please note - reviews on this site are purely the opinion of site visitors, so don't take them too seriously.
Pretty good for a Wetherspoons, and one of the very few decent pubs in Bracknell. A very old building sitting incongruously in a sea of concrete hideousness (although the northern third of the town centre just across from where The Old Manor is located is about to be completely rebuilt). Has a pleasant if shady little garden on one side, surrounded by trees.
TOM always has a good range of ales on tap, with variety between the top and bottom bars and one or two local offerings usually included. By far the best range of real ale available in Bracknell. Food is cheap n cheerful, as per usual for Wetherspoons, and of course the drinks are pretty darned cheap too. No annoying piped music either. There are the inevitable screens showing sport or news with the sound turned down. However, it is possible to escape them because the pub has a reasonable number of interconnected rooms.
Security is necessary at weekends, but the atmosphere is generally good. Staff are friendly and happy to let you have tasters of real ale. Not surprisingly, CAMRA folk quite like it and it has been both the local branch winner and runner up in recent years.
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One of the best spoons Ive ever been in beer always good and plenty of local ales usually good helpful staff and a pretty low chav pikey and piss stained wino count pretty much the only pub worth drinkign in in central bracknell
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Now local CAMRA Pub of the Year and the place was good on the award evening. Excellent beer, good range and they turn over quickly. Staff are good - service still not perfect but much better than in the past. Manager is doing a fine job. One of the best JDW pubs by a mile.
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A good Wetherspoons. More character than most, very friendly staff who seem to have genuine interest.
monty - 30 Apr 2012 11:16 |
This branch of Wetherspoons is quite different from most others. It actually has a little character. Being based in an old building, it has two separate entrances with two separate bars. If you go in the main bar, be sure to check the blackboard at the side, which tells you what is on in the smaller lower bar. The barmaid was less than helpful and I missed out on a drink I would otherwise have chosen. Nevertheless, the beer range is good - Adnams Gunhill, Three Castles Stoned, Greene King Abbot & Ruddles Best, Loddon Hullabaloo, Kelham Island Pale Ride & Springhead Roaring Meg. Westons Old Rosie was the cider, whilst Broadoak Perry was also available. Note that cider is hidden away in a side room. So it is not immediately obvious what is available in the main bar, let alone the lower bar. Despite this, I would recommend this Spoons purely because it is different from their usual characterless branches.
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a lot of druggies in this wetherspoons. avoid.
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Last few food visits have been at breakfast time or curry club, plus once for steak club. Also drink here at least once a week, and the ale is always reliable. Food is up to the expected standard, though one or two tables are now a bit on the wobbly side - one (No 3) was seriously loose on its legs! Hope to have Sunday club lunch before long.
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I have been to this pub on many occasions and they always have a good range of beers on including local beers. Wetherspoons really should be commended for their support of local breweries. I had a lovely pint of Rudolph from the Itchen valley brewery and Frozen assets from Rebbellion both in great condition and very nice and the service is great. Well worth a visit!!
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One of the few old buildings in Bracknell, a Tudor manor house no less - the Monks Room) features an original priest hole. Along with various period features The courtyard area is a step above the usual Wetherspoons al fresco experience.
Two bars with in separate building with different beers on - I counted four guest beers, including Loddon and Butcombe, which were both pretty good. It was late afternoon on Wednesday so can�t really comment on how it as rush times, but on the strength of this visit I�d pop in again and would recommend it as a better Spoons experience.
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Popped in with the family at the weekend for a meal and a few drinks. Beer was good (as per usual) - Loddon Russet on fine form. Ordered a platter to share as my main meal and it came minus the buffalo wings. On complaining, I was told they had run out and I should have been told and offered extra prawns. The manager served me, in fact, said nothing and I got extra onion rings. However, they responded very well to the complaint and I got a free dessert. The coffee is good, too, and it welcomes families. Bracknell is badly off at the moment for decent pubs, and some competiton would not go amiss!
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Decent enough pub near the centre of town.
Tends to be busy at end of week lunchtimes and early evenings.
