The Calf

Okay for beers — bad for food
ordered a couple of servings of chips to share & probably got 12 frozen chips on each plate… pretty terrible quality & quantity
good range of beers though

Gorgeous place with beautiful pieces of furniture. We had soup, warm hoummus and fish&chips. All great.
Only negative note: the kitchen closed while we were eating and no one asked if we wanted to order any more food.
Apart from that, it’s definitely a lovely pub in London! Every Wednesday burger+drink £9! Almost forgot! They have board games!

I really wanted to love this pub and to be fair it was my first visit but it took 20 minutes to get a drink from the one barman on, the food was very average and all the staff were abrupt/​broaderline rude and seemed pretty unhappy about being there let alone making it a pleasant experience. Everything took ages, they added VAT by hand to each bill which was confusing and food was still arriving as members of our party finished, without a word of apology. I reckon with the right management, efficient, friendly staff and a talented cook this place could fly but I wouldn’t bother again as is.

The pub is nice, but I think the prices are a bit on the high side… However, it’s a good place for traditional British pub food. The beer selection is also quite extensive and features many old favorites from all around the world. Their roasts are absolutely delicious and also a great substitute for a home-​cooked meal on Sunday.

Take care when you’re in the calf
The barman is not very clear
He mumbled something about an ale
Which didn’t quite reach my ear
When I asked what he said
He decided to shout it out
As I was in a relaxed mood
I didn’t return his shout
I got my ale and took a seat
A short distance from the bar
Though it was across the room
It was not very far
To a lady he served after me
He talked in a normal voice
And I could hear every word
Though it wasn’t my own choice
I heard him say, he could earn more
In the job he used to do
And how he is in a bad mood
What you do now is up to you
The choice of ales is quite good
Though the price you may find steep
Just remember to take earplugs
If your hearing you want to keep.

Really nice gastropub in a quieter street away from the hustle and bustle of the high street. Really good steak (cooked to perfection for medium rare) and good choice of wines. Not really hectic on a saturday night but a good place for a good meal, a drink and a chat.

Great local pub in Clapham Old Town. Always room to sit down at a table or on a couch, a selection of board games shelved in the back pool room, and a decent burger and fish & chips on the menu. Strikes the perfect balance between cozy and friendly without being stfling or overly pub-​kitch.

When I first came here — with the lovely Kate W on her visit to London — I was terribly excited. I shall count the ways:
— 16 kinds of cider
— sofas, proper beaten up-​type ones
— lamps with feathers on
— pool room
— nice helpful barman
— reasonable priced roast
— BREAD SAUCE WITH ROAST
OK, so I was blinded by the cider and the bread sauce. In reality, the choice of cider, while wide, is a bit on the pricey side and all, bar two basics on tap, in bottles. I thought there might be ‘guest’ ciders and the like, but no. We tasted five, and two were great, two were meh, and one was Magners. Say no more.
The roast was IMMENSE. And did I mention the bread sauce? We stepped in at about 12.01pm, to an empty pub, but they happily served us half a chicken and all the trimmings, including fantastic roasties and yorkshire pudding. Yum.
Addled with excitement about my new find, I organised going to the pub quiz here on a Monday night. Booked a table — easy peasy, and they phoned to confirm — but it was unnecessary as it was half full. (Hurrah, we’re in with a chance of not losing with only half the competition). It was slightly underwhelming. My friend Zoe would use more expletives, as her food took an hour, and boy was she hangry…
Dinner was, don’t get me wrong, delicious, just plagued with problems — run out of fish pie, last stuffed pepper snatched from under my nose, and then orders took what felt like an eternity to come out. Which is galling when you can SEE the kitchen and SMELL the fooooood. Also, one of the barmen was a bit confused. Permanently. It might have been the cider…
Anywho, the quiz also took forever — it was a theme — but on our triumphant second placing, they generously gave us a bottle of wine in lieu of the round of drinks we couldn’t manage (it was already 11.15, don’t judge me).
So a few teething problems but overall still a bit of a gem this one. Nice ambience, fun quiz, decent food (did I mention the bread sauce?), lovely décor and friendly staff. Go (but not for the quiz, otherwise we’ll never win).

My local is the Sun but I’m boycotting it now as it’s not what it was– too full of really young people; you can’t get a seat and it keeps me awake into the night throughout the summer with the outside drinkers. Ok so I’m getting old. But when my housemate discovered the Calf just a hop skip and a jump up the road there was really no contest. Maybe I shouldn’t mention it as the rest of the Clapham drinkers obviously haven’t walked up this far yet– and I’m not sure I want them to. But here you’ll find a good range of ales and lagers both local and from further afield; comfy seating for your aching bones and from the other reviews it looks like they do nice Sunday Roasts too. I noticed they keep board games behind the bar and do a pub quiz on Mondays which we have vowed to try if we can find anyone to join us and supplement our ignorance.
Minor point of dissatisfaction: we got some nachos with our beers and we had to raise the alarm when they supplied us with what looked like an egg cup’s worth of sour cream –I don’t like to hold back with dipping. But they happily brought out more with no extra charge. My new local.

