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Picture of The Talk of the Town (JD Wetherspoon)
Image posted by Just a quick pint, then I'm off
Submitted on Sunday, 2nd June 2019
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The Talk of the Town (JD Wetherspoon), Paignton

Pub added by James Joines
46-52 Torbay Road
Paignton
TQ4 6AL
Correct details

Pub Type

J D Wetherspoon

Served areas

Reviews of The Talk of the Town (JD Wetherspoon) (Average Rating: 6 of 10) Add Review see review guidelines

Please Note: This review is over a year old.


Pub SignMan left this review about The Talk of the Town (JD Wetherspoon)

Just a short distance from the seafront, this is the last remaining Wetherspoons pub in Paignton, and one the town's most likely pubs to be mobbed by hordes of day trippers. The pub has a decent sized interior, with the servery down the right-hand side and ample seating crammed into the remaining space, which is full of pillars, short sections of wall, partitioning screens and other such dividers that are effective in breaking up the large space and avoiding a drinking barn feel. The room has plenty of dark wood panelling throughout, which in combination with the relatively small front windows, means the pub can feel a little dark and gloomy, even on a gloriously sunny afternoon, as was the case when I visited. High tables and stools dominate the centre of the room, but elsewhere, there’s the usual decent mix of comfy seating, including plenty of regular tables and chairs, a few nicely padded bench booths and a selection of inviting tub chairs. The bar has a traditional wood panelled counter front, broken in a couple of places by some large pillars, and following a kinked L-shape that runs almost to the very back of the room, whilst a large pub mirror dominates the bar back. The rear part of the pub is on a lower level and offers a few extra seats in a space decorated with the usual ‘Spoons info boards and some seaside themed art. Several doors on the back wall open out to a two-tier patio garden with high tables and stools on the upper level and picnic benches below, all overlooking a nice large lawn that’s ideal for kids to run around on.
The pub was doing an absolutely roaring trade on my Friday afternoon visit, resulting in a queue from the bar, snaking through the pub. I ignored this and walked up to a separate part of the bar, where a friendly barman quickly served me, prompting many others to abandon the stupid queue system that seems to plague Devon’s Wetherspoons. I had a choice of three ‘Spoons regular ales and four guest options on this visit, opting for the local Salcombe Island Street Porter, which was in excellent shape. They seem to take their ale pretty seriously here and I noticed signs for an upcoming Meet the Brewer event, which is usually an indicator of well-kept beer on the rare occasion you see this in a ‘Spoons.
This place was a little too manic for me, partly because my visit was at lunchtime during the half-term holiday, resulting in kids everywhere and a 45 minute wait for food. If I’d visited at a quieter time, I may have appreciated this one a bit more, as the beer was great and the staff were very friendly, despite the large crowds, but my main memory will be of the chaos, so I might have to chalk this one up for a revisit some time.

On 28th March 2022 - rating: 6
[User has posted 3102 recommendations about 3102 pubs]


Please Note: This review is over a year old.


Just a quick pint, then I'm off left this review about The Talk of the Town (JD Wetherspoon)

Looks like an old-school 'spoons, with dark furniture and decor and gloomy lighting away from the front and back windows, but the conversion from two shops (themselves converted from a pair of villas) was undertaken by a previous pub operator before its acquisition in 2010. The central bar area is raised slightly above the seating / dining areas by the front doors and along the rear section (which has a narrow patio terrace beyond). My hopes weren't raised too much by seeing Dartmoor Jail Ale alongside Ruddles, Doom Bar and Abbot on the first bank of four handpumps, but the other set featured Salcombe Lifesaver, Jurassic Gas Tank IPA, Long Man Copper Hop and Vale Gravitas which certainly exceeded my expectations, especially as they were all just £1.99.

On 8th June 2019 - rating: 7
[User has posted 8066 recommendations about 8066 pubs]


Please Note: This review is over a year old.


Aqualung . left this review about The Talk of the Town (JD Wetherspoon)

Paignton's second Spoons dates from 2010 and is a lot closer to the seafront so is likely to attract the tourists rather than locals. Inside it's a roughly square open plan, split level room with the bar on the right and a low ceiling that makes it rather dark. I was here on a sunny but breezy May Saturday so it wasn't being overrun.
This one only has eight hand pumps which had the JDW Trio Of Doom, Dartmoor Jail Ale, Marston's Old Empire, Wild Weather Go Man Go, Hanlon's Firefly and Hambleton's Stallion Amber. I went for the Old Empire (£2.65 but marked at £2.79) which was excellent. This one seemed OK to me but I could imagine it being a nightmare on a sunny day during the school summer holidays. The other Spoons is much more of a local one and better.

On 22nd May 2017 - rating: 6
[User has posted 2143 recommendations about 2143 pubs]


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Pub location see interactive map of local area
Map location corrected by Ale Monster
Paignton, 0.22 miles, 4 min walk (show)
Torquay, 2.28 miles, 43 min walk (show)
Torre, 3.13 miles, 1 hr 0 min walk (show)
Latest updates View all updates for The Talk of the Town (JD Wetherspoon), Paignton
28th Mar 2022, 16:46
Review submitted by Pub SignMan amended by Pub SignMan
 
28th Mar 2022, 16:38
Review submitted by Pub SignMan amended by Pub SignMan

Pub Details

Pub details supplied by members of this site to the best of their knowledge. Please check with pub directly before making a special trip.

  • Accommodation : No last updated 04 August 2014 by Quinno _
  • Bar Billiards : No last updated 04 August 2014 by Quinno _
  • Beer Festivals : Yes last updated 04 August 2014 by ROB Camra
  • Beer Garden : Yes - Patio - last updated 04 August 2014 by ROB Camra
  • CAMRA Discount : No - JDW vouchers only - last updated 04 August 2014 by ROB Camra
  • Car Park : No last updated 04 August 2014 by Quinno _
  • Child Friendly : Yes last updated 04 August 2014 by Quinno _
  • Darts : No last updated 04 August 2014 by Quinno _
  • Dog Friendly : Yes last updated 04 August 2014 by Quinno _
  • Function Room : No last updated 22 May 2017 by Aqualung .
  • Hot Food : Yes last updated 04 August 2014 by Quinno _
  • Jukebox : No last updated 04 August 2014 by Quinno _
  • Karaoke : No last updated 04 August 2014 by Quinno _
  • Live Music : No last updated 04 August 2014 by Quinno _
  • Live TV Sports : No last updated 04 August 2014 by Quinno _
  • Micropub : No last updated 22 May 2017 by Aqualung .
  • Pinball : No last updated 04 August 2014 by Quinno _
  • Pool Table : No last updated 04 August 2014 by Quinno _
  • Quiz Night : No last updated 04 August 2014 by ROB Camra
  • Real Ale : Yes last updated 04 August 2014 by Quinno _
  • Real Cider : Yes last updated 04 August 2014 by Quinno _
  • Wheelchair Access : Yes last updated 04 August 2014 by Quinno _
  • WiFi : Yes last updated 04 August 2014 by Quinno _
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