please note - reviews on this site are purely the opinion of site visitors, so don't take them too seriously.
same old problem at a WSP, went in last Monday lunchtime, not enough staff.
confused teenager serving behind the bar, poured a bloke's beer out with an inch of froth, till customer suggested he top it up. I had to repeat my order three times, because barman did not seem to know what products WSP sold.
manager rushing about delivering food, a woman behind the bar seemed to serve as and when she was in the mood!!
Tim, send in the rapid reaction force.
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Relatively small spoons with quick friendly service on day i visited.The pint of Hawkshead Red was very good too. 7/10
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Spent an hour here on the cold, wet Bank Holiday Sunday afternoon.
As Wetherspoon's go this seems to be one of the better ones. Everything was clean and working, and the staff were efficient and quick. You wouldn't want to spend the whole night there, but it's perfectly OK for a stop over on the way somewhere else.
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Someone at 'spoons seem to have read the comments here as the beer choice has improved over the past year or so.
Smaller and friendlier of the two 'spoons in Canterbury; staff are friendly and the clientele fine.
Beer's good too - and extremely well-priced, too.
There are other good pubs round the corner, but this is worth a visit in St Dunstan's pub crawl.
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I use this one when I know I've got a wait for a train at the Canterbury West station. I've found the guest beers palatable (except on one very hot day a few years ago), and that's all I'm interested in. Big selling point -the beer's much cheaper than the other pubs nearby. They were selling a Lee's beer at c�1-70 a couple of weeks back, so I had three in a hurry instead of one at leisure!
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Plenty of tables available on a Saturday lunchtime in the tourist season when other nearby pubs were packed. Exactly the sort of food you'd expect in a Wetherspoon, reliable without being over-exciting. But the pint of Exmoor gold was pleasant. Don't get too inebriated here though; it's a big climb up the stairs to the toilets!
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Popped in again recently. This Spoon tends to have a poorer selection of guests than the average. It's an OK place, but it does lack character.
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'Spoons outlets often receive poor commentaries from BITE users, and being someone who likes to believe in having a more discerning eye (and palate) when choosing a pub, I daresay many deserve their unfavourable reportage. The chain endeavours to be all things to all people, but invariably ends up becoming a jack of all trades and master of none. Nevertheless, I wonder whether in this instance it has received a slightly unfair appraisal? Granted, it is nothing out of the ordinary, and follows the JDW formula pretty predictably. However, that formula does sometimes deliver on certain fronts, and some credit can be given. Here, one will at least find a well-maintained interior (sensitive to the building's original design although I confess that some more 21st century air con would've been welcome - it is a hot spot and no mistake in Summer!), friendly service, and a decent range of ales which I found to be in good order. Butcombe Blond and Oakham Helter Skelter were in excellent shape and despite the heat, temperatures were correct.
This comment is based on more visits than I'd cared to make in 2 days, as it was adjacent to the hotel we were billeted at for a stag weekend. But really, it was not an unpleasant place in which to while away some in-between events hours. Perhaps we were lucky but it did seem slightly more efficient, pleasant and less anodine than many of its counterparts.
I have to agree re the food though: best avoided.
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Uninspiring real ale choice, guest ales from Brains and Batemans were not at their best. Don't bother with the steak and ale pie. It contains three tiny pieces of steak and one mushroom contained in pastry the size of half a house brick. The wife successfully asked for her money back. Not a pub we would want to return to in a hurry.
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Visited the pub on a saturday around midday and it was very busy.
Had to wait 15 mins to get served at the bar then strolled around to find a table.
Finally found one and ordered my food for which I was told it was a 45 mins wait.
It was understaffed and as with all JdW pubs the tables were not cleared nor cleaned.
Still the only possitive note was the beer, had a very pint of Sunchaser.
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This could so easly be a wonderful bar. But the staff, quality of the ale and food let this down. Needs new management, new bar staff and someone in the kitchen who knows the difference between burnt and uncooked food. On the plus side, it is a non-smoking venue.
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If you like luke warm food and sour beer served by arrogant schoolchildren, then this is the pub for you.
Me - I won't be going back.
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Quite nice for a JDW, with a little beer garden. However the odd slanting floor is extrememly disturbing and toilets upstairs can be very annoying with the wooden floorboards. Much better than the other spoons for the simple fact that it is non-smoking.
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One of the nicer pubs in Canterbury. Isn't it amazing once you get rid of the nasty ciggies inside, the pub straightaway takes on such a nicer feel? it's a lovely Wetherspoons (the one in Forest Hill, take note!) I have never had a prob with being served always seems loads of staff and lots of lovely places to sit, again, never had a problem with finding a seat either. All in all a nice place to pop in for a pint.
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Do I go straight to the station and catch a "stopper"? Or pop in the Westgate Inn for a pint, then catch the "fast". I decided on the latter. I walked in, walked out, did a double-take and walked back in. The reason? It was 15.45, the pub was pretty empty, and no dirty tables! I imagine it's because it's the wrong time of the week, and all "the usual suspects" have spent all the dole money that I ( and others like me ) give them!
Having said that, I got served straight away by a happy young lass - she was just about to finish her shift and go on her hols. Harviestoun "Schiehallion" was the order of the day. A crystal-clear, full pint was placed before me. I joined the other three pariahs in the sheltered sun-drenched courtyard for a cigarette, and savoured a very good pint indeed.
I had, or rather made time for a second pint, served up by an equally affable young chap, who had been called in at very short notice to cover for someone else. Again a full measure. All in all, a good decision not to go for the earlier train.
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An OKish Wetherspoons - I would prefer higher prices and more staff. Food was fine. Real ale was served at chilled temperatures, such that the quality of the beer was affected. The manager suggested we wait 10 minutes for our beers to warm up, so that the protein haze dispersed! A shame, since the beer range was quite good.
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Pleasant Wetherspoon with little nooks and wotnot. On a JDW scale this place is a little above average. But on the downside, this is a popular pub with a wide client�le and getting a seat here is harder than in most 'Spoons.
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Nice since it has been refurbed and gone non smoking. Good range of beers. Food is not too bad at all.
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Now has blanket no-smoking policy, haven't been in in a long while, might give it another go as although I do smoke I prefer to eat in a smoke free area
carbs - 20 May 2005 14:57 |
I prefer the nooks and crannies in this Wetherspoons to the open plan layout of the Thos. Ingoldsby ( ex-Nasons furniture shop ). Even at quiet times, service can be likened to that of a gastropod. I would concur with "carbs" comment in respect of table clearance. This pub also does seem to attract the flotsam, jetsam and general detritus on Giroday, but this is not unique to this pub. Avoid "Dole Day" and it's not too bad.
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Alright but nothing special. Can't say I have had a duff pint,and the food is typical unfu**upable wetherspoons fare. The tables only seem to get cleared when they bring the next victims food.Not a pub to go for a drink, OK for a quick cheap feed though.
carbs - 13 Jan 2005 22:53 |
Weatherspoons, opposite the city gate that looks like a little castle. Bar staff can be a bit thick, especially if your pint is duff and you want to swap it. All sorts drink in here.
Vasili - 28 Jul 2004 17:08 |
