Latest reviews from Watford

“Visit multiple times. Lovely little micro pub located in central/west Watford, between the town centre and the football ground. Four lines of keg and four casks, all rotating. They get some really interesting pours - Overtone, Holy Goat, Cloudwater, Green Duck, Siren, and many others spotted. They also frequently have local breweries in stock, such as Oxley Village and Pope's Yard. Prices are very reasonable on the draft. They also have a selection of around 40 cans and bottles. I've been to a couple of very well run events - tutored tastings and meet the brewers. The venue is run by a lovely couple, who are clearly very enthusiastic to bring both great beer and a strong community venue to the area. It's very popular with locals, but also very welcoming to new people. Probably the best place in Watford to grab a beer.“

Beese 269 days ago

“Just the right place to sample Mad Squirrel beers. The beer menu included three cask ales and 24 on taps, some of them guest ales. And they do thirds. More canned and bottled beers in the fridge close to the serving bar. Modern open-plan room at the ground floor, and excellent toilet condition upstairs. Not so many people inside when we came here at noon, but it was soon filled up with Watford supporters, developing a very good, enthusiastic, and friendly vibe. The place is located just off the High Street and close to the train station. About 15 minutes walk to the Vicarage Road Stadium where we saw Watford vs Coventry 0-1. By the way, excellent, attentive service at the bar. (Visited with Leif and Magne, 05.11.2022)“

Rune 557 days ago

“A long bar to the right hand side of the entrance, they had, in fact, 16 hand-pumps with many overlapping each other. Guest beers from Robinsons, Mad Squirrel, Portobello, among others. Very busy at breakfast time early on a Saturday. Central location, about five minutes from the train station. (Visited with Magne & Leif, 05.11.2022).“

Rune 557 days ago

“Visited BHX and LHR ones. Pretty nice for an airport pubs. As cozy as possible for location given. Selection is rather wide, but macros mostly. US craft in the fridge was nice bonus“

surething_ii 1717 days ago

“Have visited the Darwen and Cambridge branches. Ambiance depends on the location, the Cambridge one is feeling much more "pub-chain"-y then the Darwen one. Service is a bit weird, as they sometimes don’t know the proper names for their beers (the menus sometime just mention a brewer and a style, even if that could be 10 different beers). Prices are cheap for UK standards. The selection is interesting, a bit IPA heavy though. All in ale decent pub“

FinnIckler 2666 days ago

“Located a few minutes walk from Watford Junction - Ideal if your on your way to Mr Frog’s gaff. Horseshoe shape pub with bar in the middle. Classic jazzy patterned carpet from yesteryear. Rugby blaring out from a plethora of tvs. Clientele on our visit was 95% men. They offer up to 3 cask ales. On our visit one was off, one was London pride and the last was a new Caledonian scoop. Was in good condition and cost £1.50 a half. A pretty standard boozer by all accords.“

Scopey 2931 days ago

“I have visited many a JDW in London and a couple in airports, and I generally like them for their selection of cask ales. The service in normally on the slow side and the staff is quite young and seem inexperienced. The food is okay without being a treat. I have been fortunate enough to come across both their Spring and Autumn cask ale festivals.“

Rasmus40 2991 days ago

“I have visited several JDW in London and I had a great time at almost all the visits. Great pubs for taking family for lunch and early evening. Very childfriendly pubwise (and my 8 year old daughter loves fish and chips). I find it very nice that they have campaigns through the year with changing casks so you can find different casks in the same period in difrent JDWs. As a high-schoolteacher I had great experience taking the class for pubvisit.“

HenrikSoegaard 2991 days ago

“Came in here many moons ago after first watching a Premier League match at Vicarage Road in 2006. Spacious and traditionally furnished in the chains early look, with lots of easy on the eye soft furnishings throughout. I have no idea if it is still the same 9 years on.“

ManVsBeer 3220 days ago

“Just a huge place to serve hundreds of people on a Saturday evening. Watching football, rugby, eating and drowning some pints. A couple of guest taps that can be interesting. Otherwise..go somewhere else.“

Cunningham 3385 days ago

“The ever expanding chain, Britain’s biggest in terms of pubs is well known for its changing national range ales in most of its pubs as well as allowing managers to source locally produced craft for their outlets - backed up biannual beer festivals that include a plethora of ales you can only exclusively drink during these periods. It’s hard not to notice these pubs if you travel around the UK with any frequency, and whilst they come in for a lot of understandable stick for changing the landscape of how and where people drink in pubs in the various towns and cities they enter, they are consistent the length and breadth of the country and you know what you’ll get - well kept ale at a competitive price and a decent choice from a wide range of breweries.“

