The Merchant

A chain bar masquerading as a pub, succeeding in kidding people it’s worth visiting. It’s soulless, with generic wood and sofas following a refit that did not a lot. In fairness the beer selection is good but ale quality is variable. Food is good but it needs to decide if it’s a restaurant or a bar. Staff are friendly but be prepared for hordes of people who seem content to drink wherever there is drink available. Not recommend if you like good drink, like good pubs, or don’t like the screaming posh brigade.

I’m SUCH a fan. If only I could convince my laziness that CJ isn’t THAT far away, I would call this my local.
Everytime I’m here, I’m like, «That wasn’t so bad why don’t I come to Clapham more often» then it’s 3 AM and I have to make the Isrealites journey back to central usually inebriated and in the freezing cold cursing the moment I got on to the c2c.
All that drama aside, cutest lil pub! Came in for an engagement party and it was just the right size for the group. The mens enjoyed it because there was a large screen showing the game, whatever game it was that day, and the ladies coo’d over the newest bundle and ring. Not to make this such a sexist post, just stating facts.
They had an fun innovative menu. I loved everything on it that I tried and the prices weren’t too bad. They guys at the bar were really fun and we made jokes and such. Must have been slow to be making jokes with you, you say? Well it was, but by the time I was packing up to leave it had become quite full. And gents had enough time to bid me Adieu, so there!
The décor was fun and they had really neat artwork on the skylight. When I finally convince myself to bring me back over the c2c, I will defs come back here.

I’ve been to The Merchant a few times and really enjoyed myself. It’s a large relaxed pub with friendly staff and a good drinks selection.
They have tables out front for those who prefer their drinks al fresco. I like it out there because I love people watching, almost more exciting than dog watching. (My flat doesn’t allow pets so I drown my barren pet woes in drink and clock pooches from The Merchant).
I highly recommend the chorizo flat bread with hummus to soak up some suds after a few pints
Two of the best thinks about this pub:
1. A large pitcher of ice water and cups is always available on the bar for patrons to help themselves. It allows you to avoid the awkwardness of ordering one.
2. The board games — The shelves here are stuffed with old fashioned games for all to enjoy. I LOVE games, I LOVE drinks with friends.
Games+Drinks+Friends = The Merchant

Great beer selection and good food — get the chorizo scotch egg and you won’t be disappointed. Unless you are a vegetarian. Or a chicken.

Smart-​ish pub, round the corner from Nappy Valley. Pleasant, efficient staff (to be highly commended), and a reasonable range of beers and ciders on tap. Come on a busy Saturday afternoon, especially if the rugby’s on, to watch the product of minor public schools wonder why their under-​fives don’t enjoy the pub that much.

I like this pub.
Short review: they have a dyson airblade in the loo.
Long review: good selection of beers with wine-​shop like writeups on the beer taps. Great olives etc and a lovely atmosphere. Nice tables outside, while the view of the A3 might be uninspiring, being out in the sunshine is not. Inside there are open booths, big back area and shelves stacked with games.
Great feel, friendly staff … I’d go back if in area.

Love this place! Aren’t enough places around clappy j where you can play boardgames! Always busy and good atmosphere. Only gripe is £10 min spend on card, very annoying! All good though.

Post NYE a group of friends and I gathered here for a few drinks and a spot of lunch. It’s a good place for big groups as the seating is well placed rather than lots of pokey tables and chairs.
The food far exceeded my expectations. I opted for Slow Roast Pork Belly with Crackling and it was cracking! There was no food envy from any of the group as everyone was happy with their choices. It was good winter food. I’d hope they would have some lighter options come spring/​summer though.
Although the intention was to have a ‘quiet’ drink it ended up being an all day session, made even more fun by the numerous games they have in here. I’m not really a ‘gamer’ but point me in the direction of Space Invader/​PacMan, once the wine has been flowing, and it’s a whole different story… I was like a child at xmas!
My only gripe is that as a large group, some eating, some not, we were happy to settle our own bills but whenever we approached the bar to order food or drinks we were told a member of staff would come to the table to take our order. The fact that they ‘offer’ table service but we kept having to get up to go to the bar, only to be told to sit back down and someone would come over made me question why I would want to pay the ‘service’ charge. Even some of our plates sat around for quite a while so I think they did quite well out of not doing very much in an almost empty bar.
It certainly didn’t spoil my night. I just think they could have been a little more attentive.

i live in the area, so its a convenient place to grab a few pints of beer or cider with some friends. It gets pretty crowded after work hours, but that doesn’t surprise me because I’ve learned that Londoners like to drink ANY time of the day!

I’m surprised to be the first to review The Merchant.
Where do I start…
The first couple of trips to The Merchant weren’t half bad, but they lost me as a customer for good a couple of weeks ago, and even though it takes about 40 seconds to walk from my doorstep to theirs, I will never set foot in The Merchant again.
As I said, my first couple of visits were ok. It’s clearly one of those spots where young professionals like to meet after work to unwind, and I can easily ignore the meat-​market vibe as long as I’m in good company. It’s quite nice inside– clean and spacious, but who cares when it’s run by a bunch of jerks?!
A couple of weeks ago I popped in with a few friends about an hour before closing. I ordered a glass of white wine. I took one sip and realized very quickly that the wine had gone off. It was clearly past it’s prime. I asked two of my friends to give it a try as well to be sure and they winced at the taste and both agreed that I should take it back. I brought the glass back to the bar, barely touched. The bartender «serving» me had hair that was a maroonish-​purple color that can’t be found in nature. I explained to her that the wine had gone off and I would just like a glass of something different. She stared at me and said it could not possibly be spoiled. With that, I asked her if she herself had tried the wine that night and she responded with a big no, but explained that no one else had complained all night (big deal, they were all 5 or 6 deep at that point and may not have noticed the difference), and she also pointed out that it was «fresh from the box». Excellent. I pay 5 or 6 pounds for a glass of crap wine and it comes from a box? Well to be honest, I can live with that. I’ve had my fair share of boxed wine– what wino hasn’t? My problem was that this boxed wine happened to be rotten and tasted like a combination of piss and vinegar. So I explained that I wasn’t looking for a free drink, I simply wanted a glass of something else. She refused. I asked to speak with her manager, so she waved down a blonde woman behind the bar who strolled over and simply said «the wine is fine», with a scowl on her face and walked away. Finally, after some arguing, I convinced the purple-​haired girl to TRY the wine and tell me I was wrong. She took a sip, choked it down with a grimace on her face and said «it tastes fine to me» and again refused to give me anything else. Well, that was the end of the road for me, no more Merchant in my life.
This is by far my longest, most angry review yet, but others must be warned! I can’t understand why they would choose to treat their customers this way, and how on earth they could think that giving away a cheap replacement glass of wine would save them more money than losing a customer for life. I live next door for crying out loud! They could have retired on my patronage! No more. I’m still giving them two stars because:
1.) I could have been unlucky and caught her and her manager in a TERRIBLE mood.
2.) The rest of the staff could possibly be friendly
3.) Maybe some people don’t mind being ripped off and treated like crap.
My advice is to head a couple of doors down to Le Bouchon (I gave them 5 stars).

One of the better pubs of the area, having recently opened. It has a fine selection of wine and beers, and the food is pretty good and not too expensive. There are quite a few places in the area, but I think this is one of the ones to go to; better than most of the places on Northcote Road anyhow.