please note - reviews on this site are purely the opinion of site visitors, so don't take them too seriously.
Last review dos't leave much to add.
There are 10 hand pulls with 9 for ale and 1 for cider.
I tried a cople of the guest ales:- Morehouse Blond Witch and Thwaites Wainright which were both excellent and cost �1.99 a pint each.
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I have been to The Unicorn on several occasions in the past and as far as Wetherspoons go, this is probably just a touch above average, it's clean, the beers are OK, and the food fairly consistent. Although I do have an issue over the "chicken wings" description? Sparrow wings might be a better one.
The place itself is getting a little tatty around the edges these days and could do with some TLC, as some vandal damage was evident to a few chairs & table tops. A minority I'm sure, but sadly reflects that at times the less desirable amongst us does occasionally frequent here. This isn't unique to "Spoons" of course, but having never been here at night, it might be something to be aware of.
Anyway, no problems on the day of my visit (Lunchtime Tues 12/6/12) or on previous occasions, with most of the customers during the afternoon being of a more mature nature.
The beers on offer (as I so often find here) tend to be the multi-national generic types, rather than local micro's, with the likes of Abbott, Youngs, Ruddles dominating the bar, although on the day in question they did had a very nice Moorhouses on tap.
Sadly, I think the above might be a lack of imagination from the manager, when it comes to ordering beer, he/she is basically taking the easy option. Personally, I would like them to support local brewers (as many "spoons" do) and as such would expect to see a wider choice from the regions micro's, after all, the North West has some of the best brews in the Country.
If further evidence was needed, the "CAMRA" corner was pathetic, just a few beer pump clips, no leaflets or any promotional literature, frankly it was embarrassing and once again shows a complete lack of interest on the part of the management.
Considering the tired looking upstairs decor, the toilets were surprisingly clean, bright & almost free of vandalism, a credit to be fair.
OK to summarise, compared with a good Wetherspoons (ie.Northwich) it has a long way to go, but the staff were pleasant enough and it was clean, so aside from the generic beer range, It just about gets my vote, if not for beer, the coffee is always good.
This place has got real potential, it just needs a committed manager. .
LW, Pub/Beer critic (BeerNorthWestUK) - Twitter
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Large, modern 'spoons of no particular distinction, with a long bar and several raised seating areas. Ten real ales on handpump, including an excellent Rudgate Ruby Mild at �1.85.
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Not one of the better Wetherspoons pubs. Generally the beer is okay, food poor, lack of atmosphere, quite a few scallies knocking about.
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went in on a afternoon mid week had a abbott which was ok the pleasing thing was the bar staff that served me the pint was a bit short and asked me to leave till he had top it up and then when their was a short head on the pint and asked me if i wanted topping up more excellent service would go again one of the better lloyds(jd)
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Typical Wetherspoons pub. The 99p beer has stopped but it is still good value for money. The food is better than most Wetherspoons and it is clean and comfortable. Service can be slow as they are often short staffed. One of the better pubs in Altrincham.
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The Unicorn is sort of ok' thats about it really, unfortunately any continuity of performance from a positive stand point is lost as managers change shifts! as i've lost count of the times that there has been no cask beer available and that being the reason given! ie: lines have not been cleaned,or the beer is not ready for consumption!, which is ridiculous! when you consider that Weatherspoons pride themselves on their cask ales,also someone should take the time to teach bar staff how to pull cask ale,as some of the attempts are embarrassing,also it is a false economy to try and serve beer that has been in the line over night,as people go elsewhere if the beer is awful.so why do they do it?
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Beer usually reasonable enough but only if you can ever get served! Bar staff are either nowhere to be seen or are far too busy chatting to their colleagues at the far end of the bar to serve anyone. Neither do they appear to have a faster speed when it gets busy. And WHY do they insist on keeping the red wine in the cellar?????
