please note - reviews on this site are purely the opinion of site visitors, so don't take them too seriously.
Haven't been there for a number of years so made a special effort this weekend. So sad that two out of three beers were off and only some 5.5 Belgium beer was on. Told the manager who sort of apologised, and then said he'd so something about it in the next hour.
So disappointed and I wont be back again.
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A group of us, including six real ale drinkers, tried this place out on a weekday. There was plenty of space to sit as a group in the lounge (away from the live music in the main bar, which we all hated), but the beer was awful. The London Pride was poor, and the Black Sheep was terrible. We all agreed we would not go back.
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I have a massive affinity for the people behind this pub, they don't accept the status quo within the industry! It appears to be a co-operative long before the pubco's established their despicable behaviour towards their tenants, and forced co-ops into being fashionable nay a necessity. An all rounder of a pub, sometimes to it's detriment, it seems to be a jack of all trades. Is that bad wisdom or prudent in recession? Time will tell, but in the meantime , "Power to the People"
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Great pub, great beer and I love the Trades Union banner on the wall. Well worth a visit
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The Bread and Roses was pub of the day for me, from a pretty average bunch. It's not th kind of pub I normally like. It has a modern feel, with rather funky decorations. I normally prefer a more traditional pub. However, the vibe was just right. More importantly the drinks range was also varied enough to suit most tastes. Real ales on offer were Cottage We'll Get It Right, Fullers Hock and Purity Mad Goose. Aspalls cider was available. The walls are lined with old posters and modern artwork. Wooden chairs and tables along with bare floorboads gave it a continental cafe like feel on my Saturday afternoon visit. Outdoor drinking on the patios at front and rear added to this feeling. A TV was showing World Cup football. Menus on the tables offered tapas. Some of the clientele are a little varied. Things got a little lively when three transexuals, a cockney and an aborigine with a vuvuzela walked in! I get the feeling this is more of a summer pub. But it definitely warrants a return visit.
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Great pub to come to in the summer, but unfortunately, they just serve tapas food now which is a little bit pricey for what it is. It's a shame they don't do their burgers anymore. The vibe here can be on and off, sometimes it gets very busy and others it's dead. I think it's one of those pubs where it's a bit too far out to make a local and to want to go to all the time at weekends. Nice friendly staff though and good choice of beers.
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thisis a truly excellent pub /bar - been going here for many years and its alwys good - no pretentions great beers and food well priced
bread and roses we salute you !
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Decent local boozer. Nice beers and good crowd. Good for a midweek drink.
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I love this pub,although I am not sure it should be described as a pub or a bar, its a bit of both. I go whenever I am in the Clapham area. I decided to rate it as the place seems to have changed for the better over the last few months and I want more people to discover it.
I went on Saturday night, the music was brilliant, a breath of fresh air from the Benidorm mayhem of Clapham high street. The atmosphere was friendly, relaxed and vibrant. I agree with one of the other reviews, that the pics shown on the site do not tally up with how the pub looks now.
I ordered food and had a Lamb burger and thoroughly enjoyed it. I highly recommend this pub, one should go NOT expecting a classy Clapham gastro bar but should expect to find an eclectic, fun, off beat pub that is more fun and better than your run of the mill local boozer.
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I do not normally write reviews but I took a chance on the Bread and roses after reading reviews on this site and a couple of others. I went last Saturday night and I personally thought the Pub was fantastic. There was a lively atmosphere, very crowded and A DJ playing 60's rock n roll, Motown style of music. The decor leans towards a slightly 60's feel with vintage style tattoo artwork on the walls. The bar was candlelit and covered in fairy lights. My girlfriend and I had a brilliant night and found the beer selection to be the best we had seen in Clapham area, lots of American bottled beers on offer. Will be back again in the near future.
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I have been coming to this pub on and off for years and it has recently improved massively. The landlord should contact the site as the picture used looks nothing like the bar does now. I went on a friday night and there was live music, an amazing selection of micro brewery bottled beers and a really friendly and vibrant atmosphere. It appears the pub has shaken off its family friendly vibe and has opted for a more rock n roll late night drinking bar. The food was excellent and I would definitely eat there again. I think this bar is a hidden gem and with the new decor and the large beer garden, Claphamites are missing out on a lovely place to have a drink that is worlds apart from the high street. I am not sure why recent reviews have been down on the Bread. Like all bars it can be hit and miss but from my last 2 visits it seems to have found its legs!
