please note - reviews on this site are purely the opinion of site visitors, so don't take them too seriously.
This place is OK. Always busy, but clean and tidy. Average score.
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We've only ever stopped here for coffee - does that tell you anything?
The toilets remind me of something that Houdini tried to escape from , although I can vouch that I got out more quickly !!!!!! It's an experience - you tend to appreciate your own local so much more after you've been in here.
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convenient and serves beer and thats it.
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The toilets are so small its difficult to get in the cubicles! Eventfull pub, service at the bar is not great but never a dull moment in there.
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Wetherspoons on Victoria Station was as busy and as noisy as ever, but the Itchen Valley Hampshire Rose was on top form, and only £2.39 a pint. Also available was White Horse White Giant, Greene King, and (from Ireland) Wexford St Patricks. No-one expects a quiet country pub at one of the busiest railway stations in the world, and it is very satisfying to find an outlet of real ale to enjoy before the cut-and-thrust of ploughing through commuters!
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Well its a Wetherspoons and in a station so that should give you some clue as to what this hole is like
Offers the single adnvantage of drinking with a view of the departure schedules but the totally soulless atmosphere, sticky carpets, lax bar staff and offensive toilets more than compensate.
Drink in here if you are desperate and waiting for a train but you really are better off buying a couple of tins in the Whistlestop and drinking them on the train
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Occasionally stop here early evening if waiting for a train, it being the only place to get a pint of real ale in the station (I think). It is always busy and in a bit of a state. The staff could be quicker and seem unmotivated and unknowledgeable. The beers are usually OK but nothing to write home about. The toilets are a complete mess. The best thing is to buy your beer and go out onto the terrace outside and watch the masses scurrying home. a place for when you are despaerate and no more.
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Had the misforune to have breakfast in here.It was absolutely awful. Sausages look liked they hadn't been cooked and the rest was greasy.If they can't get a decent chef don't bother serving food.Agree with previous posting, staff don't care and the place is messy.Unfortunately Wetherspoons are fast getting a reputation for grotty pubs, Come on Tim Martin get your act together, restablish the company as place people want to go, good service,good food and staff that care
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What a dump. They have had a refurb that does make it look nicer. The toilets are still tiny and used by every man and his dog, still stink of Urine. The bar still smells of sick and is not any better arranged. Staff are miserable and always under staffed. Tables always messy and never cleaned quickly. Always drunken customers being served. I only go in here if my train is delayed. Avoid like the plague!
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ok a quick for a quick one...staff a tad slow though...good for people watching from the balcony
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been here a few times normally on the way home or whilst waiting for someone , typical station boozer, but this is a weatherspoons so expect what u will , i thought it was gona be a shit pit and it was , this was a friday night i may add , but visited a last saturday daytime and wasnt bad , same as all weathers i guess a bit hit n miss
mrs romfordir didnt like it on a friday night as was packed of idiots
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Like all Wetherspoon's pubs, has gone to the dogs in the past few years. Mucky, smoky and small to the point of being claustrophobic. I would recommend sitting outside it for amusement purposes though - watching the alcoholic sad husbands putting off going home to the wife is entertainment. Otherwise if you need a drink, you're better off going to the offy and having a can on the train home.
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Actually one of the better Wetherspoon pubs (which isn't saying much). And dead convenient for the train. Not all station pubs are soulless though (see comment by Jimmythefish) - The Bishop & the Bear at Paddington is a very good one.
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This pub has a neon sign.
Say no more!
Alright for a quick pint if you're gasping for one and have a train to catch in 10 minutes, because you couldn't be any closer to the platforms, and you can people watch for a bit, but I've said it before and I'll say it again - pubs in train stations are all the same (soulless). 4/10 purely for the convenience factor.
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Nor brilliant, but you can usually get a decent pint at a reasonable price. Often best to get a table on the balcony to avoid the usual crush inside.
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Affordable and as mentioned not a place to go and enkoy a quiet drink,but there again Victoria station is not known for its quietness.
Food reasonably priced and beer too.
As always there is the "caberet" by the token drunken scot who will engage you in conversation andthe ask you for £2 for "a DRANK"...
