Foreigner's experience at Wetherspoons | Love it or hate it? 

The good thing about the sticky floors is that you can sway farther without falling over.

Wetherspoons can be hit and miss but one thing I love about it is that when I walk into one during the day, I see lots of pensioners enjoying a cheap meal and a drink with friends. This would not be affordable in an independent cafe or pub for someone living on a state pension. Wetherspoons provides a valuable service to older people and for that I will always support it.

Buy a pint, get your meal free. Breakfasts are brilliant. Endless free refills on 🍵, coffee, chocolate, tea. Top rate beers and ales. Steaks and grills are good. Fish and salads fresh. Average cost of a pint is £6 elsewhere, a meal is £15. Brilliant value.

"Spoons" is the Greggs of pubs. 😆

I was in Wetherspoons in West Kirby on the Wirral peninsula on Wednesday afternoon. Two pints cost £3.70, but that's because I had a couple of CAMRA 50p off vouchers. But even without the vouchers it would still have only been £4.70, and there are lots of places in the UK where you can't get one pint as cheap as that!

We have a beautiful Wetherspoons in my town, it's great

One thing I like is they never play loud music in the background. It is much easier to chat with friends than in many other pub chains where loud music seems to be the rule even on a Sunday lunchtime.

An adventure and a nap. The beer in spoons is actually really good - they get through so much so it's always fresh

'Spoons are a mixed bunch - some of them are pretty grotty but I do like the effort they make to refurbish old buildings. There's one in Manchester that I've visited many times that's an old cinema and it's just lovely what they've done with the place. Food is generally decent enough, I'd certainly eat there over some of the fast food chains. And the beers pretty good and certainly cheap enough! Don't love 'em, don't hate them... yup, I'm gonna get splinters in the butt from sitting on the fence on this one! 😁

Not British (Canadian/American), but I appreciated Weatherspoons as a reasonably priced, predictable, reasonably decent, widespread option while travelling around the UK

Excellent. I think you should do a similar video where you go to the sort of pub you love, that's cosy with an open fire and you can share the overall whole night down the pub with us. 😊

My old office in Maidstone used to be directly over a Wetherspoons. One time they had a fire in their kitchen and filled our office with smoke. We were sent out of the office while it cleared and as I recall pretty much all of us went down the high street to the other Wetherspoons in Maidstone…

. Where else can you get a meal and a pint for around a fiver? If anyone expects fine dining then they should go somewhere else. I visit my local spoons for lunch most Tuesdays and know the menu pretty well. Fish and chips, all day breakfast or ham eggs and chips are all perfectly acceptable It’s exactly what you’d expect - cheap a cheerful

You get what you pay for. Their breakfasts are perfect for an easy full English. Back in my Uni days we used to love beer and a burger 🙂

A British institution. Love them or hate them, we always end up at them!

Have to love it. In Newcastle some of the most beautiful buildings are a hidden wetherspoons.

Wetherspoons is a cheap and cheerful concept. Where can you get a served pint of beer for under £2? If it wasn’t for this chain an awful lot of local establishments would empty and an eyesore in the community. Additionally, one of the few places in Britain were you can get unlimited refills on Tea and Coffee.

In my experience cheap beer - I mean literally half the going price in other pubs - and almost always good beer (I'm talking about cask conditioned ale). So why not.

The Old Bull and Bush is an icon. Wetherspoons is just a bog-standard pub chain.

Had friends over from Singapore and they loved to take themselves off to Spoons.

This was great! And the sound was fine too, I could hear you perfectly! You’re good at speaking in public while you’re recording too! I get that must be very stressful lol, but you’re great at it anyways so don’t worry about it!

Had a rather fine curry in Gloucester Wetherspoon. Cook was Indian which might have had an influence. Shows that everything is possible.

The way you cuddled that pint glass with both hands with the joy on your face as you took the first sip was adorable. You're so sweet Alanna. You looked like a little pixie🥰

Witheringspoons! Go every week. We love it.

My local Weatherspoons was a Post Office and makes a great meeting up point for a swift half..... pub crawl.... there are about twenty pubs within half a mile.

There is NO down time at a Spoons, they're always busy. My local Spoons recently closed due to arguments with the landlord (Spoons and the property owner). I do miss it, wasn't a 'real' regular but used to enjoy going there every so often.

Went to Liverpool station Wetherspoons recently to meet someone off the train. The tea was lovely.

We go to bar to order . they’re really nice people

Who cannot love Wetherspoons , they do things like all pubs should do , they have the prices clearly displayed for food and drink , they invite you to taste the Ales before you buy , they have so many more Ales to choose from , they have their own free magazine of interesting news , they have prices very much cheaper and good value , they have tasting notes for the Ales , they participate in beer festivals , they are in CAMRA . I feel sure i have missed a few even with that list

Regularly frequented the spoons at uni and had breakfast there whenever I visited my sis in London. I can’t say I’ve visited one recently but shout out to the lady who asked for my ID when I was 30. Gave my dad and me a good laugh 👶 Cheers for sharing your experience with us, Alanna!