ManVsBeer 3540 days ago

“Recently taken over, looks like the new owners are trying to bring some beer into the pub. As it’s Punch, I’m guessing their hands are somewhat tied. However, there is now a fridge of craft beer bottles (replacing the internet jukebox). There’s nothing that you won’t have seen before; Punk IPA, Dead Pony Club, Goose Island IPA, Anchor Steam, etc, but it’s better than it was and pretty much the best selection in Watford. Cask ales seem to be Tring Sidepocket as a permanent and a rotating local guest. Last time I was there, they had 3 Brewers from St Albans. Food is still being cooked by the chef for the previous owners. Prices are very fair and the quality is pretty high. Portions aren’t quite as huge as they used to be, but the presentation is somewhat improved. Worth a pop in and good for an office lunch.“

Beese 3627 days ago

“Rating valid for Glasgow Central railway station ie Sir John Moore, visited today with my wife when she didn’t want walk the other 30 min to the Brewdog par. 15 pumps, 6 hand pumps and 50 odd bottles. During this week they had real cider festival since the cider were served out of tetra packs (big ones) but my wife didn’t bother. Clean, nice staff and fast staff. Centrally location just 5 min away from the station.“

Nisse666 3631 days ago

“I visited the one somewhere near the London Tower. Atmosphere was quite relaxing and the beer selection was reasonable.“

kalervo 3755 days ago

“I was surprised to see a generic place for Wetherspoons because, although the pubs have some common themes, they vary quite a lot, from the really rather nice (e.g. the White Hart in Todmorden) to the truly horrible (e.g. the Central Bar in Shepherds Bush). It’s always worth checking them out though because they do generally have a good range of beer, especially during their "festivals".“

Boudicca 3761 days ago

“I’m a big fan of the JDW chain. While value is their raison d’être, they sometimes do have some great beers on tap. In particular, they put on a range of festivals each year plus special series periodically where you can find great stuff. The prices are always great; in London, the Spoonies are far and away the best-priced pints. Staff can be quite variable; they are almost always courteous but only sometimes do they know anything about the beer. I gather the food at JDW can be decent but I, regrettably, have never eaten at one - will try to remedy that in 2014. Another bonus with JDW pubs is that they are often the best option in otherwise bad areas for beer (or living). If you are the type to get hung up on aesthetics, or if you don’t like rubbing shoulders with consummate commoners, then JDW pubs are not for you. If you appreciate a bit of good value and routinely solid cask ale selection, give the Spoons a go.“

Leighton 3763 days ago

“i normaly go to one of these if i am about to go to the footy they do the job of serving beer but its quite rare that you get i good pint from them the beer they buy is normaly near the end of its life but if you just want to have a drink it will be ok for you“

pricey290483 3763 days ago

“Stumbled across this entry at random - Josh@coattails ;). So this is a generic rating of all spoons, and I must have been to a good few hundred (and I’m not a spoons ticker btw!). Atmosphere is usually flat, no real local feel, lots of owd men and ne’er do wells typify the clientele base. Selection, even in the average spoons, will often wield a few ticks especially during the bi-annual fests. Only the poor ones offer the bare bones of Shabbot and Shuddles. The value is always good, London/M25 area, central London and airports especially acquire a premium but still cheap compared to other venues in the area. Due to the cheap cost ... see atmosphere above. Service often hit and miss, young staff, high turnover, often slow or other folks (again see clientele) will get served first and not give 2 shits about this knowing full well they have. Overall - yeah , Spoons is Spoons, god love em, worth their place on the planet, I visit off peak as a rule when the dross factor (clientele wise) is less dangerous and the frustrating service less likely.“

Theydon_Bois 3771 days ago

“Love them or hate them. As long as they have a decent selection og ale as well. I keep coming back“

Cunningham 4100 days ago

“my god the haunt of the desperate! normally full of cheap poorly maintained ales .really not good to invite anyone in unless you bloodywell hate em.... do yourself and your mum a favour and set fire to any feekker whos bone idle enough to do owt but love them. their buisness model is to fek every other pub in their area.cheap beer for cheap people, sorry if this offends but wake up this is the truth“

merseybrew 4606 days ago

“Yes.. Decent selection. Mainstream and mediocre.“

Dedollewaitor 4627 days ago

“You can always count on JDW to deliver a few ticks, ignorant service and a cheap meal. Most places look like the McDonalds of pubs, but if McDonalds had this beer selection I might actually go there...“

Christian 4633 days ago

“Ill go in for a couple of ticks with a cheap meal, but thats about it.“

ndon 4690 days ago

“Great selection of beer at cheap prices. other than that they have NO ATMOSPHERE AND POOR FOOD“

Spunky 4699 days ago

“My 100th place rating, so time to say something about Spoons. Love them or hate them, the real ale scene would be far more elitist without them. With such a large chain there are bound to be variations in quality, but their commitment to real ale, particularly the biannual festivals, means that there is always something new to try.