Best avoid when football fans are returning though..
hoagy - 26 Oct 2006 14:37 |
It is in a railway station so you hardly expect people taking their time over a pleasant pint but they do real ale and a good deal on double Jamisons and occasionally you get some characters staging through (one evening the place seemed inexplicably full of gorgeous women and I'm sure it wasn't just the beer goggles).
These places do count as pubs, according to the CAMRA definition, as they're open to the public. That this one is also open to leftovers-swilling tramps (love that story!) is neither here nor there.
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Typical Weatherspoon really - floor was sticky, not enough bar staff. The toilets were like a broom cupboard - not enough room for more than 2 people at a time.
But then if you want a quick drink while you wait for your train, or a goo few drinks while your train is severely delayed then its convenient and cheap.
Jo984 - 28 Sep 2006 10:21 |
..why are they always so understaffed??? Surely they must realise by now the place gets packed to the ceiling and at certain times they shut one of the bars. I find it can be dirty and unwelcoming. One evening a few weeks back I wanted a glass of Chardonnay, they only seemed to have the house white (fetzer, ugh, utter crap) and when i was umming as to what to have, the guy behind was tutting and getting impatient..appalling!! I noticed one of their fridges was out too, been like that for a while, maybe they can't afford an engineer! On the other hand if you are desperate for a reasonably priced drink before you get on your train home then it's just about OK, I used to use it regularly a few years ago, but seems to have gone a bit downhill. Also, I have noticed that the Weatherspoons in central London are more expensive then outside London. A round there a week, glass of Villa Maria and a bottle of euro beer came to over £7, so more like typical central london pub prices.
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A pub I use occasionally as it is, believe or not, preferable to JDW's other one across the road from the station. It goes from average to bad between Monday to Friday. I find that the only times to drink real ale were on a Monday or Tuesday evening whilst waiting for your train. As the week wears on the real ales run out particulary on Friday night when none are available. I think they are restricted by limited storage space.
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To echo fellow Charlton fan casual66 comments, I agree this boozer would be popular with football fans on the weekend. Casual66 is right in saying that on weeknights it's ideal for people stopping off after work, especially if your train is delayed/cancelled. Ideal meeting place also before drinking in the surrounding area if you're coming into Victoria by tube/train. Working in Victoria in the bitterly cold winter, I have come here to eat with a mate (Victoria Place is always busy at lunchtimes and you'll struggle to get a seat, even in KFC!!) and the food was both reasonably priced and fairly decent. For the above reasons, this boozer in one of London's busiest stations does a job. Other than that, it's rubbish.
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Yeh this isn't the best pub in the world, far from it in fact, but if you've had a long day on your way home from work, or if you've got a spare few minutes waiting for someone, then this serves its purpose adequately. Wouldn't go here for a session, but for a short period of time it's cheap and, well, maybe not cheerful, but you get what I mean.
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This is just your usual 'Spoons, except for the fact it's situated above a WHSmith in a train station. I suppose it's okay for a quick pint before you travel home, but there really isn’t any other reason to visit aside from that.
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Well said Mr Davies !! The toilets are amongst the worst I've had the misfortune to encounter (with the exception of the Shakesphere over the road). As for taking your kids here - that sounds like a case for social services methinks.
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Clean toilets???? You are kidding? I fear to think what your idea of dirty ones is like!
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I like this pub. It has balconies on both sides where you can see the destination boards and trains coming in. I avoid it at lunchtimes and evenings, but at weekends it is an OK pub; not too busy, a big range of beers and clean toilets. You can also take children there, which is a plus.
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Wouldn't ever call this establishment a 'pub' - grotty hole perhaps. Beer (ok tepid fizzy stuff they serve here) not as cheap as some might suggest either !!
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Wetherspoon's pub + train station location is never going to be a recipe for a great pub, though this place manages to be even worse than you might expect. If you're having a quick pint while you wait for your train, it'll probably have left by the time you get served. Don't bother.
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Look up the words JD Wetherspoons in a (picture) dictionary and you see a picture of a huge pile of shi*e.
