The Exhibit

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 13 reviews

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12 Balham Station Road,
Balham,
London,
SW12 9SG

0871 971 4304
Note: Calls cost 10p per min plus network extras.

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Reviewer BeastieBoy
27/04/2011
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.
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Reviewer handsomedan1
16/01/2011
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.
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Reviewer JJ26
05/03/2010
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.
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Reviewer anonsw4
05/03/2010
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.
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Reviewer wfg
03/03/2010
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.
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Reviewer anon2000
01/03/2010
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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Reviewer exbarbalham
05/03/2010
Dear anon,

Thank you for your review. I always appreciate any feedback. If you could contact me to let me know what date you were in the bar and a description of the bar staff. I will even give you a £100 bar tab to use just for a chat. I assure you 100% no member of management would be snogging on site. The only senior member of management is me and if I tried to snog any member of my staff I am sure they would run a mile!! On the weekends we are extremely busy and at times there will be a queue to get to the bar. I can only imagine these two snoggers were some loved up customers posing as imposters of me. I only wish my evening was that exciting. Hope to hear from you soon.
Lisa

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Reviewer anon2000
01/03/2010
*******
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Reviewer anon100
15/02/2010
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!
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Reviewer sarah1979
17/02/2010
I don't know if they have a new bar manager but the guy who served me there last time I was in was really cool. He got everyone dancing and the staff were all really friendly and polite. The exhibit is still my fave bar in balham
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Reviewer exhibit
20/02/2010
Thank you for the review. Our staff are normally brilliant and enjoy looking after all our guests. The incident was a one off bartender being a pillock and not a reflection of the bar manager or the rest of his team. I am very sorry you had a bad experience. We would love to make it up to you if you would like to get in contact.
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