196 Tooting High Street,
Tooting,
London,
SW17 0SF
(020) 8672 6351
The ViewLondon Review
Right on Tooting’s high street, the imposing Manor Bar and Grill is hard to miss. With comfy areas perfect for a good gossip, a pool table and quiz nights for some lively fun and a more secluded restaurant area, it really does offer something for everyone.
The Venue
The Manor is a relatively large building with a walled-in area at its front containing plenty of benches and umbrellas – very enticing for summertime. There’s a large space inside, with the bar directly ahead as you enter and cosy sofas to your right, with a more formal restaurant-style area to your left, a pool table at the back and a huge roaring fire – very enticing for winter. The décor is dark wood and there’s stylish art-deco-style wallpaper. So far, so good.
The Atmosphere
Thursday night is quiz night, so, if you visit on this day of the week, the bar is buzzing with people and all the sofas are filled with customers. The pool table is put to good use, too. As the table is very close to the restaurant, it can be quite noisy if you’re trying to talk over dinner, but there’s plenty of seating so avoid it if a quiet meal is what you’re after. The staff are helpful, friendly and eager to make sure you have everything you need.
The Food
Starters include favourites like nachos (£4.55) topped with melted cheese served with guacamole, spicy tomato salsa, chives, sour cream and jalapenos – an absolute bargain at this price with more than enough to share. There’s also wild mushroom ravioli (£4.75) and crisp breadcrumb chicken fillets (£3.95) – tender chicken with a flavoursome crispy crumb served with a tangy tomato salsa.
Mains focus on traditional pub fare – fish pie, fillet steak, full rack of ribs and so on. Alessandro’s meatballs (£7.50) are huge balls of succulent meat accompanied by a slow-cooked tomato and basil sauce served on a bed of tender linguine with shavings of parmesan. The gourmet burger (£7.95) is a tower of chunky beef, fresh lettuce, tomato, red onion and gherkin in a sour dough bun with a very tasty tomato relish and chips. The chips appear to be somewhere between actual chips and potato wedges, but they are absolutely mouthwatering and incredibly moreish (even when your belt’s already bulging).
The apple and mixed berry crumble with vanilla custard (£3.75) comes highly recommended, and other desserts such as citrus and raspberry crème brûlée (£3.75) and melt in the middle chocolate fondant (£4.50) will not disappoint.
The Drink
This is a proper pub and beer is on the menu (draught pints start at £3.40, bottled beers from £3.30), but there’s also a good range of wines and even cocktails. House wine is £12.50 a bottle, or £3.50 for a 175ml glass and £4.70 for 250ml. Cocktails include most of the usual crowd-pleasers – Long Island iced tea, French martini and frozen raspberry daiquiri to name a few – and are priced from just £5.70. You can even get jugs of cocktails for big parties, which are priced at £14.
The Last Word
The Manor Bar and Restaurant is a lively place with good, honest food and drink at really reasonable prices. With its open fire and outside seating, it’s a great place to unwind, whatever the weather.
Manor Bar and Grill has been reviewed by 10 users