Manor Arms, Streathamback to pub details please note - reviews on this site are purely the opinion of site visitors, so don't take them too seriously.
My third review on this place (it keeps evolving in our view!). We went in for the quiz last week and it was ace. Great rack of ribs too. Always a wide selection of ales and the keg shipyard IPA is....amazing. Becoming our local!
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I noticed the coren review laminated on the wall in gents on my visit last night. Coren rated the food a 5 and the child friendliness a 9. The fact theyre happy to show this on the wall underlines where the priorities lay. That said I had a great pint of sambrooks last night about 8ish and by that time it felt more like a pub than a playgroup. Theyve got sky sports now too, which resulted in an interesting crowd last night, half made up of the kind of guys whod go to the old place and the other half thr balham wannabees who've colonised the new place.
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Large open-plan pub in what is almost a colonial club style that was strangely quiet late on Friday. Perhaps it had been full of diners earlier as the kitchen area is prevalent. The Belleville Northcote Blonde at £3.90 seemed a bit cloudy but I let it go as it tasted OK and I was only there for one (and it was a new beer for me). Also available were Purity's Mad Goose, Doom Bar and Sambrook's Wandle Ale. Obviously aiming for the mums and toddlers market (whatever that might be) as they are clearly proud of their Giles Coren review in The Times. This was a slightly above average experience overall.
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A pretty good place overall.
Main pros - beer selection, interior, very child-friendly. .
Main cons - food prices, for a single course they seem just that bit over the top [on a Sunday I think that the cheapest main was £15.50].
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Visited on 14 December 2012 and asked if Christmas food was being served. Our waitress said that this had to be pre-booked but she would check to see if any "spare" was available and seemed to expect thanks for this (less than a fortnight before Christmas). The pub should really be classified as a creche or nursery as it seemed to be full of yummy mummies and their offspring, who think that everyone else should fit in with their children. To add insult to injury, our waitress then asked one such mummy if she would mind if we sat near her. Perhaps I'm old-fashioned, but if children are allowed on licensed premises, they and their parents should give way to adult patrons. Overpriced and pretentious. You will like it if you are the sort of person who moved to Streatham because you couldn't afford Clapham or Battersea, otherwise avoid like the plague.
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I used to come here when to be honest it was a dump, we started the evening here with some starter drinks after which over the road to Mrs Wongs for a Chinese. Wow how things have changed I could not believe my eyes when recently we walked into the revamped place. It�s about time we poor Streathamites got a posh nosh drinking hole in the area, I mean they�re all over Balham & Clapham these days. Anyway it�s a great start a nice place to go to but my only concern are the food prices bit on the high side, more West end than Streatham end. Good luck to the owners, I�ll be back�.
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Why is this and only half a dozen other pubs on a continuous loop under the BITE heading of 'Random pub of the day' ???
Will the BITE admin. dept. please do something about it . . . NOW !
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Very pleased to hear about this pub. And have been along 4 or 5 times now. But each time something seems adrift and whilst i will probably go back to have a drink again i probably wont eat again. It is very expensive for for the area, portion sizes are small and not quite good enough to justify the price,
Went for a quiet meal with my husband on a week night at 6.30 or so and we were amazed that hits of the 70s and 80s were playing so loud. The place was nearly empty but the type of people there clearly wanted to eat and talk without being deafened by such rubbish music. It did get turned down once or twice but kept being turned up again by someone. When we went in (and it was empty) we stood in the nice bow window area and commented to the waiter that it was too noisy and would the other end be quieter. tried again - took friends there fro BRUNCH on a sat lunchtime as it was clearly advertised and on the website only to be told yes it is BRUNCH but its just the usual menu. a half hearted offer for a bit of bacon or sausage doesn't really cut it. I also agree that the creche atmosphere is not so good. So might try again, but very dissappointed.
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Visited midday Sunday April 3rd. Enjoyed the experience, quality uncluttered re-fit, very child friendly, plenty of space around the table to park buggy. Beer was clean and cold. Lots of staff. Food was a bit over priced �16 for a roast!, would have enjoyed the option of seconds with the veg. Can't justify returning until value is addressed.
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As someone who thought the old place could do with a lick of paint I was excited to see the manor reopening. Unfortunately though it's not clear whether it's been reopened as a gastropub or playgroup. I could barely hear the funky jazz piped through the stereo system above the wailing of small children, and ones path to the bar was often impeded by a dad crawling across the floor behind his little dears. None of the numerous staff seemed to think there was anything odd here, which leads me to suspect they may have limited experience of running a pub. Even when I raised this on exit the barmaids seemed genuinely surprised. The beer was superb, as was my girlfriends wine, but it will be a while before we go again, maybe when they've decided what the place is supposed to be. Then again, I see the Bedford park is being refurbished too.....
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The Manor Arms is reborn! New owners Richard Coltart and Alex Hughes have waved a wand over this fine 1924 Art Deco interior, transforming it into a bright space with good timber floors, a serpentine bar to die for and great lighting.
I'll be going back to eat and will report on the food but the beer was excellent- Sambrooks Wandle, Purity Gold and Adnams Broadside, all well-kept. Smart and attractive bar staff, organised and efficient, obviously experienced.
It's early days, they only reopened on 15th February but there was a pleasant upmarket buzz to the place when I visited, half the tables full with a cross-section of customers, from young Boden mums and babies (it was mid-afternoon!) to couples and friends.
They will be open from 9am for breakfast/brunch, snacks and coffee right through lunch and the afternoon and evenings. As well as the bar and restaurant there is a squeeky new juice bar ready to liquidise your five a day into a glass.
Show your support and pay a visit, although if you remember it in its previous incarnation, you will probably find it unrecognisable.
Good luck, Richard and Alex.
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Still closed
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From the Streatham Guardian 11th November 2010:
The Manor Arms pub in Streatham has been sold and will be closed for a 12-week, �300,000 refurbishment.
The well-known landmark in Mitcham Lane was bought by Who Cares Wins Ltd � which purchased the freehold from a private individual for an undisclosed sum.
It plans to introduce cocktails, and a high quality food menu including Sunday lunches, a spokesman said.
He said: �There will be cocktails and a great wine list, while staying true to their pub roots and serving a selection of premium beers and cask ales. With this high end offer they hope to attract clientele from the increasingly affluent and densely populated suburbs that surround the Manor Arms.�
The pub will cater for children � with baby changing facilities and pram storage.
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