The Exhibit is amazing. I only recently moved to Balham but couldn't believe my luck when I found out there was a venue that was a bar/restaurant/cinema and a comedy club all in one. It's like someone went inside my head and built me the perfect venue.

So far I've been to the cinema, which is small but the most comfortable I've ever been in. They don't seem to do new releases, more older films that you'd never normally have a chance to see projected.

The restaurant was great. I had an amazing rack of lamb with some of the tastiest potato dauphinoise I've had. My girlfriend had a steak that was as good if not better than the one we had at the Cattle Grid around the corner and a lot cheaper. Nothing but compliments to the chef. Also the staff were ultra friendly and helpful. We'll be going there a lot.

On top of that it also has live stand-up comedy. I'm a huge stand-up fan and can't believe how good the acts they've had so far. They've had Phil Nichol and Mike Wilmot who, as far as I'm concerned, are as good as anyone in the world at performing a club set. The only downside is that it only appears to be on once a month.

I suppose I should try and be critical in some way. I can't think of many ways to improve the venue but one would be to perhaps get some more interesting beers and ales on the bar. At the moment it has exactly what you'd expect a bar to have, which to me is a disappointment as I love going to places that have new beers for me to try. It seems to provide a large range of cocktails and those kind of drinks which really aren't my kind of thing so it would be good if they looked into getting some more obscure beers in.

All in all though, I'm over the moon that this place exists and I fully intend on being a regular.

My wife hired the private function room for her 30th birthday last week. We had a fantastic night which was everything that she wanted it to be. The staff were fantastic and really went out of their way to make sure that we had everything we needed, especially the bar girl (think she said her name was Rosie?) who worked very hard and was polite and smiley all night. The room was a very good size and the Nintendo wii was a great touch. All our guests had a great night. Would definitely recommend to anyone looking for a great function room.

not sure what the last couple of reviews are about, but I love this place!

have been coming for a few years now, and it has changed a lot, loving the new food menu- 3 course for £15 bargin!! last time I went I had the lamb steak, which was cooked to perfection!

the main bar downstairs has a good atmosphere, they have changed the layout and it looks much better for it. does get very busy on a saturday night, so get in early to get a seat but they have 241 cocktails till 8pm so thats cool. Only thing missing is the fishtank! not been to the cinema yet, but its on my to do list.

felt compelled to post a comment after the recent slatings of my favourite bar in balham...what are these people talking about ?
really friendly bar-staff, awesome cocktails and a great atmosphere. yes, it sometimes takes a bit of time to get served but the bar is rammed on a fri and sat...thats the whole point !
really enjoy the private cinema too - totally worth a visit.

After a rotten experience with a member of bar staff last night I can state that I will never, ever return here. Such a shame, as Drew has done such a good job but can't seem to control the stupid, snippy kids behind the bar.

I went to The Exhibit a couple of weekends ago on what I'd call a pretty busy night and - after waiting patiently in the queue - got to the front only to find I wasn't served because the two bar staff on my side were too busy snogging. I later asked around and found out they are both management - not only that - senior management! I'm glad they're having a nice time but it would be great if they could pass those good vibes onto people who are paying (their wages) to be there. I'm not too surprised there are comments about the staff on this page considering the example the supposed leaders are setting. Good enough for some but not good enough for me.(ignore my practice run - they are not stars! Consider it censorship!)

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I used to really love The Exhibit but since it's got busy, they haven't employed the staff to handle it. The bar manager is possibly the rudest man I've ever met. Last Saturday he got drinks wrong, stormed off in a huff, threatened people at the bar, spilt drinks over us in "the stress of it" and when we chatted to the doormen about him they rolled their eyes in agreement. A couple of times the bar manager tried to get people thrown out but the doormen paid no attention to him. It was really embarrassing. It's a real shame as The Exhibit had such great potential. Get some decent staff again Exhibit - ones who can handle the pressure of a bar on a Saturday night!

Oh my god are you kidding?! I absolutely love this place!

yes they now have a big tv, but you get to play Wii for free and watch all the big football matches with a fresh pint in your hand....

Other than a free lap dance i dont know what more a guy could ask for.

And yes when they are rammed on a friday/ saturday and you ask for 4 pints of guiness 8 beers and 3 mojitos they cant help but be a little frustrated, and neither can those of us just wanting a corona, but its hectic and they are having to work fast!

By the end of the night they are brilliant, joining in with the crowd and dancing behind the bar.

My advice...stick it out till the end of the night, you'll see how cool they are.

Also if 'going down hill' is demonstrated by the ridiculously high level of custom, then yes, i guess they are.

This was a fave local of mine but hadn't been here for a wee while....and for good reason. Just been there tonight and feel propelled to say how much it has gone down hill.

This place from yore used to be the high spot for Balham ( and it might be argued its close neighbour Clapham).

However, my last visit was far from happy. Let’s start with the positives, the fish are cool. Unfortunately it looks like this independent bar has sold out with a limited range of beers on offer.

The bar staff, when they could be bothered to serve on what was a fairly quiet start to the night, got 2 orders wrong, then huffed when they had to correct the order.

On top of that, the bar has had a refit that has turned its quirky style into a cheap everyday bar fitment complete with sky TV and Big Screen.

Gone are the flamingos and sofas, replaced with booths that look like your Grandfather patched together.

This might be good for some but there are too many places within staggering distance that do this better.

On top of that, it seems to have attracted a new clientele that would be more at home in many of the boozers nearby and it made us all want to leave after one drink.

It's a shame as it has great potential. Please [to the managers] sort this out asap, as it has been a truly great bar in Balham's scene....

Love it! Great local venue with really good drinks offers, fun atmosphere, great music and very very good bar staff. The bartender Jaime had us entertained all night and thank you for the introduction to the Jaegar sour! Eat in restaurant regularly and has improved a great deal in the last year. All you can possibly want from a local bar & restaurant.

for the previous review... all I can say is that you must not have gone there for a while ( since your visit in 2006) because the bar staff was really bad bad bad.
Scenario: Friday evening in September 2007. May I have a cocktail? it's 5pm, the guy behind the bar is on his own and he's really really peed off I dare to ask a mojito!!!
if you don't want to offer cocktails, or are only CAPABLE of providing cocktails ( which are heavily advertised all over your bar) then don't offer them, or offer them when there's enough staff to do them.... oh and he got the change wrong ( he looked so on edge) but of course did not apologise.. enough said.

The Exhibit is a fantastic place! The split level mezzanine is fabulous, the cocktails were great and the food was gorgeous.



It was a great night and we all had a lovely experience - The Exhibit staff are smashing and treated us like princesses!