please note - reviews on this site are purely the opinion of site visitors, so don't take them too seriously.
price policy obviously to keep the crutch merchants out
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Overlooking the main square in Bournemouth is this large Wetherspoons split over two floors. There were some different ales upstairs to downstairs. Although you never can tell with Wetherspoons as some ales they have clips for are not always available. The overall selection was Ruddles Best, Vibrant Forest Cydonia, Dorset Brewing Co Jurassic Dark, Sharps Doom Bar, Gadds Dogbolter, Ringwood Forty Niner & Old Thumper & Greene King Abbot. The cider was Purbeck Joe's Sweet. The place was very busy with nearly all tables downstairs taken. The only one we can find still had the remains of somebody's meal on it. This was not cleared away by the time we left. So the staff on duty were clearly struggling to cope with the demand. Nice central location. But we moved on from here to the Firkin Shed, Chaplins and the Sir Percy Florence Shelley (a better 'spoons in my opinion), with a football match somewhere in between.
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Bournemouth is so poor for proper ale I ventured in to this wetherspoon only to find that Ruddles was the only ale on. For those of you who watch the Jeremy Kyle show you can save on your annual TV licence and come here - a spell topped by a crowd on a stag do arriving in blue t-shirts with "witty" names on them (nearly all of which seemed to translate to as 'What a Tosser'). Still it makes a change from going somewhere pleasant.
anonymous - 30 Mar 2015 21:26 |
Maybe I was just lucky, but for a very busy town this pub was not too crowded one Monday afternoon.
Good choice of ales from eight hand pumps.
Pleasant staff, good service and food served on a hot plate.
Felt very comfortable.
Handy location at the town-end of the park.
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We just had time for one beer before the bus to the football and it was beer festival time so we had some tasters which were fine. I was told that there is a CAMRA LocAle bar upstairs so another visit beckons.
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Pretty good spoons actually and a good selection of ales too,upstairs had a bar which solely sells ringwood ales which was a surprise. still a friendly place to go day and night. ale seemed well kept.
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It could be so much better than it is. The staff seem to just not care. It's possible to wait ages at the bar whilst other people who just arrive get served straight away. The pub is big on 2 floors with a large outside area on the first floor. The beer is good and a fair range. If you can go up the hill to 'Goat and Tricycle' it is far better.
tanky - 27 Apr 2012 14:45 |
Busy place whatever time of day. Beers in good condition and staff seem enthusiastic. Something for everyone here.
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went in early evening large pub order a pint of abbot which was a good pint.lot better pub than the other spoons/lloyds the nearby mary shelly
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Huge department store conversion with distinct areas -- stag parties in the main bar, families in the side bar, oldies at the back and students upstairs.
The real ale side of things seem to be steadily improving and it can be a rival to the Goat and Tricycle on a good day. However it is inevitably and invariably full of idiots on Friday and Saturday nights, door staff notwithstanding. For service and sanity. go in when its quiet
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Huge pub with great potential. Let down by poor staffing levels - service is painfully slow at the weekends.
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Cavernous spoons with 3 guests usually available. Very centrally located. Wifi doesn't work.
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Pop in for a pint when im in Bournemouth. Have been in alot JDWs around the country. WUSIWUG, so dont go in them if you dont agree with the concept.
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Friendly bar staff, typical JD pub but at least you know what you are getting
riach - 20 Sep 2009 18:46 |
Service has improved here quite considerably in the last year or so and there seems to be a much better selection of guest ales nowadays.
anonymous - 22 Jun 2009 17:19 |
Another week to go with this years spring beer festival.
All the beers tasted so far have been excellent.
This is a great pub, always a good choice of real ales to sample
and good deals on food as well.
Thanks very much to all the bar staff for keeping me topped up!!
anonymous - 29 Apr 2009 13:10 |
Sunday morning after Poole beer fest. Very busy. Not a very long wait for a fantastic breakfast. Staff quick and enthusiastic with serving and clearing food. A bit of a wait at the bar though..but no more than you would expect with the number of customers.
