Adventure Bar & Lounge London Review
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A frenzied Swedish chap wearing a crash helmet and several silly party hats rushes around checking everyone’s happy and on their way to becoming suitably inebriated. He dashes out to buy some peculiar liqueurs that have run out. Party poppers are handed out and popped. The music is loud and the atmosphere is P-A-R-T-Y!!
No, this isn’t New Year’s Eve, or indeed any particularly notable date in the calendar. OK, so April 10th did feel a bit special as the sun finally finished its lazy hibernation and bestowed some rays on the sauf Londoners lounging on Clapham Common, but for Adventure Bar Balham, a darkly lit cocktail bar with no garden or courtyard, this was just another Saturday night.
After sweltering on the Northern Line all the way from Angel to Balham (indeed, the furthest south in London that my friend had ever ventured) we stepped into the bar to hear a chorus of ‘hello ladies!’ ‘how are you? Come in!’ and ‘what can I get you?’ from five easy-on-the-eye barmen.
We were confused. ‘Where are we?’ my sauf London-shy and staunch norf-Londoner friend bleated. ‘Did we take a wrong turn?’ We hesitated in the doorway. The men continued to wave us in. What to do? They had seen us. It would seem rude to just walk out now. But this just isn’t London. We don’t know these barmen. Or did we? Mental check as my friend and I quickly do a recount of men we may have met recently. We shake our heads. Hold on, is there a sign round my neck saying ‘Fluid London critic’? Negative. So we haven’t met them, the dark surroundings means there’s no chance that the sun went to their head, they don’t know who I am... and yet they’re smiling, waving, greeting.
OK, we can do this. We can go in and converse with these total strangers. Maybe even sit at the bar and chat like you might on a sunny holiday, where the unwritten code of London (‘Do not make eye-contact with strangers. NEVER smile at strangers. Keep conversation to a minimum when buying stuff like drinks or groceries’) doesn’t apply.
And bizarrely, we did just that. Four hours of chatting to the barmen, smiling at and even laughing with these nice men, and wait for it, we actually chatted to some of the other customers too. Not in a chatting someone up way, just actually meeting some fellow Londoners and having this kind of natural conversation. Crazy.
So how does Adventure do it? Well most of the barmen are ex-TGI Friday and although that may set some vulgar American chain bells ringing, they do understand the whole ‘taking care of the customer’ ethos and effortlessly chat with the drinkers at the bar thang.
The Swedish chap mentioned earlier was apparently the manager. Not some suit checking everyone’s behaving properly or sitting in an office out the back, this guy was running around handing out party poppers and hats and generally making sure everyone was having fun and drinking lots (as opposed to checking for people who had drunk too much and then tattle tailing to security about them).
The extensive cocktail menu boasts not unreasonable prices (around 6 or 7 quid each), so you can definitely sample a few. Those friendly easy-on-the-eye barmen (I would give the bargirls a mention for any male readers, but I’m afraid it’s a boys-only brigade here) are also on hand to help with choices. I was presented with a Bramble when I announced I liked gin; a favourite cocktail of mine, although this one could have done with a splash more crème de mure.
A shot of the fruity and sparkly homemade skittles vodka and a slurp on the creamy raspberry ripple ice-cream cocktail were a real highlight though. And here’s a tip: book a table here for free and get free bubbly thrown in. P-A-R-T-Y, indeed!
The decor is simple and relies on lots of black. The music is a mash of Kings of Leon, the Housemartins and Lionel Ritchie. The customers, many of them regulars on first-name terms with the barmen, are in their late 20s and 30s and are looking for a fun night out chatting to their friends and randoms, no aspirations of sipping over-priced fancy cocktails in a sophisticated (read: ‘quiet and well-behaved’) bar.
And what of the peculiar drink that the Swede ran out to buy? It was for his signature lemon cake shot, and boy was it good.
Ruth Emery (20 04 2010)
Adventure Bar & Lounge London Description
Adventure Bar & Lounge is a bar that puts you first.
Their bartenders are highly trained to make you the best drinks as quickly as possible whilst entertaining with tricks and banter! Personality isn’t hidden but actively encouraged! The drinks themselves are a mixture of high quality cocktails to appeal to any palette, using only premium ingredients. The surroundings are cool, dark and simple but atmospheric with the focus being on you having a great time, every time. The music is a real mix of classic mo-town, disco, dance, rock, indie rock and timeless anthems that will make any night, the perfect night to party!
In short, Adventure Bar is not a bar that you can visit to have a good time, it’s a bar that will not rest until you are having a great time!
Customer Reviews for Adventure Bar & Lounge
The following customer reviews are not endorsed by Fluid London and are simply those of users who wish to publish their independent experiences of Adventure Bar & Lounge.
“Adventure is a bar with a lot of soul. It’s always reminded me of the feeling Cliff Clavin must have gotten walking into that famous bar in Boston where ‘everybody knows your name’ (although this bar is a lot cooler and with a younger clientele). The bartenders can practically look at you and know what you want to drink. There’s usually a drinks offer so you can bag two for one cocktails; and, they taste gooooood. The music can cheer up even the most miserable punter and, by the time you’ve left you’ve made friends with everyone in there. You’ll definitely want to go back for more. I heart it. A lot.”
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Paula, London (3 months 29 days ago)
“Excellent cocktails!”
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joe, London (4 months 6 days ago)
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Adventure Bar & Lounge Opening Hours
- Monday: 17:00 - 00:00
- Tuesday: 17:00 - 00:00
- Wednesday: 17:00 - 00:00
- Thursday: 17:00 - 00:00
- Friday: 17:00 - 01:00
- Saturday: 17:00 - 01:00
- Sunday: 17:00 - 00:00
Additional Information
Map & Nearby Venues