89 Effra Rd, London, Greater London SW2 1DF

Effra Social is one of my favourite new haunts in Brixton. In an old working man’s social club just next to Hootanannys on Effra road this is another of Antics many bars in Brixton (Dogstar, Gremio de Brixton in St Matthews Church, and the new, unnamed bar behind TK Maxx). Very kindly a few weeks ago EatinBrixton was invited down for a tasting session, a chance to try everything on the menu and to give feedback on what you thought on the food, atmosphere and price. A baking hot day it was a shame we had to hide ourselves in the back room that serves as a restaurant, this is definitely a place to spend your Autumn/Winter evenings rather than in the summer.

With a very impressive pianist set in the corner (he played all night!), low lighting, old editions of Private Eye adorning the walls and plenty of mismatched tables and chairs this is a cosy  and very different vibe for a pub/bar restaurant. As we arrived we were served elderflower sparkling wine which was made in house, very impressive and delicious. However I don’t think we were prepared for the sheer amount of food we were about to be served.

In total we had everything on the menu, apart from the salmon and the steak, trying our hand at about 15 different dishes. Only towards the end did we figure out that we should just have a spoonful of everything rather than trying to load our plates up with every single new dish. In terms of the food this is slightly higher than what you would usually expect from a bar. From homemade Effra cheese, to the biggest scotch eggs I’ve ever seen and baked feta and delicious fresh pasta, they’ve clearly put a lot of thought and effort into making this not only a drinking destination, but a food one as well. Our favourites from what we tried included the feta, the wild mushrooms and gorgonzola arancini, the fresh pasta with light and flavourful tomato sauce, the gazpacho served in a tall glass and finally the crème brullee.

Everything is very reasonably priced with only a couple of dishes priced at over a tenner. I guess for a three course meal plus drink it might become quite pricey but in terms of value, quality and atmosphere it is definitely worth it.

I must also point out that you can book tables here for both and food and just for drinks, great for birthdays. Entertainment seems to be varied, with cabaret acts, comedy nights; quiz’s and clothes sales on almost every weekend. I’m very happy that this place has come to Brixton and I foresee many nights spent here in the future.

We have also paid a visit here incognito, the review of that will be up next week so stay tuned.