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this has got to be the worst pub for bad service in the world,unintelligent,slow and thick are the 3 main qualities you need to work here,the place looked a mess.i bet tim martin would be proud of this hole.if you havent been dont bother.
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Range of guest ales has improved somewhat in recent months, but service remains unreliable.
anonymous - 18 Jun 2008 20:04 |
Had a good pint of Ringwoods 49er whilst waiting for someone and had to wait for that due to lack of bar staff. Food seemed OK but didn't try any of it.
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Went in this pub at the end of the Spring Beer Festival.
The usual Wetherspoons lack of staff, with little or no supervision. It is probably not the fault of the staff on duty, but down to the management, or lack of it!
Otherwise, it was a good visit, with the three beers tasted in excellent condition.
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This is a nice pub and I use it quite often but the 1 down side to it is their is never enough staff on duty it does not matter if its busy or quiet you wait ages to be served I think I am echoing comments made on quite a few previous postings THAT THEIR IS NEVER ENOUGH STAFF ON DUTY.
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To all the staff posting on here saying that it isn't your fault that you're incompetent...Yes it is. I have never been to a pub with ruder more useless staff ever in my life. The only reason people drink here is that since the Tap&Hobbit shut there isn't an alternative.
p.s. the bouncers are still as aggressive as ever
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A great place to spend a summer afternoon when they open the front windows so you can let the breeze wash over you. Other than that it is the same as any Wetherspoons and a great place to start a night out
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Went here on sunday afternoon it did seem like it was"nt your usual Wetherspoon window licking crowd!but there was a Xmas market in the square so plenty of couples in after shopping ,the usual obligitary 10 mniute wait to get served but hey it"s a Wetherspoons so it"s not worth getting arsey about and at �4.60 for a pint of Smooth and a double Bailey"s worth the wait!
Classic line from the young barman when i asked for the Bailey"s and ice "anything else in that sir" oh well at least he called me sir!
PS-Wetherspoons please can you get just one barperson to make the coffee !!
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regarding the comments below, it may be blindingly obvious to you but to the staff who are trying to do ten things at once it becomes a little more difficult. so try a little patience and repsect and you might get better service
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Agree with the comments below regarding slow service and am fed up with being asked "Who's next please?" when it's blindingly obviously yours truly has been stood at the bar for 5 minutes. That said though the beer quality is okay and more importantly cheap. A conveniently situated bar if you happen to be in the Square on business, shopping or on holiday etc but not worth going out of your way to visit. As for food I do dine here occasionally for convenience and find it adequate. The curries are actually very good by pub standards but I very rarely order a steak anywhere other than at a proper restaurant.
anonymous - 5 Dec 2007 17:45 |
The pub is always full during the day with shady characters and large groups of drunk old men. They seem to take over the downstairs bar, shouting and swearing.Yet the management let them get away with it.You do not see these people at weekends as the bouncers would not let them in. The beer is cheap and nasty.Stay away unless you like being sworn at and you are prepared to wait ages to get served. Not the place to take the wife!!
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Went in there this evening at 18.30 for a meal at its steak club night. Told the kitchen was shut and not taking any more orders as it was too busy.The pub itself, customer wise was not busy, they just cannot get the staff to run the place.
Call yourself a pub. Sack all the staff and bring back the old management team before you have no customers left to serve.
anonymous - 4 Dec 2007 20:31 |
I think this pub has gone down hill since the management team changed. There are still a couple of the old team trying thier best to keep it together, but unfortunatley they are not in charge of recruitment. I think a change of Pub Manager is needed here!
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I agree with the last 2 comments. Not enough bar staff.