Spoons is great for something quick and cheap. You pretty much know what you're going to get at the different pubs.

A taxi to somewhere else 😄. Gotta love British humour and banter!

Some Wetherspoons can be decent, depends on where yhey are located. Some of them are also in some interesting old and historic buildings like old cinemas and theatres which are actually cool to see

Alanna, this was so much fun you should do stuff like this more regularly 👍

2 miles to the toilets LOL!!!! Standing joke about Spoons 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣 Great video

Wetherspoons has all the appealling atmosphere of the second-class waiting room at Manchester Exchange Station in 1959. How it survives baffles me, even given the prices.

Sticky floors and a microwave burger, can't argue with the price though. Also I can't believe my balloon is still alive, great video!

All i know is that every single spoons i ever go in is usually packed so they must be doing something right.

You CAN order from the App but you can also order at the bar (and order your drinks from there, too). Twice this year (the most recent time being only a few weeks ago) I went with my wife to Ripon (North Yorks) Wetherspoons. Both times we had fish, chips & mushy peas, with beers. We got the same because, the first time, the meals were good. We were not disappointed the 2nd time either and the beer was CHEAP and was fine. Good food and beer, sold cheaply. And this is from someone who eats fish & chips at Whitby, the Mecca of F+C. Well done, 'Spoons.

It's worth saying that weatherspoons are often in old nice buildings. So soggy carpets aside they're normal nice spaces to be in. I don't love or hate they're just "it'll do"

one cider and you're on melt down 🤣🤣🤣 great work keep it up

I didn’t know Weatherspoon’s was THE British greasy spoon. I do remember a quick lunch in the old booking office at Waverley station. Beer was good, food was fine, it was quick , crowded, slightly confusing to a new y but otherwise fine. Yes I would go back. One thing I NEVER do again is order anything ‘American’ in an English food parlour. Once ordered a ‘Wopper’ at a Burger King on the motorway.

People who say they hate wetherspoons are usually the first ones to try a new one when it opens.

We go alot around corner to our house, cheap food and drink what’s not to like?! X

Wetherspoons is a great place for breakfasts, the curry is always good and yes the pitchers are good

Spoons is the only restaurant chain that does sensibly priced American style breakfasts with smoked bacon, pancakes and syrup. Usually available in areas that attract US tourists like Edinburgh, Bath etc.

One thing Spoons do well is their breakfasts..I always judge a good English breakfast by the quality of its sausages. Wetherspoons sausages are really good. You should film outside more often you’re really good at it.

Wetherspoons is like Denny's, Applebee's and Hogs and Heifers dive bar in Las Vegas rolled into one. ALL of the food is microwaved or cooked from frozen, the pitchers have a very low alcohol content and the clientele can be an interesting mix but it's still a good laugh and cheap as chips.

Wetherpoons is the 'Mickydees' of the drinking world. I've has some OK food there (not what I wanted, what I needed) a starting point for the rest of the night. Get 'tanked up' on cheep booze then stagger onto the night clubs. Finally ended with a kebab on the walk home home which was usually still on my chest when I eventually woke up the next morning. Joy ... 😂

Wetherspoons are great at 8am after an all nighter and need somewhere to wash and get changed as well as get chrap coffee and breakfast ready to have another day on it!

My local Spoons in Tewkesbury is superb..an historic hotel saved from developers which serves the town well. The manager, Stuart, has a great friendly team around him. Always busy and he really knows how to look after his beer. Why would I pay £4+ for a pint when I can get it for £2.39...especially with the rising cost of living...

Spoons is great for a quick meal, although gourmet it ain't! Think of it as a greasy spoon cafe with cheap booze instead of coffee! I actually had their 10 ounce gammon steak dinner in the summer (actually 2 x 5 ouncers) when on holiday in Cornwall, and it was really tasty ... and not microwaved at all (unlike their chicken & rib thingy).

Love a Spoons, ok the food is not a gourmet experience but it isn't priced like it is. With energy prices rising all the time it might be cheaper to go and work in there rather than heating your home. Also, did you know that the countries largest Wetherspoons is not far from you in Ramsgate.

Hey Alanna, As a mystery diner for weatherspoons and having reviewed 10's of them, I can say they all vary. Food should be delivered within 10 minutes with the exception of a well done steak then it's 15 minutes. I have to time them!! Never had a dessert as I get paod only for a main and drink. Good to see you're a lady that drinks pints! I've had some great experiences and some poor ones. It's never top notch but it's a cheap and cheerful type place.