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what a crap pub, absoluteely zero atmosphere even on fridays n saturdays... manager an absolute tit! kicks all members of your party with no ID out.... even if their blatently over 18.... maybe one day theyll actually dim the lights and play music u can actually hear instead of keeping it a quiet night out pub... loads of crap in my opinion!
anonymous - 10 Jan 2007 15:59 |
ONE WORD......... C H A V T A S T I C !!!!!!!
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Surprisingly quiet for a Saturday night and yet still impossible to get served.
What is it about Wetherspoons pubs apart from selling beer that is about to go past it's sell by date at reduced prices ?
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no music, not as cheap as it used to be, you can que for ages when it's busy and there's only about 10 tables you can smoke at now
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Well!This pub has definately improved since opening. Most of the Bar and Kitchen Staff are fantastic and very friendly. The place now opens at 8am every morning, and serves alcohol from 9am. The Breakfasts are certainly worth a look, especially the Farmhouse. Saturdays are the best for Breakfast as Claire's in the kitchen. Usually a nice relaxed atmosphere and currently do a BOGOF on coffee/mocha/late etc. Ideal for people who work nights such as the crazy local Tesco night staff!Perfect place to go after a long hard night's graft! Well done to all the Staff. Claire,Cheryll,Emilly,Karen,Lauren and the lads. Keep up the good work!Go on,pop in some time. A great addition to the soon to be re-developed Altrincham!
DjLee - 27 Dec 2005 16:30 |
This pub is class, it serve Magners!!
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Not a bad pub. I agree, it is a typical 'Weatherspoons' but that's why i go there. Cheap drinks - nice food. Staff can be ok.Got to agree though, last time i went in the toilets were looking a little shabby!Not the worst toilets in the world though!Just a bit of repair needed to the cubicals!Had some good nights in here though. Tend to keep trouble out-which is good. I like going during the day for a bite to eat on my lunch hour-you get served quite quickly. Overall, a good pub. Great addition to Altrincham's pub/bar scene.
Overall 8/10
anonymous - 29 Apr 2005 12:25 |
Typical weatherspoons, nothing special. Toilets started off looking fancy, now the standards have completely slipped. Locks on the male toilet cubicals are broken, and offensive writing line their walls. As with all spoons, cheap driks and food. Medium sized. Ok to go to for food or a drink during the day, not the best venue for a night out. Good they are building that part of Altricham up though. Expanding. (with Clarins opposite and the now Nicolsons over the road.)Worth popping in for a few beers before moving on elsewhere. Lloyds no1 in Manchester city centre (along with the paramount) are still the best spoons in the Manchester area in my opinion. (Other Spoons (the j p joul in near-by Sale, a few inc. the ones mentioned above in the city centre and the Robert Peel in Bury.Amongst others.)
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Breakfast is ok. needs music in here.
Chris - 15 Nov 2004 12:21 |
ok its a chain but its cheap and does ok food and isnt that the point of wetherspoons? decent staff and entertaining on friday nights! agree bout the malaga-airport-style toilets but they were better when it first opened- up keep necessary! i recommend the cheeky vimto - bargain and delicious! door staff have a great time id-ing people and laughing at their photos but it keeps the youth out (sort of) however the manager is a bit of an arse about id even when he knows you are of age, not that im bitter or anything! anyhoo, go grab a granddad!
becks - 28 Oct 2004 19:39 |
Great place but the management can be funny, walked in on derby day wearing footy shirts, got served about 5 times (twice by the manager) and then he decided we werent allowed to wear footy shirts in there! I think the rules are like the decor in there, made up as they went along. Breakfasts are allrite but does have Beer n Burger deal so gets bonus points!
Harvey - 15 Jun 2004 16:05 |
thats not the first time ive heard that about this place but they have fantastictoilets - seriously theyre great! big mirrors and leather sofas!!!! better than the actual pub.
great whether spoon prices!!!
amy - 10 May 2004 14:33 |
The only bad thing about this place is that it reminds me of a airport departure lounge with that dodgy carpet!
anonymous - 20 Apr 2004 15:13 |
This place is brilliant, cheap beer, great food (also cheap!) and nice relaxed atmosphere - what more do you want?
anonymous - 20 Feb 2004 06:24 |