Service is very slow as it seems most of the staff cannot speak English or have never worked in a pub before.The food is not cheap any more and nearly always under cooked or cold.There are better pubs to go to at weekends where you can get served quickly and get the right food and drinks.
anonymous - 2 Dec 2007 17:43 |
I was there last Friday and Saturday evenings. Waste of time as too few bar staff and took too long to get served.You have to be a friend of the bar staff to stand any chance of getting served quickly, as it seems mates are served first. AVOID AT WEEKENDS AT ALL COSTS!
anonymous - 2 Dec 2007 17:12 |
I have been there the last few Friday and Saturday evenings and the service is crap. Had to wait 15 mins to get served every time. Too few bar staff who have no idea how to serve real ale or lager.Seems like they are cutting back on staff. No wonder they cannot keep the ones they do have. Last night no real ale in the upstairs bar for a large part of the evening.Sort yourselves out or we will be going elsewhere in future.
anonymous - 1 Dec 2007 15:39 |
I disagree with the last comment. They have just held a beer festival that lasted nearly 3 weeks. 50 ales at �1.65 a pint. Many of them award winning ales. Most of them were great,ok a few not so good but you can get that in any pub.Have never met a rude member of staff there and yes it can take a long time to get served at weekends because the place is so popular. Where else in Bournemouth can you get better value for money?
anonymous - 16 Nov 2007 17:31 |
The real ale is atrocious. It isn't very cheap anymore. The staff are rude and so so slow. The food is average. Unfortunately there are few alternatives in the area.
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My wife and I live in Westbourne and walked down along the front to our adopted local for lunch. We always go up to the roof garden - we smoke! The food as ever excellent - Greek Starter for me and Chicken Alfredo for my wife, booze great and polite staff. Prices - fantastic value for money as always. So the holiday makers we have to put up with each year stop complaining and enjoy your stay at one of our best venues Mike and Chris
anonymous - 3 Sep 2007 11:40 |
typical wetherspoons rammed with customers, not enough staff to serve and a good old duty manager that watches the chaos without lifting a finger to help...grubby tables, but i have not found a wetherspoons thats does not have grubby tables due to lack of staff and organisation...service was ok after the standard wait.
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Thanks to the bouncer for letting us in. Or at least half of us. The other half fell foul of the bouncer's novel excuse: "There are families eating at the moment."
Naturally, we'd hate to disturb these folk gorging on the finest gourmet pennies can by, by drinking beer. In a pub.
What's the World coming too! They'll ban smoking next!
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Not the worst Wetherspoons in the world, you have to go to Brighton for that, but getting there. Half the problem is the clientele these places attract, who are far more interested on getting pissed on the cheap than the quality of their surroundings. No wonder the bar staff couldn't give a toss given what they have to endure.
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I am a regular at this pub and agree service can be slow at busy times. What do you expect for beer at �1.79 a pint! Must be the cheapest pub in Bournemouth and the beer is worth waiting a little while for. Or would you go somewhere and pay �3 a pint and not be able to hear your self speak. I know where I would go!!
Always a great range of real ales to choose from.
anonymous - 16 May 2007 22:03 |
This place is an absolute sham. The bar staff are incompetent so getting served, even at an empty bar, proves difficult. Several times now I've been served beer in absolutely filthy glasses with no apology.
I complained to Wetherspoons who said they were dealing with the issues at this place but still no improvements have been made. The bar staff are slow, the bouncers would rather start a fight than stop one and the place is still filthy.
If you take a trip to the Wetherspoons on Poole Quay you will see that not all of these pubs are so terrible.
It all boils down to the fact that this place is ineptly managed!
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Nothing has improved in this place. Same aweful stench of vinegar and sick, same terrible rude staff, same filthy glasses. For such a good location I had got my hopes up that the refurblishment would improve the place. It hasnt. Avoid at all costs.
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A big improvement. Both bars have been refurbished to a very high standard. I went there on a Friday Evening and the pub was very busy but loads of bar staff and glass collectors. Did not wait more than 5 mins for a drink. Makes a nice change 10/10 for service. Well done to all the staff.
anonymous - 13 Apr 2007 23:40 |
Good news Moon fans-your shiny new pub will be open for business again on 2nd April! Both bars have been ripped out & replaced with new bars, so hopefully no more funny smells! The Moon will now be serving the coldest draught beer in town, perfect on a hot sunny day! Hope to see you all at the grand opening on Monday 2nd April x
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Always smells of sick.
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cheap beer, cheep food, food was well cooked and hot but very basic. Doorstaff and managers seem profesional. No too many scummers like a lot of wetherspoon pubs have. cheep beer!!!
