The Bobbin

I’ve been in here for a few dinners and a few rounds of drinks, and it’s definitely a hidden gem. Menu changes frequently, but they usually have steak, which they do brilliantly. The chef will make it properly rare (not British rare) if you ask — our server was Canadian and specially asked the chef to make it nice and raw, and it was delicious with their salsa verde. They also do nice Sunday roasts — I particularly like their roast chicken — and good seasonal soups. It’s also a nice place to set up with a laptop for an afternoon working session. I love the atmosphere — slightly haunted-​seeming but very warm and welcoming.

Disappointing! A good crispy Sunday roast shouldn’t be hard to make and I was expecting great things from this pub. But the potatoes were soggy and the pork belly was covered in a layer of squidgy, hairy rind that I had to cut off (the crackling is normally the best part). Around the table my friends were equally disappointed by dry chicken and undercooked beef. Starters consisted of a thin, yellow cauliflower broth with a half-​piece of toast (not sure why we were expecting a wonderful wintery, creamy soup), a gristly rabbit terrine and a gelatinous duck and black pudding salad. We would have overlooked the bad food if the staff had been warm and friendly, but there was a palpable sense of depression mixed with resentment emanating around the room, and the manager was basically just a complete tos*er. So we escaped and for dessert went to No 32 just up the road where the espresso martinis were great and the staff were outstanding.

Sunday Roast: Good Lamb roast, lovely sweet gravy, good portions of meat, meat is a little fatty however and the roast potatoes are not crispy, veg is well cooked and flavoursome overall. Good service, nice garden patio for good weather. Overall 6.5÷10.

When I walked in, I kinda feared the worst. I’d cycled over from Brixton, was wearing a scruffy shirt and was met by the appraising looks of a group sat by the door, all looking magazine-​styled and not a hair out of place. Suspected I’d walked into yet another gastro-​pub dominated by Rahs.
I found a spot at the bar, and waited for my late-​running friends and got chatting to the friendly staff who found me a tasty glass of red to keep me company. Whilst waiting, what was evident is that this really is a restaurant and not a pub (at least on a Sunday afternoon) and that the clientele were thankfully a little more varied than I’d originally thought.
The style of food and prices will attract a certain type, but don’t be put off. It’s well done in here — I especially like the conservatory out the back. The food was excellent — I opted for the roast duck roast — and they didn’t bat an eyelid when I asked for a cheeky yorkshire on the side. Deserts weren’t as special as the prices suggested, but enough to satisfy a sugar craving.

The Bobbin is tucked away but has a great rustic feel to it. Their beer garden is large and the restaurant is lively. My first dining experience there was good and this was my second. I ordered the Fish n’ Chips which turned into a BIG mistake. It was simply massive. (I’ll post a photo too) I barely put a dent in it and unfortunately it sat like a rock on my stomach. There was way too much breading however the chips were good. As a started we’d both ordered the cauliflower and cheese soup. Had this soup been thicker it’d been perfect. The taste was good but it was super thin which I found odd. The wine selection is good and the service is mostly attentive. We had three servers check on us when we first sat down. It’s nice to see a team helping cover each others tables. This is a lively place however and many seem to enjoy the pub as well. At the end of my dining experience this American Southerner in London was left thinking, crikey, that could have been better y’all.

If you’re looking for a really good quality Sunday lunch in Clapham look no further. The gravy is always plentiful and delicious. The portion isn’t massive but then I am quite greedy so it’s probably enough for most people. You must remember to book though because they do get quite full, and if you’re not a fan of kids then I would probably avoid this place on a Sunday.

After a romantic stroll on Clapham Common bracing in winter, leisurely in summer head to the Old Town with your date for some delicious seasonal grub.
Hidden away down a smart residential side street near the Common lies The Bobbin, a little gem of a pub described as a superior locals local. It’s the perfect venue for an early date: part cosy and romantic, part friendly local.
If you’re familiar with the Lighthouse in Battersea (one of the two sister pubs of the Bobbin and a GDG favourite) then you’ll recognise lots of things like the tiles in the loo (!) and much of the menu, but where the Bobbin differs is in its cosy atmosphere. It is smaller and quirkier than the Lighthouse. Perfect for a romantic supper in the winter or a Sunday lunch that ends up lasting all day! It’s also a fantastic venue for a summer date with a spacious conservatory and a gorgeous enclosed garden.
The food is good quality and seasonal, with proper old fashioned dishes like bread and butter pudding to send you off on a trip down memory lane When the GDG visited Miss Mary had soup of the day followed by leek and stilton tart (not too rich, just right) while Other Half went for the charcuterie board and then wild hare with (amazing) homemade pappardelle. The food was delicious and it’s worth mentioning that the charcuterie board would be perfect, and romantic, to share!
We didn’t have any but we have heard that the bar snacks are amazing. Other Half’s eyes were on stalks as a scotch egg walked by!
When we visited the staff were incredibly helpful, moving us away from a rowdy Christmas party to a more romantic table. It also turned out to be quiz night (Wednesdays) and they persuaded to join in as a team of two and make it part of our evening. Luckily it turned out pretty well as we came second (out of ten teams)! However, if you want cosy romance it’s probably best to avoid Wednesdays as the quizzing can get quite vocal
The Bobbin is a great pub and our parting advice would be to request a table in the main part of the building, which has a bit more character than the conservatory, preferably by one of the two roaring fires.

