The Falcon

If you like your boozers on the traditional side, then you’ll probably like The Falcon. Lots of bitters and traditional lagers, mirrors, brass and high ceilings. If you visit the pub on a Friday evening then it can be a squeeze, despite its size. Lots of men, builders and suits alike, not much seating and a queue at the bar every time. That said, I’ve always found the bar staff to be efficient, which is all you can ask for. It’ll never be my favourite pub, but you do know what you’re going to get year in year out and being a landmark, it’s a good meeting point. If you like a traditional boozer this is the place for you.

This is a proper old man pub, great for sitting in one place with a pint.
It’s dark and dank, with a totally weird layout, but the staff are friendly and there’s no line for the loo.

The service was great! At least, the fellow I got, who was super-​friendly and efficient. And the décor is beautiful! High Victorian, with wood paneling, stained glass, and chandeliers. There are some mis-​matched chairs, but that’s fine.
My companion and I had the Sharing platter, which was tasty and plentiful. The Brie Fondue part was especially good, but I’m taking a point off for soggy onion rings.

Why this was a first date* suggestion, I am still yet to be enlightened on.
Three people got kicked out of the pub in the half an hour I was there. And at 8pm on a Sat eve, that’s pretty impressive for so early on in the evening.
Still, it’s a nice enough bar with a long bar that snakes round the pub floor. There’s a great selection behind the bar and the staff were very quick and attentive.
I imagine it’s a great spot to come in of an afternoon for a cheeky pint, just not soo much a destination venue.

An easy spot to meet up for post-​work pints. Mere steps from Clapham Junction and a large, wrap around bar with loads of high tops, dining and belly up seating that goes fast once 5 o clock comes round. It’s not a big deal destination spot, but is consistent with food and service, making it an no-​thinking-​required go-​to with pals.
A Nicholson pub (which all have identical menus, which is boring, but whatever). This location has been offering a nice Summer Beer Fest featuring loads of microbrew options — the Suffolk Blonde was a great find.

A Proper Pub!
The Falcon is hard to miss, a big black pub sitting right on the corner outside Clapham Junction station.
Though not what one would likely consider a special pub — it’s more traditional really — the interior is well kept and there’s usually a pleasant vibrancy about the place. But who really cares about that?
With an impressive array of real ales (and plenty of lager taps too, if you like that sort of thing) and plenty more choice of bottled beers in the numerous fridges, there is more than enough for any potential or current custodian.
Food is served and the groups I’ve been in with have all enjoyed their time here and agreed that The Falcon is a stellar drinking establishment.
All in all, difficult to criticise,
TTFN
Ian

Great food!
Some of the best i’ve had in London thus far (though I am newly moved here from California).
I’ve had the duck with cherry sauce that tasted like Christmas to me. it was d-​e-​l-​i-​ci-​o-​u-​s. Seriously good stuff for 11.95
I’ve also had the grilled fish fillets with a lemon sauce and new potatoes. it was really tasty stuff also for 11.95. totally worth it for a lovely meal without the stuffyness of a restaurant.
The space has tall ceilings, awesome touches of colored glass, great beers and plenty of them. They also have different beer every 2 weeks.
A true gem!

In my experience it can be hard to find a good pub near a train station, but The Falcon is decent considering. Plus points include: great real ale selection (I’m sad they’ve recently stopped doing the triple chocolate stout as it was amazing), efficient staff, clean toilets.
The negative points include: pretty busy, has the ‘chain pub’ feel (that’s because it IS a chain pub, but still), stopped doing triple chocolate stout (as I said, it was amazing).
Clapham Junction really isn’t the place to go for brilliant pubs but if you’re there and want a drink, The Falcon is definitely one of the best places to go.

Very busy, traditional pub, generally frequented by people on their way somewhere else — home, for instance, it being a stone’s throw from Clapham Junction. which should really put it in Battersea, but who am I to argue with Google Maps? Popular when rugby is on TV, as you’d expect in a decent pub in this part of town. Other reviewers have talked about the beer selection and food; don’t miss out on the bar snacks — wasabi peas and a couple of pints; perfick !

I’ve given this a 4 star rating for simply the array of ale they have on sale. Every time we’ve visited there are many many many types on hand-​pump which is definitely a welcome sight — as is similar with other pubs in the Nicholsons chain. They tend to always have TT Landlord on, as well as Deuchars IPA and London Pride, and the other handpumps have many other local and regional ales on — definitely worth trying some of the more random ones!
Atmosphere wise, you can hardly ever get a seat as it’s the nearest pub to England’s busiest train station. Makes sense! However it’s nice to go and sit in there, as all the fixtures and fittings hark back to a previous era gone by — the outside is rather glorious too.
Food is pub-​standard, the have a large sausage range — but as do all of the other Nicholsons pubs! It can sometimes be quite a wait — as the bar is generally very busy.
Service can vary depending on which bit of the bar you are standing at. If you pick the wrong place you may not be noticed for 5 minutes! There never tends to be enough staff on as the bar is so busy, but this is probably a drawback of having the longest bar in the world!
This is a good place if you like your ale, but not to stay for too long.

