please note - reviews on this site are purely the opinion of site visitors, so don't take them too seriously.
I generally tend to avoid Wetherspoons but this place is the exception. Lovely, multi-roomed interior including a grand sweeping staircase and some brilliant views over the grade 1 listed railway station if you're dining upstairs. Usual average Wetherspoon's fayre, but a decent selection of beers from local breweries. Cheap and always packed. One to head to if waiting for a train.
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Always busy, no matter what time of day. Cheap i suppose. Lovely building but totally souless. Typical spoons bar. Nowt special.
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Nicest wetherspoons without a doubt and im usually anti the spoons. Good for away fans visiting st.james park.
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great selection of ales, i had a beautiful pint of northumberland brewery "bucking fastard"!! Ordered a baguette and chips that arrived in 4mins flat! Service was quick and friendly and all in all ita a fantastic lookin spoons, 9/10 without a doubt
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With around 10 seperate rooms of very different sizes this is the most un barn like pub I've ever been to and also one of wetherespoon's best.They always have loads of excellent local beer on. The rooms and bars are so different that this could be a wetherspoons pub for people who don't like wetherspoons pubs.
A barn!
I can't beleive he said that. The moon under water on deansgate in manchester is a barn.
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A great barn of a place (as are so many JDW pubs), it was quiet today early lunchtime, but it can get very busy. I whiled away a very pleasant wait for a train (the station is just across the road), trying one of the current beer festival ales.
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Interesting building with very impressive interior and usual decent range of beers (and prices) that you expect from Wetherspoons.
If you're staying at one of the Quayside Travelodge type hotels and are looking for a cheap breakfast - don't come here for it - the morning we went, there wasn't even bread for toast, and no eggs or sausages, never mind anything else. Smacks of dodgy management....
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I was on holiday in the region when I visited this pub. I have to say it's one of the best, if not the best, Wetherspoons I have drank in. Unlike some of their conversions it feels like a real pub and has that comfortable, homely feel every good hostelry should have. I could easily spend all day in here and sup a few. Excellent - I'll be back!
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There have been some magnificent conversions to pub use by the Wetherspoon chain but as far as I’m concerned, this is the governor. A labyrinth of rooms, all bar one have real character. Superb fireplaces, stained glass windows, ornamental friezes, an impressive sweeping staircase- it’s all there. The one exception is a blue and white tiled back room intended I’d imagine to attract those who don’t appreciate beauty, either architectural or alcoholic. Quite clearly my fave ‘Spoons, even surpassing Harrogate and Exeter.
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Without a doubt one of my favourite Spoons buildings visited so far(out of 200+) 9/10
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Not my favorite Wetherspoons but certainly good for the station, some complain about the main downstairs bar being a bit rough and dirty, try upstairs - much more civilised. Good selection of ales usually but often dominated by " Not available " from the Sorry brewery.
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Have to agree with ChrissG - lacks good quality management. If the current guy makes regional manager heaven help Weatherspoons.
Which on the face of it may not be such a loss.
Nice building, staff? I'll claim the 5th
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I understand your point about beer clips. However that is a stupid head office policy. We are meant to put a sign over the pump saying "sorry not available" but they don't provide them either. I just turn them round. However we lose marks on CQSMA visits if a clip is turned round. Whilst I totally agree and my manager agrees, we don't make such a stupid rule. Sory for the problems you encounter though. Might be an idea to address your concerns to wetherspoons magazine and you might get a printed response off Tim Martin, the chairman. At worst they will write back.
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Last comment reminds me of the dreadful atmoshphere in all those big lairy pubs and bars in Newcastle - open warfare between customers and staff (I spent time on both sides of the bar as a young'un up north). Customers crowd at the bar shoulder barging each other, clicking their fingers and waving £10 notes, while staff adopt that wonderful style of pointing at you dramatically and shouting "yeah?" when they judge it to be your turn (which it probably isn't) - and deviation or hesitation results in an angry scowl and quick recourse to tarted up slappers wanting three WKD Blues.
The comments TigerTony made don't relate to ChrissG's complaints at all, which are entirely valid at any Wetherspoons in Britain - they are always overstaffed, and their supposedly extensive real ale selection is always a complete farce. They seem to have a company policy, at variance with any other pub in Britain, that you don't turn pump clips around when the beer is finished. So you walk in a pub with 10 handpumps, all showing different, sometimes interesting beers, to be told they've actually only got Abbot and / or Pedigree. Happened to me at the Knight's Templar on Chancery Lane two weeks ago, though has happened in just about every other Wetherspoons I have had the misfortune to visit.
Some people opine that Wetherspoons have help preserve dying pub culture in some areas of the country - well if this is pub culture, it isn't worth saving. I hope they all close.
STONCH.BLOGSPOT.COM
anonymous - 9 Jan 2007 15:13 |
Err has got a good manager ChrissG you bellend. The manager, Guy, is a top bloke and sound to work for too. He will be next area manager, mark my words. Also that pub is the number 1 most profitable Wetherspoons/Lloyds outside of London. There is 649 of them or something like that. So he must be doin a pretty decent job me thinks?! We took over £80 000 in the week 18th-24th. Nuff said.
As for people who say the staff can get ratty. Well when people shout at you out of turn, lean right in your face as you are serving someone else or putting their order through the till, click their fingers and whistle at you like a fuckin pet dog, what do you expect. We serve as fast as we can and put as many staff on as can fgit behind bar without gettin in each others way constantly. We only have 2 hands and 2 eyes. For those that moan, I really would like to see you do better.
