please note - reviews on this site are purely the opinion of site visitors, so don't take them too seriously.
Frequently encountering staff playing music on their phones behind the bar, at many Wetherspoons in Central London. If you don't have a license to play music then don't! Oh, and staff, childish attitude will drive away customers!
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I am moved to declare that the Moon has been re-carpeted and re is right as it all looks tremendously similar.
In either a nod/broken neck to posterity or a distressing lack of innovation, the style is very much as it was. The textile is surely new, although neither having seen the receipt or been present at the CARPETRIGHT purchase I cannot guarantee this as FACT, to quote Rafa. It is a dark red colour, according to my eyes, with an elaborate fleur-de-lis design that is reminiscent of Milady de WInter's telltale tattoo. She is surely the saint of the Moon's various thieves (my phone was nicked here c2005, a white and orange Nokia with a then innovative joystick-type feature. The police never bothered with the CCTV or indeed the BBC they were more EPISILON MINUS than JULIET BRAVO) although being a fictional character she cannot be the patron saint in the sense of being both a patron and a saint. More likely a drink cadger or swiper of unguarded pints.
The underlay is surely new, given the delightfully bouncing tread which raises the heel, much like BUZZ ALDRIN in his venture of 1969 upon another and less celebrated MOON, if indeed THAT occured (see CAPRICORN ONE with Elliot Gould and James Brolin with a winning cameo from TELLY SAVALAS as curmudgeonly crop dusting slaphead). It may be TREDAIRE or similar top quality item. I wonder if they used the old grippers (not STEBSON) or did they "[Oi!]leave it out [Gripper]"? It's a mystery for the ages.
Perhaps the original carpet has merely been vigorously washed with a VAX or similar electronic device like the ones you can trent from certain TESCO's? If so, I shudder to contemplate the dire, viscous, abortionate filth that needs must have been sucked from that much abused pile. Piles on piles - the ultimate horror. Ground, congealed MEXICAN MONDAY burritos and calcified chicken from CURRY THURSDAY when Wetherspoons claim to become the nation's biggest "CURRY 'OUSE" although the buildings do not transfigure from bricks and mortar into pitilessly hardened PITTA BREAD with JALFREZI paste.
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I work near the pub and go in to it on occasions. A good beer selection and reasonably priced but there is never enough staff on. Seems the same in all Wetherspoon's pubs. Prefer to go the Harp or the Ship and Shovell. More expensive but the service is better and quicker.
Boyne - 23 Jan 2015 14:49 |
This Wetherspoons is always very crowded with large groups of bewildered tourists who do not know how to order food and drinks in a British pub, (NO, there is no waiter service!!). However it always seems to have a good range of ales in good condition. Expensive for a 'spoons but cheap for the area.
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It's a Wetherspoons. Its certainly not the worst or most desperate Wetherspoons & the building itself is impressive. The beer is usually too cold but it's drinkable and there's often a couple of unusual beers. It's always busy with tourists although it always amuses me to see groups of tourists who wander in, walk around a bit and then wander out again. Why?
An average 6/10.
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As I wandered lonelier than WORDSWORTHS'S cloud past this celebrated liver killer, these eyes bore witness to various workmen buzzing and grafting both within and without, like Stakahnovite bees trapped in time and space.
One was painting the black iron railings a surprising shade of shadiest black. He used a small roller, and no, I don't reference a Carmargue or other short wheel-based Royce. His work was adequate. I tossed a coin of small denomination.
The doors of the esteemed establishment were open, despite it being closed. My mind reeled at the tempting paradox, like "the sun so hot, I froze to death" in the hit of yesteryear "Oh, Susanna" (before she quit BBC Breakfast, naturally). The Goat of Mendips, or whatever, he tempted me to enter and I took his challenge. The fact I was wrapped in a fluorescent tabard aided this misadventure for it is the ironic uniform of the blue collar worker and allows unusually free locomotion on many a site. Try it, dear reader, and you will stagger at its power.
I must say the Moon stank of more than the rank hopelessness and vile B.O that was its signature pre-closure. I waited at the bar and was not served: plus ca change, as they say in GAUL.
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The edifice of unbridled imbibing glory that is known only as the LORD MOON OF THE MALL has now been closed, for refitting purposes, a full five days. Who knew the interior of this palace of profundity could be improved? It didn't take the LORD much longer to create the world, so one can only speculate at the staggering metamorphosis the world will soon witness.
A banner that hangs above its potted plants (the likes of which have not been witnessed since the Babylonian Gardens) states it will re-open on Monday 16th June, or THE DAY OF BLISS CELESTIAL as the locals are already proclaiming it and thousands have pledged to carry their blubbering, oozing and sickly relatives (and broken watches) to this LORD MOON OF THE MALL on the 16th to benefit from its healing powers.
It is said that an army that carries a pint of the Moon's real ale before it is invincible (this offer does not include Greene King IPA, though).
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This was my first port of call yesterday, as I arrived a bit too early for the Harp's 10am opening time. This time it had a cider - Gwynt y Ddraig Black Dragon. I hadn't bothered visiting for a while, as they didn't use to stock a real cider. The ale selction is good - yesterday it was Ramsbury Deer Hunter, Greene King IPA & Abbot, Fullers London Pride, Beartown Bearskinful, Blindmans Eclipse Porter, Sharps Doom Bar, Caledonian The Bruery Oatmeat Stout, Adnams Make It Rain, Milestone Little John & Salopian Shropshire Gold. This is one of the nicest Wetherspoons interiors and due to its location, is invariably popular with the tourists, who even stand outside to take photographs of it.
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Good Food. Quick service. Friendly staff.
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Lovely spoons,nice cold bottles of cider.
Very busy,service was still brisk.
Clean and friendly.
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One of the better JDWs, and a relief from the tourist prices charged elsewhere in the vicinity.
The interior's a bit sombre in design perhaps, but pleasant enough.
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Fritz making reply to estimable punter-drinker "Horned Church of John" who make comment on 4 Juin that he ain't finding the £2.69 pint. That is the Greene King IPA pretend beer 3.6%. Proper beer is dearer. Poster saying "from £2.69" or using the asterix and then you apply bifocal to witness small print. THIS IS MODERN WORLD and you gotta bad, you gotta be bold, you gotta be wiser as Desiree advised.
In Fritz opinion this Lawd Moon is good dark hole like Calcutta back in the golden era.
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A commonplace 'Spoons pub. Reasonable prices for Central London - around £3.30 a pint - although some of the poster prices are misleading: Where was the £2.69 pint? I had a pint of Jennings Sneck Lifter (?) which was pleasant, as was the London Pride. Good service as the pub was empty.
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A big and busy Wetherspoons pub. It is quite smart, there is a good selection of beers and the service is very good. The food is OK. It's a good place to meet friends for a quick drink and meal but you wouldn't want to spend the evening there.
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Not a bad JDW pub at all. Pleasant, friendly staff. Beer kept in fine condition. Quite dark the place is, which would be my only gripe but, worth a visit if in the Trafalgar Square/Mall area.
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Bounded into the Lord Moon at 6.42 on 31/08/12 at the start of an Olympic crawl with Nordic gods Torsten and Viggo. Stupendous halves of Courage Best were enjoyed at the start of this cracking session. The Moon remains a magnificent pub - go there!
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Visited this 'spoons pub after being in Horseguards Parade and the chap you served me was a step up from the normal service. Asked for a dark ale and was recommended one that wasn't actually dark at all. Instead of palming it off on me, he poured it away and served me one that was not only what I had asked for but was really nice. Other than this, it was what I expected from this chain of pubs
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A welcome stop after a hot and hectic day at the Chelsea flower show.
Sampled four of the eight or so real ales, including; Wibblers Apprentice, B & T's SPA, Rudgate Ruby Mild and Tom Wood's Bomber County.
All were in good condition and served by a pleasant young lady staff member.
Weren't too sure whether to have any food. The menu seemed to have less choice than usual, but decided I was not that hungry for 'Spoons fodder.
I'll stick to the beer thanks - it slaked my thirst, for which I'm very grateful.
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Need to get staff dedicated to exlusively serving coffees, as there are huge waits for beer while tourists endlessly order cappucinos. It needs to decide whether it's a pub or a Starbucks.
