The Beaten Docket (JD Wetherspoon), Cricklewood, NW2

Old-school, shopping parade 'spoons that is a bit lighter inside the L-shaped layout than I expected. There must have been two separate units originally, as there is a substantial wall with an opening in between the two sides of the central counter. Both parts have the usual semi-traditional furniture, and there are also a number of benches at the front. With two banks of five handpumps, I found the usual Greene King IPA, Doom Bar and Abbot plus three festival beers including my Effingut Golden Ale with cardamom and coriander (£2.65).

Visited 22/04/25 Cask offering in this JDW was GK IPA, Abbot, Thornbridge Jaipur, Adnams Broadside, Mad Squirrel London Porter. Keg was Mad Squirrel Sumo an American Pale Ale, Guinness, Stowford Press, Carlsberg, Bud Light, Corona, Stella, Angelo Poretti, Worthington CF, Mad Squirrel West Coast IPA, K1664, Coors, Budweiser, Carling, BrewDog Punk IPA, Shipyard Pale Ale, original and dark fruits SB. Another traditional JDW, this one on Cricklewood Broadway. Essentially a square off the main road with the bar counter occupying the right rear corner making the seating space an L shape. Booth tables down the left-hand wall in this expected carpeted venue apart from a tile skirt around both sides of the bar counter. Densely packed tables and chairs on the left-hand side of the venue and again lots of arcade gambling machines packed into the space. Front area the tables and chairs felt a little less densely packed and the crowd seemed a bit more civilised. Not a stellar cask range for a JDW but function of location and preferences around here.

A tidy and upmarket old skool suburban Spoons (1991 opener) overseen by quite the Irish matriarch; hard on the outside but soft on the inside if you remember to say please and thank you. Faux Victoriana interior of the period with plenty of wood panelling like the one up the road in Kingsbury, along with the usual booths and pub carpet. Blue and white colour scheme in the non-woody areas. GBG listed and proudly displaying its credentials, I certainly couldn’t argue with the quality of my Cairngorm Nessie’s Monster Mash (NBSS 4) which was my pick amongst the four guest casks. A quiet and polite crowd in at lunchtime, including a few old boys in suits. 7.5

This is a relatively small branch of the Wetherspoons chain, located on the main street in the centre of Cricklewood, around a 15-minute uphill walk from Kilburn station. It’s a typical early-style, North London ‘Spoons, with plenty of carpet, wood panelled walls and slightly dated décor. The pub has an L-shaped layout, with the entrance taking you directly to the bar, with a small seating area to your right and a much larger one, in what I assume would once have been a separate shop unit, to the left. Aside from one row of high tables and stools directly opposite the bar, most of the seating comes either in the form of basic tables and chairs, or a set of cosy looking banquette booths down the left-hand wall and in the front right corner. The booths are all nicely screened from one another by a mix of modern etched or stained-glass panes set into attractive, arched wooden frames. The servery, which turns 90 degrees in order to serve the front and left sides of the room, has a classic dark wood counter and mirrored bar back with some nice glasswork through the gantry. The walls have been decorated with numerous paintings, including a notably large one near the entrance, plus plenty of plain mirrors and a few random bits like some old Victoria bed warmers, whilst copious amounts of fairy lights have been strung throughout the pub, creating a nice, warm ambiance thanks to the muted lighting they afford. The usual ‘Spoons intrusions were all present and correct, including a couple of TV screens showing muted rolling news coverage. There were just the two regular ‘Spoons ales at the bar (no sign of the ubiquitous Doom Bar this time), with three guest ales to pad out the range. I tried a long overdue pint of Theakston Old Peculiar – a favourite of mine that I’ve not seen on cask since pre-pandemic days – and found it to be in excellent condition and a steal at £2.77 a pint. The bar staff here seemed a bit miserable, but the clientele felt very different to the usual ‘Spoons crowd and there was quite a relaxed atmosphere as a result. I was fully expecting this to be another unmemorable, suburban North London ‘Spoons, but it turned out to be a bit of a winner, thanks to plenty of comfy seating options, a nice ambiance, and some well-kept beer. The place was perhaps let down a little by the surly service, but I enjoyed this old-school ‘Spoons and was glad I made the effort to check it out.