Bar Social on Lavender Hill: what to order and when to go

Bar Social is a cocktail bar at 245 Lavender Hill, SW11, a short walk up the hill from Clapham Junction. Go between five and half ten on a weeknight for the happy hour list at roughly £7 a drink. Go late on a Friday or Saturday if you want a dance floor. Technically it is Battersea, but it sits right on the Junction side of the map and works as a start or finish to a night out.

What it is

It is a big, lively cocktail bar spread over three floors, with balcony, lounge and basement areas. DesignMyNight says it has been serving cocktails since 2007, and a Bar Social cocktail menu dated 2011 is still online, which fits. The bar calls its drinks award-winning, though no particular awards are named, so take that as the bar’s own description.

The scale is the point. DesignMyNight lists more than 35 cocktails on the daily deal, plus about 95 more at normal prices. That is a lot of reading, so it suits groups who like to work through a menu rather than commit to one drink.

There is also a basement room called The Penguin Room, with a private bar and room for about 75 to 80 people. The bar says it is hired out at no cost, and the whole venue can take up to 150 guests, which is why you will often see birthday groups here.

What to order

Cocktails from the happy hour list. That is the draw, and no signature drink is named in the material, so ask at the bar or look at the menu on the Bar Social website before you go. DesignMyNight puts the happy hour cocktails at £6.95. Other listings give figures from £5.95 to £7.95, so expect roughly £7 and check the current menu.

If cocktails are not your thing, CAMRA describes a good selection of bottled beers from around the world, and the bar’s Facebook page mentions Krombacher German lager on draught.

Food is listed as American and International on Quandoo, with a dinner menu and a kids’ menu mentioned in business listings. Treat it as an extra rather than the reason to come.

When to go

• For the cheapest drinks: early evening. DesignMyNight gives happy hour as 5pm to 10.30pm Monday to Thursday, 5pm to 10pm on Friday, 4pm to 9.30pm on Saturday and 5pm to 10pm on Sunday.
• For dancing: Friday and Saturday late. DesignMyNight lists commercial pop and house music with a dance floor, and listings give a late licence at weekends, with some putting closing at around 2.30am. A monthly house music night, Good Vibes Clapham Junction, launched in March 2025.
• For a quieter drink: a weeknight, when walk-ins are likely to be fine, though the bar publishes no policy either way.

Hours vary between listings, so ring or check the bar’s own site before a big night.

Prices, entry and booking

DesignMyNight rates it “Happily Affordable”, two pound signs. Entry is listed as free. It is 18 and over, and DesignMyNight says 18 plus after 9pm, so leave the under 18s at home for the evening.

To book, ring 020 7223 2000 or email info@barsocial.co.uk. Both are on the contact page. You can also reserve through DesignMyNight and Quandoo. For a group, booking is worth it, particularly on a Friday or Saturday.

Getting there

CAMRA puts Clapham Junction station at around 500 metres, with bus stops about 30 metres away. It is a short walk up Lavender Hill. CAMRA also lists enclosed pavement seating out front, which is handy if the weather behaves.

For after: Hannah Battersea

Stay on the same side of Lavender Hill and walk on to Hannah Battersea, 281 Lavender Hill, SW11. It is a bar and restaurant with a beer garden and bookable tables, and DesignMyNight places it minutes from Clapham Junction. FirstTable describes a Victorian circular skylight and a statement bar. The venue’s Facebook page mentions happy hour, bottomless weekends, live sport and weekend DJs.

Opening times differ between listings. FirstTable has it closed on Mondays, open from 5pm Tuesday to Thursday, from 5pm to 1am on Friday, from 11am to midnight on Saturday and from 11am to 10.30pm on Sunday. Ring 020 7223 8513 to confirm before you walk down.

It makes a calmer second stop after the cocktail bar, with the beer garden on a dry night. Bar Social first, then Hannah, is an easy plan along one stretch of road.

Listings for Bar Social on CAMRA show it as open, with the address as 245 Lavender Hill, SW11 1JW.