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Ash Tree, Ashton Under Lyne

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user reviews of the Ash Tree, Ashton Under Lyne

please note - reviews on this site are purely the opinion of site visitors, so don't take them too seriously.

Haven't been in the Ashton Tree for a few years. Went in on Wednesday and there was quite a few at the bar and 5 working behind. 2 were dealing with orders from the app, 1 was cleaning the spirits area, 1 was putting glasses on the shelves evan though they were nearly full and only 1 serving. These jobs could be done when it's very quiet. At least 4 people gave up and left.
ProfessorGutbucket - 23 Aug 2024 19:36
Perfectly OK Wetherspoons pub. Called in one Saturday lunchtime.

Service fairly good (for a Spoons anyway).

Fair choice of local real ales.

Prices seemed a shade high compared with other parts of the country.

Not much competition from the neighbouring pubs which seemed pretty poor.
boblarkin - 4 Nov 2019 17:53
Just had a refit and an outside extension. Will be good in the summer. Beer selection was missing millstone on my last visit. Who in my opinion are very good.
Caskales - 8 Mar 2019 14:47
This spoons has an odd lay out, from it's main entrance you are met with a flight of stairs which leads to the bar, there's also a seating area before the stairs to the left. Theres also seating further on from the bar abd yo the tifht if the bar, the bar is a H shape. Ales were Ruddles Best, Doom Bar, Abbot, Moorhouse Pendle witches brew, Kelham Best, Elland Lanky Jack, Moorhouses Blonde Witch, Moorhouses Black Cat. Went for the Black cat at 1.99 a pint (Monday price). Decent, chilled out spoons with deceht staff abd friendly staff.
Wezzielad - 13 Aug 2018 16:07
Haven't been in for a while, wish I hadn't bothered. Was in the William Wilberforce in Hull city centre last week where all Club meals were £4.99. Grill night here - £8.09. Why is this establishment so expensive? The staff are still rude and lazy.
DrHeadstone - 14 Jul 2014 18:45
I have no complaints with the selection of beer here but some staff are very surly and not pleasant. I took a pint back because there was lipstick on the top,no apology or offer of a new pint just a pour into another glass. Standards have slipped here and need to get back to what it was originally like.
Caskales - 17 Jun 2014 15:45
Previous post was obviously some e-cigger on a mission. To the pub...

It's been 2-3 years since I was in here. Service and atmosphere (Sunday: late afternoon) is greatly improved since my last visit. Good ale. 7/10.
wobblybob - 9 Mar 2014 21:11
Hi everyone !
Reckon its about time that pubs were named & shamed for not encouraging people to stop smoking by not allowing e-cigs to be used on their premises.
Quite simply all we have to do is send a review on each pubs comments saying -
e-cig FRIENDLY or
e-cig UNFRIENDLY
So i would like to report that the Ash Tree is
'e-cig UNFRIENDLY'
frankchisel - 27 Oct 2013 13:12
Busy Wetherspoons set back from the main road past Ashton station. It is set over two floors with the bar on the upper floor. Beers available were Greene King Abbot & Ruddles Best, Skinners Jungle Knocker, Arundel Old Scrooge, Adnams Yuletide, Mordue Tinsel Town & Hydes Racey Rudolph. The Westons ciders were Old Rosie & Wyld Wood plus their Country Perry. Service was quick. For beer range, this is probably the best Ashton-under-Lyne has to offer.
blue_scrumpy - 3 Dec 2012 20:06
Due to a good landlord this place is now in the good beer guide 2013
Thelittleman - 28 Sep 2012 09:37
Very competent and busy Spoons, drinkers outweighing Sunday diners. The Greenfield Stout @ �1.99 was good if slightly sour in a pleasantish way. Decent service and staff.
mtaylor40 - 24 Sep 2012 21:08
My big gripe with this pub used to be the terrible service and misrable staff but i have to say this is no longer the case. The quality and range of real ales is always very good, ive never had a pint below average condition and as most tend to be �1.99 a pint you certainly cant grumble when the likes of the dog and pheasant on oldham road are charging �3.20 a pint for bog standard marstons and a few regular guest beers. Ashton is a real ale desert so the ash tree is very welcome as it gives us one outlet where good real ales can be sampled.
bellevueace - 20 Aug 2012 13:50
By far one of the better Wetherspoons in my opinion. For one thing, the family eating area is on a different level to the bar area. That keeps the kids from underfoot.

Service, for a Wetherspoons, is excellent. Staff are always available and keen to please. The beers are always top notch. I think I might have had to send one pint back ages ago, but it was changed with good grace and without question.