A very large corner pub, with a large selection of real ales, 14 were on tap when I visited. Food available all day. A must visit for any real ale fans.
Has the longest bar in the world, according to Guinness Book of Records.

Okay. The Falcon is a gem. An absolute gem. It’s gorgeously Victorian, all wood panelling, different nooks, stain glass light fixtures and the pub wraps around an enormous bar in the centre. Everything an English pub should be in this day and age (for an American, anyway). I like it old, can’t help it.
Not a gastro pub – THANK GOD – although, they do serve a bewildering array of sausage and mash. If I can get the hubbs to allow me one more pub meal, I will try them one day. Not trendy – again, THANK GOD. The area is chock full of trendy little bars. We needed something like the Falcon. It’s right off the station, so a cheeky pint before heading home is not out of order.
The patrons range from old men (of old men pubs), to local workers, and to mellow city types (strictly non-​annoying so far). I like how it’s not people looking to be seen, but just folks out for a friendly drink. It does get quite busy and the nooks and chairs fill up quickly. But there’s so much length of bar, that standing at the bar doesn’t get in anyone’s way.
Now, to the drinks. They do a lot of local ales here and more importantly, they let you have little tastes of them before committing to a full. If you’ve made the mistake of committing before tasting like I did once, the kind lady behind the bar gave me another chance. Bless her. There is also a large selection of single malt whiskeys for those so inclined…
Definitely our local – beats out the Northcote (even though that place is very nice and friendly, just not cheap. AND even though the carpet is fascinating, so fascinating I had to take my sandals off this summer to feel it).

I’ve been to The Falcon a couple of times, and there’s something about it that just feels like something’s mssing. I can’t quite out my finger on it.
The décor is good, the clientelle are friendly and there is the usual choice of drinks and a mixture of low and higher tables, plenty of room and a huge round bar. But as you are reading this you are probably thinking, ‘Yes, right, hmmm, yep. yeah… ok, well you’re just describing any bar I’ve ever been to.‘
And that’s my point. Nothing’s bad about it, nothing especially great about it. It’s A-​OK. By definition, three stars.
And that’s all there is to know about The Falcon.

A large, and hugely popular traditional pub just a stone’s throw from the main exit of Clapham Junction station.
The interior is traditional with high ceilings, lots of polished wood, art-​nouveau style ceiling lights, etched and cut cut glass screens, and what is claimed to be the largest island counter in the UK. They serve a range of real ales, as well as food, though I’ve not eaten here.
It gets three stars from me as (a) it’s very noisy and (b) despite having a huge bar and lots of serving areas, they don’t have enough staff. After 10 minutes (which actually feels like centuries if you are waiting at a bar) I gave up, so didn’t get to sample the real ale.
Perhaps worth a try when they’re quieter. I suspect its proximity to the station means they have surges of customers around rush hour. My companions, who had got there rather earlier, assured me that the beer was fine.

A fine local pub about 30 steps west of Clapham Junction station. Enjoy a pint of real ale with the locals.
A great place to watch the rugby or football, eat pub food with a group of friends or relax with a newspaper.
Random info: Has a certificate to prove that it has the longest bar in the UK. What’s that about?

The Falcon is a large, imposing pub near Clapham Junction Station. Its very long bar (claimed to be Britain’s longest) has a large number of real ales, plus many of the other usual drinks. There is an extensive food menu, served from morning to 10 p.m. It’s quite an attractive place, both inside and out. The pub is part of the Nicholson’s chain. Prices are typical for London.
The place is arranged as three bars (though in fact it’s really just one huge, high-​ceilinged room). There’s the main front bar with large windows overlooking the busy road junction (corner of St. Johns’ Hill and Falcon Road). There’s the main back bar, which has colourful decorative features. Finally, there’s a small corner bar which has patterned glass panels in the partitions.
When I last visited (March 2008), it had ten real ales on: Harveys, 6X, Abbott, Deuchars, Landlord, Brains SA Gold, Everards Tiger, Spitfire, Irish Whiskey, Jennings’ Golden Host. The beers change round quite a bit. You’re allowed to try before you buy, and they’re in the Cask Marque scheme.
They also do a variety of food from an extensive menu. In fact, they have three menus: breakfast (to 12:00), lunch (12:00−17:00) and dinner (17:00−22:00). A speciality is sausages — Cumberland and so on (I suppose they come with mash).
The piped music is standard pop, usually not too loud (though occasionally irritating). Toilets aren’t great but are OK for a pub. For smokers, there are covered alcoves by two of the main entrances.