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Popped in last saturday afternoon.Was pretty quiet but had a very decent pint of Cottage Brewery Thames Tunnel.
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very poor.
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I booked the advertised "SUNDAY BBQ 12-6" for twelve people at 3:30pm. After everyone arrived we asked about the BBQ which didn't seem to be happening and were told they had run out of food. There were very few other customers. So we asked to order food from the standard menu but that wasn't available because they were supposed to be doing a BBQ, not good. They kept the signs up on the bar and outside advertising the BBQ to entice people in, but there wasn't one while we were there.
I ordered a few glasses of Pimms and was told they were running out of lemonade so could only make a few glasses. "You guys need to pop to Tesco for some food and drink" I was thinking.
Friendly staff though, offered to let me try the beer when I asked them about the Ales, the Doom was good. They bought us a round of drinks after a few of us had been up to asked them about there being no food.
I did ring and book the BBQ for my girlfriends birthday so a big let down, won't ever organise to go there again.
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Can one of you not say anything about the beer/s???
Not managed to get to one of their festivals - do they still have them?? Do tell. Oh I love this - feels like power.
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Unfortunately this place was overrun with small kids when I visited (4:30 on a Saturday), which didn't lead to a pleasant drinking experience. Good range of beers (pricy though) means I would come here again, but only in the evening.
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Excellent place for conversation, beer and all the rest. One avoids it now, due to sensitive, sweet memories of a Clapham lady friend but time heals all, as they say, so maybe in the future I shall once more make the trip. Definitely recommend the place.
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Locals and staff extremely friendly.
Hobgoblin on tap , very much welcome on a cold
Novembers evening.
My only reservation would be the decor which is a
bit "minimalistic" giving the pub a bit of a wine
bar feeling (god forbid !!)
Well worth seeking out as slightly off the beaten
track.
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Very good pub, nice range on tap, fairly friendly service, and a packed pub as i sat there trying out several new ales
Off the beat and track, which maybe adds a certain hidden treat
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Recent re-visit to the B&R.... very good range of lagers and beers at the bar, friendly service and decent music.
Whilst it still has a few too many small kids running about, it does seem to function as a very decent pub.
A warm handshake and re-assessment from terenced. Give us bread but give us roses. Yeah after a couple of ales those words could make you cry.
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This looked like a working men's club from the outside so we thought we'd got the wrong place but totally different when we got through the door, nicely done out, quite spacious. Service wasn't too rapid but the prices were quite normal for the location (i.e. extortionate like the rest of London these days). Possibly one of Clapham's nicer pubs, no sense of chavism or diveyness about it which was a plus.
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Went i here recently for the first time in 2 years much improved beer wise and I think price wise but ut still has a bit of a w*nky clientele but it is ten times better than the stonehouse
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Worth the walk off Clapham high St - less rowdy and more relaxed than the places on the main drag. Prices are reasonable, when we were in their on Saturday night there was a DJ downstairs, though it wasn't too loud to talk, then we got invited upstairs for the comedy night which was actually really good. Plus there's a bar upstairs too so we just stayed until late.
Much quieter in the week, I guess because it's off the high street.
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Considering it's socialist stylings, the drinks are too expensive and the clientele are mostly young proffesional rahs. Some people have used the word 'trendy' or 'hip' but most of them looked very 2004.
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Yes but is it the worth the trek down to Clapham? I think not my friend.
This gaff always seemed a bit pretentiously middle class to me - odd considering its trade union links.
Just on the news about those Chelsea players getting done for shoplifting. Hilarious.
stonch.blogspot.com
anonymous - 19 Jan 2007 22:33 |
Went to this pub early last year and really didn't think much of the place so decided to give it a miss in the future. However, a friend of mine recently went there and reported back to me that the pub is under new management and actually rather good so I decided to give it another chance. You certainly can tell the difference. What a transformation, laid back and comfy atmosphere with nice music and friendly staff. The food was good (had the cassoulet) and they even had a pretty good comedy night on in the room upstairs. Definitely worth the trek down the road if you prefer something better than the usual rubbish meat market bars that the high street has to offer.
anonymous - 19 Jan 2007 20:58 |
I went here for the first time last week, and I did have some preconceptions about what a pub like Bread and Roses would be like. I was expecing a traditional, Victorian style boozer, with happy union member staff and the usual pub fare (Stella, Fosters etc.)
