please note - reviews on this site are purely the opinion of site visitors, so don't take them too seriously.
This place is now called Belgo, and is part of a chain that also has bars in Covent Garden, Chalk Farm and Holborn. It is quite popular with the trendy young things of Clapham (and those who aspire and ultimately fail to be, such as myself) with prices to match; A pint of the very reasonable Cristal will set you back �3.75 and be prepared to go much, much higher for the more specialised stuff. Not being a massive aficionado of Belgian Beer I enjoy this place to the extent that it is something a bit different and quite good for people-watching. Most BITE users would find this place completely soulless, however.
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Welcoming pub full of exotic Belgium largers. Nice, but yes you have to be willing to spend a pretty penny
Stopped for a meal, was nice, the squid wasn't quite what I was expecting (think I was thinking more calamari, but had a small creature with tentacles mixed into a salad), but the chicken more than made up for it with a big portion, though they did also forget a small side dish i added in at the end
Friendly staff. A re-visit welcome at the right time
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Very good selectin of beers (that's it main selling point) most of them at a high price. You can see why though as they are pretty specialised. The service is good but does lack atmosphere. Not bad but not great.
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There is one of the pubs that doesn't attract the 'cool' people of Clapham for some reason and is much better for it. Most of the staff know their beers and provide good advice if you want it. It's not cheap, but well worth having a few warm up beers here.
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Pretty average, non-descript place.
Popped in Thursday evening about 10pm for a couple of beers before closing. Beer was decent but just a little soulless I thought
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Decent selection of beers but not as many as you may think considering smaller places such as Beer Circus offer more. No entertainment inside. At night, they pump up the music loud as if it is a club. Can�t see why as it seems to contradict the people that they otherwise seem to want to attract (ie idiots who have more money than sense). Not allowed to drink outside in the evening (which would be nice on a summer night especially to avoid the music inside & the overcrowding). Lacks any personality. Ridiculously expensive, but the DeKonninck on tap is fantastic.
All in all, this is a total disappointment and could have been so much more. That said, i'm sure i'll be back, cos, well, the beer is great.
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Same as all the others!
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Pricey, yes; but not actually all that bad when you consider that it's quality belgian beer you're paying for. Take your time to savour you drink. Wasn't all that busy when I went in so the service was fine.
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Pricey but worth it in my opinion. I wouldn't come here just for the bar area as it is it expensive for a night out drinking. The food is fantastic and I would definitely recommend the thai mussels!
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Corporate but tasty Belgy beer selection that is priced to suit. Late night gets a bit sweaty but the service remains able. When the sun's out grab a chimay and bench outside and watch the world drift by.
mooky - 28 Mar 2006 16:41 |
I eat here quite a bit and to be honest have never had a problem paying the service charge as it has been very good
juzza - 28 Mar 2006 10:40 |
Had the beat the clock menu, which offers a main course and a tap beer, either Amstel or Hoegaarden. We went fot the Hoegaarden which arrived in a watered down state...seriously. The only reason I go in here is for the quality Belgium beers. Of course I complained.The waiter returned with an untampered Hoegaarden! The food was ok but the service ordinary. After a couple of La choffes I asked for the bill which they presumptuously added the discretionary service charge. I asked for it to be taken off the bill only to be rather aggressively asked if there had been something wrong with the service!
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Great place. We went to dinner there recently; not overpriced compared to anywhere else in Clapham. Good food in plentiful quantities. Service was very good by London standards.
For the bar itself not bad. Gets busy, but where in Clapham isn't? We had to wait 15 minutes for a table and the bar staff were excellent to deal with during that brief period.
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Overpriced but good beers, pretentious clientele, but yet keep going back so it can't be that bad.
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It's alright, foods good but the bar side of things pretty ordinary. They sell loads of different beer but 80% of them are shit and overpriced
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Overpriced, anodyne chain pub. Souless, permanently rammed. Have some imagination and move on somewhere with a bit of character..
John - 29 Jul 2004 12:13 |
I had the same experience as Kim - fairly average meal and service and when we tried to pay half of the "discretionary" tip we were told we had to pay up because the money goes straight to the company and the company pays the wages out of the tips! Will never eat there again.
