High Cross, Leicesterback to pub details please note - reviews on this site are purely the opinion of site visitors, so don't take them too seriously.
Busy city centre Wetherspoons with locals enjoying Leicester City's title celebrations. It's fairly typical of the chain with a large-open plan room and plenty of seating. Ales were Ruddles Best, Greene King Abbot, Grainstore Ten Fifty, Oakham Green Devil IPA, Lymestone Stonefish Mild, Nottingham Rock Mild, Sharps Doom Bar, Ascot Anastasia Exile Stout, Wild Weather Choppy Waters & Marstons One Is 90. Cider was Bottle Kicking Cider Company Traditional Medium. Decent branch.
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One of the homes of Leicester's ageing football hooligan firm, The Baby Squad. If you like your beer with a helping of dodgy looks and dash of violence if you sit in someones chair, this is the place for you.
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As mentioned, an above average Wetherspoons, preferable to their other offerings in the city (though it was handy for the bus stop home).
anonymous - 21 Sep 2012 18:09 |
Popped in a couple of times this week for the JDW Beer Festival, as this is the only city centre 'Spoons that is capable of keeping halfway drinkable ale.
First visit was on a weekday mid-afternoon, and I have to say it was something of an eye-opener in terms of the clientele; we all know that you don't get the higher end of the social strata in JDW pubs at the best of times, but I do not expect to see Baby Squad members proudly wearing their Stone Island insignia being served in any but the roughest of Estate pubs.
I did query this with the manager who advised that they HAVE barred a few members, but they have decided not to stop the rest of them (a) drinking in there and (b) making themselves readily identifiable ... needless to say, you wouldn't catch me dead in there on a football day!
Aside from the thug element, of rather more concern was watching several people who were clearly VERY drunk, still being served ... as a general rule, when someone comes in, sits down and starts shouting random things and laughing loudly to themselves it's better to refuse service.
The same is generally also true when people are so hammered they can't speak properly, but this doesn't seem to bother staff or management.
My return visit was on Saturday mrning, just before midday, and was a better session - there seemed to be less social detritus, and the atmosphere was a bit calmer.
What let me down on this visit was the food; I ordered the classic breakfast, but asked for it without hash browns / black pudding or mushroom. This in and of itself was not a problem, however I do resent being expected to pay the FULL breakfast price without being offered substitute breakfast items - extra sausage, bacon or even toast would surely not be beyond their remit, and would seem like half decent customer service.
Oh well, I guess it's to be expected from a company whose business model is morally questionable at the best of times (ie: selling cheap booze to people who have nothing better to do with their days than spend the benefit money they receive from the taxes the rest of us pay getting smashed continuously).
On the bright side though, I picked up 12 beers over the two visits, and although condition was far from perfect they were at least drinkable...
I'd like to see either Lloyds or the Last Plantagenate manage that!
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Slightly above average Wetherspoons.
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I visited Leicester for the first time on Thursday and was surprised to find a lack of pubs in the centre of town serving real ale. Maybe I didn't look in the right places and ended up settling for a pint of Guinness in "The Market Tavern" which I couldn't finish. Later in the evening I found "The High Cross". Normally I don't seek out spoons pubs as they lack something in character and the staff are usually robotic and soulless. However, this pub is something of an exception. The service was efficient and overall the staff (and other customers) were friendly. It happened to be curry club night when I dropped in and I enjoyed a generous serving of lamb rogan josh and a pint of Ruddles ale in comfortable surroundings for �4.99. The High Cross is a clean well run pub but there is nothing about the place that would make me rush back. It lacks charisma and feels like it is missing a few heartbeats in terms of atmosphere. I'll give it 6.
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THIS PUB USED TO BE A HANG OUT FOR LEICESTERS INFAMOUS BABY SQUAD FOOTBALL HOOLIGANS. ITS STILL FREQUENTED BY A FEW TO THIS DAY. CHEAP RUBBISH THAT YOU WOULD EXPECT FROM WETHERSPOONS.
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Straight up what you see is what you get pub. Cheap and cheerful. If you're not expecting too much then you'll be happy!
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Came in here on Saturday because the Criterion was without electricity and I wanted something to eat. The fish & chips were very good indeed: I know JDW food is mass-produced but it just seemed better turned out here than in some others in the chain. The place was busy but not too crowded for a Saturday evening, a friendly easy-going crowd, presumably mostly students but also some older drinkers like me and my friends.The ales we drank were in good nick. I'd go back again.
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The best JDW bar in Leicester centre. The smoking ban has improved this bar as they seem to attract more food buying customers now rather than the chain-smoking all-day drinkers. OK, if you get there for breakfast then there'll still be a group of old boys already four pints down studying the racing papers before popping backwards and forwards across the road to the bookies but it doesn't seem to attract the tossers in the same way that the other 'spoons bars in Leicester do. I took the plunge last weekend and bought a pint of Ruddles Best for �1. It was, surprisingly, good for a Green King ale.
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Surprised to see only one review here.... is it the wrong end of town for most? Haven't been in for ages myself but treated one to a visit on the opening day of the Festival. Its always been the quieter (in terms of general atmosphere)of the spoons in Leicester. Wee populated though and the usual mix in on a Thursday pm. Festival beers on included Brains /Langton & superb Orkney Dark lsland. In fact two local Langton Brewery on plus one being prepared.Observed a keen & knowledgeable manager , always a bonus for JDW.
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Standard Wetherspoons but still extremely popular. Even at opening time theres a queue of old men waiting to get in - must be the incredibly cheap Spitfire and guests.
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