The Exhibit

Definitely my favourite place in Balham. I havnt eaten here though only had drinks a few times but it is always really lively. there is nice outdoor seating and multi level. i love it ! the view of the car park and train station is a bit boring but the vibe is still awesome and the staff were so friendly. Will be my new sunday regular !

Went to The Exhibit for a friend’s birthday and enjoyed the venue. We had a large area for our group, the food is tasty and the bar staff were friendly. A good venue in South West London

Great local diner for weekend brunch. Friendly staff and decent food (it’s not fine dining, but it’s good). I haven’t done the cinema yet but it’s on my list.

I’ve only been to The Exhibit on one occasion and it was okay but nothing too special especially for Balham which I think is a good area to go out in.
My friend suggested it and we went there on a Saturday night before going onto other places so it was more than okay for that purpose. It was packed, typical for a Saturday night but also a big Rugby game had been on that day so there was a crowd because of that.
It took ages to get served, it seemed to be one of those the more beautiful you are or the more you push other people, the quicker you’ll be served type of joints! We had a few cocktails on the list which was nice enough but not worth the Central London prices.
I would say it’s good as a pre-​wherever else venue and maybe it’s good to go on other nights and it’s in a good location too.

When it comes to local dining at a good price and quality, The Exhibit has it. Since moving to Balham we’ve come here for more than a good couple of meals. Their 3−9−3 menu (£3 — starter, £9 — main, £3 — dessert) is well worth what’s on offer and their staff are always friendly.
More recently we went to try their new spring menu at a discount of 50% on all food. I had the duck fillet salad to start with rocket and vinaigrette, then the lamb’s liver with mash and a mouth-​watering gravy and I just couldn’t resist the rhubarb compote to end the meal with. Their portions are generous and 3 courses may be a but much for the average person.
There is also a cinema there which shows relatively new movies in an intimate setting of 12 two-​seater couches. You can order your drinks from the bar and bring them in with you and tickets are £5 and I think less if you eat in restaurant as well. We’ve always had a good experience there and even without the 50% discount you still get good, big hearty food at very reasonable prices.
If you do order the compote, I advise sharing it between two seeing as in comes in a big oval ramekin! I only got through half of it and I’m usually a rhubarb monster.

I love this place, they generally have a theme each month, be it 80’s month or in October showing horror films. I went to see evil dead there this october and it was brilliant. Tickets are only a fiver and if you eat dinner in the restaurant before they are only £3. The screen only seats 24 people on 2 seater sofas so book in advance to avoid disapointment!

I love this place. Boutique cinema is getting bigger and bigger.
Love how you can relax on a couch and watch a movie on a huge screen.

Balham has always been one of those places I have considered waaaaaaay down South. My trip to The Exhibit was my first time down there and I was pleasantly surprised to find the trip from Victoria on the overground quick and easy.
We started in the bar, which I must admit I was not mad about. Maybe I just chose badly from the menu but I thought the drinks were just ok. The passion martini I had was very sweet and hard to drink, but I suppose I expected passion juice and I got passion flavored liquor or something like it instead. However it was all up from there…
The cinema was great. I love the intimacy of 12 leather couches for 2. It was comfortable and a treat to be at a cinema where you could have a proper glass of wine. I wish all my cinematic experiences could be like this!
On to dinner, which was also good, solid pub food. My salmon was cooked really well with properly crispy skin. I was just a bit disappointed by the sticky toffee pudding, which is one of my favorite things. It was not as moist as I like and the cream on my plate I think was sour cream? Whatever it was it did not mix well with the pudding.
All in all it was a really pleasant place to spend an evening and I would definately go back, particularly for a film and dinner.

I came here for the Qype Anchorman screening and have to say was pretty impressed with the whole setup — before the screening, the downstairs bar was pretty full, but pretty vibrant with a good mix of people, and bar staff who know how to mix decent cocktails.
The screening room was excellent, definitely the highlight, with comfy chairs and the kind of setup you want in your own home the day you win the lottery.
The food at the restaurant was cheap and good value, nothing to complain about (at least not what I ate). Service was great as well.
The only downside to the place was later on when the downstairs bar somehow turned into what I could only describe as a drunken student venue — this was only due to the shift in clientele during the night and nothing to do with the place itself — but the mood was different. Overall though two thumbs up!

