Nineteen Cafe Brasserie

Popped in here on a Sunday night just for a quick drink.
They had happy hour on cocktails, 241 nice deal for a Sunday.
Bar had a few people dotted around inside with the outside seating area full.
Great news for me is that they did table service. I hate having to go to the bar! However, for a not very full restaurant: bar, the service was pretty slow even if they were mixing cocktails rather than just pulling pints.
Inside is spacious. Didn’t feel like you were sat on top of each other. We were greeted when we came in and asked where we wanted to sit. Then provided with drinks menu and bar snack menus. Food selection looked good, maybe next time. (We had eaten here a few years ago but couldn’t honestly review that experience).
There was a live singer which was nice to kick back and listen to whilst enjoying our cocktail on a pleasant Sunday evening. Kind of place, if I lived closer, would probably pop onto more frequently.
Would come back and sample the food. Maybe take them up on their a Unilocal checkin offer.

We had a pretty dire experience at Nineteen restaurant this weekend.
This was one of those cases where I have felt ‘fooled by the website’ which happens quite frequently in London (!). I was looking for a moderately priced decent restaurant to take my parents on their visit to see us, in the Streatham area, so viewing the website we made a reservation and went.
First issue was that they ‘hadn’t noticed’ our reservation, so there wasn’t a table reserved for us which created some initial confusion. However it wasn’t terribly busy so we were seated quite quickly. The menu is nothing to write home about — an a la carte menu and a ‘£9.99′ menu, with burgers, fish and chips, steaks etc. It all felt a little studenty. The wine was a complete rip-​off — the house wine was £15 and the next up was £25+. So for a couple of bottles of half decent wine we were immediately set back £50.
When the food came, it looked nice, but it really wasn’t. The chips were uncooked, the burger more bun than burger, and the steaks were both very tough and grisley and rather undercooked for ‘medium’. The peppercorn sauce had the look and consistency of beef gravy, which we agreed was a little weird. We managed to joke about it, saying that the chef should really just stick to his day job, ie not there.
The biggest problem however was the wait staff, although the place was only half full, we were rushed, then ignored, then treated with disdain. You could tell from the faces of the other customers around the room that no-​one was having much of a good time.
I would not recommend it to anyone that is looking for a nice time.

this place is OK with wildly varying standards of food.
I’ve had some nice meals here but I’ve had more terrible ones.
Pricey too — very much style over substance. Was my favourite place in Streatham at one time but it just seems to gradually deteriate over time.

Finding a decent bar on Streatham High Road can be a difficult task at times. Should you be in the Streatham Hill end, go to The Hamlet but if you’re further up, Nineteen does the job quite nicely. Good cocktails and wine in the evenings with a candlelit, intimate atmosphere, with a décor of brickwork and black leather. It’s not just a boozer though, their breakfasts are mighty fine with a personal favourite being the pancake stack with syrup and sliced grapes.

Mmmmmm… bar man! Okay so when you hit a certain age, after several glasses of wine a very young bartender seems far game. Well it does for certain women, actually I just got a little too comfy in their big leather sofas and felt sleepy. But that’s how exciting I am!
This unsuspecting bar in Streatham is an absolute gem, an extensive wine and cocktail list, fabulous looking food on the menu and table service throughout the lounge area. For a local independent bar this one ticks all the boxes. It has large booths for intimate dinners and a fabulous set menu for on £17! The whole place has a chic but not stuck up feel and make you feel welcome as soon as you walk in. It’s just a bus ride from Brixton tube and totally worth it.