TripAdvisor: The best and worst Wetherspoons in Gwent

No doubt that means many of us will be eyeing up a trip to our nearest Wetherspoons, but where are the best and worst venues across Gwent?

Wetherspoons, which has 12 pubs across Gwent, remains a popular choice for many.

Thousands of you have been sharing your experiences of the pub chain, good and bad, on TripAdvisor.

A mix of reviews of 'Spoons' visits based on food, service, value and atmosphere make for some interesting reading.

Here's the best and worst Wetherspoons across the region - based on percentage of 'excellent' and 'very good' reviews.

The Olympia, Morgan Street, Tredegar

 

TripAdvisor reviewers gave The Olympia an excellent or very good ranking 78 per cent of the time for a rating of four out of five.

'Lovely atmosphere'

"One of the best Wetherspoons I have visited," said one customer. "Lovely atmosphere, friendly staff and good food. Highly recommended."

'Worst Wetherspoons ever'

But this customer disagreed: "What a joke. I've travelled Great Britain with work and this is the worst Wetherspoons ever. Onion rings are that hard they could go 12 rounds with Tyson Fury. Sent three meals back as the chicken burgers looked like they had been cremated."

The Godfrey Morgan, Chepstow Road, Newport

 

This Newport pub was praised highly for its service. Reviews gave it a score of four out of five, with 73 per cent of them rating it excellent or very good.

'Friendly staff'

The service was a highlight for one customer who said: "Stopped off for lunch whilst working in Newport. Very efficient & friendly staff, would definitely go again.”

'Worst steak night ever'

The food left a lot to be desired for this customer though: "Cold chips, cold peas, cold mushroom and cold fried tomato don't ask about the steak 40% stringy fatty luke warm. Will not be going back for anymore."

The John Fielding, Caradoc Road, Cwmbran

 

More than 200 reviewers gave this pub a rating of four out of five on TripAdvisor, and 69 per cent of the 217 reviews rated it excellent or very good.

'Amazing'

One customer said: "We were quickly seated and ordered via the app. Food was amazing and great value for money."

'Quality has gone down'

Another was left disappointed though: "We had to be in Cwmbran early so we decided to go to Wetherspoons for breakfast. The prices have increased, but the quality has gone down. The food was cold and some items were missing. We declined the offer to pop the food in the microwave."

The John Wallace Linton, Cambrian Centre, Newport

 

The John Wallace Linton gets a four out of five rating from its 101 TripAdvisor reviews - with 68 per cent ranking the pub as excellent or very good.

'Covid secure'

One customer praised the efforts taken to make the pub suitable for 'the new normal'. They said: "was very impressed with the layout felt more secure than expected. Staff were there with any questions that needed answering. One thing that could be better is the track and trace forms to close to the doors. I missed them on the way in, should be on the bar, a small problem but overall a great visit.”

'Can't Recommend'

However, another was less than impressed saying: “This used to be a decent place for a meal, but not now. On visiting today we found the bartender made mistakes taking our order that we had to correct. Then when the food came one of them was wrong again. Can’t recommend now”

The Malcolm Uphill, Cardiff Road, Caerphilly

 

The Malcolm Hill scores a rating of four out of five from its 363 reviews, with 66 per cent giving it an excellent or very good rating.

'Thank you'

One regular was delighted with their latest trip: "The waiter was absolutely amazing he went above and beyond tonight, it felt more like a night out since everything had happened. We have had such a fab night so I just want to say thank you!."

'Toilets stinking'

But another said it didn't live up to previous visits: "Been in loads of times early evening for tea. 3.5 to a 4.5 out of five. Saturday night though is shocking. Kicking off in the bar. Toilets stinking. No toilet roll."

The Queen's Hotel, Bridge Street, Newport

 

The Queen's Hotel received an excellent or very good review from 60 per cent of its customers. From 493 reviews, the pub picked up a 3.5 out of five rating.

'Welcoming staff'

There were zero complaints for this customer: "Have visited for a while certainly not disappointed. We two 10oz Rump signature steaks and one bbq chicken pizza with drinks. The steaks were perfectly cooked tasty and really excellent. The pizza im told was stunning and the bbq sauce was the best tasted for a pub. I would recommend a visit here welcoming staff good Covid measures in place."

