please note - reviews on this site are purely the opinion of site visitors, so don't take them too seriously.
Another re-tick for me while in Ripon, this was my 3rd visit since last November. The wife and I arrived around 11.45pm on the Thursday before Easter and it was pretty busy….not surprising as it was bank holiday.
The Wetherspoon’s real ale festival was on with 5 of the pumps given over to festival ales, my pints of Greene King Benjamin & Hyde's Bruges were good with the Benjamin being particularly decent, it went done well.
With the pub open to 1am the clientele was mixed and very friendly. We wiled away a couple of hours here chatting and drinking after a particularly long drive up from London.
I know it’s a ‘spoons but I do like The Unicorn.
|
Lezford was lucky to find a choice of ales in January. In mid February there were the standard Spoons nationals and Black Sheep Golden. This seems to be the case in Weatherspoons in their outlets in North West Yorkshire. For a nearby choice of 3 changing Yorkshire real ales try the new Wilfreds bar but it doesn't open until 4pm.
|
The wife and I stayed here for 2 nights in late January and was very surprised with the quality and size of the hotel room and en suite bathroom.
The downstairs bar area of this hotel / pub looks like it may need a bit of touching up but the rooms upstairs are off a high standard.
Being a ‘spoons there is a good choice of ales which was better on this visit than the one I made at the end of November, during my various visits to the bar over my 2 night stay I drank Daleside Bitter @ 3.7% & Moorhouses Pride of Pendle @ 4.1%, both good well kept ales and at a cheap price.
On all my visit to the bar the service was quick and attentive.
Busy at all times but especially busy between 10am and 12 noon for breakfast and lunch. The bar closes at midnight but as a resident you are allowed to take drinks to your room which is a bonus.
Decent ‘spoons, good ales and the hotel part is excellent value for money.
|
This imposing looking ex hotel in the Market Place has been thoroughly renovated in 2011 by Weatherspoon’s.
Even though the pub is a slightly strange shape there is plenty of seating with booths down one side in the side bar and plenty of tables and chairs in the dining room towards the rear. The walls have a fair amount of wood panelling, local interest pictures on the walls with the Cathedral featuring heavily especially in the side bar towards the Market Place.
On the bar are 8 hand pumps with 6 ales and 2 with coming soon labels on them. Only 1 local offering which was Saltire’s Pride @ 3.9%, a decent kept and served pint.
6pm on a Thursday and not that busy but it did start to fill up as we were leaving, as expected food was popular.
The Unicorn has one of the smallest bar's I've seen in a spoons. Another tick from the current GBG for me.
|
It's a wetherspoons. The air con was on so high I needed to wear my coat. Every beer I tried ran out and although the manager said it takes 40 mins to clean the lines to put a new beer on, the beers that were 'coming soon' when we arrived were still 'coming soon' when we left a few hours later. I wouldn't go back even though the starter to share platter was not greasy at all and was very tasty and crispy. There are much better pubs in ripon.
|
I'm a fan of spoons pubs and have visited many. This one is the worst I've been in. The bar staff are appalling- and I mean appalling. Stand at the bar in front of them and they'll ignore you. This happens all the time regardless of which staff are on duty.
|
Based on a recent visit I did not rate the beers as highly as others have at the Unicorn. The selection was OK but no dark beers. Fixtures and fittings are beginning to look tired already and the glass in a picture was broken. Front bar area was dominated by noisy groups with young children
|
This is by far the best 'spoons' I have ever visited. Always an excellent selection of the best kept beer in Ripon. The staff are a credit to this establishment unlike some Wetherspoon robots. Cleanliness always top class. The best pint of Jorvik Blonde I have ever tasted and the steak I had to go with it was exceptional. Don't be put off by how busy this place gets. It just isn't big enough to keep up with demand.
|
Starting to feel more spoonslike since my last visit, corporate stamp now firmly in place.
Still good though, beer quality still high, staff still friendly, even the doormen!
Like all spoons it's a does what it says on the tin place, unlike many a spoons it's well worth a visit still.
|
Another "nice" Wetherspoons with good choice of Ales on, both local and national brands.
|
Didn't really feel like a 'Spoons, seems to have all the plus points and none of the minus points associated with it's breed.
Absolutely superb pint of Ripon Jewel, served by friendly, smiling and efficient bar staff on a busy saturday night. Choice of 4 or 5 others I hazily recall.
More than happy to return, more than happy to recommend.
|
Called in today, bank holiday sunday. A nice spot, nicely refurbed by Wetherspoons, plenty of cosy areas to relax in. Some nice real ales on and in good condition and pulled by friendly staff. Large beer garden at the back and handy car park nearby. This is a lodge type spoons, so you can eat drink as much as you want, and sleep it off! very busy today, our 1st visit to this lovely pub. Recommended
|
Big old pub on the market place, Nice rooms & pleasant staff make this one of wetherspoons better pubs. Im not an ale drinker but my friends assured me that there was enough choice to keep them happy, Coors light on draught for me here which has been missing from other wetherspoons for a couple of years now? hope its making a welcome return? worth calling in for a pint or two.
|
This is now a Wetherspoons. Visited on 16/6/11, which was a race day and it was rammed. Place was mainly set out for diners but we headed to the beer garden out the back which was ok. Started with a pint of Old Growler porter followed by a Black Sheep Riggwelter which were both very good. Next was a Stonehenge Heel Stone bitter which was in good nick and then back to the Riggwelter before catching the coach to the racecourse. Nice place, plenty of beers to choose from and the service was fairly quick.
|
12 Sep 2010 was closed
brisk - 15 Sep 2010 14:33 |
Now has a sign in the front window advertising guest cask beers, although on my last visit it was Black Sheep Golden Sheep as well as Black Sheep Bitter and Tetleys cask. The building work that disrupted central Ripon for months has now been completed.
|
We went to Ripon, but most of it was shut, closed down or derelict. We searched for a pub to eat at lunchtime after visiting the Cathedral with no luck at the first three or four. But in desperation we tried the Unicorn, a mixed experience but seeing the Rotary Club plaque we thought it worth a gamble. The beer was tolerable and as it was lunchtime it was quiet. We ordered food and after a very long wait it arrived and was superb.
|
Large famous old hotel, a servant who worked here in the 18th century is mentioned in many books about the old inns of England. L shaped bar on the ground floor of the hotel, big low windows make it a good place to watch the world go by while relaxing with a reasonable but not exactly outstanding pint of Black Sheep or if you prefer Tetley's Cask. The front part is quieter and more hotel like with tasteful black and white photos of local beauty spots. The other bit, known as �Tom Crudds� is noisier, rougher and bigger, certainly tattier round the edges. Currently it also offers Tetley's smooth version plus Carlsberg, Fosters and San Miguel.
anonymous - 6 Apr 2009 19:06 |