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It was quite busy in here around 10am yesterday, with mainly tourists. In fact, service at the bar was extremely slow with a 10 minute wait. As usual, food orders and serving tea and coffee was slowing down proceedings. Beers on were Tom Woods Bomber County, Milk Street Beer, Wolf Woild Moild, Butcombe Mendip Spring, Rudgate Ruby Mild, Caledonian Deuchars IPA, Nethergate Old Growler, Greene King IPA & Abbot, Ringwood Fortyniner, Exe Valley Dobs Best Bitter & Fullers London Pride. Sadly, they appear to have stopped doing real ciders here. Was more disappointed with this, than on my last visit and will downgrade my rating accordingly.
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This is a fairly standard Wetherspoons. Not outstanding but not bad either. Didn't see any problems with the toilets on my visit so perhaps the hygiene issues mentioned previously have now been sorted.
Good selection of ales as you'd expect from a Spoons and the food service was quite reasonable too. Popular with tourists being so close to Trafalgar Square but seemed to get quiter in there after 7pm - I don't if that's normal for this place?
If you're familiar with Wetherspoons etc then there's no surprises here. I was fairly contented with my visit and never encountered any real problems or something that I could really fault them on.
7/10
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Monday 7th November 11. Pub packed with only 2 bar staff. Male toilets blocked with paper and full of excrement...absolutely discusting. Complained to staff and told that due to being busy there was nothing they could do.
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went mid afternoon the pub was very busy no seats to be had.got served very quick considering how busy the pub was. just had the one pint a fullers esb which was �3-60 a pint the was good pint. but the price for a spoons pub was expensive even if is in central london
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Wonderful pint of Pride of York on 30/06/11.
Went to the loo, came back and it had gone!
If only they were this efficient in serving me.
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Surly Scottish barmaid wouldn't serve me as she claimed that she didn't have the right sized glass for my drink. I reckon she just couldn't be arsed. Won't go in there again.
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Essentially a standard Wetherspoon's, offering what is now the familiar formula of by-numbers food and service, a regimented orderly layout, but a wide range of cask ales and in those located in grandiose older buildings, a splendidly-preserved and sensitively-refurbished interior. It is slightly unfortunate that the internal and external promise of the pub's architecture and the gravitas of its address cannot be matched in character and atmospheric terms. Although that said, this is far from a poor incarnation of the Tim Martin utopia of the one-size-fits-all pub concept, and certainly is worthy of inclusion on a Whitehall or Westminster-centred crawl. The prices are, as ever, hard to argue with, especially in a central London location where the �3 and over is not uncommon.
As to the matter of thefts touched upon below, I hung my overcoat up on a hook near to the bar and spent some time observing a chap standing in its immediate proximity apparently having a none-too-convincing mobile phone conversation, as if poised to pounce. I sensed he may not be especially trustworthy, and became somewhat agitated by his presence, although ultimately, my suspicions proved false in the end. Whilst I think I was a little over-sensitive to 'Capitalcrime' on this occasion, it does highlight the fact that if you leave any personal item of any value alone in a large pub, it would take no more than a blink of an eye before it disappears. I hope there isn't the sort of problem with pilfering here on the scale highlighted at the dreadful Shakespeare opposite Victoria station.
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Interesting comment from andyt as noticed a sign up in different languages about thieves and watching your bags. Not the greatest Wethers pub, much prefer Cross Keyes near the Monument. Bit dark, bit souless. Food okay, beer good but there is better in the arae.
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Have only visited this pub twice and on both occasions have had something stolen! Staff indifferent and seem to treat theft as an every day occurrence.
There was however a reasonable selection of beer but I'm afraid my experience in this pub left me with a nasty taste.
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Average as pubs go, but one of the better JDWs. However, given its location and premises it could do better. Ten ales on, I tried the Rev James and it was good. It suffers from the usual JDW issues though - indifferent staff, no atmosphere and cheap fittings. I didn't try the food but it looked OK. I'd be happy to drop in for a pint while passing, and its proximity to Trafalgar Square makes it a good place to meet people who don't know London that well, but there are better pubs not too far away.
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Even with ever changing staff it does not seem to be operating at its full potential. Have been in here on many occasions and staff seem very disinterested in their work. Trouble with spoons they tend to be like shops and not pubs, very little atmosphere.
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Certainly one of the best of these places.
Good beer, quicker but not quick service. Food edible, unlike some in South London (and probably elsewhere)
Toilets clean but take your own paper.
meict - 14 Feb 2010 11:18 |
As far as the location goes and the good value prices, you can`t really fault the Moon, especially in these recession gloom times. There was a time when i would have put my nose up at a "Spoons", though that now would feel totally ungenerous. The beer selection is very good and i never have had bad service here. Also, being an old bank, you get to save money by drinking here.
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Dam !, Should have had a quick look at B.I.T.E. before embarking on my mini Charing X crawl as I decided to miss out the GK dispensing Silver Cross in favor of the Old Shades next door on the premise that it was bound to have better beer. So am unable to give an honest rating of the Cross against the Lord Moon
But for the Lord Moon I found it one of the better Wetherspoons establishments. 12 handpumps dispensing something different to the usual �spoons stable beers, including several of the guest Xmas ales. The couple I tried were perfectly fine and also couldn�t fault the service on this rainy December evening.
But it�s still a �spoons and therefore comes equipped with the ubiquitous soaks these establishments attract and this one was in residence in the door way sheltering from the rain and seemed to think that it was his duty to inform everyone entering and leaving that it was summer in Australia. A piece of information that I do not think I would have survived the rest of the evening without.
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I also wholeheartedly agree with Fritz. Judging from some reviews below, you might think the most important factor is whether this �spoons offers chips or not � or which brand of bar snacks are supplied. If this website was named �Chips in the Evening� or �Crisps in the Evening�, I could see the relevance - but it isn�t and I can�t. People, we�re talking about oven chips, microwaved and tasting like cardboard. If you go to a pub to find them and your evening is ruined by their unavailability, you�re looking in the wrong place and for the wrong reason.
When it comes to the Silver Cross, we are talking seriously bad and for very relevant reasons. It has its alleged fans, whose IDs are often created, leave a single ultra-positive review of the SC and then seemingly disappear off the face of the earth. Bearing in mind that a pub�s overall rating is an average of all reviews; it shouldn�t take anyone too long to think of a reason why this might be happening. However, the Silver Cross still has the bottom rating of those pubs in the area and it is bottom by a long way, which indicates something. If you believe that the Moon is a bad pub, please try the Silver Cross and then give an honest rating for both.
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not been in for a while, but whenever I've had the call to stop in for a swift one or two after work I've always found the service okay compared with some other spoons I've been in, always got a good range of ales on, and is usually quite busy due to it's central location, and as the last review indicates most people find it a much better choice the the SC over the road
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I agree with Fritz. The new manager has vastly improved things. I have posted several times about the slowness of service but that has now changed.
The service is now as quick as you could reasonably expect for a busy pub with the staff usually eager to serve (even the laziest one appears to have pulled her socks up slightly) and I believe that the majority of this is down to Mark.
There are also a couple of new duty managers, Agnes and Kevin, who appear to be cracking the whip and keeping the others in control.
I no longer expect 15 minute waits like I used to (but if I get nostalgic I can go across the road to the Silver Cross where you are almost guaranteed to only get served once every hour and charged 50% more for the priviledge)
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You may be aware of my previous posts. They feature below. I am become a name, it seems. As a seasoned drinker, I still "rate" this pub's selections of Real Ales, as the youth would say, but sure as hell not spell. The new boss man, I believe called Mark, is excellent. He is a throw back to the days of the departed and much missed Ashley. Yes, there a are problems, but spotting whose next to abuse his liver in this dim hive of desparados ain't no cake walk. Yes, the regular bogs are below ground and the headroom questionable, but these are barstaff not miners. Yes, the food is sometimes under heated but the microwave is not a Miele. Yes it's full of civil servants but they work close by and can't afford the other places. Yes there are many haltingly tongued tourists but it's central London and English is not their first language. What are these piffling complaints? Who are these complainants? Where are their lives? Where is teheir humanity? If only they'd have read Solzhenitsyn! Then there there would be no cause for such petty bitching.