First things first, the pub is more of a trendy bar, with laminate flooring, tables and chairs and bright lights. In fact it reminded me of an office furniture shop more than anything else, and wasn't particularly welcoming.
I found the staff to be very friendly, and there was a varied range of drinks on offer. My companion who normally has JD and Coke, tried the alternative Buffalo Tree Whisky and Coke and is now a convert. There was also two or three real ales on offer.
Will I be back? Perhaps. If I make a trip to Clapham I would more than likely pop in, it's still better than most other pubs along the High Street, so well worth the detour.
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Was in here last night, comfy and laid-back sort of place. There was nothing wrong with the beer I had, and the potato wedges were nice as well. Staff were also pleasant enough. I stayed on for the comedy club/ DJ thing upstairs, which was definitely worth it - the audience were a bit 'Clapham' if you know what I mean, but the comics weren't letting them get away with it!
Much less pretentious or 'hip' than most Clapham pubs and bars try to be.
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I think our last reviewer may have had too much of his warm beer and got a poorly head...its now getting nice and busy in there, the beer is lovely and the vibe is very pleasant. An lovely night out with some friendly people in there. Except the last reviewer....
anonymous - 27 Oct 2006 12:13 |
The only thing warm in this establishment is the lager..! a truly dire place to spend ones time, here is me hoping that it would of been raised to the ground. Read the reviews and take advice accordingly.
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Hi guys, this is just say this Pub is now definitely back and open after a very small fire. I recently went there are thought the reviews were very harsh-I really like the food, the beer was good, lovely beer garden and warm friendly staff who had time for a chat. Am i missing the point or should there be more...? I dont think so, I really like it here.
anonymous - 9 Oct 2006 12:19 |
Currently closed due to a fire.
At least it was a couple of weeks ago.
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Mixed feelings about this place.
Spent some very pleasant evenings in here over the years but could on reflection concur with some of the points below.
Imaginative (by late 1990s standards) range of beers, food is decent as I recall but it does not sit as a bona fide pub for some reason.
Still worth a visit if you're passing by.
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Yes I worked this pub way back in 1981/83, the owner then was Ann Madden some of the regulars will have known me as Scots Karen I think I was one of the best barmaids in Clapham, I have a lot of great memories. It was called the Bowyer Arms back then but it was one of the busiest pubs in Clapham,I'll be back in London for the rolling stones gig in August so I'll be popping in for a visit it will be my first in 21 years, I would love to see all the old regulars.
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Ive been drinking in clapham for just over 19 months and ive been here once! why? because even the mediocre pubs are much better than this place!
juzza - 30 Mar 2006 14:57 |
I can see why our chap thinks this is his "favourite pub in clapham". That's probably because they're all verily most average. If you're looking to get a drink that's no more sophisticated than Amstel, Budvar and San Miguel ("a range of excellent beers":....help him please someone) or some atomic-kitten alcopop then this pub is for YOU: a perfect example of how to eradicate the last scintilla of proper 'pubby-ness' and replace it with Nathan Barley lookalikes and middle-class estate agents with floppy hair. Your good health.
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Very much a Clapham/Fulham place. Not too bad I suppose, pleasant inside with a nice garden/patio bit out back. Average food. Can't remember what beers they had. People below are quite right when they say its a very middle class place. No point in making the journey.
anonymous - 5 Jan 2006 10:20 |
I felt compelled to register on this site after reading the comments below about my favourite pub in Clapham. If you like a pub that plays an eclectic mix of music, has polite, hard working bar staff, cosy seating areas, a range of excellent beers (San Miguel, Budvar and Amstel are all on tap) a vast range of non-alcoholic options and a good, well priced food menu then this is the pub for you. Then there's also the lovely decked beer garden, the big conservatory, the excellent pub quiz on Monday nights and a superb weekend brunch (big fry up, kedgeree, eggs benedict, bloody marys....) - I can't say enough good things about this place. Ignore the pretentious rubbish below - or maybe they've only written that to stop more people from coming to this gem of a local?