As another fellow Canadian in the UK, I absolutely love Wetherspoons. Sure it's not the fanciest, but it's dependable, and I know what to expect. No frills and no fuss! I love how affordable it is, and I always feel comfortable there. Big Spoons fan!

Nowt wrong with Spoons the food isn't the best by any means but its far from the worst and they carry some aces beers at affordable prices The chicken strips they do with Barbieque sauce are great with a pint

Very good value, they gave you a drink that provides a whole hour of entertainment.

sometimes, your local wetherspoons has enough seating for you to pull tables together in a small but rich town

Wow, six bucks for a meal and drink, you guys are living the dream ! I just spent £35 in Prezzo, but at least the floor wasn't sticky 😃

Love the privacy wall of menus 🤣 good thinking Sherlock.

We tried the Wetherspoon pub in Corby/Kettering on our recent trip. It is in the Hampton Hotel and in a plaza where a Greggs pie shop is located. We tried a couple pies (I had to be sure not to get filling onto my jacket). Following the pies, we went into the Wetherspoon pub. This location was very modern as it was part of the hotel and a new shopping plaza. Lots of windows and new tables. Washrooms were also immaculate the day we were there. Not many screens, just a couple in site and no music was playing the day we were there. Beer was cheap but not spectacular. We were there during the mid afternoon so no real crowds, my guess, there was about 20 people spread out around the facility. I also learned that the man behind Wetherspoon is Tim Martin who was also trained as a lawyer. Our friends were describing him so I had to YT him later to get the full experience. We did not eat the day we visited, but that will be for our next trip when we return to England. I found that the place was acceptable and we would go again. But it is tough when there are so many cool local pubs around the Rothwell, Corby, Desborough, Market Harboro area. Fun video!

I visited quite a few Wetherspoons when travelling round the UK. The cheap drinks were good, the microwaved food was utter garbage, but being poor eating there helped save a bit to eat at a proper pub on another day. I hate that they have taken over the country the way they have, but they have also saved many pubs which were otherwise going out of business.

Can't go wrong with a Spoons 😃 Also, love the Klimt in the background....I saw the original a few years ago in Vienna.

That was so funny! Thanks, Alana. Cheers from the Pacific West Coast of Canada.

Visited a few, mostly pretty good. Beer has always been ok and food too.

Lots of great memories...Alanah gets blitzed...love these ones!

Haven’t been to a ‘spoons since before the first lockdown, but hand the car keys to my (almost teetotal) wife, a meal and a couple of pints for a tenner - what’s not to like? Cheap and cheerful.

We love our spoons outings. Tend to grab breakfast in them these days rather than dinner but it’s cheap and cheerful and when it’s the only meal out we can afford at the moment, it’s very welcomed. Helps that our local spoons is a good one too 😂

Can't knock Wetherspoons. 👍

Cheap but reasonable quality drinks and food. What's not to like? Their breakfasts are good. Not been to Wetherspoons since 2018 since I have moved out of the country, I looked online at one that I used to go to regularly and found that it had closed and the site was now an Indian restaurant. Not sure when I will be visiting the UK again. The food used to be better when they did Sunday roast dinners.

I love your drinking videos! That pint looked delicious! Also, British pints are so much bigger than American ones. Learned that lesson the “hard” way. 😂

‘Go home and have a nap?’ Nothing beats the impromptu afternoon in the pub - end up going clubbing too!

Spoons on a rainy day? Class video! Fight outside in the High Street? The toilets are usually clean in Spoons also.

Wetherspoons is amazing for the variety of beer and drinks at reasonable prices. Never found anywhere like it abroad.

Bless, I could sense your anxiety making that video. I'm amazed anyone has 'any' memories of visiting a Weatherspoons, fond or otherwise. It's the sort of place where you wouldn't be surprised to see, unemployment benefit cheque as a payment option. A video in your favourite cosy pub, would be lovely. Thanks as always.

Black Dragon still cider is available at most Wetherspoon outlets near me. This is about £3·20 per pint, and is 7·2% abv. I generally have four during the course of a couple of hours before weaving my way home. 'Spoons is my favourite place in the world. I would certainly recommend any foreign tourist to frequent Wetherspoon's. It is the only place they will not be fleeced, and the best place to see real British people.

I don’t know if it applies to all of them, but all the Wetherspoons I’ve been to have a cask marque, meaning they serve, and properly store, real ales and do it well.

That video was in my top 3. Authentic, natural and it didn't feel contrived because of the fragmented nature the video. Keep it real. BRAVO

Visited my first Wetherspoons last Tuesday afternoon in Ealing. Wasn’t aware of its reputation (good or bad) but taken aback by its very affordable menu, huge range of UK craft breweries and cost of a pint! And their crazy magazine!! However, it’s not often I can have a pint and lunch at an establishment bearing (almost) my name: the Sir Michael Balcon in Ealing. Sir M was my great uncle and is known for his Ealing Comedies of the 40s and 50s, shot in the studio still operating a half km away. No complaints from me though this one was pretty authentic in its restoration of the premises. I’m a fan and this Canadian will certainly return on my next trip to London!

