This venue has now closed.
Honky Tonk Clapham Common is a popular restaurant-cum-cocktail bar and alongside its sister bar in Chelsea, serves American grill food and cocktails en mass to London's trendy and ravenous crowds. With much hype surrounding it, we decided to see if Honky Tonk could hit the heights.
The Venue
Sat opposite Clapham Common station, Honky Tonk is divided neatly between bar and restaurant. The interior is decked out with exposed brick work, hanging light fittings and music paraphernalia, and there's a small terrace out front for alfresco drinking in the sun. Downstairs, the toilets are assigned as 'Chucks' and 'Chicks', an example of the quirky American touches that makes Honky Tonk a cool hang out for the trendy Clapham crowds.
The smart outdoor terrace at Honky Tonk Clapham Common.
The Ambience and Clientele
Your experience of Honky Tonk may depend on the time and day that you visit. The venue juggles food service all day, including serving a relaxed brunch at weekends; with DJs and a full party bar open until 2am from Thursday to Saturday. We ventured down on a Thursday evening and the bar was busy with after work drinkers, exactly what you'd expect in busy Clapham. The atmosphere was lively and the clientele was made up of mostly twenty-somethings enjoying a bite to eat and a catch up with friends after a long day at the office.
After work drinkers enjoying a cocktail or three at Honky Tonk Clapham.
The Food and Drinks
The food at Honky Tonk is simply a meat lovers paradise of wings and ribs, but there are a few salads and vegetarian choices too for the health conscious among you. We started with the chilli loaded potato skins and ordered a Margarita and an Elderflower Martini to wash them down (both were excellent). For main I couldn't resist opting for the Honky Tonk Burger, a large meaty monster topped with cheese, bacon, caramelised onions and guacamole.
It's worth mentioning that the venue was quite busy and so the food did take a little while to arrive, but once it did everything was really tasty. The potato skins were a good sized portion and the burger really hits the spot if you're looking for something hearty and meaty to fill you up.
The meaty Honky Tonk Burger was a real treat - just the right amount of dirty.
Summary
The place was packed, so Honky Tonk Clapham Common are obviously doing something right. The great thing is its versatility, a tasty food menu for dinner, but also a good drinking spot. I would certainly be tempted back, if not only for another bite of that juicy Honky Tonk burger.