If you enjoy poor service and average food then this is the place for you. If, like normal people, you anticipate food being served within a decent time frame and service to go with it, then avoid this place at all costs.
A friend had booked her birthday dinner here a few Saturdays ago. We have book for 7 people for 8pm. When we got there her sister and baby had joined the group, therefore bringing the number up to 9. Not only could they not accommodate us, they told us they didn’t ‘cater’ to having children around after 8pm?! Are you kidding me. The baby was asleep and we were going to head to the beer garden first.
So as we had TWO more people (one being a little person) we decided to have a drink in the beer garden, order our food an move inside when the food was ready. Orders were taken before 8:30 to which they told us it would take 45mins for the food. Fine. What was not fine was the fact that each started we attempted to order they had run out of. I would say about 3 out of 6 starters they had were unavailable. On a Saturday night?!
So left with little choice we made our orders. We sat, we chatted, we waited. We got hungry. We did not get sat at out table until 10PM when the food was apparently ‘ready’. 10:15pm, out came two board with 4 break slices on it — um, can we have our actual food?
When asked to speak to the manager he UNPROFESSIONALLY just avoided us — WHO does that? By the time the starter came it was close to 10:30pm, literally. It then took until after midnight to get all our courses served. They tried to fix the situation by offering us another cut of steak… nice try.
Needless to say when I left I just knew I had to warn other eaters about this place. My friend claims that on a week night (which is the only other time she has been) it has been fine. Unfortunately, one bad first impression/​experience is enough to put me off ever going back. I cannot tolerate such bad service for average food, or even for bad food. Being ‘busy’ on a Saturday night is also not an excuse.
Avoid this place like the plague!

Nice, and deceptively large pub down a back street friendly, helpful staff (who else in Clapham offers to carry your drinks if you order a large round), and nicely kept conservatory and (walled, suntrap) outdoor areas. Nice array of hearty, and wholesome looking bar snacks e.g. homemade-​looking pork pies, whitebait, proper pork scratchings (i.e. crackling) By Wholesome, of course, I mean chunky, and suitable for a hungry beer drinker. A reasonable selection of real beers the Wandle was a well kept pint on my last visit., good to see as it counts as a local brew. Highly recommended.

When I first stumbled upon the Bobbin it had an air of something familiar. We figured out pretty quickly why that was: it’s run by the same folks that own the The Lighthouse, our perennial favourite local down the road in Battersea.
Same quality food and friendly service and an atmosphere which is a step up from boozer, but still pub. Really liked it — just hope those braying new-​Clapham-​more-​money-​than-​taste types who were sat near us last time I was there don’t decide to make it their regular haunt.

Recently renovated. Good beer, good atmosphere, good mixed crowd.

Went here for a group pub lunch with high hopes having been recommended by a friend. To be honest, was not that impressed. The Sunday roast options were fairly limited and included pub grub cliches like bangers and mash and fish and chips.
There are better places to have a pub lunch in the area like the Stonehouse.
On the plus side there is a very cute beer garden and it is off the beaten track enough to avoid the hordes who flood the High Street.

This pub is mercifully hidden away from the Clapham crowds and as such does well for itself in retaining a charming, old-​fashioned vibe. There’re darts, board games and a good selection of ales — perfect for whiling away many an afternoon or evening. There’s a restaurant room out back too with good quality food including a great Sunday roast. This is a quiet community pub for quiet nights, and definitely not the right place if you’re looking for something lively.

One chip at Tim Bobbins is the size of a human fist. It is like the chef uses an entire potato for each fry. Gluttony is rife here, so of course this is one of my primary pub destinations. The atmosphere is friendly and community based. Everyone knows each other and they relish in the opportunity to have a pint with some neighbourhood mates and chill out after the long, hard working day. The food is good, the drink is overflowing, there is no way that this place can be disparaged.

The pub is out of the way but it is worth the effort for a great place to go. They have great beers and the staff are always pleasant. The food portions are very large especially the Sunday Lunches. When you see the other pubs in Clapham packed to the rafters it is sad that people do not walk a few feet more to this great pub.

I’m not very interested in pubs: going to them, talking about them or discussing them. But for the Tim Bobbin I’ve made an exception on all three points — it’s so great!
I needed somewhere to hook up with a friend last week so she could meet my dog, Benji, so scoured the web to find a dog-​friendly, non-​sporty pub in Clapham. Voila — the Tim Bobbin. We had to visit just for the name — childish but true. There is some historical significance to it but I just like that it reminds me of the bobbins off a sewing machine. Bobbins!
But I digress. The Tim Bobbin turned out to be a really lovely pub. It was showing the footie (boo) but it wasn’t full of sports fans and there was little cheering. There’s a restaurant area at the back — where dogs are not allowed — but you can eat their fine pub grub everywhere else too. We didn’t eat but I’d definitely go back for food, their menu looked great.
We all had a marvellous evening. Benji sparked out on the banquette seating as my friend and I drank cider the posh way — with ice — and laughed about old times. As we left the staff made a fuss of the puppy and said he’d be very welcome back. Apparently some days it’s like Crufts in there. I will definitely be back!

I’ve always found the name Tim Bobbin very agreeable. I had a terrier called Bobbin when i was a young boy, so maybe that has something to do with it! Even if this place was called The naughty sausage club it wold still be a great boozer. A nice sunday pub where i always feel comfortable taking friends. Come for sunday Lunch — portions the size of Volkswagens!

The pub is nice, not big, the staff are friendly but you have to make the order yourself and sometimes need to shout, lol. Drinks and food are not ok. The prices are great though, so great place for students as such. I might go down again only if I’m on a budget:)