The pubs are often barn-like and lacking in atmospehere, but there are some interesting examples around, particularly some of the conversions. The clientele is varied, some attracted by the low prices, some by the family friendly approach, and some by the beer choice. The food is consistent, cheap, but not of the highest quality - however there are occasions when I succumb. Service is variable, there are some excellent teams, but also other places where they don’t seem particularly interesting in serving any body.

My main gripe - not the temperature or condition of the beer, although that can sometimes be a problem - but the time it takes them to serve coffee to the person in front of me - surely they could learn to multitask and pull a pint while the coffee is brewing.“

berkshirejohn 4713 days ago

“Raising the bar for the pub standard across the UK. In many small towns such as my local, the Spoons is the best pub in town. Good variety of cask ales, as well as beer festivals twice a year. Food is average. Cask condition can vary greatly. Good value.“

wigglyworm99 5172 days ago

“Value for money pub grub and a constantly changing selection of cask ales always in good condition because of the quick turnover and the staff training. The combination of good value food, good value beer, a comfortable place to sit, free internet, a welcoming attitude for all including families, no intrusive music, and prominent locations make the Spoons very popular. Almost all Spoons are conversions, these may be banks, cinemas, theatres or churches, and some conversions are very interesting. Complaints range from lack of atmosphere, which I’ve never encountered - there’s always people inside a Spoon chatting away creating a pleasant buzz. I think some people are not happy that a Spoon is not a traditional thatched country pub with a welcome fire and a ruddy faced landlord - but most other pubs are not like that either! Other complaints range from a dislike of the other customers (this can range from the customers being too old, too young, too rich, too poor, too foreign, too local, depending on the profile of the complainer) to a picky attitude about the speed at which tables are cleared. Spoons are OK, and are often the only place in a town you can get a scoop.“

SilkTork 5183 days ago

“Great chain pub, cheap, you will always find a new beverage there, good food deals. Not much atmosphere, but its a pub for punters, go during the quiet times. Free net for ratings, and some nice old ones in London. They have given me, a traveller, some merchandise in the past and are always friendly. Go there and check it out.“

Bastow 5188 days ago

“Extremely cheap, and a safe bet to get new ratings. Tend to be (depending on time and location) either barn-like and devoid of atmosphere. or rammed to the gills (and still strangely devoid of atmosphere). fair play to them for being one of the very few big chains to promote varied real ale; go there during one of their festivals and you’ll probably pick up something unusual, or a one-off beer. Glad they’re around (I don’t think they deserve some of the abuse they get), they definitely add something to the UK beer scene - plus they’re relatively family friendly.“

wheresthepath 5333 days ago

“(Visited Penderel’s Oak on Holborn and Crosse Keys in City, both in late November 2008) Well, the JDW pubs are hardly exciting or cosy, but it’s nice that they stick to the cask ales and actually promote them. And once in a while you stumble across something very interesting. Quality and condition of the beers tend to vary though. Service is usually efficient and friendly, but not always with a vast beer knowledge. Ok pub food is served at very nice prices - and the kitchen is open! (which isn’t always the case in England). So ok, they might be the McDonalds of pubs, but don’t neglect them, you might find something interesting.“

Svesse 5630 days ago

“Rating for The Met @ Baker Street: Big, 10 beers, more than half were alas McSpooned, about a third of them undrinkably so. However, replacements were given without question.
On a local level, the quality of the chain varies hugely, my personal favourite is the Village Inn in Rayners Lane, NW London. 3 regulars and 4-5 rotating guests, and not one in any way Spooned. Cambridge’s The Regal has a new cellar manager, and now serves all its brews on top form. Again, huge, but quiet due to the no-music policy. The Crosse Keys had a couple of very McSpooned beers, and the service was sloppy. But that one was after 2 closed days (but I’m sure one of the beers was fresh on).“

FatPhil 5820 days ago

“Never fail to find a new real ale at the larger venues (Whitehall/Leicester Sq). Usually one at Victoria. Always a delite to walk across one unexpectedly. Not so much opportunity as the Wenlock or the Market Porter, but they really are great places to sit down for a good pint.“

bhensonb 5835 days ago

“Discount beer and great cask selection. We went to three different locations that ranged from a traditional North American sports bar to a proper British boozer. They do their own magazine, treat the beer well, support the local breweries and still I am not sure what to think of them.“

Hoser 5954 days ago

“JDWs vary considerably but the best ones, where the managers are interested in beer, offer a decent selection of real ales at prices that cannot be matched. On the downside, ales are often served too cold and the cheapness of what’s on offer can attract some odd clientele. Standard pub grub on offer.“

downender 5969 days ago

“I do not seek out the Wetherspoons pubs when I am in cities with a good range of ral ale pubs. On the other hands, these can be great places to have a real pint in places like Belfast, where most of the others have only stouts and lagers.“