The prices are a little high compared to Stalybridge (where there are never enough staff), but hey, it keeps the lowlife out, so I am not complaining at paying �2.10 a pint for real ale. Comments and suggestions are always listened to by the management and you get a real feeling of being valued.

The food is basic Wethies stuff and does exactly what it says on the tin. No complaints whatsoever. The Christmas day lunch (for an incredible �29.99) was AWESOME! Walked out absolutely stuffed.

All in all, a place where I am as happy taking my girlfriend in as I am bar lurking on my own or with friends.
brianrob1961 - 3 Mar 2012 12:36
Can't understand why this place has a lot of bad reviews its a Wetherspoons which are all basically the same they are like that town in the Simpsons that had a starbucks on every corner. Never had to take a pint back and in a town of very little real ale does us real ale fans a good service.
Caskales - 5 Feb 2012 09:52
Had a 14oz Aberdeen Angus steak on Saturday 21st January, (early evening). Top quality product, cooked to my idea of perfection. Staff always friendly and quick for a very busy place. Guest beers always good and loads of promos. Well done.
stoneytoo - 24 Jan 2012 12:23
Pub has improved since I was last in. Some new staff show willing but those who have been there a while are still lazy and ignorant. The prices here are a lot more than other Wetherspoons in the area and even 2 in Leeds city centre! Speaking to some of the regulars who told me of this establishment closing early on the whim of the staff. Rumour has it that vivaronaldo is a staff member.
ProfessorGutbucket - 16 Apr 2011 20:26
Yes, the opening hours are at long last displayed at the front entrance. Which is at least an improvement. I'm glad to hear that Vivaronaldo is content with his visits to the pub, that's fair comment. Personally, I still find the place a poor relation to the stalybridge wetherspoons .
kastanza - 7 Feb 2011 17:00
Comment made by Kastanza if they truly had their eyes open when in this pub they would see the times have changed for opening and closing these are shown in the window they seem to be more interested in the tables, which I find always clean. Guest ales are always of good quality and a great athomphere.Well done to the management !
vivaronaldo - 25 Jan 2011 16:35
opening hours update:
Sunday to Thursday 7am - 11pm
Saturday and Friday 7am - 11.30.

loads getting turned away.

If your not in 15 mins before the last orders bell , there is a good chance they wont serve you. Keep an eye on your watch, as often the bell is very gently rung, as one or two staff seem to delight in saying you've missed last orders. -hopeless.

i go in less and less these days, but for all the scrubbing and cleaning that goes on, rather than serving , the tables in this place stay dirtier longer than they once did.

It seems the management are determined to drive customers away. And its not that cheap either now.

kastanza - 15 Jan 2011 14:04
The prices have gone up AGAIN, the Ash Tree charges as much as London pubs. Was in St. Annes recently, an affluent seaside resort, where Ruddles was 45p and Carlsberg 65p cheaper, all day every day. The Club meals can be up to �1.40 dearer and other meals upto �1 at other local Wetherspoons. The Beer Festival ales are 30p cheaper in Lloyds in the Printworks in Manchester. Why is this establishment so expensive?
DrHeadstone - 8 Nov 2010 18:20
Fondly known as the Ash Tray.Very blokey atmosphere. It gets busy and scruffy in here,tables not cleaned often enough.As the designated driver I can't tell you about the beer but food-wise I wasn't impressed with the coconut-based curry- no flavour. Friends had the pudding & chips and enjoyed it.The staff here seem really nice and are the most attentive I've found in a Wetherspoons in this area but are rushed off their feet.If you order coffees, they tell you to go back to your table & they'll leave it on the end of the bar when they've made it. Its easy to forget to look every 5 seconds while you're talking to friends and really I don't want to drink anything that's been hanging around on a crowded bar.
ThoraB - 31 Aug 2010 13:55
This place has got quiet recently and no wonder, staff seem to be going through the motions, seem irritated by customers and look overly tired from long shifts.
Food has gone from average to poor.
Last week I ordered a steak which came with one tiny wrinkled mushroom and half a tomato that had been zapped into near oblivion. I wont discuss the steak, but If you can't 'grill' a tomato to some degree of success, then its time to knock it on the head. I wont eat here again. Nor will i miss the sound of bottles being chucked into the bottle skip every two minutes shattering the (ha, ha- wait for it....) 'atmosphere'.

Prices on booze seem to be creeping up too, but ash tree not unique in that. Would i really go out of my way to spend my time (and money) here? on reflection, no.