However, this 'establishment', is one of the jewels in the JDW chain - a complete fuc*ing sh*t hole. Everywhere is sticky and dirty, the staff have no idea where they are - let alone have the first idea of how to pour a pint - my lager was flat and warm, the place smells and the toilets are a disgrace.
Apart from that I thought it was great !!
0/10 from me (which I think is generous to be honest)
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I once really offended a bar man here accidently to the extent he looked like he was about to cry. All I said was "can't get the staff" to the manager the barman served me the wrong drink, the manager replied "pay peanuts, get monkeys". Barman stormed off and we both had to apologise to him before he's return to his post. Then I realised I no longer had time for a drink at all and rushed off to get my train.
You can, er, people watch from here. Or something.
anonymous - 3 May 2006 11:25 |
I appreciate it's not the best pub I've ever been in but what exactly do people expect from a Wetherspoons in one of Britain's busiest train stations?
Standard Wetherspoons McPub - good for a cheap first drink / meeting point when starting a night out in London but not much else.
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The only upward lifting comment on this absolute Pig-swill of a pub is the escalator that rises into it!, and when you arrive you so so wish that the stairs had a reverse button you could use to take you down to ground level again and return you to your senses!
Slap bang in the middle of Victoria Station with views of train indicators and the world below you would assume,"wrongly" that it would be a flagship for the Wetherspoons empire?, forget flagship and imagine the rubbish barges that punt up and down the Thames on a daily basis taking their rubbish to people that don't want it,and thats the similarity Wetherspoons at the station takes all its rubbish and dumps it onto us the customer!rubbish decor,rubbish hospitality,rubbish food.
It truly is a place to avoid, and don't let the perception of cheep booze draw you onto these moving stairs of total degradation and isolation, for the prices are no different than some of the more uplifting and friendly pubs in the area.
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Going steadily downhill, getting really scruffy with clientele to match, allow half an hour even if you want a quick half, the service now really is shocking. The Worst Wetherspoon In The World is probably the one in West St in Brighton. This one will run it a close second if it gets any worse.
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Staffed almost entirely by African men, who are very attentive if you are a laydee. Overpriced, as always in London, as if the surroundings alone merit whacking 50p on. Methinks not. Tiny, crammed ladies, grease yourself up if like moi you ain't anorexic. A fine start or end to a journey, or to avoid paying 20p to pee in the public lavs. Sit out on the balcony and watch the 'ants' below scurrying to their trains.
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Well - You can see the Train Indicator Boards from the balcony - which is about the only thing this place has going for it to be honest.
Typical JDW 'pub' - no atmosphere - average staff, odd 'cheapscate' customers, very average beer (rather pay more for a decent pint).
It smells of sick and the floors, bars and furnishings are sticky.
In my view it's best avoided - unless your a skint alcoholic.
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Football Fans on the weekend. On weeknights its for people stopping off after work. Good location and an ideal place for a drink if your train is delayed. The tables on the balcony are great
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The balcony is great to watch people rushing for trains and watching life go by in general...
This pub is a must for avid people watchers and letchers!!
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For alcoholic businessmen, football hooligans and other detritus that washes in and out on a septic tide. Best avoided.
mikez - 13 Dec 2005 16:24 |
A lifeless pub, but useful for a cheap scoop on the way home.
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Obviously handy location if waiting for a train...BUT, often has a rather strong smell of vomit! That and the sticky tables and floors make it not best in the area.
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This used to be a fairly good pub,but after many staff changes it has gone downhill.The service is dredfull, I know it's a railway station pub but the staff have to be prompted to serve you as they never seem to know who's next.The non smoking bar never seems to be open anymore making the main bar even more crowded.You go in there and ask for a pint of whatever only to be told that its "not on" despite the pump clip advertising the beer.The beer quality used to be good I suspect due to high turnover but the pint I had the other day was off! Oh dear.
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Usually busy but otherwise an excellent source of usually well-kept ale if arriving or departing Victoria. Let's face it, not somewhere to spend the evening but a good meeting point, except you end up missing your train!