KnutAlbert 6443 days ago

“I can understand some of the criticism and negativety towards JDW but you know what you’re getting and in truth if you live in an area dominated by one or two breweries then at least you get the opportunity to try a more varied selection of beers from a little further afield if you have a JDW near you. I admit that some JDWs aren’t great and do seem to attract a strange crowd but there are some superb ones up and down the country. Food is cheap and cheerful (but a bit more cheap than cheerful)“

Fin 6464 days ago

“I’ve been to a couple of these in London. Non of them have been very cozy, they are a funny sterile look-a-like of a real pub. The service is very average, but the good thing is, that they have a good rotation of casks, so I can always get something new. I’ve never eaten at a JDW.“

Ungstrup 6746 days ago

“I tried a couple of them; the atmosphere is not great, but the selection is nice; worth to try.“

fiulijn 6766 days ago

“Spoons really divide opinion. In some places that are beer deserts, or dominated by a single local brewer they may be the only prospect of a scoop. They are cheap. Managers seem to have wide discretion as to what beers from the list they stock. Some stick largely to the core range, others put in as many guest beers as possible. Spoons in some areas have a policy of supporting local breweries (Loddon for instance). On the downside, the premises are usually conversions from a different use and have an identikit feel. Some have been deliberately done in a rather cold cafe/bar style. Service can be dodgy (and slow). Often staff seem to be more concerned with peripheral tasks than serving beer. The clientele can be a bit scuzzy too. Food is mediocre at best but cheap and can suffice for quick sustenance without wasting drinking time. There are commercial issues too; Spoons are often accused of nailing brewers margins to the floor and squeezing "proper" pubs in the area with their pricing policy. So I have mixed feelings about Spoons as well. I wouldn’t want to have one as my local, but I’m quite amenable to popping in for a quick scoop, then leaving. And, to the extent that they do provide some consumer choice in places where it wouldn’t otherwise be available, its difficult to be too critical.“

chriso 6767 days ago

“Reliable budget chain. You know what you’ll get - generally a fair choice of beer if nothing that exciting, I prefer JDW to some of the other British pub chains. *re-rate* they seem to have upped their game with the quality of their food lately.“

kwik-lime 6868 days ago

“As a visitor to London, I found the various JDW’s I hit to be reasonable sources for new beers to try. The casks were generally in decent shape. One time the cask was bad, and they gave no trouble in getting me a different beer. Food was nothing special, but it was much more affordable than most places we visited.“

argo0 6875 days ago

“Dire stack-it-high-sell-it-cheap drinking barns for the drinker on a budget. Atrocious food, beer can be hit and miss. Notorious for pumpclips advedvertising non-existent beers.“

louchemobile 7024 days ago

“I’ve been to a few JDW pubs around Britain, they have all been reasonably clean, most of them with a designated children’s area (they might expect you to eat, though). Always 2-3 micro cask ales on, in addition to the less interesting standard ales. That’s more than you may expect from the average English street corner pub these days. I’ve read somewhere that the bar staff are not allowed to socialize with the customers, but who cares, as long as the beer is in prime condition and CHEAP! The standard pub grub is reasonably priced too, but nothing special.“

Sigmund 7045 days ago

“Comments for individual Wetherspoons are to be found in their appropriate places.“

imdownthepub 7163 days ago

“The first place I was taken to dinner at in London was a Spoony’s, and I continue to think it’s a good first introduction to pub life. The atmosphere is always friendly, though sometimes irritatingly loud when crowded. The food is reliable as a rule, and specials on both food and drink keep you coming back if you’re on a budget. Sometimes hard to see if a pub is a JDW or not, as its usually written in tiny lettering beneath an actual name for the place. Real ales are in every JDW I’ve been to, and vary from place to place, but are rarely awful. Good place for real ale sampling over an affordable dinner.“

beaconstreet 7184 days ago

“Went to several JDW pubs while in London. They had a pretty good selection of casks and decent food. Another positive was the beers here seemed cheaper, cost wise, than other places. Didn’t seem like the beers were served too cold to me, but what do I know about cask beers, compared to UK beer geeks. Worth going to and you’ll most likely hit at least one while in London if you are searching for beer.“

TheBeerGod 7199 days ago

“The GBG is normally a good indication of decent pubs, but obviously not always, so if you are in a strange town JDW is a safe bet. Normally a few scoops, and very low prices. JDW places are also very appealing to non real ale drinkers, so you are likely to be able to drag people in who would otherwise not go in places with good beer.“

Joeh 7313 days ago