2 Pints of lager and pack of piss please. (Wetherspoons (Ryde, Isle of Wight))

Member Name: adambrown400

Product:	Wetherspoons (Ryde, Isle of Wight)
Date:	28/02/09 (141 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Cheap

Disadvantages: Filth

JJJJ is right, Wetherspoons in Ryde can be hit and miss if you visit at the wrong time. You can usually judge the what the place is going to be like as you pass the large glass frontage of the building, this is useful because you can see who is in there and exactly whether or not theres gonna be trouble.

Back in the 80's and 90's, Fowlers as it was then was an upmarket department store that had a cafe on the top floor. When Fowlers closed there a brief period of time when the building was empty. It changed into a 'Spoons around 1998 or just before. Spoons as a rule generally cater for your everyday drinker and usually you will get a hardcore of older dudes who sit in there every day, all day.

You can also get a pretty decent plate of food in Spoons as well - this also depends on what time of day you go there as well. As a rule, the later you go, the quality of your plate will deteriorate. I have a had a sunday lunch in there quite late once, and the vegetable were still in their plastic microwaveable bag!

Wetherspoon's Ryde is also in desperate need of a facelift. Its decor is in serious need of a revamp as the chair and tables are the same ones they had in the late 90's. They are sticky, the carpet is wee and vomit stained - with the staff not a huge amount different.

The good thing about Spoons is the drinks prices. Ryde is generally quite good for prices as a rule, much better than say Cowes where £3 + for a pint is the norm. In Spoons whatever time of day you can get a pint of reasonable beer for 99p. I won't go too much into the range of beer available - its is pretty good, and the range of Real Ale is always excellent.

Spoons is the place where JJJJ and tomflint and I generally hang out on a Saturday night. Its the last stop because it has an 'itbox'. The itbox is always good for a lught, whether it be my favourite '1 in 100' or JJJJ's favourite 'Tactiles'.

I would like to get one thing straight however, JJJJ said I saw a man giving another fellatio in the toilets. This isn't quite true. The door was closed and I though I say two pairs of shoes in one cubicle. Anyway, this was also due to me have several 99p pints! The state of the loos is always shocking in the toilets at Ryde. During the day they aren't too bad, but come dusk and nightfall they turn into the toilets from Trainspotting. Poo and wee and vomitus spread from one side to another with a sprinkling of blood for good measure. Maybe I'm exaggerating, but the do need to sort this element out.

As I said at the beginning of this review, it depends on what time of day you visit this particular Spoons for what sort of experience you are looking for. If you are going there for Breakfast or lunch then it is quite nice and calm. Certainly its a place where familes and old dears hang out because its so cheap. However, later on things start to get rowdy, I've seen a few major bar room brawls happen there. Once when it was Scooter weekend in Ryde - so I suppose it wasn't a 'local problem'.

I've always been amazed that Spoons doesn't employ its own security or doormen, seeing as most of the problems in Ryde begin and end there. The vast majority of other establishments in the area do so - but they do not. When a fight does break out, its left to the little lady who owns the place to yell 'Stop fighting! Stop fighting!' which does little to stop the chavs who are tearing lumps out of each other.

The other day I am sure I saw a twelve year old get served a round of drinks - so what going on there?!

Wetherspoons has a bad reputation on the Island, but I wouldn't get put off from going there. I've never had any trouble there and the majority of the food I've had had been good. I've witnessed some terrible things there, but it hasn't scarred me for life - just a few weeks of therapy and it's gone.

A brief word also on some of the characters that you can visit when you go into Spoons. Theres one guy who looks like Jerry Springer, theres another who looks like an old 'Fat Boy Slim' Norman Cook. Theres also a younger group of guys who have become notorious with our group - one who looks a little like Paul Nicholas from 'Just Good Friends' Look out for these guys - they are fun to spot.

Recommend is not a word I would use for those thinking of going to the Isle of Wight especially for Wetherspoons. If you happen to be in Ryde, then its worth a look in, but just hose yourself down afterwards.

Summary: Worth a look in