If you read only the the disparaging comments about this venue then visited you would wonder what planet the reviewer can from. Take the one below, bring Streatham to Balham, what an idiot, I wonder what his living room is like. IKEA.

I think people forget that the venue is a bar first and then a restaurant. It has to be taken in that order. At the bar they are good at what they do and we had our Christmas party there and they coped admirably with over 40 covers. The food was absolutely delicious.

The wines & Champagnes were excellent and we partied into the small hours. Now I am positive that there are no other venues in Balham tthat would have been able to offer us a better experience. It would seem there are detracters but I am confident that these people know nothing.

Had wanted this place to do well. Nice to see independent bars spring up after all...
But they need to do a lot of work in a lot of areas before they are ready to expect customers. Service slow, bar staff rude (well they were, maybe new ones now), some food v. over priced, and the whole chav glitzy 'theme' is quite 'let's try and bring Streatham to Balham' ...
Come on guys, you can do better....

I went to lunch at Bar Lumiere today. To be fair, the venue is spectacular. However, the service was of a poor standard - the waiter was not able to give us information on what was in some of the dishes before we made our mind up (eggs florentine, egg benedict, the club sandwich).

Also, the food was simply dreadful. They had run out of eggs, which more or less scuppered about half of the lunch menu and the sandwiches we ordered were of really poor quality. Horrible, Tesco Economy Value white bread, tasteless, undercooked bacon, lettuce that was slightly off, and a side salad that consisted of nothing but an enormous pile of rocket that was simply off-putting. I have eaten better, and cheaper, in motorway service stations. Even a sandwich can be made with love and attention - lovely wholemeal bread, nice, fresh bacon, a delicious salad with dressing - all of these things were absent in the food.

This was my first time, so I may well chalk this up as a one-off, give them the benefit of the doubt and try once more (as some reviews here are very positive), but exercise caution before lunching there.

One star for the venue, zero for the food and the service.

Looks nice from the outside- very different story on the inside.
We waited a very long time to order drinks and food, get food, have plates taken away and after an hour and a half we decided not to carry on and left after the starter. None of the staff seemed to know what to do and when we told them we didnt want our mains and the starter wasnt very nice, the manager was rude- asking us if we were 'chefs'?!?
There were 2 other tables and at least one other complained.
The only good thing about the evening was that we left before it got really bad and we only paid for a bottle of wine.
i'm not too sure who wrote the other reviews but clearly it wasnt just a one off.

I agree with the last few reviews that the staff of old at Bar Lumiere were crap but the new team are very good. The selction of cocktail has improved to a point were they are becoming the best served in London.

The food is measurably better, probably due to the new chef's arrival. I though that the food would be standard fare but it's better than a lot of local restaurants. The 2 course deal is fantastic value at £9.95 for 2 courses.

I know where I will be spending my New Years Eve. Good work keep it up guys.

All the reviews that I read until now, except the one from Sherry400, don't really tell the truth about these beautiful venue.
I've been at Lumiere several times, and I can agree that the management and staff were a bit of an a**se, but since they hired the new chef and the new management, I see improvements every single time that I go there.
The table service is improving everyday, the food is fantastic (thank you chef for the amazing Pumpkin Raviolli), and the new cocktails are simply divine (obsession and ambar, two of my favourites).
You look at staff now, and they got a smile in their faces, and they seem quite happy working there.
So indulge yourself, and pay them a visit, I can garantee, you wont be disapointed.
Rick.

I was recommended to go to Bar lumiere by a close friend of mine. After reading some of the reviews about it I wasnt too sure but one day I decided to go down and check the place out for myself anyway! I have to say the the decor is absolutely beautiful and what I really loved were the hand dryers in the toilets!!! They were awesome!
The bar is a mere 3 minute walk from Balham station and it has a cab station just a minute away. The service was good, though it was busy, we got served pretty quickly. The bar staff were really jolly. I had a brief chat with the landlady who I thought was really lovely and welcoming! The food was delicious! It was well worth going to and I had a great night out! I have recommended Bar Lumiere to a few of my friends too. Its a happening place!
BAR LUMIERE! I shall see you soon again!
Love,
Sherry Jenkins

This place is truly dismal. There really is nothing else to say.