It's been 10 years since I went to a Wetherspoons, so I couldn't tell you anything about the quality of service or food as it stands now, but when I used to go in there things were generally OK. Beer was good enough, although I never tried the food. This video prompted me to check out the reviews for my old Wetherspoons and it seems to be fairly well-regarded. Sadly, it's been earmarked for closure so soon my local town centre will be without a Spoons, for the first time since the late 1990s.

This was such an awesome video. Simple, but effective! We need more Alanna adventures out to various pubs ! Please!!

Anybody who's been skint appreciates Wetherspoons, when I can sit down with £20 quid in my pocket and drink 6 or 7 pints of Guinness then I'm not complaining about a sticky carpet. And they've also saved many beautiful old building from either demolition or just having their interiors gutted, look up the most beautiful Wetherspoons and tell me they aren't places worth a visit.

Used to go to "Spoons" a lot....Never "Loved" It, it was just where I met my Mates and got drunk... I did enjoy the Curries though....... Loved this video Alanna, yes more like this please..... "Alanna Out and About".... Always watch every second... Because you are Cute and Funny.. :-))) xxxxx

I think you summed it up perfectly. A lovely traditional pub is the ideal but sometimes you just need alcohol and food for not much money and in that case the 'spoons is the only choice. I think that foreigners should go to a 'spoons so long as they realise that they are not the finest pubs in the UK but definitely part of the culture 🍺🍺🍺🍺

I have never been what you call a drinker and only usually go occasionally for the sake of friends, and since fully quitting alcohol have not been in a pub probably for 4 or 5 years (of course lockdowns, pandemics and cancer diagnosis helped keep me out of them). When I did go to pubs I preferred to go to a much smaller local pub in walking distance from my house, but Weatherspoons was ok for drinks as they were cheaper, but you find every Weatherspoons to be a very different experience based on where they are. I have been in ones that are absolutely huge and ones that are more cozy with a more traditional pub feel. Sadly certain ones seem to attract a worse crowd. Not sure I would ever go to one for a meal specifically, but think I have at least had nachos in one or two of them. I think at the end of the day if you want cheaper drinks, the option of food or have a bigger group, then Weatherspoons serves it's purpose well. If you wanna just get a couple of mates together and set the world to rights, then you are much better off in a smaller pub.

Alana i agree with everything you said about Wetherspoons, it's good for a pint and if specish. But not for a Special Occasion.

Agreed. Wetherspoons isn't great, much prefer a traditional pub, but it serves a purpose if you want a cheap drink. And I must admit, their English breakfast isn't too bad to be honest.

Hi Alanna I went to the biggest weatherspoons in the UK, its in Ramsgate Kent. I had ham egg and chips and several pints and it didn't break the bank. But the one in my home town is gross I avoid it like the plague lol

Well Alanna the Wetherspoons vid has been on the cards for a while and you finally got up the courage to do it, well done. As you say the food and the drink is cheap and it is what it is and you don't need to dress up to go there. In fact I think the dress code for Wetherspoons customers is to look like you have a few too many before you get there. Happy Friday Alanna & thanks for laughs. 😄😄😄

I use to like going to Wetherspoons for their Sunday roast dinner but since they stopped doing the Sunday roast dinner, I have not really been back to Wetherspoons.

While it's definitely not a great restaurant, it is so cheap & is useful before, during & after nights out. I know I've certainly been in a few & will visit more in the future lol... Even by the time this video comes out I would have been in one for breakfast at Gatwick! That cookie dough sandwich, while so good, is probably also the worst item calorie/sugar wise on the whole menu 😂

Wetherspoons are generally great value for beer and food that is pretty good but not real _pubs_ for me. Lack atmosphere and have more in common with airport departure lounges than the character, coziness and intimacy of real pubs. There are times when they are just what one needs however.

Spoons sausage and mash and their sticky toffee pudding are always good in the Mids.

Great vid 😀. Wetherspoons is pre and post hangover let’s face it 😂. I went to a similar pub once and the staff said excitedly “we’ve just changed the menu and the chefs are really excited because some of the food they can actually cook themselves!”.

You have an amazing ability to make just about anything seem like entertaining fun. Loved the video, Cheers!

Well, that was fun!😂😂😂🤣🤣🤣

Great to see you out and about 🍻

Hmm my nearest pub in town is £5.70 for a pint or I can walk 200m up the road and Spoons charge £2.30, it’s a difficult choice!

Loved the video Alanna! It wasn't a mess at all. Keep up the good work.

Weatherspoons : Culture! I can’t ever imagine those 2 words in the same sentence.