What was that clang?
The ridiculously early call for last orders or the sound of Wetherspoons share price crashing through the floor?

kastanza - 8 Jul 2010 15:30
worst wetherspoons pub possibly in the country and its on my door step. it has its own closing times even sat 11.15 pm bar shuts you just cannot get a drink
trevorporter - 7 Jun 2010 13:35
Staff have mostly improved over the last few months so i'd suggest any previous disgruntled visitors give it another chance. Time to get served has improved a too.

Their web site gives the opening hours as Sun-Thu 9am-midnight; Fri/Sat 9am-1am when in actual fact they call the first bell at 11pm and finish at 11.15pm monday to thursday. Friday and Saturday last orders is at 11.45pm !
This is a bit naff and i'm sure is costing wetherspoons a small fortune in lost trade.
kastanza - 1 Mar 2010 13:10
Guest ales �1.75 yesterday and fine, as was the food and the service. May not be the best Wetherspoons going, but competition is pretty poor in Ashton....
oftenscore6 - 18 Oct 2009 19:11
Unbelievable! I read the last comment and thought I'd give it a nother try. Worst decision of the week. No IPA on and the manager has even put it up by 30p - not so at all the other local Wetherspoons. The reason why there are a lot in is because it's full of Blue Rinse filling up on the �2.99 meals and cheap coffee. Staff still bone idle and ignorant.
stemail - 22 Feb 2009 19:31
I have been going in the Ash Tree for the last 6 months most of the staff are excellant ,the pub offers great food and real ales, I think its the best WETHERSPOONS in the area, just go in and see how busy it is which proves my point. If its as bad as they say people would not go in.
vivaronaldo - 16 Feb 2009 18:38
No IPA on AGAIN this weekend. Don't get sucked in and pay �1.99, walk out and go to one of the numerous nearby pubs for �1.40 or less where you'll be treated with a smile - not a scowl by the Ash Tree's surly and totally ignorant barstaff.
MikeStand - 8 Feb 2009 20:05
Forget it! THE worst Wetherspoons in the area and the most expensive. Staff are unbelievably ignorant, thick and ugly. Don't hang around if you're thirsty - it usually takes a minimum of 10 minutes to get served.
cowheelpieman - 6 Feb 2009 12:41
Why is IPA never available from Friday to Sunday? It's so you'll drink the dearer guest beers @ �1.99 so that the old and infirm can can have more for their benefits midweek. Service still crap and staff as ignorant as ever.
oldsmoothie - 3 Feb 2009 18:59
Oh dear! Thought I'd call in to see if the reviews were true. Unbelievable, it's the worst Wetherspoons I've been in. The staff just could'nt care less - I waited 15 minutes to be served (the IPA was very good though) by a scruffy scroat. Was curious about reports on Witchipoo, I knew who she was instantly.
BradPitz - 22 Jan 2009 13:00
Don't waste your time asking for any of the special offers on Friday or Saturday nights, the staff are too bone idle to go to the cellar to change the IPA or bring out any San Miguels or wine. Staff still scruffy and ignorant, although Witchypoo has had a makeover but still disappears when 4 or more are waiting to be served - just likke the other bar staff.
DrHeadstone - 18 Jan 2009 10:52
Service has improved but this is due to falling off in trade. Guest beers in the Festival were very good but was this due to the money off vouchers? I won't pay �1.99 when other nearby wetherspoons are between 30p and 60p cheaper.
trevburn - 20 Nov 2008 19:16
What more can I say after reading these reviews? I agree with them all, Tim Martin MUST visit this Wetherspoons. I have not been in one worse - anywhere. You wait for ages to be served and the looks you get if you use one of the latest vouchers is unbelievable. Give it a miss and go elsewhere.
ProfessorGutbucket - 20 Oct 2008 19:54
Used to be a meeting place before moving on but not any more due to high prices, Abbott is 50p more than Lloyds in The Printworks. The staff are absolutely ignorent and lazy especially the Ginger who has moved from the Up Steps, Oldham. Only a dozen in on Sunday night, won't bother again for quite a while.
roughyed - 15 Oct 2008 12:58
One of the worst Wetherspoons i've ever been in. Lots of handpumps but when you ask for one of the beers you're usually told it's not on (or quite often that a whole row of 5 pumps are not on) - no turning round of clips, "sorry not available" or "coming soon" signs here. Staff vary between ok and appalling and they don't seem to have any policy on who gets let in so often full of gangs of drunken chavs - or worse! Almost impossible to get served when busy. Not pleasant at night. Ashton's a dump but there's better places than this if you are stuck there.
LittleFamilyFish - 20 Aug 2008 12:26
Oh dear! Recently called in for the first time in about six months. The ales are priced at what I expect to pay in a London suburban Wetherspoon! A couple of the bar staff are friendly and helpful, but the rest seem to do anything to avoid eye-contact with customers - let alone serve us. The quality of the ales has declined sharply since my last visit. Shall not be going in again. Echo the point made in a previous posting that Tim Martin needs to pay a surprise visit to this outlet.
wobblybob - 15 Aug 2008 14:15
The service is going from bad to worse. I waited 10 minutes to be served this lunchtime, only one serving with 4 others chatting away in the pot cleaning room. Don't they know that the money comes in from the other side of the bar?
DrHeadstone - 22 Jul 2008 18:32
Haven't been in for a while due to obvious reasons but thought I'd give it a try (Sun 20th July) after reading latest comments. Couldn't agree more - waited ages to be served whilst two put bottles into the drinks cabinet even though at least 10 people were waiting to be served. Does Tim Martin know whats going on in this establishment?
MikeStand - 21 Jul 2008 19:14
I wouldn't say that waiting to get served here is bad, but the last time I asked for a pint in this pub I was clean shaven, when I finally got served I had a full beard, and don't get me started about the slop they serv up, I wouldn't feed it to my pigs.
kauhuhu - 21 Jul 2008 14:30
service is crap, can't they be bothered to do anything but scratch their backsides, and don't even get me started on the food. well if you can call it food, i mean anyone can use a microwave, except these dumbos here. i will tell you about the drinks next time, well if i can be bothered unlike the staff.