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Use the toilets here when you're drinking on the concourse at Reef - closer than Reef's own toilets, no pass-code required and you get an escalator up there so easier on the old legs.
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Don't knock it too much - for a station bar it OK - the beer ain't bad, you can while away your quick half watching everyone running for their trains and best of all you don't have to pay 20p for a pee. The service is, however, dreadful.
Nick - 25 Jul 2004 01:32 |
Been here a few times when meeting people randomly in Victoria. Nothing amazing about the place but really didn't think it was as depressing as the other comments on here make it out to be - it is a W'spoons after all, what were you expecting other than cheap beer??!!
Luke - 22 Jul 2004 14:34 |
possibly the coldest pub i've ever been in.
Duncan - 23 Dec 2003 09:33 |
Not great but not as bad as other comments suggest (in my experience) - at least the beer is quite cheap and there is a no smoking section!
Adrian - 10 Nov 2003 15:59 |
Handy for a swift drink, but linger longer than half an hour and you might loose the will to live. Depressing even for a station bar.
A friend tells me that the place had a £50,000 refurb a few years ago. I don't know how true that is but it looks as though they spent £5 on the decor and £49,995 on charm lessons for the staff.
You can never expect too much from a station pub, but this really is grim. Strictly last resort. Your better off taking Genes advice and use the offie, I always do now. The Tiny Threshers outside has more character.
Bob V - 4 Nov 2003 18:25 |
Have been in there a copule of times while waiting for a train, however the last time Iwent in there they eyed my suspiously at the bar, waited until I had finished my beer and then decided to ask me for ID...hmmmm? Hey Guys, I have already had my drink!
emma - 15 Oct 2003 11:40 |
This pub is an absolute classic. I still remember the stories of the tramps who used to hang around near the bottom of the escalator (up to the pub). Once the relevant train appeared on the main platform board, lots of commuters would have a swig of their pint and then leave the rest. Witness the fastest tramps in the world running up the escalator to drink the dregs/left over pints, before being thrown out.
Always thought the place stank of vomit, and on every occasion the staff were completely useless (i.e. they never knew who was next in turn, or they'd back away to collect glasses).
Horrible and rotten - probably the worst station bar after the one in Charing Cross.
anthony2 - 26 Sep 2003 02:02 |
The staff are generally wretched beyond belief. A couple of decent ones, but don't expect manners as standard. The balcony would be pleasant enough if the pidgeon shit was cleaned up. Only the very thirsty should use this establishment. Better off going to the "offie" and knocking 'em back on the train.
Gene - 11 Sep 2003 15:33 |
What a nasty little dump. Beer all over the floor and tables, and unemptied ashtrays everywhere. About as much atmosphere as outer space. Avoid this hole at all costs!
Ed - 7 Feb 2003 17:28 |
What can I say, has to be the most weird and boring pub in the world ever. Cant say I'm ever going back there as long as I'm drawing breath on this planet.
Paul - 7 Feb 2003 14:33 |
what a great pub....never had so much exitement in one place ever before...i'm going to make it my regular....brilliant staff and loads of weirdos singing new york
Adam - 7 Feb 2003 14:26 |
Dull as dishwater. Okay if you're waiting for train but you wouldn't want to hang out with friends there.
Alistair - 28 Nov 2002 15:05 |
Strictly for commuters who only have time for a very very swift half and can;t go anywhere else, otherwise AVOID! Shakespeare or Stage Door are far, far better.
Steve - 22 Nov 2002 17:17 |
Standing on the platforms at Victoria Station jotting down train numbers would be more interesting than a drink here. For a far better Victoria Station drinking experience, go up the escalator to Victoria Place shopping centre, up the escalator to the 1st floor of the shopping centre, turn left and in front of you is Molly O'Grady's. Far superior.
mike - 2 Sep 2002 00:11 |
These blasted pub retail chains have no atmosphere, it's just like sitting in a railway station. Haw, haw, haw...
Loz - 8 Aug 2002 20:22 |
You get to go up an escalator on the way in. That's nice.
Paul - 15 Jul 2002 10:44 |
