Secret Drinker: La Bodega, South End
Another week, another visit for SD to a recently revamped South End venue.
This time it was the turn of La Bodega, formerly The Duke's Head, near the town centre end of the road.
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CCRdf041108d 45 katie. La Bodega 14 south end croydon, secret drinker. pub bar boozer drink
Change of direction: The Duke's Head is now a tapas bar and restaurant
SD had wanted to visit this place for some time - it's an interesting mix of the traditional English pub building and the Mediterranean terracotta paint that now adorns the outside.
This old-style pub has been transformed into a Spanish bar and restaurant serving tapas and the collision of styles makes you curious to step inside.
Once across the threshold, the more traditional facade fades away into a modern Spanish restaurant that's bright and airy.
SD and friend sat in the bar area as you come through the door, which has a few window tables for watching the world go by on South End, and seats at the bar to chat to friendly staff.
It turned out La Bodega is more geared towards being a restaurant than SD had first realised, but there were still other groups of people enjoying an after-work drink and staff were quite happy for customers just to use the bar.
In fact this had an added benefit - while enjoying tasting some of the many Spanish wines available, SD and friend were offered some free tapas dishes to try.
These were very tasty and had the desired effect of tempting SD to come back another time and eat in the restaurant.
As this is more a place to eat than a place to spend hours on end drinking, the selection of beers on tap is quite limited to just three choices.
But it's a great atmosphere with staff only too happy for you to enjoy a drink or two, and there are also bottled beers, wine and a good selection of spirits.
La Bodega is unlikely to become a local for drinkers but it's a good place for a few drinks before dinner or if you're heading into town.
And SD is looking forward to trying out the tapas menu in future.
The Lowdown
Style: Spanish
Cost of a pint: Around £2.75
Cost of a glass of wine: Around £3.25
On tap: San Miguel, Stella, Carling
Service: Friendly and laid-back
Disabled access: All on one floor
Parking: Spice's Yard or on street
Verdict: A refreshing change to the usual pubs, but not a great choice for beer drinkers
La Bodega
14 South End
Croydon
CR0 1DL
020 8680 9728
Comments
by Nicola Woods, Croydon
Sunday, June 14 2009, 8:24PM
“I went to the Bodega yesterday (14th June 2009) and it is now a music venue. It has a stage area and a dance floor and they have live music on Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays and jam on some other nights. The band I saw was called The Slurred which I thought was great. It's not really that well known as a music pub yet but I will definately be going again. The bar staff were really great fun and were up dancing with us.”