When I heard about The Exhibit Bar I was immediately suspicious: a bar that was boasting to be Bar, Restaurant and Cinema … as a bit of a cinephile this sounded like an all to familiar mashup that ultimately destroyed the cinema part of the experience.
I was lucky enough to blag an invite to the Qype meetup there on Friday for the Anchorman screening so a real chance to find out. Meeting in the bar downstairs we started with cocktails, the staff were brilliant and really knew their stuff. We moved on to the top floor for the screening where I was pleased to find a completely self contained cinema with lush leather couches each with tables for our drinks.
After the movie its down to the lively restaurant on the middle floor and again great service and good food. So after all my reservations about this type of venue, The Exhibit Bar somehow pulled it off on all three counts.

The Exhibit is an all-​in-​one entertainment centre. Everything you need for a night out — cinema, bar and restaurant all in one place.
The bar is pretty hip, and the private cinema is brilliant. Very comfy two-​seat couches with candlelit tables and drinks around the corner. What more could you ask for?
Must admit I wasn’t over the moon about the restaurant. The food is super cheap (all starters £3, all mains £9), but it shows in quality. There are plenty of places in Balham that are better for about the same price.
Go here for everything but the food!

Have wanted to go here for ages but just hadn’t managed it, I finally got a chance with a Qype meet-​up group which absolutely rocked.
Firstly Exhibit rocks because it is über easy to get to/​find. Opposite Balham station, in fact, you could see your train approaching and dash for it if you are feeling brave. I didn’t quite get a chance to put this into practice, too many cocktails in great company made me miss my last train but hey there is a cab station right next to the bar — yes, it is that conveniently placed but I digress…
The staff were so friendly and even when it got busy later on, there was still banter on hand and quick orderly service.
The intimate cinema at the top of the building is a great set-​up and sits about 25 – 30. You can hire it out for private do’s and I am seriously considering it as part of a hen-​party package.
The event manager at Exhibit was on hand to explain all the great things the bar has on offer including prices and mentioned that all these details could be found on their website as well.
We also ate at the restaurant and the food was fine & generous in portion. Food score 6 out of 10
Once again the waiting staff mirrored the bar staff in being ultra friendly and efficient. The staff score a huge 8.9 out of 10
It would not be a Woodyrocks review if I didn’t comment on the toilets and Exhibits scored about 4.3 out 10. They did have full lenght mirrors which rocks but there was no toilet roll in a couple of cubicles.
The music was varied and very loud. It is not a place for chatting but hey late on a Friday night, I am guessing you are not there for heart to hearts with your mates but a bit of fun.
Would definitely return to exhibit, even if only just to hire the cinema for my mates and I.

Normally I find that when a venue tries to be all things to all people, it ends up being nothing to nobody (shut up, double-​negative pedants)… Exhibit however, pulls it off.
The top floor screening room is definitely the highlight: large wall projection and tiered leather sofa seating for 2 dozen or so make it a perfect place to hire for a screening for your friends, or to pop in and catch a recent release for a fiver.
The middle floor houses a decent restaurant with a well priced menu: pork ribs were fall off the bone succulent, and the risotto was creamy and flavoursome (two dishes that seem to be commonly ruined in many places). Definitely check the specials board though, I was overcome with food envy at the sight of the lamb shoulder.
The only part I can possibly find fault with is the ground floor bar, which evolved over the night from a nice place to have some 2 for 1 cocktails (variations on mojitos a specialty, but of seemingly random strength and composition during happy hour) and a chat, into the kind of drunken-​dancing to tinnitus-​inducing music that I would have loved 5 years ago, but is no longer enjoyable for my aging eardrums and liver.

Went there, for dinner a couple of days ago, and I have to say I was very impressed!
Their menu is called 393 — in that all their starters are £3, the mains are £9 and desserts £3. At prices like this I have to say I didn’t come in with the highest of expectations, but they definitely bowled me over!
The food is great and so is the surroundings… very Balham Chic.
The Exhibit comprises a ground floor Cocktail Bar, a 1^st floor restaurant and a 2^nd floor Cinema. The whole place works really well and is a great example of Balham’s «up-​and-​coming» but unpretentious vibe.
Would highly recommend.

