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and the beer tasted like remnants from the drip tray that had been left out in the sun and then somone farted in the glass. Rank.

Doesn't help that I studied in bournemouth and there were so many of them there. I've mostly lived in a bunch of small towns so adjusting to not having small town, actual pubs is weird for me.
Do appreciate spoons for cheap drinks though.

I just don't have pints from there. You can get sub £3 drinks from their world beer section that are nicer and bigger

When they first opened it was just called a generic pub name but they were deciding whether to have spoons or not in their place. And thats how they came up with the name wetherspoons.

Some of them are awful.

I'd rather pay a wee bit more for somewhere with a nice atmosphere and interesting clientele because that matters more to me. I hate chromw city bars for that reasons- full of dullards and generic mate-market tendencies. Wetherspoons- full of people that are there for the cheap booze.
Independent bars or decent brewery pubs- just tend to be a bit better.

Leaving aside snobby ale bants about generic beer, Wetherspoons establishments easily have the highest shit pint/good pint ratios of any pubs I've frequented. You put up with it precisely because of the price.

I think it's a shame that so many people would rather go to some generic plastic shit house and save 20p on a pint than go somewhere nice.

but hey ho.

from the guest ale section. Whereas all the 'proper' old men pubs, where you'd expect there to be a decent bit of ale, are hampered by shitty, feckless brewers and poor maintenance.

and wanted a pint of BITBURGER PLEASE

(actually I wanted a pint of a different fancy German wheat beer next to it but couldn't be arsed to pronounce it)

So the barman repeats "...Bitburger..." to himself and pours THE OTHER ONE. Fine, whatever. But after pouring the entire pint he says "this was the one you wanted, right?"

Urgh. Yeah cool story bro

is that they buy their beer in later than everyone else - just before it's due to expire?

Which is probably why I find that most of their pints are hovering on the verge of being off.

they have improved MASSIVELY over the last ten years.

They used to pretty much exclusively serve stale beer and microwaved, plasticy food, but they seem to have made a real effort to improve both. The steak nights, curry nights, breakfasts, etc, there are really good. Course, you could pay four times what they charge and eat somewhere fancier, or twice what they charge to make the same meals at home and sit on the internet alone like a ted, but what's the point?

They'll never shed the bad image completely, but people who get snobby about stuff like Wetherspoons nowadays really are utterly, utterly boring cunts. The only criticism i have of them nowadays is they're too busy. I like a quiet pint, and being served quickly, and you can't really get either of those things in most Wetherspoons.

Different pubs, different needs, innit. When i want to read the paper, or try a few new ales, or am having a quiet drink with one or two pals, somewhere nice is better. If you're in a bigger group, or it's near the end of the month and things are a bit tight, or you just want a bit of cheap, decent-ish grub, Spoons is more than alright.

what's not to like? They also offer warmth to the elderly in a safe environment which they may not find in their own homes.

with few decent pubs serving cask in the town centre for a number of years. And it was massive and you could always get a seat, and it was cheap. Plus you can usually buy shome cheap hooky goods if that's your thing (although that may be mainly the Blackburn one)

but they're just just as likely to serve a pint on the turn as anyone else. Doesn't matter how well they're kept (and I believe Spoons keep them very well), at some point they'll go. Of course, it's up to the punter to mention this to them and get a replacement, but, in summation, I have been served a bad pint in a Spoons more than once.

as they are one of the few places in that london that you know you can get decent cider in as opposed to that mankners crap or worse, wrongbow
proper westons cider

mind you aspalls has been a bit more prominent on my last few visits so maybe other pubs are learning

it was positively grandiose inside, felt like I should have worn a tie.

Coffee was good too. Chairs were comfortable, the atmosphere relaxed and the burger was tasty and reasonably priced. You should go there.