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I'm a regular visitor to jdw outlets. This one considering its proximity to tourist haunts could do a consideribly better. I was in their today prior to lunch time. The place is dirty. As for the gents toilet, one trap had a smashed lock and the rest of the toilet area was filthy. On a bright note it is selling a very good range of ales.
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Been in here a couple of times now and both times the service at the bar has been terrible. The staff are slow and you almost feel guilty for asking them for a drink. The pub is very spacious but the bar itself is quite small so there is always a queue which means you expect the staff to move a lot quicker (and show a lot more interest in their clients!) than they do.
A fairly horrible crowd inside and I found it quite easy to get in to disagreements at the bar about who was next to be served!
Don't expect too much from the food either. The first time I went in they swapped the chips with my burger for doritos crisps (no joke) and the second time the chicken in my wrap was under-cooked as was my mates burger.
Overall a real grotty place that should make you visit any other pub in the area but this one.
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Strangely enough, I actually had to transact some business in the building in the days when was a bank. When it was announced that Wetherspoons had taken it over I cheered thinking that it would be put to a more useful purpose.
However, although it serves its purpose as a pub, it is the venue for masses of Whitehall civil servants who stand around braying loudly at each other, which rather diminishes the plus point that there is no pop music blaring out.
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Proof that the Moon management listen to the punters - Chilli Sensations are back...
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"Sometimes you wonder, do they understand the snack requirements? They have a few drinks and probably the prawn cocktail crisps, and they don't understand there's demand for Chilli Sensations"...
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It's been a few weeks since the new manager began his regime in the Moon. He's very keen to listen and respond to the views of his customers, something which has been lacking since the departure of Big Matt some time ago. A good selection of beers on at the moment too - the Titanic Iceberg is particularly good...
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STOP PRESS!!
They now do chips.
They have been doing chips for about a month now.
This backfired on them on the second/third day when a coach load of tourists ordered 47 portions of fish and chips and couldn't understand why it might take some time to complete their order.
But they do chips. I've never been so excited. They do chips. WOOHOO
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Has anyone noticed that Wetherspoons pubs seemed to have got more gloomy over the past few months? I guess this could be a cost cutting measure. They seem to have permanently removed a couple of bulbs or turned the dimmer switch down.
Important? - yes when you are trying to read how much the latest scumbag MP has purloined from the public purse.
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Konarob
Take you self down to "The Crosse Keys" in Gracechurch Street in the City and you just might revise your opinion of "The Lord Moon of the Mall"!!
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Probably the best Weatherspoons I've ever been in.
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I would like to say Roger B's critique is probably the most accurate one I have seen thus far.
I was told that the chips issue was because the tenants upstairs had complained about the smell but I am happy to concede.
The explanantions given to the customers vary wildly. I have heard "we don't have a frier", "our frier is broken", "it's because we are a listed building" even "It's because we are so close to Buckingham Palace"
Albeit none of these excuses were given to a customer with a London accent. I wonder why!
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Housed in a former Bank premises, the Lord Moon is one of the more visually appealing Wetherspoons. The large front area is quite elegant, if a little somber, with large arched windows, a high decorative ceiling with shallow arcs, big mirrors and imposing pictures set against nicotine coloured walls. Note the large portrait dominating the far wall � not some classic pose of a dim and distant Government servant but actually a modern portrait of �Spoons boss Tim Martin suitably dressed up in old clobber. The general �Spoons furnishings and characteristics are present; silent banks of fruit / quiz machines, old local pictures, history snippets and a hollow atmosphere when not busy (which, to be honest, isn�t often). There is a sofa area by the front door but grabbing any seat or table can be a hit and miss affair at peak times. Two large arches lead through to the main bar area, less grand but with a few elegant features like the statue in the niche above the stairs. There is always a decent selection of ales and although the prices are top end, they are not quite the most expensive�Spoons in London. The �no chips� approach often throws people into howls of derision but personally I like the quirky originality of it and anything that makes a �Spoons different from the others is OK by me. It should be noted that this approach is due to fire regulations that mean that they cannot offer any fried food so jackets potatoes and tortillas chips are given as replacement (they obviously never hr=erad ofoven chips). Don�t moan at �Spoons � it ain�t their fault! Pop over McDonalds if you are that desparate. On the whole, this would be one of my favourite London �Spoons but it is regularly let down by an undermanned bar and general poor service. Short measures have been a frequent issue with me and I once took back a beer that was off only to find that an �available soon� clip had been hastily added to the pump after they had sold me the beer. Despite the shortcomings, it can, on its day, be one of the better �Spoon experiences and who cares about chips anyway?
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Fairly dependable Wetherspoons branch just off Trafalgar Square. Always fairly busy but the interior is roomy and it never feels too packed. Beer and cider selection is generally good. However this visit was the exception to this. Despite having several of the festival beer clips displayed, very few were available. Having to resort to Abbot Ale was disappointing. Similarly only one of the 2 draught Westons ciders was available (Old Rosie). However, I think this was a one off. I'll be visiting when in the area again.
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In reply to Alex Bradford. I revisit this pub in the hope that it might have improved as I am prepared to give it a chance. In the past this pub has been one of the best in the area and hopefully will return to its former glory one day.
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Canada - where are you off to now? back to the city maybe.
The lord will miss you I think.
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Massive 'spoons pub in a prime location. Some interesting fact sheet type things around the place giving some history of the nearby attractions. Not at all bad in general.
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I don�t know about �Boomerang Gold�, but maybe the author in question should be known as �boomerang beercritic�, since they keep going back to this apparently awful pub and keep coming back here, to tell us just how awful the place is:
December 2008 �This pub has become the pits.�
April 2009 �Most days the staff can't cope and the pub is a mess.�
�Most days�? Several months after describing a pub as �the pits�, the author is still regularly visiting the same place? If it is �the pits�, why are they returning there at all?
No doubt the boomerang beercritic will be back again, to tell us why they keep visiting a place this apparently terrible pub, over and over again.
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I wanted to write lots of nice things about Jenna, who does a fine job and will be missed. But having read all of beercritic's posts, I thought it's far more fun to be an old curmudgeon.
A few days ago I bought a pint of Torpedo Gold. It was the most disgusting pint I'd sampled in eight years drinking in the Lord Moon. On raising this with the bar staff, I was told emphatically that there was nothing wrong with it. A couple of days later I was at the bar when a gentleman brought back a whole round, no fewer than seven pints, of the very same beer. Two other people at the bar were also protesting at the vile quality of this unpleasant brew, and still the staff were equally vehement that there was nothing wrong with it.
Perhaps they should rename the beer Boomerang Gold since every pint seems to come back.
The other beers were pretty good though.
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Personally, I have always found Jenna, aka 'the American', warm and friendly and my friends and I will be sorry to see her go. Certainly she won't stand for any nonsense - either side of the bar! Isn't that how it should be?
But look beyond the surface and you will discover some of the below writers, who eagerly criticise her are actually leaving intensely negative comments for almost every pub. So maybe they just don't like pubs?
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Seems everyone is impressed by the yank that loves the sound of her own voice. A manager that disciplines her staff in fromt of customers isn't a good manager. Most days the staff can't cope and the pub is a mess. Sooner she goes the better
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My daughter who works at The Picadilly Theatre, took me here last week, and I was really impressed with every aspect of the place, possibly with the exception of the gaming machines, but hey ho, you cant have everything!
It was a really pleasant surprise to find the prices here much lower than in my home town of Nottingham, apart from the current offer of Green King IPA which is a wopping 50p dearer than back home! (Joke btw,a pint for under �1.50 is amazing!) even if it is only 99p in the East Midlands!
The beer I tried was Darwins .....erm.....something or other, sorry, Ive forgotten! It was a fairly light bitter, with an amazing taste, I could have imbibed lots more, but was driving,and at a low �2.29 a pint, was astonishing value.
There were not that many people in, although at 10.45 on a Tuesday night, perhaps one wouldnt expect it.
Next time Im in London, and not driving, I look forward to more than the one pint!