my rating really should have been -5 but i will have to settle for 0
alchopop - 18 Jul 2008 12:46
Waited 10 minutes to be served and when Witchypoo decided to serve me she took my order but then served 2 of her friends instead. Forget this place and drink in the Bowling Green instead.
rumturkey - 18 Jul 2008 12:31
Served OK at first but as soon as the manager went home the staff just disappeared. When one did finally show her face she was just ignorant - are the staff taking the piss?
trevburn - 17 Jul 2008 12:24
After 18 months of steady improvement, the Ash Tree has gone back to the dire old days since former manager Ray has returned. Staff now miserable and lazy. Food must have deteriorated - just look how much is left on the plates. This pub is the most expensive Wetherspoons in the area.
stemail - 15 Jul 2008 12:58
Good real ales at sensible prices, but the service can be hit and miss. I tend to go in at quieter times.
wobblybob - 14 Aug 2007 21:13
After a couple of promising weeks, back to normal on 15th October - 1 serving and at least 6 others doing nothing.
sweetcorn - 16 Oct 2006 19:30
Service was fine on Monday, quite busy too.
oftenscore6 - 20 Sep 2006 18:16
Service is still pathetic, some of the staff are just ignorant - the will see you waiting then just walk away. A few new faces however are fairly keen [at the moment]. When served, the guest beers are very good.
trevburn - 19 Sep 2006 19:38
Agree with all other reviews. Couldn't believe my luck on Sunday 10th Sept., served within 5 minutes - a new record, by a new barmaid. However, the staff that have been there ages are still bone-idle, rigger-mortice has definatly set in.
oldsmoothie - 11 Sep 2006 19:52
I have been in 96 Wetherspoons and this is THE WORST for getting served, The staff will do any other job but serve you. If you are lucky enough to be served, the the beer is excellent.
stemail - 14 Aug 2006 19:52
Be prepared for a very very long wait, sometimes you will even give up.
The service is the worst Ive encountered as it is in most Weatherspoons. The staff have two speeds - slow and stop.

Drinking time is severely lost so my advice is dont bother!
Siouxsie - 4 Jul 2006 16:25
Find the service in this pub woeful, dont bother now.
bellevueace - 17 May 2006 22:39
Cracking pint of Aboott served by a chap,who'd been left on his own,but who was working as quickly as the normal combination of 3 slackers you get at most Wethers pubs....usual Wethers pub features
EdgarBriggsMI5 - 28 Feb 2006 17:36
Do the staff here not get paid for the extra hour they put in! You'd think not, miserable lot. And how dumb can they be, a hand pull pump with a Boddingtons Cask badge showing and not 1 but 2 bar staff said 'we don't do Boddies' despite being shown the pump they still argued they don't do it, so don't bother complaining because the staff ain't bothered, just drink and eat elsewhere. (future tip: The Angel)
mrBean - 13 Dec 2005 00:05
A typical Wetherspoons pub, but seems to be a regularly used meeting point for a lot of people due to the cheap drinks. I tend to rediscover an old friend in there whenever I pop in and it's a cheerful enough place.
Pritesh - [email protected] - 12 Jan 2004 23:04

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