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a workers pub, eh? oh, well viva la revolucion!....utter nonsense....people in here are as middle class as they come....``yes, of course we have a highchair for little tarquin'' ferociously mediocre food. bad beer. toilets done by lawrence llewelyn-bowen.
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Workers' Ale (undrinkable) and Spitfire (passable) were the only real ales on offer in this alleged "Workers' Pub".
This is, in fact, most emphatically a "Yuppy Themed Pub". Brass and plastic; expensive lager and alcopops; aloof staff and vomit-inducing decor. If they are your "thing", you'll be at home here.
Didn't try the food, but it appeared rather pricey.
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If you like a true pub then steer clear of this lame excuse for a workers co, op pub.
This place used to be known as the Boyer arms, a traditional victorian pub with the most amazing decore,then the bread and roses fell into it.
To the skip went the total interior to the bar, including the atmosphere and all of the hospitallity within it.
If warm flat beer, with the same sort of welcome rocks your boat,just before you sink into Dante's vision of Hell then this must be the place for you.
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Visited on 17 August 2005. Only one real ale available despite there being about 6 hand pumps. This was cloudy and disgusting. The bar staff refused to change the barrel but were happy so sell me an overpriced lager. This may be a nice venue but if the Workers' Beer Company can't be bothered to have any beer then they won't get my custom again.
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Fine, if you don't mind
hundreds of screaming children,
which sadly I do.
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Nice pub with a cool but slightly soulless atmosphere.
The lager is top notch though -fresh, tasty and cold
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Had been planning to visit for a while so visited yesterday with two frinds from Germany. For a "real ale" pub there was very little real ale, unless you consider San Miguel real ale. For a workers pub there were very few workers, 100% white middle class student types. Service at the bar was dire, the two bar staff were utterly incompetent. If you like alco-pops, bad service and to be surrounded by chattering up and coming yuppies, this is the pub for you. Otherwise avoid.
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Great pub serving great beer. Attracts a chilled out crowd, very cool.
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A great pub with some mighty fine beers and a great concept with the old workers thing.
TheGP - 23 Aug 2004 11:18 |
Good all round local type pub, good food; possibly the best pub quiz in South London on the third Monday of every month - 8:30ish in the upstairs room.
Tom - 22 Jan 2004 23:09 |
Why The (silly) Name?
The pub takes its name from a song written during a strike of women textile workers in Lawrence Massachusetts, USA in 1912. Twenty seven thousand women went on strike and marched for eleven weeks to improve their working conditions. Their banners called for bread and roses and a poet among them, James Oppenheim, wrote these words, which went on to become a famous song for women trade unionists everywhere
The pub is named in recognition of their struggle and the struggle of workers everywhere for a better quality of life for themselves and their families.
As we come marching, marching in the beauty of the day, A million darkened kitchens, a thousand mill lofts grey, Are touched with all the radiance that a sudden sun discloses;
For the people hear us singing; �Bread and roses! Bread and roses!�
As we come marching, marching, we battle too for men,For they are women�s children and we mother them again,
Our lives shall not be sweated from birth until life closes;
Hearts starve as well as bodies, give us bread but give us roses!
As we come marching, marching,unnumbered women dead
Go crying through our singing their ancient cry for bread.
Small art and love and beauty their drudging spirits knew.
Yes, it is bread we fight for but we fight for roses too!
Old Leftie - 7 Sep 2003 14:10 |
One of the nicest pubs I've been in ... and a great local. Surprised to hear about bad experiences. Always find staff pleasant, prices reasonable and ambience excellent ... good background music and nice beer garden in the back.
Jim - 1 Sep 2003 16:33 |
staff are so up their own arses it's untrue. puple and pink and lilac walls, not good. budvar on tap but you need a 3rd mortgage (if you live in clapham you must have 2 already)
Dan - 1 Sep 2003 13:00 |
Laid back atmosphere with a good selection of beers on tap including Leffe and Erdinger. Great food especially on a sunday when they run an African theme with food and live music from the featured area.
James - 22 Jul 2003 13:33 |