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Alas it is true! Jenna (I have been corrected personally) is being taken up The Pyke* by the area manager.
With her up The Pyke* will we ever be served again?
* The Montagu Pyke, Charing Cross Road
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My dear fellow suppers (not meals), reports of my demise have been much exaggerated and that. I live. I speak. I create.
It is my melancholy duty to report that "the American" is soon to decamp, ship out, exit, vamoose (a tribute adjective) and exeunt. I am moved to comment on that solemn fact in a pre-valedictory style.
I have noted with distaste the various perjorative commentaries on her opinions and pitch. It seems the possession of a personality has become non grata in the once sceptred, now septic, isle. Do we demand a Stepford serving automaton? Bionic armed servility with fixed grin? A cowed, doe-eyed non-entity willing to roll on its back as the ancient desparado sprays his obscene musk o'er the wretched bar?
NO! And no again! I applaud the pond-hopping derring-do of this truncated yet spirited personage. May hyphens be upon her! The natural zeal of this young woman is a welcome balm to the strait-jacket of blandness that threatens to wrap us all in its blubbery arms. Let us be beguiled by the dance of life whilst we have the faculties to appreciate and indulge our senses. Pirouette mon petit, your wailing joie de vivre, for all its Scrappy-Do excess verve, is rare and precious.
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First guest ale requested was 'off' but the pump clip not turned around. The second attempt was declared 'off' after one tug on the handle. Luckily the Spitfire was very good although one of the shortest measures I have ever seen, but quickly put right. Probably just an unlucky day, most other visits have been far more satisfactory.
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Outside of a lunchtime this pub is great and the service is fine. Also, the barstaff are always friendly albeit a little surly.
However, between 12 and 2 the place is heaving with workshy civil servants and coffee loving tourists. They usually have 4-5 staff on but 3-4 of these are making coffee.
Apparently I have been misnaming "the American" I have been calling her Jenny where I have now been informed that her name is in fact Gemma. Apologies Gemma.
Great pub which I would recommend to anyone outside the hours of a lunchtime
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Visited the pub last week in the early afternoon hours. Service was quick and friendly, but when I asked if they might have a dark mild on it was too much for the american girl behind the bar.
The answer was "Try this, this is on for 20 minutes now, it is fine."
I gave it a try and found out, that the pint of Dirty Tackle was absolutely fine.
Good as a meeting place or for a quick pint or two.
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Regrettably, not as friendly as it used to be. All the Eastern European staff presumably flew back eastwards when the Pound Sterling took a pounding and flew southwards. Oh well, it was good whilst it lasted.
In fairness, 'the American', who some reviewers have criticised was extremely warm and friendly towards us. My guess is that this had some bearing on our equally pleasant approach towards the staff, upon our arrival.
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I think it must be a bit hit and miss with this place, as i've said in earlier reviews I've allways found it ok here,was in for a couple just before Chrismas was served promtly and had a couple of decent pints of abbott,it was quite busy without being roudy, and it's still the place I'd head for in the area for a decent reasonably priced pint, I wouldn't say I'm a regular but i've worked round here for about 8 years and have been in here several times without any cause for complaint
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Agree with last poster. This pub has become the pits. Lack of staff and preoccupation with serving tourists tea and coffee make this a pub beer drinkers should avoid. Should be renamed Starbucks. I waited 25 minutes to be served and then I had to make it clear to the barman that I was next as he only seemed interested in serving people next to the till he was using. What has happened to the so called mystery customers that Wetherspoons say they use - they must be easily pleased or don't do the job properly.
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Awful awful awful. Poor service, stacked used food plates all over the bar when busy, chav customers and generally naff.
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Situated along Whitehall and as result, in close proximity with both Trafalgar Square and the Houses of Parliament, it would be a fair assumption to make, that the Lord Man of The Mall does a roaring trade. And indeed it surely does. A successful bank-conversion, this Wetherspoon has impressed on my two recent visits. A typical frontage leads to a large and magnificently gloomy interior. The high ceiling and paintings gladly add character. In fact, the pubs structure is probably its greatest asset within. As per most member of the chain, snippets of local history are scattered about to be read by those bored and curious. The usual array of well-conditioned ales can be expected along with the overall, extensive bar selection and reasonable prices. All staff encountered, have been attentive and service has been pleasingly prompt and with a smile. When a Wetherspoon delivers on its promises, I personally, find them hard to knock. Here, is an example.
HTM69 - 26 Sep 2008 20:21 |
iv'e never had a problem with this place as spoons go,always managed to get served promtly,good range of ales,and a nice pub atmosphere
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Managed to get a burger and beer in here as Leicester Square had run out but the burger came without chips as they don't do them here apparently, a bit odd but very nice anyway, the beer (Abbotts) was good and the burgers was cooked ok although the staff did seem a bit...."bored" and not to attentive.
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In here yesterday, Saturday lunchtime, and service was quick enough.
A decent selection of real ale: Phoenix Double Gold, White Horse Flibbertigibbet, Butcombe Gold, Cotleigh Blue Jay, Titanic Red Ensign, Batemans Summer Swallow, Old Hooky, Abbot & Pedigree.
Beers I had were in good condition.
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I've started taking the 5 minute walk up the road to the one on Leicester Square, moon in water or something. Seems to have one of this pubs old managers and you can tell, speedy service and often (god forbid) with a smile. And if its quiet enough sometimes even get a chat and a bit of banter with the managers.
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Drunken Bore Strongers?? I resemble that comment.
Anyway. Horror of all horrors!!! Ashley is leaving. Will we ever get served again unless Jenny is on (and even she has been missing for the last 3 weeks so I don't even know if she's left).
It's a travesty. They should never have let him go.
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Like most of the pubs around here this place is geared towards the tourist trade. It�s a �Traditional English Pub�, well that�s what the sign outside says. I�d of said a traditional Wetherspoons pub, complete with disinterested barmaid and drunken bore propping up the bar.
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compaired to the majority of spoons, i've always found the service in here reasonably prompt
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Fritz my boy. You speak too soon. Tip Top Teutonic Toiling will ne'er darken the Moon's portals for any but the briefest interlude.
No manic Monday but a Slough like Despond for some poor punter waiting 27 minutes (count 'em) to order his Touristy trad pie n' pint. Paradise Regained? nay - Lost and lost for good.
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But soft! Something has happened. Something. I cannot place my finger nor any other part of this failing corporeal travesty upon it, but the facts speak for themselves. Res ipse loquitor.
It was a Friday. The drinkers were numerous. Yet the barstaff numbered more than three. Perhaps even five. FIVE! They were attentive and sharp eyed, yes, like the eagle eye of Cortez when he first perceived the Pacific, by a Darien peak. These staff were asking whether punters had yet been served. Their brows were care-worn and inquiring.
I can only speculate on the reasoning behind this staggering volte face. Could it be a parallel universe? Did I pass through a yawning rent in the very fabric of the space/time continuum? Has the dead hand of Philp K. Dick been visited upon this arena? Or has android technology finally achieved an apotheosis? (If so, I would suggest re-modelling the exteriors on the likes of Hedy Lamarr and Megan Fox (I cater for all ages of lechery)).
Whatever it may be, and casting aside the nebulous speculation, I tip my hat to this brave new world, that has such peoples in it. Lenina, the pneumatic one, she will be my muse.
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Lovely beer today...Workie Ticket,mmmmmm, Black Pearl,mmmmmmmm, and a lunchtime scrumpy (only 4.8%)mmmmmmm
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I'm over 6 feet tall. I weigh too much. In short (no pun intended) I am a big lad. So why do I become invisible to the bar staff as soon as I approach the bar? There are only 3 decent staff in the pub, Ashley - service with a smile, The American (Jenny?) who if she had a volume knob would be my ideal woman and the short Scots woman who is nowhere near as scary as she looks. The rest are a nightmare. There was a tall black super-smiley man on the other day who was very good but I haven't seen him since (obviously he was too efficient so they sacked him) To highlight the general ineffectiveness of the staff - one day last week I popped in after work. When I arrived, Biancaaaaaaa was wrapping cutlery. She wrapped a few, popped off to the loo, wrapped a couple more, popped off for a fag with the tattooed man, etc. etc. At one point one of the regulars came in and started talking to her. He had obviously been waiting to be served for some time. He said something to her which she couldn't hear so she went behind the bar to the beer pumps asked him what he said, answered him and then went back to the cutlery leaving him still standing there unserved. I was in there for approx 45 minutes and at the end of that time the cutlery basket held approx 30-40 items. that's less than 1 a minute!!!
