please note - reviews on this site are purely the opinion of site visitors, so don't take them too seriously.
A truly saturnine barn of a place. Lighting seems to evoke atmosphere of a living room in the 1980s. The bar staff mostly children, do not seem at all interested in serving and so, I agree it is impossible to be served with a degree of order or urgency. The seating seems arranged in rows, as if all waiting to reel off into a ditch. Not a happy soul here. Most seem to be aggressive and/or neurotic drunks. Ale served chilled.
Weherspoons can be full of character, this one is by far one of the blandest I've bn too... If not THE blandest.
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Possibly the worst Wetherspoons in the South East. Difficult to get served and though many of the clientele are elderly, they are frequently aggressive and ready for a fight. Oppressively low ceiling too.
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Went there on a Friday afternoon, had fish and chips from the Fish Friday menu,
from a choice of one item (?) Can't Wetherpoons offer scampi and chips?
Food was fresh and ok, white wine acceptable.
Service was prompt and much quicker than a previous occasion.
Bit noisy, which was strange as it was a bit early for the local chavs.
Apart from that, it was ok.
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Avoid. Dreadful service, dreadful alcoholic clientèle.
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If the staff decide to serve you, you will probably find that they have not bothered to put any ales on. 8 hand pumps but usually only 2 -3 in use & that's normally the regular ales. Go over the road to the Havelock
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A good choice of real ales but service was very slow at the bar.
Then again it was on a Saturday.
Food was crap as it was cold when served after waiting for just one hour. The people serving the food din't have clue where the tables were.
Don't know what went wrong but they were asking most people if they ordered food then it went back to the kitchen to return back to the tables.
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Visited September 2011 Evening
A hollow brightly lit place full of youths who like the sound of their own voices. Beer was adequate, bouncers on the door surly and not a place to unwind! 3/10
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Not a good experience on a weekday lunchtime visit - surly staff, poor beer, ghastly customers... nuff said.
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Could still do with a few more staff, but it's probably part of the price you pay for cheap beers and food. Not a bad selection of ales, bit lacking at the heavier end - would have been nice to see some 5.6 brews on tap, but I found a drinkable 3.8. Could do with a decent wheat beer in the cellar.
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Decent beers and service. Above average.
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Was in "spoons" last Saturday and I see where loweblow is coming from in terms of restrictions but not sure his analysis would be shared by the JDW management. There probably is some middle ground between cheap beer and poor service and my impression was that things were a little better in terms of being served, at least on a Saturday night. I think it's very much a what you see is what you get pub, but I quite like it at the weekend when the hordes have decamped to Yates or Fluid.
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went in on a monday quite busy but soon got served for a pint of abbot which cost �1-65. the taste of the pint was of good quality. the pub has a small outside area at the front of the building which was great but right in front of the pub was the bus stop to st leonards able to finish my pint and then get on the bus. a great jd pub
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Visit today!
Bearing in mind BH week end Sat lunchtime, heaving pub, just 4 bar staff on duty.
20 mins to get served at bar, real ale off, pipes not cleaned, food crap.
Some of the unwashed chavvy clientele dont believe in waiting their turn @ the bar
Will not be back
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Found the food and beer of a reasonable standard.
My only problem is LACK OF BAR STAFF !!!!!
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Worst Spoons ever visited.
The staff (2 young girls) were more interested in chatting amongst themselves than serving customers. Tables full of crockery and none cleared during the 30 minutes I was there.
They'd run out of Ruddles and didn't offer an alternative at the same price (something all other Spoons do).
Bishop's Finger was OK but poor choice of ales compared to others.