Food is typical Weatherspoon's fare, good value and quality. The breakfasts are better than most and at about �4 well worth a visit.
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Visited on 6 July 2008. The Old Manor was originally one of the first 'Berni Inns' in the 1970s and did a roaring trade for steak and chips. Now owned by the infamous 'cheap' Wetherspoons. We went there for a breakfast which was ok. Atmosphere was almost 'cafe-like' with old boys at the bar drinking booze at 11 am. Not really our scene but suited our needs. Wetherspoons have a nasty habit of 'comparing beer prices' with a big display and saying 'why go anywhere else?'. This is unfair to other businesses and should be scrapped.
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Mediocre. Don't ever be tempted by the apparently quieter looking lower bar. Limited range of drinks there and an eternity to get served. Best pub in town centre area, or rather least worse. Cheap
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Slow staff and too focussed on food. Nice range of bitters though (when you eventually get served).
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I fell out with the Old Manor years ago when, on a Friday night, I walked in to see someone lying on the floor with blood gushing from their slashed face. As a rule of thumb I've always felt that pubs with bouncers on the door are probably more trouble than they're worth. However, I have recently started going back to the Manor, on the strength of it's excellent range of beers. It does seem to have changed. I've not been there in the evening at the weekend, but during the day, The Manor is a pleasure. I dont know if they still have bouncers on the door..
The range of ales is the best you'll find in Bracknell, with contributions from local breweries as well as excellent standards like Marstens Pedigree. Their Guinness is also excellent. The food menu is not spectacular but it depends what you order. Burgers, breakfasts and standard pub grub is very good indeed. Sunday roasts, especially the beef is a little dissapointing, although in terms of value for money you cant really go wrong. The staff and management work very hard to get it right, and it's good to see them succeeding in a town where running a pub cant be the most pleasant job going.
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Prices have increased since my last report. Breakfast now about
�3.98 including (excellent) coffee and toast/preserves. Still good, but not as good as six months earlier. Beer festival on now!
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A very welcome oasis in the decent pub desert otherwise known as Bracknell...
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Very nice spoons prob in my top 20(out of 250+),9/10
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Easily the best weatherspoons I've visited
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Still quiet and comfortable with range of guest ales as well as the usual JDW range. Food hot and up to usual standard, and a bit faster than last time. Nice coffee and toast/preserves for 99p, and with breakfast at just �2.10 is amazingly good in spite of having increased.
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Probably the best Weatherspoons I've been too (which must be around 50). Lots of cheap, well kept ale, from local and national breweries. as a completely non smoking pub, the air is nice and clean, and the clientel a lot more civilised.
anonymous - 15 Jan 2006 11:54 |
Food above average for JDW, but can be a little slow on busy evenings. Range of real ales usually good to excellent. Service usually excellent, clean air, no noise or games. Main bar is very disabled-friendly, rest of pub is not - due to age of building and differing floor levels.
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Over the last 6 months this pub has improved in both food and drink. Strong management, happier staff. Nice group of regulars.
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Now a totally NON Smoking pub, 7 bar areas, 2 main bars, 6 or so real ales, 2 beer festivals a year, inexpensive, food is okay as well (menu doesn't change much so a little boring if you eat there much) .
No Big Screen TV, No Music, No Pool Tables...
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One of the best JDW establishments I have visited in a long time. Good selection of real ales, well kept, good food, excellent service.
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Excellent value beer, food OK, but bar staff few and far between, makes getting served a time consuming affair. Good selection of well kept real ales.
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Quite nice ....for Bracknell !!!!
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just gone totaly non smoking and been done up.
prices remain cheap...clientelle remains young and service still appalling
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The best "chain" pub ever, large, non smoking areas, inexpensive, lots of real ale, 2 beer festivals a year, food is not "exciting", but tollerable.
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Enormous, rambling Weatherspoons pub, but in one of the few old buildings in Bracknell so more character than usual for Weatherspoons. Nice garden in summer. Food patchy, beer cheap.
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