Tracy - 7 Jul 2004 15:35 |
I like my beer served up cloudy, in a specimen tube and paid for with a gold card.
Hooray for shallow people.
clapham_labotomy - 20 Apr 2004 17:02 |
V.good table service and nice food too. Only problem being that on a weekend if you sit near the kitchen area, all you hear is House music from the Bar while you eat, so don't bother trying to have a romantic dinner!
JP - 15 Mar 2004 18:37 |
Great pub, great restaurant. Go there very often. Would be nice to have a few more Belgian dishes as well: chocalate mousse should be a standard choice as this is very much Belgian
anonymous - 23 Jan 2004 15:36 |
Expensive, but well, it's a Belgian Bierodrome and it's in Clapham so no one should be shocked about having to fork out.
Quality beer, well presented and lots of choice. Ridiculously overcrowded at night of a weekend, but go on a Saturday/Sunday afternoon and you'll have a pleasant and tasty few hours.
Bob V - 18 Jan 2004 13:36 |
We go to the Bierodrome all the time. Great selection of beers and good atmosphere. Sorry to hear about Ro's experience as we have found the food there to be great. Had one occassion where it was up to its normal standard and the staff coudn't do enough to rectify the problem. For Kim - under English law there is no requirement to pay the discretionary. If you aren't happy don't pay it! Although I have noticed that most restaurants now have this added to their bill - surely we are not that American
Local lad - 11 Dec 2003 10:22 |
good menu, but unfortunately no cherry cake. We ended up having to go to arch 635 to get some. Great beers though.
Thomas - 15 Oct 2003 09:22 |
I've eaten there on three occasions but not now for more than a year as it became a running joke that we'd always need an extra chair for the manager. Food tried to be ok but had meals delivered cold, hair in my mash etc. Managers always did their best to remedy but I just got bored of dining with them. Belgian beer selection very good but stick to the mussels and chips if you're going to eat.
Ro - 29 Sep 2003 19:26 |
Great pub and great food with generally great service. Watch out for the "suggested and discretionary" service charge. After one night of unusually poor service, we were told that although the menu and bill say it's suggested, you have to pay. We weren't allowed to leave the pub until we paid. One disappointing evening but usually find the place very good.
Kim - 19 Sep 2003 13:28 |
Endorse everything said previously - go midweek to avoid the ridiculous crowds at weekends and avoid spilling your tasty Belgian beer over your loved one.
Lang Rabbie - 7 Sep 2003 13:58 |
Excellent pub full of beautiful people. Bouncer looks permanently frustrated as there's not enough trouble going on. Should send him down to the Swan... Beware of the Grimbergen - caught me unaware on several occassions!
Jim - 6 Aug 2003 16:19 |
Good and reasonably priced food. Truly excellent selection of Belgian beers. Be careful as the bar is a bit small and can get very, very busy at the weekends
James - 22 Jul 2003 13:37 |
Absolutely agree with Oliver. Last night I was just walking in when I got an elbow in my face. The bouncer had pushed the only guy by the door extremely hard into me and I ended up on the floor. Now at work with a large bruise and Im hardly a girl who would get into a fight. That bouncer is looking for a people to push and didnt even apologise.
If you get in wihtout getting punched I recommend the crispy duck salad.
Laura - 4 Jul 2003 11:17 |
Fantastic place. The food is excellent and good value. The range of belgian beers on show is amazing. Grab yourself a beer menu and slowly work your way through it. I recommend the Chimay Rouge - delicious!
Angus - 4 May 2003 11:17 |
This place has started to think it is a night club on the weekends and put an aggresive, eastern european thug on the door who is desparate for there to be trouble. There never is of course as the clientelle are far too middle class for that! He gets a lot of glares though. A shame - if he lets you in the food and beer are great and the staff excelent
Oliver - 14 Apr 2003 10:56 |
Great range of Belgian beers. Has a restaurant on one side, but a bar on the other. Part of The Cafe Belgo group. Worth a visit just for the amazing array of beers, don't drive though as most of the drinks seem to be 8% on average.
Mike - 10 Apr 2003 11:12 |