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Well, what can I say? As a hard-working member of staff at this pub, I'm certainly concerned by these comments! We aim to give excellent customer service every time, sometimes we fall short of this, but generally our staff are a friendly, helpful bunch. With prices so low, it's difficult to actually make a profit, so sometimes we do have to cut back on staff. I'm sure if we increased our prices we'd hear a few complaints!
Our drinks selection is pretty impressive. We have a wide selection of real ales available, which you don't see in many other chain pubs. Our food is excellent value, & usually delivered quickly. Despite what you may think, we rarely receive complaints about the quality of the food, & the majority of customers are full of compliments for our chefs.
The management team is excellent, they run the pub really well, & are always available to chat to if you have any problems.
So, in conclusion, next time you're in the square, why don't you pop in & pay us a visit, so that you can judge for yourselves??!
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I would just like to say as someone who works in this pub that we always offer excellent customer service. I agre that there are not enough staff on at times but when you are the cheapest pub in Bournemouth and have deals such as a coffee for 69p, a beer and a burger for �3.99 it's quite difficult to make money to spend on staff and actually hit our target wage percentage. Maybe some people are use to going to other bars and spending around �3 per bottle/pint they have. I personally think customer service is awful in other pubs around the sqaure, each to thier own I suppose. Typical spoons? probably,but what pub doesn't have 'chav's' and old people. We make them feel welcome thats why they come back. The drink selection is second to none. Zyweic,Zyvturus we sell them. Bud on tap, red stripe on tap. I could go on. We are getting a refurb soon which willmake the place so much better and willno doubt improve the speed of service on fri and sat night. the problem at the moment is that we can't get enough staff behind the bar. The Management are best I have seen run a pub. Others in town you would think they just open the door and let things go thier own way.
In all i'm saying this is, not being biast, a great pub!
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This must be the worst pub I have been in for service.
I had to wait about 15 minutes to get served by a young barmaid who clearly didn't know what she was doing.Glasses and dirty plates on every table, the place looked a right mess. Avoid at all costs. There are a lot of much better bars in Bournemouth to go to.
anonymous - 10 Jan 2007 21:26 |
The service in this place is aweful, it took 20 minutes to get served. Why do they hire staff who don't give a bugger about good customer service? Apart from that its a typical "spoons" place. Yes...full of chavs and odd locals.
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I agree, not the greatest of pubs. But it's ok for a (1) drink if your absoluty bored of every where else. Do seem to get the dregs of Bournemouth in there. Have eaten there twice albeit 3/4 years ago, pasto was ok, but the mixed grill was quite good. Agree about the staffing - i.e. never enough.
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Do not go there on a Friday or Saturday evening as it gets very busy.Nearly always short of staff and you have to wait ages to get served.Also run out of real ales a lot as they cannot be bothered to change the kegs.
anonymous - 25 Dec 2006 17:41 |
the service is absoloutley appalling, always has been. staff don't give a toss, have no idea how to work a bar, no idea about what they are selling,the bar"managers" have'nt got a clue about customer service, and will do anything to avoid serving you. it's cheap but dirty, unkempt and dingy.there are a lot better places in town
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Got very run down and dirty, you stick to the carpet. Terrible service.
anonymous - 22 Sep 2006 14:25 |
OK despite what I say - I admit now that I go here occasionally because it's better than the others in the square.
But sorry the beer is bad = so buy the bottles, the food is packaged & frozen, the bar staff are NOT a happy bunch, no-one clears the plates or the glasses away from the tables or can even cast a smile when they serve you. But you pay for what you get. Pile it high and sell it cheap. But be careful the offers can change and catch you out.
You are better off buying shares in this one than a pint of beer but some one out there likes it. You can see by the queues. If only they had one of them ticket machines so they knew who was next at the bar. Yep, if Tesco's cheese counter ran a pub it would be so much better and chessier.
anonymous - 4 Sep 2006 04:43 |
Not a bad Spoons. Was relieved to start racking in the cheapies as Bournemouth seems expensive! Only problem food took ages to arrive!!
Wineo - 23 Aug 2006 11:31 |
I have never seen any hillbilly people outside of Nashville, Tennessee, certainly not in Dorset!