I’ve been in here a few times and I can’t say I’m head over heels for the place, but it’s okay if you live in the area and don’t want to travel too far. The bar area on the ground floor feels a little seedy and a bit dark and dinghy. It also feels quite empty when it’s not totally packed – the furniture lines the walls and leaves a large open space in the middle. Maybe it turns into a raucous dance floor late at night?
Although they have some tables out front, they look out on to the Sainsbury’s parking lot so it’s not exactly picturesque.
I will say that breakfast is good and solid and I am hoping to go to one of their dinner and movie evenings. It sounds quite nice to see old favourites while eating dinner.

Some years ago, (4 or 5 perhaps), this place was one of the best to go in Balham, whether for a quick beer or a whole night out. However, the management then changed, (can you guess what’s coming?), and things have been going downhill since then.
Service is consistently slow, and the bar staff seem unable to serve people in order — even when the bar is empty. On top of this, the whole place now just feels a little shabby and rough around the ages.
It’s a shame as the location, (as in, close to the tube, rather than overlooking Sainsbury’s car park) and size of this place make it a perfect place to start a big night out — but once you get in the illusion is ruined.
UPDATE: I felt a little bad after writing the above review, and so popped in again recently to give the place one more try. As a result, I’ve downgraded this review to one star. Quite simply, The Exhibit has the rudest and most incompetent bar staff in Balham (perhaps even South London). The icing on the cake? A pint of Guinness in the Exhibit is more expensive than in Harrison’s! Go there instead.**

A decent local bar a stones throw away from Balham tube station so it’s nice and handy for an after work ‘sherry’ on your way home.
I have also been there in the afternoon for a spot of lunch and the food is ok, nothing to shout too loud about! It has a decent sized patio area (the view of of Sainsbury’s car park is not that great) but in the summer somehow you don’t mind the view as the atmosphere is always cool.
I don’t know anyone who has been to the cinema but I am curious to find out what it’s like…

went here last saturday, was ok but like most of Balham it lacked any sort of atmosphere to make you want to stay. The seating area outside is good though with loads of space.
It’s got a fish tank too, in fact I like to think this is where those fish who have done their time in infernos come to retire.

I was drawn to The Exhibit on the promise of some very fine cocktails indeed. I decided to visit The Exhibit with some girlfriends for the start of this year’s birthday weekend, I though cocktails and a good gab would be appropriate here.
I didn’t think much of the exterior. It looked a little drab and didn’t have the pizazz that I had seen on the website. However, looks can be deceiving and I was just looking forward to tasting these infamous cocktails!
The Exhibit is a 3 level venue. The first floor has a bustling bar, the second is the restaurant and cocktail bar and the third hosts a cosy, plush little cinema (which I found pretty impressive).
The cocktail bar is tucked-​away neatly beside the restaurant. It’s a gorgeous little room encased in deep, rich red paint and dark leather seating.
This cocktail bar is called «The Crush Bar» and is like a little drinking den in The Exhibit. Their cocktail list is pretty impressive. I’m immediately drawn to the Japanese cocktail, purely based on the name as I’m intrigued to see if it actually *tastes* Japanese! Unfortunately, it’s a little too strong for my liking although my friend seems to be lapping it up! I finally decide on the Abermarle Sour as my drink for the evening — light and fruity and doesn’t taste alcoholic in the slightest (probably dangerous for me so I watch how much I drink!).
The bartender was really friendly. He talked us through the menu and answered all our questions and we ended up having a nice chat about his band and folk music, a lovely surprise.
I quite enjoyed my night at The Exhibit. It was busy and bustling but The Crush Bar was a little quieter; we were able to get a drink and a seat in relatively quiet surroundings as it’s tucked away.
This place didn’t blow my mind, but if you are around Balham on a Friday night, this is definitely a good pit stop.

Now, I was here last week, and I’ve been here before and know it’s a better place, but I’m in two minds whether to go back.
It’s a really really nice bar/​restaurant/​cinema, with enormous leather sofas, a wall-​to-​wall fish tank and great selection of food and drinks. However, last sunday I came in for Sunday Lunch, and the place was chaos. I ordered a Breakfast and a Coke, and my friend went for a Burger and a Bulmers. The drinks took twenty minutes to arrive, the food took an hour. And my Breakfast was missing it’s bacon.
This could have been forgivable, as I understand they were understaffed, but what really annoyed me was there was no apology, no explanation, and when I dared complain I was met with rudeness and excuses. When you’re paying premium rates for a pub experience, you expect polite staff. Not good!