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I am, with the regret of bellicose Sugar, compelled once more to launch my e-ballista at the low rent staffing. Low rent! The tale I will relate is the very Old Kent Road of Monopoly Moon. A tawdry shackville of rats' feet scuttling over broken slum glass.
I will tell all, without concealment. A culture starved American cousin asked certain barstaff, "Whats' the name of this pub?". I confess, I was taken aback since he didn't use the noun "joint" in a 70s homage of sorts. But this was as nothing. I staggered several further mental retro-steps at the reply, which was delivered by a gel smeared worker. His retort, "It's...what is it? Er...Moon in the Mall, sorry, Lord in the Moon, er..." etc ad infinitum.
A man may lack knowledge. He may struggle for introspection. He may lay supine, befuddled by the riddle of existence, of purpose, of his role in the grand scheme of the ceaseless void. But what being, of any sentience, is incapable of recalling his very place of work?
Is THIS the land fit for heroes? Has soma stained our youth to the core of the cortex? This is no country for old men.
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Tis true my fellow beer lovers, the service can be slow and some what sporadic. However, as you say the beer is top notch and Nelson would have loved to quaff one himself should he have had time to. One can only think the flashing blue neons relate to the lager and not the ale !!
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Dum Spiro spero? Tested to the max my boozy bretheren. As a card carrying fat beer bore employed by the government one recognises one lack of worth but one can only concur with Fritz and Brainy's bon mots.
I fear the invasion from the eastern marches will be seen, not as a golden age, but as a last dying of the light. Preceeded by the usual Irish and Aussie bar professionals those comely (ex)communist wenches show the current NuLabour detritus for the lazy ill edukated tide that they are. I say to Mr Tim Wetherspoon "Tim - the Moon is a Flagship for your fine microwaved comestibles and quality Olde Englande Alese. This counts for nought when served by the surly SATs-urated effluent of todays yoof. Before 'tis too late return our Moon to its former not-quite-glory. Its like Dunkirk in there without the soldiers and sand but plenty of whingeing Frogs."
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Yet again very slow service this lunchtime. Ashley was his usual attentive self but unless he or the American are in there is next to no chance of getting served. Regularly, I stand there with note in hand trying to obtain eye contact but nope. Often there will be 3 or 4 congregating around the coffee machine. And what's with the ice-cold ales? I had condensation on my glass. Real ale should be served around 12 degrees Centigrade not at (as the blue neon suggests) -0. How do you get -0 anyway? -1 maybe, -0.1 maybe but -0? Mr Celsius must be turning in his grave. But as previously mentioned, it's the only place in Whitehall that serves decent beer (albeit over-chilled) at a decent price.
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I have attended this establishment for the past half decade. My reasons are impecuniousness rather than for my sins. I should like to add I am not a vagrant, although my wages and appearance may belie that claim.
The Moon, as we afficienados refer to it, can be relied upon to provide a far broader selection of real ales than any of the non-Wetherspoon's pubs in the area. This is greatly to its credit. On the debit side, the ales are incongruously chilled. The blue neon signs dotting the interior, crowing the testical shrinking temperature, bear testimony to this questionable achievement. Nevertheless, it is a minor criticism. I have thirst and small funds, they have good beer.
It is my melancholy duty to report that many staff members have been, and continue to be, grossly inadequate. A common failure is the inability to distinguish those who've been waiting the longest to be served. Groans of anguished rejection are commonplace among wronged punters. Further, the pulchritude of the lady barstaff has long been in decline. Gone are the days of multiple Euro lovelies, lisping and giggling their delightfully confused English. But the ale is the true measure. If Red Rum must be replaced by a lurching, slouching mare, so be it. I have thirst and small funds, they have good beer.
Certain bar staff are outstanding, analogous to the lotus flower flourishing in the putrid filth. Ashley is highly efficient, alert and infallibly, infectiously, good humoured. The American girl may be deadly on decibels but she is also tirelessly industrious, attentive, and has a screwball charm. A gilded foghorn, she bears the acid breathed lecheries of ageing, desparate, hideously hollow men with unusual grace.
Salute, the Moon!
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I called in here during the attempt at the world record wine tasting event (anyone know if they succeeded?). As ever, staff were courteous, polite, and prompt � and a good evening was had by all.
However, also as ever, one of the many middle-aged, obese characters, in need of both a wash and shave, tried for some time, to charm one of female staff, who was probably less than half his age.
She diplomatically turned down his advances, which seemed to come as something of a surprise to the frustrated, aforementioned Jabba the Hut look-alike, but not the 20 odd people watching his efforts with great amusement. As a result, I have little doubt that in the near future, I will be reading another angry complaint on this page, referring to �an awful place� and �a rude female member of staff�.
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i'm allways suprised when people expect courdon blue cusine from a cheap boozer,I go in here for a couple after work some times and allways find the service promt,especialy for a Spoons, the beer decent and cheap,if you want real crap at tourist prices try the Silver Cross over the road, and if you want fine dining go to one of the many restaurants in the west end
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Yes its a whetherspoons and I shouldnt expect to much form the food. But when you order a burger and chips as me and my mate Karen did last week. You expect to receive this. Not a few Supermarket own brand bland nachos as a subsitute for the chips. I asked the barmaid why we couldnt have chips and they said its because its a listed building! Most whetherspoons are located in old listed buildings and they all do chips. I dont think I will be back. Beer is ok quite cheap but I dont think I will be back.
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Oops, the date in my last comment should have been 10 Sept 2006.
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My last review of this place (!0 Sep 2007) said: "The positives - always a good selection of real ales, very reasonable prices for central London and only five minutes walk from Charing Cross station if you have just missed your train. The negatives - often crowded and smokey." Well, at least the smoke has gone (apart from the 'choke zone' near the front door, that is)...
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You cannot be serious.
You "dine" at a wetherspoons pub and expect the food to be both hot and tasty?
The chances of it being either is slim, but both?
Thats the most you could expect, not the least.
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Had dinner in here on Good Friday. I know this is a Weatherspoon's pub but the least anyone could reasonably expect is food that is hot and tastey. The management of this place evidently fail to hit those low standards. The mixed grill I had was luke warm, tasteless and terrible. I would rather eat a three week dead rabbit than eat in this dive again.
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After 30 years of drinking beer, suffered my worst wind ever. My poor family. Judge that as you will!
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A nice, comfortable pub with some excellent guest beers. Yes the American is loud and opinionated and is not renowned for her tact but she is a real character and the pub is worth a visit just to hear her rantings. It is just these sort of charaters that give personality to a pub and make it preferable to the numerous bland, faceless establishments that seem to be the norm in the City.
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It's a Wetherspoons, what you see is what you get.
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Guys, you are far too fast to judge. This place has character, excellent beer and suffers with all the usual symtoms that any pub can. Yes..it's wetherspoons but lets be honest we have ALL been in far worse. Every pub has a character behind the bar but lets remember why we go there...great beer and food at unbeatable prices.
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What has happened to this pub? Paid a visit last week and they have an american duty manager who wants everyone to hear her conversation and is not adverse to swearing even if there are children within ear shot.Wetherspoons really need to sort this place out
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Went in last Wednesday. Unless you wanted to lurk outside the bogs downstairs where it was warm, you froze. Not just cool, absolutely bloody freezing.
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This pubs really up and down at the moment - there a whole crop of new staff who arent as good looking or on the ball as the previous crew.
The beers have been fine with the usual goodies from breweries thin on the ground in Central London or London full stop.
Shame about the pro-chavs looting the fruit machines though.
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Fairly typical wetherspoons - what more needs to be said!
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Beers vary (which I like), crowd varies (which isn't always a good thing), food is dependably mediocre. Most of my visits were worth the time. Not quite the quiet local, though, is it?