For the 99% of customers who have basic manners and courtesy towards the staff, you will find it is more than reciprocated by the staff. If you want to be rude to us, we just wont bother sevin you. I dont even expect people to say please/thank you. All I ask is you dont click or whistle. Or shout when it is not your turn. Being bullish and aggressive just wont work with a half decent bar person who can see who is next.
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The union rooms is a good place to go if you want a few pre-clubbing drinks, it sometimes has a limited selection though on certain beverages its selection is alot more open.depending on what you like? personally i'd choose from the wide choices of cocktail pitchers.The food is great value and i would recommend the mushroom dopiaza.Its chilled atmosphere also vreates a very calm and relaxing vibe, which is good , but if you want to get into the party spirit its not a good recommendation.Perfect to go 2 on a weekend wiv friends after a trip to the cinema.x
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Needs a good manager quite clearly. Great location, wonderful building, but short on bar staff regularly. Called in during beer festival, amazed to see up to a dozen beers available. But no. The first four I asked for were finished, only a handful were on. Quality not great. Shame really, this could be one of the top Wetherspoons.
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Interesting location, seems to be set in an old gentleman's club. So there's a plethora of different rooms to explore. It seems cleaner than your average Wetherspoons. But beneath all of those good points, it's still a Wetherspoons; their format doesn't really float my boat. You could do a lot worse than here, but you could probably do better too.
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well... i have a lot to say about union rooms. reading back across the comments i can honestly disagree with most of them for one reason. the mention about the lack of customer service and customer care, i could not disagree with more. i work in this venue and know that every single member of staff is commited to their customers, yeah we all get a bit tired and ratty sometimes so sorry (we aologise!!!) but most of the time we are. i sociolis here as awell and find it has a great atmosphere. we do show football, and the lack of music etc is company policy for customer comfort, to give them the option to sit somewhere and actually be able to hold a conversation without shouting. we are very reaosnable, but dont compromise quality to deliver this. jdw is the best company by far i have worked for, and the union rooms has my upmost respect as does all its staff!
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One of the most unusual pubs I have bene in, as previously stated its an old building given the wetherspoons treatment. You will lose your bearing when you first visit, there are a number of little rooms in the place. Bar snacks were accetable, prices cheap. shows footy and gets very busy.
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This pub firmly follows the Wetherspoon trend of buying an old building on the promise of maintaining it, then applying a lick of paint. It's beginning to show in the decor somewhat with carpets wearing out and chipped paint all over the shop. However on the plus side the staff are nice enough, and they have cheap food and beer, which is nice enough for lunchtime. I wouldn't go here in the evening (regularly) but it does get quite busy. The ales aren't consistently good which is a shame, but they're 20-60p a pint cheaper than most other places. The staff are nice enough and for the most part know what they're doing, don't know too much about the ales though. There is a family room for those with kids (until 6pm) which is rather unheard of in the Town Centre. There is no smoking in the food area or the family room (Excellent!) and the food is inexpensive and of good quality (2 meals for £6, from a list). Not the best pub I visit, but it's definitely not the worst, and is about as good as you'd expect.
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Another great looking pub with a variety of styles in the different rooms-I like the covered area/bar in what looks like a courtyard.Service was pretty good whilst I was there...Although it appeared to be more 'smooth' & bottles oriented than most Wethers pubs....Worth a look
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Lovely building, but beer varies dramatically in quality, and it can be a long wait to get served. On most recent visit all bar three of the cask beers were shown as unavailable. Handy for station, a good meeting point but looks in need of a firm manager to keep the staff on their toes.Did have big screen to show football, this seems to have fallen by the wayside.
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As has already been said, head here to kill time before that train home. Decent enough selection though I did notice a distinct lack of seating in the particular 'room' I enjoyed my pint in.
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It's a Wetherspoons and like every other Wetherspoons it divides opinion. As you'd expect from a Wetherspoons the service can be slow to say the least. The frist time I went there I was waiting 3 hours for a chocolate fudge cake, although I did get some free drinks to help kill the time. What sets it apart from other Wetherspoons is the building, which is not only impressive, it is big enough to cope with the crowds. The beer can be hit and miss but more often than not you'll get a good selection of real ales. Worth a visit if you're prepared to sacrafice service for paying less than £1:50 a pint.
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The building is stunning ( I think it used to be the old Liberal club) and the beer, though a bit dodgy, is spectacularly cheap enough to make it worth the sacrifice. Worth popping into to check out the building alone, and you might as well have a beer when you're in there.
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Same as every other Wetherspoons. No music. No live sport. No pool table. However, cheap, decent beer, always heaving with chicks and loads of room. A good place to start the night.
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A great place to pop in for a drink before or after a train journey,good choice of beers at very competitve prices.
Ken - 15 Sep 2004 11:33 |
been my local for ages a great place and NO footballl yea in a town of fanatics its a quiet oasis but good beer breat food and a fantastic building
christine - 8 Sep 2004 18:47 |
Fantastic staff and friedly atmosphere. I will definatelty re-visit. Excellent standards of customer care during a hen night visit to the pub. Excellent value for money.
Jane - 24 Jul 2004 15:54 |
Visited this pub in Feb 2004. I am generally a Wetherspoons fan but this place was worst ever!
They have done a good job on the building, but the staff couldn't give a damn.Despite Pub being fairly quiet food orders wouldn't be taken for 25 minutes because kitchen were "too busy", then another 15 minutes, then another gave up after an hour! Meanwhile a barrel went, nobody could change it, so had to move to another beer. Sorry thats not available etc. etc. The whole place was very disorganised.
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Fabulous, restored Victorian building. A variety of rooms, from a no smoking "library" to atrium, good food, lots of beers,cheap and conveniently close to the Central Station.A boozer for all seasons.
Ray - 31 Aug 2003 00:08 |