I went to The Moon this lunchtime; you detractors should climb the stairs, get away from the disgusting smoke on the ground floor, and enjoy Wetherspoons at its best.
Three meals, three drinks and change from 20 quid. And the Spitfire was first-class at only �1.65 per pint. I pay exactly �1 more in a crap hole in North Hampshire.
Staff were warm and friendly (and spoke excellent English being Bournemouth locals.
Can't fault the place!
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What a dump. Went there last Thursday whilst visiting Bournemouth and it is full of hillbilly type people who make the place looke a right mess and staff don't seem to have a clue what they are doing. Took 10 minutes to get served aswell.
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Not a bad place to pop in and have a drink with a few friends early evening, the beer is cheap after all. Went in there late one saturday for a few drinks and the place was packed, started chatting to a couple of girls and one of the doorstaff took exception to this and promptly told me i had to leave as they where closing up soon. I still had about half a pint left and there where still about 30 people left in there so i carried on chatting, next thing i know the doorman is in my face telling me to get out and he wasn't going to ask again, surfice to say i refused to be spoken to in such a way and was promptly thrown outside and threatend by both door staff. All i can think is the girl i was chatting up was his sister or girlfriend, anyway i wont be going back in there again.
anonymous - 8 Jun 2006 12:40 |
Even for a Wetherspoons this is bad. There is a very unpleasant odour round the bar area, which another punter told me had been there for days. Limited selection of real ale. The decor is tatty. The bar staff were okay on Saturday, but this doesn't make up for the other failings. Stay away unless you're deperate.
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this pub gets worse with each visit.
never enough staff and leaderless.
wont be going there again as they havent got a clue about customers,products or service.
proves cheap is not always great.
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Beer is cheap that's why people go there! It's definately not for the excellent service. I'm not racial but it would be nice if they speak english. Is it difficult to serve in turn!!! Bar is hard work on a busy night! Why have a no smoking zone upstairs when you have an open stair case? Swap it around maybe? Still it is cheap! Bring back Jack Daniels and not that other fake shit!
pinta - 13 Mar 2006 18:40 |
Its a Weatherspoon's. Beer and food are cheap.
Staff are variable, some are really quite good, most aren't.
Interesting layout, lots of stairs, lots of levels/floors. Really nice mirrors.
Wide range of real ales, some are very nice.
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I think this pub is just badly laid out. The bar area is too small. You have to walk up steps to get to the restaurant area and just about everywhere else. Weatherspoons need to think about redesigning it and certainly let in more light.
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Cheap drinks. Can't really say anything else good about it!
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Basic Wetherspoons pub. Good food. Good priced drinks but sorry I don't like your beers at all.
PS: The Staff are useless get someone who wants to do a good job not half of one.
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Service can be really slow sometimes - and not just at busy times! Otherwise a reasonable pub by Wetherspoons standards.
anonymous - 27 Jun 2005 14:48 |
It does what it says on the can - basic chain pub wih reasonably priced food. Good to place to meet. No smoking upstairs. Not special but you know what your getting.
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Agree with the old blokes selling cheap ciggies.
service is a bit slow and the staff seem a bit rude otherwise ok for a lunch time drink but would not go at night
anonymous - 3 May 2005 14:43 |
Would agree with Pioneer. Having worked there over a summer would add some more what he says. The service can be poor and thats down to the cheapskate chain never ever employing enough people. Even on a week night we would have to work for 3 hours after closing to get the place in order again. Management also do everything in their power to make working here unpleasant - no initiative or spark allowed and unfortunately that is sometimes passed on to the customers. This place is also absolutely rammed with people trying to get a pissed as possible for �10 on fri and sat! I'd avoid.
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This pub is located right in the middle of the town sandwiched between the two sides of the shopping centre. It gets little old ladies eating fish and chip dinners during the day, and the loud crowd at night. I would say the only sensible time to go their is early evening mid-week. Its becoming a bit dirty round the edges and not very nice. Service at busy times is rubbish.