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I actually work in this pub as a shift manager and i think i should make some sort of attempt to defend it's honour! Before other posters complain about the speed of service or the cleanliness of tables/bar/toilets etc they should at least attempt to understand the restrictions placed upon it's staff and the management in particular by our head office! We only able to utillise a specific amount of hours per week, which in busy periods works out to around 1 member of staff to around 60-100 customers, with staffing levels this low we are able to only have one person serving food, clearing plates/glasses for over 60 tables! whilst we would love to spend every minute of our 12hour+ shifts working the bar/floor; we have to run breaks, do paperwork, clean toilets, deal with rude and inconsiderate customers, and accept and put away deliveries. Inevitibly certain priorites get neglected despite our best efforts. Those people complaining about the quantity/quality of ale should perhaps remember that we offer a greater choice of ales than any other pub in town, including all of the old town pubs, some of which charge almost double our price for a pint. The staff work very hard for very little reward, we should not be compared to some little (supposedly 'real') public house, we are a completely different sort of business, one which our head office runs with two eyes on the bottom line! Posters that complain about the quality of service should attempt to run a bar, serve food and be polite to a bar full of customers each of whom is completely confident in their claim to be next to be served. As regards the physical state of the premises we have been pushing for a refurb/paint job for several years, but JDW would rather spend their on a new pub in Eastbourne whilst neglecting us. We are also required to let the day to day maintenance get to a certain level of disrepair before we can call a handyman, which unfortunately results in lots of small jobs going unrepaired. Those posters who complain about the class of customer frequenting the pub should perhaps observe the bare-chested, obnoxious, lout class who frequent many old town pubs such as the Nelson, Trader, Albion and several 'new town' pubs such as the Havelock, Yates and The Clarence. We are not unique in that respect. This sort of criticism smacks of 'pub snobbery' and I think that if the pub did not have JDW above the door then the reviews would be markedly higher! Those people who just can't abide JDW whould remember that without them many local brewers would have gone bust several years ago! What i think is most telling about those that repeatedly complain about JDW is the fact that many of them keep returning, knowing what to expect yet still complain; is it at all possible that these people care more about getting their sub �2 pint and the state of their wallets then about the quality of servce/beer which they proclaim to be so important?! If you want a pub which offers good value food, cheap beer, and a conversation enabling lack of music then pick JDW, if however you are a superciliousness member of the pub snob brigade and regard the mark of a good pub as the number of horse brasses abover the bar and the warmth of the (overly expensive) ale, then perhaps you should venture to another establishment.
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We tried twice to visit this pub while on a short break in Hastings. The first time was mid morning where we were unable to find a table which wasn't piled high with dirty plates, and glasses. We then tried a second time around lunchtime to find the one person behind the bar having an argument with multiple customers on who was next to be served. I can only assume that they have a serious staff number issue. We gave up, and walked back out on both occasions, and wont be trying again.
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Went back to this pub for the last day of the 'Spoons' beer festival and as is often the case, when I am in a JDW establishment, came away in two minds. On the one hand and echoing the thoughts of RogerB it really is a bit of a dive but I was there to sample the guest beers and they were, for all the faults of the pub, exceptionally cheap! Its hard to be overly critical of the place when the beer in it can be had for �1.68 a pint. But its that low cost that brings in the dipsticks and other assorted children of the night, especially at the weekend, staying just long enough to get tanked up before they vanish to more affable if more expensive climes.
As it turned out the guests for the evening were a disappointing bunch and I had hoped for much better at the end of the festival. An insipid golden ale at 3.8 tasted flat and uncared for and the while the Super Nova at 4.6 was drinkable it was nothing special.
Disappointing but easy on the pockets. For the dedicated drinker the moral seems to be stay out of the town centre and look to either a small number of places in St Leonards or the better selection to be had in the old town.
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One of the dingiest and unappealing �Spoons I have encountered. Hideous from the outside, depressing on the inside, the large interior has all the usual formulaic Wetherspoon traits but somehow it just all seems so much bleaker than even the most mundane �Spoons with its low ceilings, dark walls and generally dull ambience. Tables had been shunted aside to create open floorspace ahead of the Saturday night crowds and I shudder to think what it would have been like had I stayed for more than my fleeting visit. The tiny patio at the rear is of little use other than for those wanting a quick fag. The beers are as decent as usual with good 3 guest ales but they count for little in such dull surroundings. If JLB were still around to visit the pub that bears his name, I dare say he would consider it to be more at the black & white portable end of the market than High Definition flat screen.
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Not bad for a spoons, welcoming atmosphere and a great range of beers! i think the previous reviewers comment about having to point at pumps etc was a bit harsh, the staff seem to work hard even when understaffed and do a good job. Worth a visit!
