The Peoples Republic, Clapham - pub details
Address: 16a Clapham Common Southside, Clapham, London, London, SW4 7AB [gmap]
Tel: 020 7978 2691
Pub suggested by pgazz on 11 May 2006
NB: Information about this pub is incomplete as it has not been visited by a member of the beerintheevening.com team and is not currently registered.
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> Current user rating: 6.0/10 (rated by 5 users)
> Local guides: London pub guide, South West London pub guide, Clapham pub guide
user reviews of the Peoples Republic, Clapham
please note - reviews on this site are purely the opinion of site visitors, so don't take them too seriously.
| Well I guess anywhere on a Friday night is going to be bursting at the rafters, and this place was no exception! Getting to the bar was always a bit of a mission, not helped by the wandering hands of the drunkards in the crowd. Not the cheapest place around but had a bit of a fun and loose atmosphere... think dancing on chairs! Given that we were there to catch up with friends, it wasn't the best place to try and chat but would have been fun under different circumstances. sneakyoneortwo - 31 Jul 2008 15:05 |
| I must say Tom is fantastic, really good time here i will be back, good food great drinks gunsnroses - 20 Apr 2007 12:11 |
| As we all know Satan is a playful scamp, and I’ve always thought that when he finally gets round to popping up for a quick “one last chance to save your arse” conversation he’d be sporting enough to offer two possible courses of redemption: find Bigfoot while blindfolded or locate a decent boozer in Clapham. After a pleasant chuckle I’d shake his hand, take the blindfold and start looking for my bear gun. At first glance the People’s Republic looks exactly like the sort of wankified crap spurt that makes my decision seem pretty automatic. The windows have the cheap slightly frosted appearance of a mid-town Starbucks and a squinty glance reveals that the interior appears to be yet another slimy bar affair that so enamours itself with the area’s large “git-suit” community. Perhaps worst of all though is the name – call me touchy but am I the only one turned off by how it now seems to be cool to associate yourself with the radical left even though you know less about Marx and the problems of Africa than your average ant? Honestly, if you want to be a real communist go work on a Norfolk collective farm or give your shoes to the beggars on the Common – but please don’t wear a Castro T-shirt and start popping down to “Stalin’s Moustache” for a mint Baileys. It therefore takes a significant dose of willpower to step through the Republic’s front door, but I have to admit that once you do it doesn’t take long for a pleasant wave of surprise to wash over you, especially with regards to the interior. There is, as we all know, a very fine line between classy and wank which most Clapham bars spectacularly fail to appreciate. The Republic though makes a far better stab at it than most, mainly because while it plumbs for reddish walls, limited fancy prints and lounge sofas, it clearly has a fairly good budget and opts for a comfy, nice focus rather than the naff weird and overly crowded mistake (too many pictures, tulips, statues of Athenian Gods etc) that is the downfall of most cack attempts at class. It won’t suit everyone, but as bars go it is fairly pleasant. The clientele too is far more well adjusted than you may initially fear (though the odd gaggle of suited muppets does occasionally wander in) and the staff haven’t been recruited from Poser Ltd, the temp agency that tends to staff most Clapham bars. The food is also very good in terms of range, quality and cost. However, where the Republic does live up to that first “oh Jesus, another yuppie bar” glance of mine is at the taps. The choice is restricted to a lager (of which there is admittedly a wide range) and the pricing is at the £3.20+ bracket (at least) - so its wallets set to high and ale taste buds set to sleep. All in all, the Republic actually turns out to be far better than you might expect and is even quite enjoyable. It therefore deserves an above average 7/10, but be warned it never really escapes bar land. pgazz - 11 May 2006 16:46 |
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