The chain has become a popular stop off in recent years thanks to its cheap and cheerful pub grub
While it might not be known for its high-end dining or fine cuisine, Wetherspoons is a likely stop on any night out across the UK thanks to its cheap and cheerful pub grub and low-priced beers.
Founded by businessman Tim Martin, the pub giant has become popular right across the country since it opened its first site in north London in 1979, and has grown to the point where it employed around 43,000 people as of 2019.
However, as the brand continues to grow, encompassing an ever-growing range of foods and drinks, I decided to see what it would be like to eat there for a week, looking at the taste, cost, and variety of meals on the menu.
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Before we begin I should admit that I am a big Spoons fan who attends its Abertillery branch, the Pontlottyn, almost every Thursday evening without fail.
Drawn in by its low prices, central location and the ability for all members of the party to chose something different, it has become a near perfect meeting place for groups of friends like mine since it opened in 2010.
As a result the thought of eating here every night for a week was definitely one that intrigued me as I headed in to the challenge that would last a total of seven days.
Monday, curry club: £7.45
The first thing that strikes you with any Wetherspoon pub across the country is the consistently low prices on offer for both food and drink.
After a session at the gym I headed to the bar to order the first of my seven meals of the week, the Beef Madras: a four out of five spice rated curry, accompanied with a portion of rice, two poppadoms and a large individual naan bread.
While I will admit I’ve definitely had better quality curries from Indian restaurants in the past, there were a number of unique selling points that made this meal worthwhile and actually impressive to me.
Firstly the food turned up in under ten minutes, was piping hot, and was well presented by the waitress on duty. As expected the price was comparatively low coming in at a total cost of £7.45 which included a free drink in the form of a Pepsi. While it wasn’t life-changing in terms of its flavour or texture, it was an adequately tasty and hot meal, served in a welcoming environment.
Tuesday, steak night: £10
By night two I was ready to see what variety the menu could offer, so I decided to take on the restaurant’s second, and possibly most popular club night – steak club. It is important to note that all clubs are now available on all nights giving customers the ability to order whatever they want on any given day.
I entered the building, well known in Abertillery as the former Pontlottyn department store, and ordered an 8oz sirloin steak with a jacket potato and additional onion rings at an overall cost of £10.
While the meal may look a little bit bland in the picture, the steak was quite tasty, and though it doesn’t compete with the more premium steak restaurants such as Pasture or Miller & Carter in terms of the quality, the price was once again a saving factor along with its speedy and efficient service.
The steak came out hot and medium rare as requested, along with a choice of sauces and optional sides that definitely made it worth the money. Even though there were some down-sides – both the potato and onion rings were slightly cold – overall it wasn’t bad.
Wednesday, pasta alfredo with garlic pizza bread: £9.80
While the cheese sauce on the pasta was pleasant and creamy, I couldn’t help but feel it was quite a bland tasting dinner without adding any of the additional portion options such as chicken to go with it.
Of all the evenings I would definitely say this was the weakest of the meals I ate, as not only was it very bland but was also quite a small portion that inevitably left me hungry at the end of the meal.
The same can be said about the underwhelming side of garlic pizza bread, and though I would describe the meal as disappointing overall, it did at least cost under £10.
Thursday, pepperoni pizza: £7.15
Continuing with the Italian theme on night four I decided to try the Wetherspoon pizza, a relatively new addition to the menu here and something I was eager to try.
Of all the nights this was the biggest surprise to me, as until this point I was unaware that Spoons even offered a Pizza, let alone a half decent one.
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This 11-inch pepperoni pizza came at a total cost of £7.17, and with its rich tomato sauce and generous toppings of cheese and pepperoni, for under £8 I came away with the feeling that you really couldn’t go wrong.
To drink I ordered a pint of Brewdog’s Punk IPA which came in at an additional £2.99, and even treated myself to a dessert – a moreish warm chocolate fudge-cake with two scoops of ice cream and chocolate sauce for £3.95.