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On a recent flying visit to this corner of the world I had occasion to escape my companion's preferred haunt of a certain Battle's hotel 'Orangery' restaurant for this rather different source of refreshment. I can't say it lived up to the promise suggested by a previous review (that of one being fifty something and getting arseholed for a fiver) but that's inflation for you. It was Friday night so was I was a little disappointed not to find some fifties something offspring to accompany me back to Battle. It seems to me that a fiver doesn't command the same respect as it did when I was a lad.
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It bit like being in a foreign country where you don't speak the language - you just have to keep asking for what you want in English and pointing at it until they get the message... They had a reasonable, if not extensive selection from the current International Beer Festival (with several ununsed handpumps in evidence), with both the Robinson's Nosey Parker and the 'Wild Blue Yonder' from Oregon being in decent condition. Not a great atmosphere, so a middling sort of 'spoons overall.
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If you make the grave mistake of entering this warehouse on a Friday night , do so at your peril.
It was full of either the local fifty something .. get arseholed for a fiver crowd, or their nebulous tracksuit wearing offspring doing the same (before going to 'FLUID' or the club over the road at closing time).
Go to a real pub, not a converted Woolworths or whatever this was in its previous life. Like the departure lounge pubs at Gatwick .. Nuf said?
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The local Wetherspoons pub for Hastings about 300 meters down the road from the station. There is a closer place if you are in need of a quick pint between trains but I would ignore that, walk down Havelock Road and you'll find a decent little Spoons pub with comfy chairs and a good selection of bitters and lagers.
Food is standard for JDW and service is either excellent or appalling depending on who is on duty. You seldom seem to see the same staff twice. They usually have 3-4 guest ale available and the coffee and tea is both cheap and fairly drinkable.
As with all JDW pubs could be a good stopping point for a hot meal coupled with a decent pint, but can be lively and a little rough at the weekends.
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Standard Spoons? No. Actually pretty good beer, ususal food (of course, but this site is about the beer), nice local choice, and wi-fi internet too. The ususal old codgers around the end of the bar (Do spoons buy these by the batch?), but otherwise a fine pub, one of the few (as an outsider) I feel welcome in.
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The trouble with 'spoons is there is this perception that they are all the same. They aren't. This is in my experience one of the better 'spoons in the south east.
It's not particularly good compared with other local treasures, but compared with other 'spoons, it's OK
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Seems to be a standard Wetherspoons outlet, rather soulless and lacking atmosphere. However, meals and drinks for 2 people for less than �10 and a good selection of ales served in good condition. Certainly the best option in Hastings town centre.
Floyd - 15 Nov 2007 14:20 |
Forgot to mention I really enjoyed my first "smoke free" pint in "spoons" even if it was only Directors.
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Went there today and they had run out of Guinness, Abbott, Hookey, Summer ale, Butcombe and Bombardier! the only beer they had on worth drinking was Directors and it was only 4.30pm!!
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It's a 'spoons, but it's quite good as 'spoons go. They had five ales on, and there's not many places that do that.
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"Sonia & Tom"? It was Reg & Sue at the end of November.
"dinner at your restaurants"? It's a Whetherspoons.
Have you got the right pub, Kurt?
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Dear Sonia and Tom,
You're all doing a damned good job at the John Logie Baird. Above all, thank you so much for accommodating 60 students from Austria and making their evening out an unforgettable one. In later years, they may not remember their excursions to Rye or Brighton, but they will remember our dinner at your restaurants. Also say a big thank you to your young and friendly staff. We really appreciated everything, the meals, the service, and the warm welcome.
Kurt Mocker, M.A., Austria
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A rather dark Spoon with a low ceiling and deep purple walls. In need of refurbishment. Not a pleasing environment.
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Young staff who are not that customer aware, not always got guest beers as they say but when they have they are usually very good and cheap, seems to be getting refurbished at the moment but very slowly, Sunday roast was bigger than I expected with beer included but I could not have the real beer which rather annoyed me. have been to better Wetherspoons but you get what you pay for here.
