please note - reviews on this site are purely the opinion of site visitors, so don't take them too seriously.
Centrally located Wetherspoons, on the Market Square. It's quite a large affair and was reasonably busy on Easter Sunday afternoon. It also retains a little character, unlike most Wetherspoons. Not a bad selection of ales either - Wychwood Hobgoblin, Ruddles Best, Greene King Abbot, Acorn Blonde, Ossett By George & Silver King, Sharps Doom Bar & Elland 1872 Porter. Cider was Gwynt y Ddraig Black Dragon. The Racing Channel was being shown on the TV screens and the atmosphere was a bit raucous.
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In many ways, not a bad 'Spoons... although they close the bar without any notice (even though nearly every other pub in the country rings a bell or at least tells paying customers) so if you happen to then arrive at the bar for (another) drink 2 minues after the designated time - due to lack of knowledge as they've not told you - it's tough luck! Customer service excellence! At least the staff get to finish early though...
If you put that aside it's okay.
alexw - 27 Jun 2012 23:38 |
Market place pub and therefore always busy. Best selection of beers of the 3 'spoons pubs in town and I had breakfast there which was their usual offering but was well cooked and quite tasty (and of course excellent value)
Quite a good hustle and bustle atmosphere and not a bad place at all.
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If it wasn't for their usual promotional posters you could almost believe this was not a Wetherspoon. Good choice of ales, friendly staff and efficient food service. On a busy Saturday lunchtime the average age of the customers must be about 70!!!!
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Not a typical looking JDW offering from the outside,looks more like a normal freehouse. Large horseshoe shaped bar with the guest ales sporadically placed around it. Only �1.80 pint too for guest ale,bargain!! 7/10
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Quite nice by wetherspoon standards. Usual food menu. Normally good choice of real ale - but the pumps are spread round the long bar, be sure to walk fully round!!
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The Red Lion is certainly one of the more appealing Wetherspoons, helped by the fact that it was already a pub with a 260 year history to start with as opposed to being a converted carpet shop or bike showroom. Situated on the historic market place, the interior is deceptively large and quite spacious. The front bar has a loungey section around a cosy fireplace with the now ubiquitous tub chairs whilst the rest of the pub has a more traditional �Spoonslike feel although with a bit more character than most. Given the depth of the rear section you would expect it to be a bit dark and claustrophobic but a sunken skylight gives it a welcome burst of natural light. The usual history snippets make interesting reading and the town�s horse racing connections are represented by a board listing post war winning runners and riders of the St Leger. The pub excels with its guest ales (usually 5 available) which are all sourced from local brewers as evidenced from the labeled map on the pillar by the bar. The 5 on offer on my visit included York Centurian, Thornbridge Wild Swan, Daleside Pride Of England, Elland Savannah and Acorn Old Moor Porter. One minor gripe is that the hand pumps are spread across the length of the bar so it is better to check the barely noticeable board listing the ales rather than attempt to eye up the pump clips (which I prefer). The place can also proudly boast being the local Pub of the Year for 2009 and for that alone, is well worth a visit even for non Spoons fans.
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Smallish friendly Spoons; more aimed at the drinker than diner, though food was good. Wentworth beer was OK but the Exmoor Beast was superb. Very good.
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Probably the only friendly pub in Doncaster which seves real ale
anonymous - 6 Aug 2007 15:24 |
