please note - reviews on this site are purely the opinion of site visitors, so don't take them too seriously.
The last Saturday before Christmas and another football trip has me in Stoke on Trent at 11am, I have 3 pubs in the area to visit and I want to tick them all before kick off.
My first stop is this lively smaller than average size 'spoons in Stoke High Street.
Just after 11am and the pub is rammed, barely a table free with the 'spoons breakfast going down like a storm.
On the bar are 2 banks of 6 hand pumps which each pump offering a different ale with several on offer from smaller breweries. I make a quick decision and decide on a pints of Celt Experiences' The Lost Antlers @ 4.4% and Wincle Brewery Wibbly Wallaby @ 4.4% both at the reliable 'spoons price of £2.20 a pint.
I’m unsure what the building was before Mr Martin's company got hold of it but it has a feel of an old furniture shop about it. A sign written on a blackboard by the bar proudly display's that the pub has been in the GBG since 2008, based on the couple of pints I had I'm not surprised, the ales were very well kept.
A very nice pub with good ales and friendly, attentive service this was a good start to the day.
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At first sight, this is a bog standard Wetherspoons outlet, but where it bucks the trend is the excellent service, not normally a feature of Tim Martin's establishments. On a busy Friday lunchtime, I was served with drinks almost immediately, the food soon followed. The tables were cleared (and cleaned) very promptly. There were 12 hand pulls in use – three or four the usual JDW suspects, but also a good selection of guests from near and far. I opted for a Marston's Old Empire – one of my favourites and I wasn't disappointed.
There certainly did not appear to be too much evidence of the Stoke lowlife frequenting the pub, the major downside was running the gauntlet of the smokers gathered around the entrance.
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Having reread my previous review, I think I was unduly harsh. This place has smartened itself up a bit. The No Smoking notice on the door to the loos has gone, service is prompt and efficient (well for Wetherspoons anyay), and the range and quality of beers good. On my last visit the 11 handpumps in use contained 6 guest ales, 1 house beer, Abbot, Ruddles & Doom Bar. I tried the Rhymney Export and Jurassic Dark which were both very nice. The most unusual feature I noticed was that the staff were all wearing what appeared to be matching blue butchers aprons ! Never seen that in any other Spoons. Unfortunately, this is Stoke, so the clientele are still somewhat rough, with many chainsmokers congregating just outside the doors.
5/10 – run of the mill Spoons
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I always make for here when in Stoke - only 10 mins from Railway Station.
In here last Saturday just before 11.00.
They have 12 hand pulls with no less than SEVEN different guest ales.
They vary in price from £2.15 to £2.40 depending on the strength.
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Not sure why we re-visited this Wetherspoons. We should probably have headed to the Glebe instead. Nevertheless we did and the beer range wasn't brilliant - Greene King Abbot, Bass, Theakston Old Peculier, Tring Colley's Dog, Mordue Workie Ticket, Milestone Little John & Slaters Haka. The lack of a dark beer or any ciders was disappointing. Discounts are offered for CAMRA members. But these are poorly advertised.
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Pretty poor example of a town centre Wetherspoons that luckily we did not stay in for long. 5 ales were on - Greene King Abbot & Ruddles Best, Bass, Titanic Captain Smiths & Stonehenge Rudolph. No real ciders were served. I think there were more beers "coming soon" than actually on and as usual they were a better selection than those that were on. The interior is the usual bland open plan. Bar staff didn't seem overly interested in customer service. There are far better Wetherspoons than this one and many better pubs in Stoke too.
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Poor even by JDW standards
Sven2 - 25 Jun 2012 10:46 |
Poor even by JDW standards
Sven2 - 25 Jun 2012 10:46 |
Quite small for a JDW pub but one of the better ones.
Good service and no less than 12 hand pulls.
6 are for Titanic. I tried a pint of Slipway and also a pint of Maiden Voiage which were both excellent and sold for �1.99 a pint as did most others.
3 other guests were on with 1 pump each for Courage Directors, Abbott and Ruddles.
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Friendly JDW house. Mixed bag of customers. Been in better Spoons houses but been on a lot worse. Worth a look in for the ales!
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I've never been to a pub that had staff this friendly. They get on with each other and the customers fantastically which creates a great atmosphere. I nip in here regularly to see the usual familiar faces and am never sent away without having had a good chat first. Good beer, prices aren't so competitive, but worth it for the service. Much better than the Hanley Wetherspoon!
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Well atended watering hole. Home to many regulars. Smiles from staff and punters. In-house policy to suport local brewers. Well-kept ale. Trying to suport comunity. Insides nicer than it looks outside.
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What an awful place ! Full of dubious characters, ranging from doddery half-drinking pension spenders to shaven headed tattoed lager swillers. Difficult to get served because there was only 1 ⅓ bar staff to deal with at least a dozen people at the bar (and the place wasn�t crowded otherwise). [Actually there were two people behind the bar, but one of them was completely clueless and had to be shown how to do everything] Prominent signs on toilet doors saying smoking is forbidden � I think that about sums the place up ! If you can put up with all these drawbacks however, the beer is quite reasonable.
2/10 � one of the worst pubs I�ve ever been to !
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This pub isnt bad, its a lot worse than that!
ROB54 - 22 Jun 2010 23:42 |
Typical Wetherspoons,identikit interior ,no character and pissed pensioners scattered around.Large beer range,but five handpumps with beer pending notices meant a disappointing range actually available with Nelsons Revenge the only quaffable option.Very misleading board outside listing some absolutely top ales but when I questioned this ,Scary Mary behind the bar said that those brews were all on yesterday but then ran out and she had not updated the board.However she had still wheeled the board outside when opening up ,and it was still there when we left.Poor.
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All the barmaids were wearing tee shirts advertising crap beer on the front (yes, including Greene King I.P.A.) and Rugby positions on the back. The girl who served us had HOOKER in four inch letters across her back.
The rest you know, it�s another J D Wetherspoons !
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The Wheatsheaf used to be Stoke's premier live music venue, with a band on most nights including a large number of big names. Following complaints about noise (from whom? Nobody lives within half a mile of the place!), the Council terrorised the landlord out (who went on to run the Talbot up the road). The pub sat empty for a while before being taken over by the dreaded Wetherspoons outfit.
Nowadays, it is the smartly-decorated home of every retired and unemployed alcoholic in Stoke. And no music. It's like watching a loved one suffer a drawn-out living death following a stroke.
Food not bad, however! (Wetherspoon cook-chill standard)
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News to me. Poor and at times undrinkable real ale served by blinkered, ignorant barstaff who seem to be particularly disinterested in customer service. Give it a wide berth unless your only interest is in price and then you would be better off in the supermarket !
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Always appears to be busy and sells cheap real ale.I always feel slightly intimidated when i walk in here but it's probably just me as i've had no problems whatsoever and haven't even been offended by a poor pint yet.
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