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Waited 25 minutes to get served & left without getting a sniff of a pint. Not been on our crawl in recent times & now I can remember why...
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Its a Weatherspoons. Say no more. But one of the better ones.
anonymous - 26 Feb 2005 22:51 |
Aside from the crowds at the weekend, there is another good reason to avoid this pub. The thugs they employ on the door. Probably in order to keep the drinks prices down, only one of the doors is actually staffed, and woe betide anyone who dares enter via the wrong door - there's no signage on it I should add, that actually TELLS you not to use it. You'll likely find yourself put in a headlock, and tossed out into the road. That's if you are lucky. I've heard worse has happened to punters there.
Nice place.
anonymous - 25 Feb 2005 18:37 |
The Moon is a great place,it really is. Cheap beer, a good atmosphere and plenty of nice seating. Great for a warm up for clubbing, or can be a night out on its own! As already mentioned, they do a beautiful steak as well. The only downer is how packed it gets at the weekend - the price of success I suppose.
One of my favourites.
anonymous - 17 Jan 2005 16:54 |
cheap good food,right in town
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I suggest Brewer's Fayre (The Durley) take a look at how a "chain" pub can be run. Good real ales here at reasonable prices. It CAN be done!
Nigel - 11 Oct 2004 12:18 |
Used to frequent when it first opened back in 93/ 94. One of the more 'townie' Wetherspoons in that it is packed at weekends and full of the raucous animated chatter of youngsters. Or it was. Haven't been for aeons.
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Use the Moon whenever I'm in Bournemouth, about 5 or 6 times a year.
Bit peculiar that No Smoking is upstairs, because non-smokers have to walk through the fug to get there, and also because, given the physics of the thing, smoke rises, so non-smokers get all the crap upstairs anyway.
Nice to sit out on the roof terrace on a sunny day.
Congrats to the staff who always try to make the customer feel welcome.
PsychO - 8 Sep 2004 01:20 |
Used to work here - hellish conditions but great, underpaid and overworked staff kept it going. Way too busy but good if you are basically a) trying to get as pissed as possible or b) pretty tight-fisted.
djbj - 1 Sep 2004 17:45 |
I like it! One of the better W'spoons; friendly staff and well kept beers.
Nigel - 15 Aug 2004 12:24 |
This is a great place to eat out for lunch, with a cheap menu that's got a lot of variety. It's also a great place to meet up and start your night, but it will get very busy- especially on the weekend.
Michael Stanton - 9 Aug 2004 14:21 |
general whetherspoonsness; atmosphere is non existant and it could really be any of this chains venues in the uk, but you'll go, cuz its cheap. nothing of interest.
Ris - 12 Mar 2004 05:18 |
Great Atmosphere. Great Prices. Not the Best food, but better than most.
Sarah - 5 Jan 2004 05:07 |
Great starting place for a night out where you can have a laugh and chat with your mates before going to a club to hit the dancefloor. Great prices and offers. Separate upstairs non smoking section as well which is always a bonus.
Ed - 15 Sep 2003 21:51 |
As wetherspoons go - this is not one of the better ones. The kitchen is small and often overworked - as a result food is often not available or a long time coming - yet this situation has improved of late.
The real ale is much better downstairs; but the air much cleaner upstairs.
Large pub, but extremely popular and clouded during lunch, and on Friday/Saturday nights.
Rob - 12 Sep 2003 08:55 |
Always gets packed on the weekends. Cheap Wetherspoons prices, food not bad.
Jon - 17 Aug 2003 18:31 |
It's a fairly bog-standard Wetherspoons pub but I have some top memories of going here back in my Uni days. Good starting off point for a night out with cheap beer and tons of room.
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Nice place to socialise with friend. Well priced and good quality food and drinks. Supports the none drinkers or drivers with well prices soft drinks.
Rob - 1 Jul 2003 11:27 |
As you've probably guessed a Wetherspoon's pub. Located in the town centre, it's a massive place covering two floors with upsatirs being no smoking. Usual range of decently priced and well looked after beers. Half a dozen fruit machines and a quiz machine. No footie shirts. Food isn't too bad.
John - 12 Feb 2003 13:06 |