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Pleasantly surprised when I found out it was a
(W)Netherspoons. It didn't even seem the usual selection of ales for a (W)Netherspooons. At least 6 pumps on either side with different beers including two dark ales, very impressive for that little a selection. The selection even included 'Hobsons Mild', Champion Beer of Britain this year. It tasted superb and it was served at the right temeperature.
On a Sunday when we visited in fact all the people present didn't seem typical chav/alchy spoons customers. The decor and condition of the pub also impressed us as well.
This pub proves that spoons can make a very good drinking establishment if they put there mind to it. Although like most things this must be down to a good landlord or landlady or both.
A deserved GBG entry and IMO the best beer of our London GBG crawl.
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As ever a 'Spoons' Sh**hole
mrse1 - 11 Sep 2007 15:57 |
Popped in for early lunch yesterday at 11.00 AM, Dismayed to see two customers stretched out on the leather couches and asleep.Even more dismayed when one of the many managers instructed one of the female bar staff to sort the problem out. When I left one hour later one of the men was still asleep on the couch. Bad management and even worse, bad customer impression
anonymous - 7 Sep 2007 08:07 |
What a dump. When I first walked in thought it was not staffed, after a few minutes a staff member appeared from whereever he was hiding. main pub looks very old and worn out, in desperate need of something. There are many more pubs in the area which are infinatly better than this god awfull place. Best left alone if oyu know whats good for you..
anonymous - 19 Aug 2007 12:42 |
Laura has moved up the road to the Moon Under Water on Leicester Square, new manager apparently. I'd suggest going there as the prices are cheaper - I think!
anonymous - 18 Aug 2007 15:05 |
Avoid this pub at all costs at the weekend. It fills with tourists and buiders having breakfast. You can wait up to 40 minutes to get served because of staff having to make tea and coffee. Suggest they put more staff on duty to cope. Come back Laura at least she had it sussed
anonymous - 13 Aug 2007 07:01 |
just been there for lunch. Hectic is all I can say. Was told it would take 20 mins for the food to arrive - yeah, try 1hr 30mins! Oh well. Good selection of draught beer and wine, as with most Wetherspoons. The Chicken wrap was nice today - however, don't expect chips. They don't have fryers there (something to do with the licence I was told?) however, if you go, best to opt for after 2pm, when the "working lunchers" have gone. Overall, 7/10 for food, 10/10 for booze variety.
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This place although like a school classroom due to the tables has great range of beers all the time. The staff are great, unusual for wetherspoons ! Used to be a bank so has some character unlike the pre-fabricated ones around.
Food is standard pub grub at good prices and always seems busy...worth a look i say...and if you dont want to pay nearly 3 pounds for a pint of vinegar dont walk accross the road to the silver cross...they are simply ale cowboys !!
anonymous - 17 Jul 2007 10:20 |
I quite like this pub, the service is usually competent and the beers wide-ranging and good. And it's cheap, natch. My main bugbear with it is the highly curious seating arrangments. They now have sofas in there which are dwarfed by the scale of the building. I've never been a fan of sofas in pubs - you're too far away from your pals sitting opposite and it feels silly if there's just two of you sitting next to each other. Sofas offer no versatility, you can't move them round in different situations or move them like chairs or stools. And in this pub the space isn't intimate enough for sofas to work. Also diners using the sofas have to sit like horses chomping at a trough, bent double over their grub, as the tables are too low. Alongside the sofas are two rows of tables and chairs set out like a school classroom, and then next to them high counter type tables with high stools. So you get these weird tiers of seating all at different heights. I suggest they employ the services of an interior designer and/or someone with a bit of common sense to use the fine scale of the building (an old bank it seems) more ergonomically and with better use of space and comfort. It ain't difficult this sort of stuff.
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been in here quite a few times as I work just around the corner, I've allways found the service promt,especially for a spoons pub,nice building, nice location and value for money,what else do you want?
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It's a chain pub and acts like one. All tables set out in 3 rows very formally. Busy, but sometimes uncomfortably so.
It's a big place, but I feel that a pub can be too big and that takes away from the British 'pub' feel.
Not for me i'm afraid.
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after the experience of having my wallet surgically removed by the sherlock , this pub made a extremely welcome surprise , i had a belvedere vodka n orange and my companion had a malibu and pineapple which come to less than 8 quid ........ 8 QUID FOR TWO
(short) DRINKS IN CENTRAL LONDON EXCELLENT
excellent service , considering it was a rainy saturday afternoon and the pub wasnt all that busy compared to some in the area
WELL WORTH A VISIT
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I met up with several girlfriends here last Thursday, simply because the location was central and we all knew where it was. We found a pleasant bar staffed by really friendly people � service was fast and whilst the food would certainly not merit Michelin stars, it was fine for the price.
We really couldn�t see why some people have such a problem � but if you do, the answer is obviously to go to one of the many other bars in the area. [And be prepared to pay a lot more for the privilege].
To put it another way, you wouldn�t book a budget flight with Ryanair and realistically expect BA Business Class Service, but judging by the comments on this website this seems to be in line with some people�s unrealistic expectations!
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Ropey pub, dirty glasses and plates everywhere. Beers boring.
Don't understand people who waste time defending a rank chain pub - of course it's shit, its just there to serve tourists - but gives a bad impression of Britain.
anonymous - 22 Feb 2007 12:15 |
This is a pub with exceptionally pleasant staff and it is certainly the cheapest in Whitehall. There is a good selection of beers on draught and reasonably priced food. I would also recommend sampling the extensive selection of keenly priced bottled beer from around the world. With much to recommend this pub, it is usually very busy, but the staff are extremely hardworking, polite, focused and good-humoured.
I have always been made most welcome � one manager unfailingly welcomes his returning customers with a shake of hands. All the staff are extremely hospitable, even when they are very busy and under pressure. In short, they deserve credit.
They certainly do not deserve to be demoralized, as they have been in the rather fierce criticism below of January 5th. What is particularly distasteful is that the author is vindictive enough to write a description and name of an employee on a website � whilst he himself spinelessly hides behind anonymity.
I cannot recall a mistake by staff or having had any reason to complain, although I have witnessed visitors ordering food and quoting the wrong table number or on one occasion, a group having ordered food at the right table, then moved to another table at the other end of the pub, before the food had arrived. Of course, the resulting delay or confusion is occasionally viewed by a particularly arrogant customer as the fault of the staff for not discovering or anticipating the customer�s error sooner.
There are several specific comments by the author, which simply just don�t add up:
�I made my way to the bar and tried to make a small complaint � I have not been noticed for 10 minutes, and there was no one else at the bar!!�
This sounds most unlikely, since this is without doubt, the busiest pub in Whitehall. At its busiest, the queue is several bodies deep, all along the length of the bar and it can certainly take some time to get served for that reason. Even at its emptiest, it is still rather busy, with new customers constantly arriving - you would still be hard pressed to stand at the bar alone for just one minute without being joined by another customer. If you are ever lucky enough to be at the bar alone, you are always served immediately.
�My wife decided to leave while I was waiting at the bar, not even starting her meal. I asked for the bill (mistake on the bill again!!)�
To order food at ALL Wetherspoons, the customer ALWAYS pays at the bar at the point when the food is ordered. No customer would EVER have had the food brought to their table and then have to subsequently ask for the bill, in order to settle up afterwards. � It is quite impossible for the event described by the author to ever occur.
�A waitress/barmaid with dark, medium length hair(Sabine?)�
Last but not least, on my last visit, I tried to discover who Sabina was. Readers will be amused to learn that there is not and (I am told by the staff) has never been anyone with the name Sabine/Sabina working at this pub for as long as anyone working there can remember. � THERE IS NO SUCH PERSON!
Rather than leaving malicious remarks for a non-existent employee, and hiding behind the safety of anonymity, if the author genuinely feels that he has a grievance, then as already suggested by another subsequent member, he should be a man - rather than a mouse and write in person to J.D. Wetherspoon plc with the FACTS. I have supplied the address directly below for his convenience and I am sure that the Company will investigate any genuine cause for complaint. I look forward to seeing his update on this site.