'Unhelpful'

But another said: “Our food hadn't been served in half an hour. Asked why and no-one would accept responsibility. The member of staff who processed the order couldn't have been more unhelpful. She'd input the wrong table number. Food came 10 minutes later and looked as if they were the original meals warmed up."

The King's Head, Agincourt Square, Monmouth

 

This Monmouth Wetherspoons was rated excellent or very good by 57 per cent of TripAdvisor reviews, giving it a rating of 3.5 out of five from 349 reviews.

'Very nice'

A customer said: "Typical Spoons, offering good food and drinks at low prices. A very nice building, tastefully restored in a most central location."

'Completely underwhelming'

However, another said: "Yes it's cheap, and the service isn't bad, but the food...... really? How can they get such basic meals so completely wrong?"

The Pontlottyn, Somerset Street, Abertillery

 

The Pontlottyn boasts a rating of 3.5 out of five from its 94 reviews. TripAdvisor reviewers rated it excellent or very good 57 per cent of the time.

'Excellent'

A quick lunch with no complaints for this customer: "Popped in for a quick lunch with my wife today, we had 3 small meal sharers, half rib and onion rings, spicy prawns and chicken wings. All three meals were served quickly and were excellent."

'DISGUSTING'

But another said: "A family celebration meal was booked. Bar staff rude. Food was DISGUSTING. Tables were dirty and not cleared beforehand. Never going again. Not good enough. Avoid at all costs."

The Bell Hanger, St Mary Street, Chepstow

 

The Bell Hanger in Chepstow has been reviewed 509 times and given a score of 3.5 out of five - 53 per cent of the reviews rated it excellent or very good.

'No complaints'

One customer was very impressed: "A very decent spoons in my opinion good food nice breakfast and fast service."

'Unexpectedly poor'

This couple were not though: "As part of a weekend break with fiancee we decided to take breakfast at this Wetherspoons. It was unexpectedly poor, with three breakfast items not available, some items were cold and the sausages were the worst taste I have ever experienced, as if deep fried in old burnt oil."

The Coliseum, Lion Street, Abergavenny

 

This Wetherspoons was rated excellent or very good 48 per cent of the time and carries a TripAdvisor rating of 3.5 out of five.

'Best pub'

One satisfied customer said: "The management and staff are most helpful and have put all measures in place to keep the customers safe. In my opinion it is the best run pub in Abergavenny Town. I have visited all pubs in the town and this will be the only pub I will keep coming back to in these hard times. Keep up the good work.”

'Weaponised gammon'

Another was left angry with the quality of the food: "This is by far the worst place I have ever been to. Where shall I start the gammon was that hard that if you threw it at someone they would most definitely have had a black eye. The child’s pizza was rock hard and the child’s chicken breast was dry. I also ordered cheese for the child’s chicken breast, that cheese didn't come out with the food, instead we had to wait ten minutes for a single piece of cheese to be brought to us!"

The Picture House, Market Street, Ebbw Vale

 

The Picture House has received 88 reviews leaving it with a rating of three out of five. Of those, 44 per cent rated it excellent or very good.

'Family friendly'

This customer was thrilled with their experience: "Lovely staff, very speedy service even while very busy, lovely food.very affordable. Plenty of room for pushchairs and family friendly."

'Beer mats probably had more flavour'

While another customer was not at all pleased with their meal: "Ordered a ham and cheese panini. Side of chips was fine but the panini tasted (if that is the word) like cardboard. The beer mats probably had more flavour and better texture."

The Sirhowy, High Street, Blackwood

 

The Sirhowy is the lowest rated Wetherspoons in Gwent. Just 33 per cent of the 182 reviews left on TripAdvisor gave it an excellent or very good rating, giving it a score of 2.5 out of five.

'Great service'

This customer had no issues though: "I have had a few breakfasts from there recently and they have all been fantastic, great service, breakfast fantastic and the price is great, by far the best Wetherspoons in Gwent."

'Worst Wetherspoon in Gwent'

Other customers were less impressed: "Dirty tables, dirty tables, disgusting food and arrogant staff. No wonder this is the worst Wetherspoon in Gwent! Everything about the place is absolutely disgusting."