please note - reviews on this site are purely the opinion of site visitors, so don't take them too seriously.
This is no longer a Wetherspoons. It is open but under different management. Haven''t been in yet to have a look, but I believe real ale is still sold.
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The Union Rooms is one of a couple of large Wetherspoons located just across from Newcastle Central station. It is surprising to have two so close together. But I heard that the Union Rooms may soon be closing. The other pub is the Mile Castle, which I will request to be added. The Union Rooms is a fairly grand building though. The upstairs was closed for a private party, which was just as well as I saw a couple of people getting lost in the maze of rooms downstairs alone. The interior echoes a fair amount. So it does quite noisy in here. For the full selection of ales, you are best checking both the main bar at the front and the smaller bar at the rear. Although on this occasion, the ale selection was poor - just the usual Wetherspoons staples - Greene King Abbot, Ruddles Best & Sharps Doom Bar, supplemented by Ringwood Boon Doggle. Two ciders could be found at the rear bar - Westons Old Rosie & Gwynt y Ddraig Black Dragon. Whilst the Union Rooms is the more impressive building, you're likely to find a better selection of ales in the massive Mile Castle just up the street.
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Wetherspoons in a magnificent building that is just across the road from the station. It used to be easy to find, but now seems to have been swamped by the building site next door which is a “student hotel”. Only went in because I had a few minutes before my train. The main bar had a very uninspiring choice of (six) real ales. Then I saw a sign pointing to the “back bar”. Thought it worth investigating, and lo and behold there were 4 handpumps there as well – all from the Allendale brewery. It being 4pm on a Saturday, the place was heaving with shot-drinkers, and service was very slow. When I finally did get served (I chose the Wolf), it turned out to be VERY cold and had an unpleasant taste. I gave up the unequal struggle halfway through !
4/10 – nice building shame about the pub.
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An interesting Wetherspoons, and popular. As I arrived a hen's party tottered out of a mini bus, all tight skirts & super high heels. I predicted tears before bed time as most were staggering & all were shouting. Luckily the pub absorbed them visually & aurally. I had a body contact pint of Doom Bar (2.55), necked it & ran away. I returned to the pub next morning for breakfast & enjoyed the silence.
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On three levels with different ales on each. Clean and good value.
Near train station so better bet than The Centurion in my opinion.
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A large, spacious pub with several rooms and bars, this is a typical Wetherspoons with a wide selection of reasonably priced draught beers and lagers and decent enough but relatively cheap bar meals. The atmosphere is friendly enough and the service is usually fine. Worth a visit.
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Very nice looking building, both from outside and welcoming once inside. Typical Wetherspoons choice at the bar, with a pint of draught real ale at �1.99, which couldn't be faulted.
There may be better pubs in the city centre, but there's nothing wrong with this place at all, the choice and price are spot on - Worth a stop for a drink if you are in Newcastle
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Superior Spoons because of its large rambling high ceilings feels like you are having a house warming party in a bank, food ok etc
As for Wetherspoons you generally get a 6 or 7 no more so have given this one an 8 because it is better than the usual gloomy spoons and clientele are ok which is often a let down for Wetherspoons pubs. ( ie cheap drink, cheap food & cheap people )
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Great buildings, plenty of good beers and �1.90 for a pint. Can't go wrong.
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Was in other day, bit confusing when you first walk in, but you get use to it. A nice touch is the real ale boards as you walk in telling you what�s on. Disappointed they'd run out of Wylam Angel but you can't have everything! Good selection of other real ales though, so much so I missed my train. Like others have said its usual grub spoons at great prices. Recommend for anyone who has some loose change in their pocket while waiting for a train.
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Large Wetherspoons in an interesting building with some history. A number of rooms/floors, and multiple bars. In my experience, one of the best of its kind since it is always bustling, staff and customers are mostly good-natured, the ales are almost always in good condition and the food also seems OK. It is very handy for a quick pint before the trin, as it is only a stone's throw from Central station.
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A decent 'spoons in an incredible building both inside and out. A good selection of beers, some less than �2! Worth going to if you're passing but there are better pubs nearby.
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Interesting old building, with a curious room layout and three different bars to choose from. As you would expect from a 'spoons, you get the usual excellent selection of real ales at low, low prices (especially if you've got a 50p-off voucher). Lots of local beers, including a good pint of 'Angel' from the nearby Wylam Brewery, and very handy for the station too.
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Like this pub. Cheap drinks and decent food. Good place to eat on the Saturday afternoon/early evening crawl. Fast service, ridiculously cheap. Not a "stay for a few" pub. Does what it says on the tin. Always heaving down stairs make for the bars on the upper floors to be served.
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This place is one of the better Wetherspoons around. It's in a fine building that has been sympathetically converted. It always has a good range of guest ales on usually about 8. It has 3 separate bars so you can usually get served at one of them. Even if it's a bit of a scrum downstairs you can usually get a seat or at lease a decent bit of standing room upstairs. If you're sneaky and a CAMRA member you can use three of your 50p off tokens in one visit, one at each of the three separate bars, when of course you're only supposed to use one per visit. It's pretty good really.
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Late comment from August. Good spoons and good ale choice. Had 2 Big Lamp beers.
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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 |
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 |