J D Wetherspoon plc
Wetherspoon House
Central Park
Reeds Crescent
Watford
WD24 4QL
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my advise to rich would be to e-mail wetherspoons head office,I moaned to cask marque ones about the quality of the ales in one of there pubs,they forwarded it to spoons,who to there credit wrote to me appologising,and i've not had a bab pint sinse in this particular pub(the wrong 'un in bexleyheath)
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better than average spoons,nice building,quicker than average service,good range of beers
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The place is my and my wives favorite local pub/bar. We have decided to have a nice supper there a couple days ago, as we love the place and the ambience and the people.
Our last few experiences are not that great though. We have experienced some impoliteness and discourtesy from the member of staff, a waitress/barmaid with dark, medium length hair(Sabine?) Our food arrived late, we have never waited that long and the place did not look busy at all. I made my way to the bar and tried to make a small complaint that it was cold as well, she was at the bar chatting away to a bartender with glasses on (who was very slow with our drinks and made a mistake as well), I have not been noticed for 10 minutes, and there was no one else at the bar!! When she noticed me getting impatiend I could swear she mumbled a swearing word under her breath.
They looked more interested in each other rather then in serving customers.
My wife decided to leave while I was waiting at the bar, not even starting her meal. I asked for the bill (mistake on the bill again!!)
We were deeply in shock, because we loved the place before but now it will be difficult for us to come back.
Hope it will help to avoid improper treatment by a member of staff.
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Further to last night's comment, they do vary. Some Wetherspoons are better than others when it comes to the beer choice, and the Lord Moon, with two proper ciders and something like five or six ales apart from the standard big-brewers' ranges, is one of the better ones. JDW's pubs call themselves 'Free Houses' which changes the meaning of the phrase a bit, but beer choice is down to the pub's manager. Even the Kings Tun which has come in for a bit of stick had Hogsback A over T last year - hardly a 'bog standard bitter'.
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Actually there was a range of non-usual beers here.
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Probably my favourite Wetherspoons, with a nice interior, good selection of drinks and good prices for the excellent location.
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Everyone keeps going on about how this and other JDW pubs have a great selection of real ales.
So no one gets seriously misled by this, bear in mind what they mean is you get a wider than normal selection of bog standard bitters from the usual suspects - Wells, Youngs, Fullers, Shep Neame, Marstons, Greene King ... nothing interesting, nothing out of the ordinary, and certainly nothing to make up for the dreadful pall that hangs over these wretched excuses for pubs.
anonymous - 22 Sep 2006 21:42 |
One of JDW's better pubs. Have visited many times although tends to get a trifle busy with tourists at lunch time and towards the end of the month attracts the area's civil servants. They are worth watching to see the ones trying to avoid paying their round! I know I used to be one.
One interesting fact is that they are forbidden to cook chips or so the manager said due to the fact the smell might upset some of the noted local residents!!
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Went to this pub yesterday looking for food at 10pm,and was pleased to find they still served food untill 11pm.We ordered 4 different meals at about eight pounds each and we all was very impressed with the quality and quantity of the meals.better than alot of resterants you might happen to visit.dessert also excellent too.In very relaxed high ceiling and walls packed with books makes for a pleasant meal/drink a stones throw fron trafalgar sq.
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As I understand it they change the 'Guest ales' constantly (every day-ish), so its not surprising the staff don't know the ins and outs of all the ales. You can always try any ale and with a range of 12 hand pumps to try you can't go wrong really (see how mny you can try before annoying the staff!). One of the best places to try new and odd beers. Staff seem a helpful bunch, if not that knowledgable.
anonymous - 11 Sep 2006 21:40 |
The positives - always a good selection of real ales, very reasonable prices for central London and only five minutes walk from Charing Cross station if you have just missed your train. The negatives - often crowded and smokey.
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The thing in here that really brings it all back home is the menu. It looks like a fast food one which is totally out of the character that you suspect they are trying to create. After all, there are even un-nickable books on the bookshelves. You know the sort of thing - a maths primer circa 1957 and deadly novels by obscure authors that are now out of print.
I appreciated the fine ales, especially one that went by the name of SKW or something equally unmemorable. It was excellent. Alas, the foreign bar staff could tell me nothing about it. Nothing. I don't even know where it comes from. On another occasion, I asked them what 2 other beers were like. They couldn't tell me anything about those, either, but they did at least let me taste before buying - their idea. There was a very dozy young English lad behind the bar, though. But he knew precisely nothing either. He offered me a glass with a Belgian beer - good - but then when I said yes please, immediately forgot about it and I had to remind him. I suppose the Wetherspoons staff don't get paid enough to care, but it is a little sad to know so little when the place goes to the trouble to offer such a wide range of real ales. Maybe you have to tell them what goes in a gin and tonic too. (I haven't tested this).
I have to admit, the cavernous room is nothing special nor the clientele and definitely not the atmosphere. What you do get is space, very good and interesting beers, affordable prices and a central location. Which all things considered, isn't too bad. And the staff may be ignorant, but at least they are not unpleasant.
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not great, but if you like looking at the post-middle aged, lazy fatsos of whitehall then this is your place. grim.
good beers on though. and an interesting experiemnt - have 7 pints of stella, go to the gents and try to find your way out of the place. its like trying to get out of a secret library from scooby doo.
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Four of us come from Yorkshire every year and we always make a bee-line for this one, the drinks are ok, the food is ok. The barstaf are very good and you don't get ripped off.
Minco - 29 Jul 2006 21:21 |
when you walk in you are greeted by a charmless, cavernous front room with that strange semi-lighting that Wetherspoons seem to delight in recreating in their larger pubs. Desperate middle aged people and families sit around joylessly and noiselessly chewing cheap, unhealthy food in the twilight - the smell is unbearable as you weave your way through the tables into a back area replete with one arm bandits and the more serious alcholics. One is met by 8 handpumps, some of which advertise empty casks, some of which offer beers well past their prime. Be assured there will be nothing exciting to delight your tastebuds.
But then its cheap isn't it, and good food and drink and atmosphere isn't worth paying an extra 50p for, is it?
You may not agree but the hundreds of thousands (if not millions) who make Wetherspoons successful are happy with this calculation. No wonder Tim Martin smiles out from the pub sign outside on Whitehall.
Awful.
0/10
anonymous - 28 May 2006 10:21 |
Like it says at the top of the page, you shouldn't take some of these reviews too seriously. This is definitely my favourite watering hole in the Trafalgar Square area and it's well run too. I was in there tonight. There were at least eight decent real ales on tap. Only managed three of them tonight. The incredibly efficient Laura was running the show. Nobody waited more than about a minute to be served - on a Saturday night!
And how do Wetherspoons manage to get their hands on so many cracking looking bar staff? Any old geezers staring into space here must be well past it! And no, I didn't leave with my flies open. I don't think so, anyway.
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awful stench of food and desperation pervades the air. urgh
anonymous - 27 May 2006 21:28 |
That's a tad unfair, The_Inspector!
Wetherspoon's food is by no means a culinary achivement, but they're doing 2 meals for �7.95, and it turns up fairly quickly on a busy evening. And it's accompanied by a decent beer....
There are nights when you want something excellent, and some when you just want something quick and dirty. I'm a supporter of the smaller pubs, but you can't contest Wetherspoons VFM, even if the staff are drippy and the food comes from the 'boil dans la bag' cuisine...
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SOLUTION TO CHIPS CRISIS -
1. Order your burger in The Lord Moon Pub.
2. Nip across the road to McDonalds.
3. Get large fries to take away.
4. Smuggle said fries into pub.
5. Put fries on plate beside burger.
6. Eat.
DISCLAIMER
While I understand that the chips you get in McDonalds taste like damp cardboard, I must also point out that this will in no way interfere with the quality of your Weatherspoon burger. In fact, you will do well to find any difference in flavour between the two.
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Another horrible JDW !!
The night I was in it must have been a Pratts Convention - the place seemed to attract them big time - both sides of the bar alas.
Cheap - but cheap and nasty fits the bill better.
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Best beer I've ever had in a 'Spoons on my early New Year's visit. Can't really rate it otherwise - all their pubs are basically the same, you know what you're getting before you go in.
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Same as any other Wspoons, but with pictures of Parliament.