I came here for a Sunday Roast, after what seemed ages trying to decide which Clapham pub could entice my custom.
Hidden away in the old town, and looking slightly dubious from the outside, stepping in I was pleasantly suprised. The décor is quite dark with squashy sofas and plenty of magazines and papers to keep you amused.
Food was actually very nice, with pub roasts you never know what you will get — this tasted yummy, and the pudding i had (apple & blackberry crumble) was suitably matched.
Nice place to relax on Sunday…

You’ll find The Calf nestling in the sometimes picturesque Clapham Old Town — competing with a number of other pubs on the same street and, I think, coming up as the winner.
It’s long and big, has friendly staff and it just feels nice and cozy. Snuggly sofas, dim lighting, pretty faces all around and… and… well, just relax.
Their pub quiz is fun, the roast on Sundays is delish and they even have board games here! Ideal for setting up camp for a chilled night in the winter. Wether or not it stays chilled is entirely up to you, but there is a good wine list and plenty of beers on tap to entice you to the drunk side.
Give it a go if in the area.

The Calf, is a cozy pub in Old Town, Clapham. They have a decent wine menu/​beer/​liquor and a full bar menu (with a weekday menu and extended menu on the weekends).
When we went there for dinner late one night, they only had about 4 options on their menu available, but they were so funny about it, we actually didn’t mind and enjoyed the food we did get. Really reminds me of a neighborhood spot that’s best for locals… just that kind of Cheers place where you feel comfortable and can hang out for hours. Nothing super special about it but nothing wrong either, not too trendy but not a dive either. Enjoyable.

Here’s a rule to live by. If you sell any items that cost more than £5 you will provide card facilities to be able to pay for said items.
I couldn’t believe that this pub ib the heart does allow cards… and it’s a gastropub, so stuff ain’t cheap!
Ok that little rant aside, the place is very nice, off clapham high st, with a massive back room for having your Sunday roast. It has a large bar with a good selection of beers.
All in all it’s a decent pub

Looks a bit crap from the outside, well, not trad enough for my liking anyway, but I was pleasantly surprised when I walked in. After having just finished a monsterous full English at the pavement down the road, I wasn’t really ready for a roast, but they did look delicious. The ale was very drinkable, and there is a huge bonus of scrabble and trivial pursuit (new delux edition) to hand. What better way to spend Sunday afternoon?

We had a particularly nice roast in here on Sunday. The portion sizes are huge and it’s only £8. Lots of new beers on — Franziskaner, Local Bitters and plenty of lager as you’d expect. They also stock lots and lots of board games making this a great Sunday pub — Monopoly, Trivial Pursuit, Mouse Trap, Operation… they’re all here.
I’ll be back next week!

This roomy pub has interesting décor — black walls and feather-​trimmed lamps. Seems like a good range of beer and extensive food menu (didn’t try it, but the £5 all day specials menu, including gammon steak or 3 bean chili, looks like a good deal). Visited in the afternoon when it was peaceful and mainly empty.

Good neighbourhood pub with a surprisingly varied lunch menu. Cozy pub in winter, with big armchairs and boardgames, perfect for whiling away a day at the pub.
Has pool room out the back but try and avoid on Saturday nights it gets rammed with Clapham Ra Ras.

The Calf has a great set-​up: intimate lighting, good food and a variety of different seats to suit your needs. There are proper wooden tables and chairs on a raised platform at the back, a few sofas in the middle and high tables near the front. Big curtains between each section and coloured lamps create an ambience that is especially good on a winter evening.
I’ve had some great leisurely nights here, taking advantage of the selection of board games and sampling the wine list (Torres Vina Esmerelda is my fav). I also went to a good open-​mic night here once on a weekday evening that was a good relaxed affair.
And I must mention the back room: it’s small, it’s black and it has a pool table. Doesn’t quite go with the rest of the pub but I like it and have had many a good game here. And there are board games too.
Warning: this place gets really full on weekend nights. At this point, I don’t like it at all, but many would disagree. It depends how much you like the Clapham «scene».

With odd bashed up antiquey wooden furniture and tealights set into recesses in the wall, and boasting a great selection of beers and cracking food, this bar is a great winter hang-​out, and even has its moments in the summer evenings. It’s also right next to the fire station in Clapham old town, so if anything goes wrong in the kitchen, help is at hand.
The kitchen itself is an extension of the bar, which is great cause you can see them cooking you food, and their Sunday roasts are really top notch. Oh, and it has babifoot, too, which is the best pub game in the world.