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After not visitng for a couple of months, I walked in, looked around, and walked out again! It's still dire. Consoled myself by going to The Filo - a real pub!
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I was in here yesterday, when I used the ladies I was greeted by the word "scum" written on the toilet door in either blood (period?) or faeces, how delightful, I am not surprised by the reviews here, never, ever again.
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And 'Spoons had gotten rid of that the last time I was in High Barnet a year ago. It's been replaced by a similarly, eminently forgettable establishment.
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"Typical Weatherspoons."
really?? I have been in many over the years starting with The Moon Under Water in High Barnet in 1978, none have been quite as bad as this.
"Not sure why there are so many bad reviews."
Because the place has been a toilet for so long, home to the street scum, the staff would serve anybody regardless of how inebriated/aggressive they were.
"Maybe we didn't get the best experience going on a Tuesday night, but seemed all right to me."
Then maybe the new managers are starting to sort it out, possibly.
"Didn't sample the cuisine."
No? then you had a lucky escape.
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Typical Weatherspoons. Not sure why there are so many bad reviews. Maybe we didn't get the best experience going on a Tuesday night, but seemed all right to me. Didn't sample the cuisine.
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To the pair of anons. Instead of trying to insult our intelligence with the obvious fake postings, why not just come out with the truth. If there is new management and they are working to improve things, just say so. Trying to 'big up' the place in such a way makes you look like a: fools, and b: desparate.
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Word must spread incredibly fast if they've 'built up a reputation for very good food' in less than two days! Oh, come on....
Sadly, even they admit the ales are only 'reasonably kept'. I'll steer well clear.
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Give me strength. Even spoon's management are posting now.
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I'm with 'anon'.
The new management team took over two days ago and have turned this place around completely. Reg and Sue have worked tirelessly for nearly 2 days to build up a reputation for very good, 'value' meals and reasonably kept ales. And the 'cheeky' locals keep all amused.
Its a must visit!
anonymous - 24 Nov 2006 09:04 |
I am sure you did mr anonymous - 23 Nov 2006 19:44 but not in this dump, I will give you the benefit of the doubt and assume that you placed this comment on the wrong page, if not then you are a liar.
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Visited last night with my wife and had a delicious meal in convivial surroundings, enjoyed a couple of competitively priced, quality drinks and listened to the lively banter amongst the locals.
Keep it up Reg, Sue and the Team! We'll be back!
BTW Quiz nights are excellent - so I've heard.
anonymous - 23 Nov 2006 19:44 |
If I ever find that I have awoken to discover that the Wimbourne manse has been reduced to rubble, and I am reduced to a state of abject penury, then I think I would move in. Truly the last refuge of all that is worst in this once-great nation of ours!
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It's near the station and cheap.
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The bar staff have serious social skill issues, the place is full of inebriates, need I say more?
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Personally I find this wetherspoohs to be particularly awful, the food is served cold more often than not, its cheap but well below average.
anonymous - 25 Oct 2006 07:41 |
It's a Wetherspoons. They are all the same. Don't go in there expecting good food or particularly good service. It's exactly like going to a Beefeater... people should know better.
The only reason this place is busy, is because its cheap. I go in there for a pint, I go in there for a bite to eat, but I never go in there expecting anything great, and that is the entire point of Wetherspoons - cheap and 'ok'... and this, is the same for ANY Wetherspoons in the country... some are better than others, but this is just your average. No worse no better.
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The food in this Wetherspoons has to rate amongst the worst in the country, it is simply abysmal, how anyone can continuosly get it so cold and tasteless at service is incredulous. The staff have all graduated from the school of indifference and rudeness with distinctions. A family pub? I think not, especially with the aggressive street life that inhabit the place for most of the day, they moved the street drinkers out of Hastings town centre with by-laws, they now reside in the John Logie Baird.
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Alright food, but the bar staff have the worst attitude of any Wetherspoons pub I've been in (and that's saying something!) If you want to stand at the bar for 20 mins on a Friday night and be studiously ignored by a spotty git with self esteem issues, by all means proceed. Otherwise give it a wide berth and go over the road to the Havelock.
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