Always a decent selection of ales, I've never had a bad (off) one. I like how decent their spirit selection is and their prices too. None of this ordering a large Jack & coke and paying over a tenner - you can get some weird 50% abv rum and coke for less than a fiver.

real ale people are still boring

not very indie, is it

http://newsimg.bbc.co.uk/media/images/44877000/jpg/_44877165_080717martin512b.jpg

look at that mullet

makes sense

They've always a top selection of interesting drinks (the Rochester Castle in Stoke Newington has EFES on tap BOSH)

Also my brother works for them. He's had a pretty colourful life, he's struggled to get work for long periods, suffers from really severe dyslexia. Anyway, since he's been working there it's like a different person. He's on route to becoming a manager, and they've even paid for him to take maths classes and resit his GCSEs in the Heathrow Academy. Frankly they've invested more in him than the three schools he attended. They get the thumbs up from me.

there's crap ones and there's really atmospheric ones (including one near the City that had all sorts of junk as furniture, wonder if it's still open)

long as they have cheap bottled cider (and they will) I'm happy tbh

not a vital one to nail yr colours to the mast about, really, tho the service can be a bit impersonal if that's what you care about

and they even put opera on occasionally

The sort you get on the edge of trading estates - Sizzling pubs, Fayre & Square, 2 for 1 etc. Generally the only problem I have with them is that they attract mouth-breathing scrotes who spend the whole time glaring at you for the heinous crime of you not being a mouth-breathing scrote like they are. Oh and they always have News 24 showing on a big screen so you end up with half the place staring slack-jawed at it reading the hopelessly inaccurate subtitles

Best: The Sedge Lynn http://www.jdwetherspoon.co.uk/home/pubs/the-sedge-lynn

Only because it's so close to my old house I used to be able to sit there eating my breakfast whilst picking up my home WiFi. That felt comforting.

Worst: Moon Under Water (http://www.jdwetherspoon.co.uk/home/pubs/the-moon-under-water-manchester)

Pretty much the worst place on earth.

...tedious as ever.

Almost as tedious as the answer I always give: Wetherspoons, overall, perform a positive function within the British pub landscape (which is diverse, multi-purpose and varied).

Most of the time I want to base my evening around going to a lovely pub which serves cracking beer. For this, Wetherspoons isn't an option.

Some of the time I want to pass through somewhere, grab some food, grab a pint and not be charged through the arse for it. For this, Wetherspoons provide an excellent option.

Also, I don't think you can discount money from the equation. Some people are poor, but want to enjoy going to the pub. For some, Wetherspoons are one of the only options. Sad but true.

http://www.jdwetherspoon.co.uk/home/pubs

how many Wetherspoons are there within a mile of where you live?

7 for me.

reliable, init.

I was in a Wetherspoons for 'lunch' the other day rather than the usual "quick cheap pint while waiting to meet someone", and remember thinking how varied and cheap the menu is, and most of it's decent grub, plus you've got a proper choice of draught stuff, bottles, spirits and wine. It's like the supermarket of pubs.
Also, The Montagu Pyke is mentioned above and their Curry night is marvellous. Proper Indian cooks and proper chutney.

Pretty much the only thing I dislike about Wetherspoons involves the daytime crowd of old men who have that old man smell, and any night where it's a sea of fake tanned legs and shit perfume.

Lots of bars with lots of different drinks and a balcony which over looks the sea, great for a summers day. some of them are awful though

Yeah they're often devoid of atmosphere and I hate how they look like a Travelodge bar, but they usually have a really good selection.

I JUST REMEMBERED THE MAP I MADE AFTER ANOTHER ONE OF THESE THREADS

http://goo.gl/maps/r1srS

freshly updated with the terrifying Leith one

I actually miss them. The only ones I can think of having visited that I don't really like, are the one in my home town (The old Gaolhouse, in Winchester) and Central Bar in Cardiff. All the rest I can think of happy occasions in.

A pint of Heineken (I know that it's expensive kit, like) will set you back about £4.10.

It does in the White Swan anyway.

always a bit busy though.

that is all

is in airports. If there's a big wait for a flight I can normally fit in a 3-4 pint session. Expensive in airports though but it is just about the best option most airports.

constantly go to the nearest approximation of a spoons in dublin but it's NOT THE SAME. <3 Spoons

not been to one for years

when i was at uni we used to go down on sunday evening for a pudding and some deal or no deal machine action