Trafalgar. Food is good, large portions and cheap. Games available inside.
anon. - 7 Oct 2003 11:18 |
Good/ varied/ cheap menu and really friendly owners and bar staff. Spent a lot of summer out the front on the picnic tables. Shame they can't make it a bit more attractive outside.
Buns - 29 Aug 2003 16:10 |
This is a nice pub the staff are great and it has a nice friendly atmosphere. Try out the food as well you get loads of it and wont be able to finish it, it is well worth a visit. 10/10.
anonymous - 9 Jun 2003 14:52 |
Not a bad little boozer on the whole - good beer and massive food portions. Good value, relaxed pub. Not too many outpatients considering its proximity to the hospital.
Olly - 9 Jan 2003 14:30 |
best pub in tooting really..friendly and getting busier...and the roasts are MASSIVE
pf - 15 Dec 2002 18:29 |
The best around here by far, and NO SPORT! The 80s music can get a bit repetitive, but only if you drink in there every day...
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Its right opposite my Flat!
Nice bber garden in front to watch the world go by, MASSIVE FOOD! losts of space and cool people...oh, and GAY friendly...if you're into that sort of thing, which I'm not, but it does mean that most of the locals are open minded!
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