If there is a restriction on frying food in Whitehall, how come McDonald's gets away with it?
anonymous - 14 Jan 2006 08:53 |
They don't serve chips here because there is a restriction on cooking fried frood in the Buckingham Palace/ Whitehall area.
Hangar-like interior means there is no atmosphere and on our visit it was cold enough to need to sit with our coats on.
Also seemed to be a number of single men staring into space. What is it about Wetherspoon joints that attracts these types? The one in Bethnal Green is packed to the ceiling with grey hollow-cheeked men of indeterminate age, their eyes fixed in a kind of 3-yard stare or scanning the Racing Post, nursing a flat pint for 6 hours before leaving with their flies undone.
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For a decent pint and a passable meal, it's hard to argue with the Lord Moon if you're in Whitehall....
... but they don't serve chips!!!
6/10 (they lose a point for the no-chip policy)
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Quite a nice 'Spoons pub but I think once you've been to one you've near enough been to them all. Toilets are clean and well kept but you're hard pushed getting a table as it gets very busy in the evening.
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fairly average Wetherspoons with all the pluses amd minuses that entails. Excellent quality ales and prompt service, though I could have hallucinating.....
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High ceilinged bank conversion which offers the visual impact and physical feel of drinking in a railway station; this is an experience uncommon in a traditional pub and many will not like it, but others will find it an interesting diversion and will note that such conversions are increasingly popular, especially when done with sympathy for the original building, as is the case here.
The pub has the usual Wetherspoon features and flaws and there shouldn't be any surprises for anyone familiar with the chain.
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Excellent if draft beer is what you go to pubs for - several guest ales (and well kept) when I went last week and many at under �2.20 a pint. Good place for a few after work or as a base from which to move on to somewhere else for a meal out.
Now the bad points: The food is poor and I can only suggest the more starchy offerings as a means to soak up the alcohol. My friends' "greek platter" had the meagre dips already placed inside slabs of bread, making the dish one of compulsory sandwhiches. At nearly �8 this was about �1 per mini-sarnie. Also lettuce was the only garnish and that was limp (how do you excuse limp lettuce in September?). They have a non-smoking section which amusingly is 80% allocated to "diners only". Most occupants however were sitting there with drinks only.
So all in all a mixed bag. "Only here for the beer" might be its motto.
MarkW - 26 Sep 2005 14:52 |
Good location, reasonable choice of beers. Did not try the food so cannot comment. The best thing about this place is that its a wetherspoons (cheaper drinks) but at the same time it's quiet and feels relativley upmarket.
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Superb selection of beers, and the bitters are generally well-kept. Very cheap considering the excellent location. Decor is of the standard you would expect of a Wetherspoons pub, as is the clientelle. Unfortunately the food is also of the standard you would expect from a Wetherspoons, i.e. poor.
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Other comments containing the words 'gem' and 'fansastic' worry me. This is an impressive building, but that's where the plaudits end. The drink is cheap, but poorly kept. The food, well it's an insult to even call it that. And it beggars belief that it maintains 4/5 sets of pumps on a 20-25fy bar yet only employs a maximum of 3 bar staff! Due to the cheap prices it is packed with the oddest mix of people on a weekday night.
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There is a lingering grandeur of the traditional bank building it was, wonderful high ceilings and ample space. Shame about the limp 'Poundstretcher' sepia prints on the walls.
Service prompt and friendly, booze good and reasonably priced - if in company, I'd recommend shiraz by the bottle.
Its also quiet and its so good not to be rammed through the skull by cruddy muzak.
If you are looking for a restful couple of hours after a day out, its worth the trek.
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Great value drink, although I don't recomend the microwave meals! Wetherspoons are quite progressive when it comes to smokey pubs too - large non-smoking area at the back, and I have heard rumours of a complete ban throughout the pub next year.
Interesting old building with high ceilings and large windows. I think it is one of the best places for a pint or three on Whitehall, when location, price, clientelle etc are taken into consideration.
I would recommend a bit more training for the staff though...
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A fantastic pub. A real gem in the otherwise expensive Trafalgar Square. Admittedly, not all the bar staff speak perfect english, but what can you expect with so many foreigners looking for jobs. At least they all try their best.
No chips on the menu...makes a very nice change. There are reasons behind it, go in and ask the staff if you're curious.
Victoria - 7 Oct 2004 14:34 |
We spent a really nice evening there a few months ago until 11pm when the psychotic bar staff bullied us out of the door; at 11.15 one of them cam up and forcibly removed the drink I was trying to finish from my hand, Jeeeeeesssus, how to destroy the warm fuzzy feeling we had at 11pm in one easy move! The place was empty but for us, we were complying with their persecution and I don't think we deserved that treatment. We coolly and calmly told the staff how we felt on the way out; one barmaid agreed it was too heavy handed but didn't apologise. V disappointing.
Jane - 17 Aug 2004 12:44 |
I feel a bit envious of the visitor who thought the 'Moon was the worst pub they had ever been in. The criticisms of the staff and food are accurate, or can be, but they apply to virtually every
pub within a 3 mile radius of the 'Moon but more so.
As a regular (3 times a week)I can say that you are guaranteed at least one good pint of proper beer every day and usually much more. You are also guaranteed at least one competent member of staff every day - and how many tourist pubs in central london can you say that? Talking of tourists whaddya expect in a pub sited between Trafalgar Sq and Parliament - blokes off trawlers?.
As for the surroundings they add a bit of variety, and dare I say it, a bit of class (variety being the spice of life?).
In the context of the area its an absolute godsend if you want guaranteed quality choice and price.
Paul - 20 Apr 2004 12:00 |
Probably the worst pub I've ever been to. Went yesterday - Easter Monday - and eventually got served by surly, lazy staff. They had no clue who was next in line and apathetically asked the sea of faces in front of them who's next, leaving you at the mercy of the tourists unfamiliar with pub etiquette.
Feeling peckish, I ordered a standard Wetherburger and was pretty gobsmacked when it arrived without chips (unlike every single other 'Spoon in the country) and was told defensively when I queried it with a member of staff that I should've studied the menu. In my ignorance, I thought these chains used the same menu.
To top it off, our cutlery was encrusted with the dried-on remains of the previous users lunch - inexcusible when staff have to wrap each set in a napkin, so they must've noticed.
As a final gripe, the miserable young 'manageress' behind the bar was easily distracted by her colleagues and would simply walk off when called, even if she had been taking an order at that point. She was also ignorant enough to comment loudly that 'people will whinge at anything these days' when protesters marched past the pub.
So here's my whinge - this dump needs a regime change. And my beer was flat. 0/10
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Beware of pickpockets in this pub! Apparently there are professional gangs working here.
Don't leave your wallet in your coat pocket if you put your coat on the back of your chair. I did and now I don't have a wallet.
Apart from that, I quite like this pub. The beer's cheap as you'd expect from a Wetherspoons pub, but the food sometimes tends to be cold.
Why are people drinking Fosters and Stella when they could be drinking Directors?
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Just very bland. I probably will never remember my visit.
Mike - 17 Sep 2003 18:50 |
not bad for a Wetherspoons. Does lack atmosphere, mainly because there are lots of tourists, although you can have a good time here. Anyway the drinks are cheap so who's complaining?
Steveo - 17 Sep 2003 13:40 |
My....god! What a horrible pub. Have just had the worst pint of Fosters ever pulled, by a barmaid who does not even have the most basic grasp of out native tounge! To her credit though, she was a honey!
No wonder 'Spoons pubs are ridiculed so!
Full of gulible Americans, who have no doubt been told that this is a "proper" pub. Most certainly one to avoid!!
Rob - 20 Aug 2003 14:57 |
yes, cavernous... yes, cold... yes, full of tourists BUT... when it's busy in the area this is the one pub where you might get to sit down. And the bar staff are sweet.
It's really not that bad. We go there when it looks like we might get crushed in the chandos.
Justine - 10 Jul 2003 14:15 |
Cavernous and cold, especially after the departure of managers Martin and Di a few years ago. Be ready to hurl abuse at tourists who actually try to READ the books on the shelves behind some of the tables.
Pauly H - 9 Dec 2002 15:02 |
