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Beer of the Week (w/e 27th April 2025) with Thuck Phat
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The Penderel's Oak (JD Wetherspoon), Holborn, WC1
WC1
WC1V 7HJ
Pub Type
J D WetherspoonReviews (Current Rating Average: 5½ of 10) see review guidelines
Blue Scrumpy left this review about The Penderel's Oak (JD Wetherspoon)
Saturday was my first visit to this Wetherspoon's in over 10 years. It's conveniently located on High Holborn, not too far from Holborn tube station.
I've always found that there's not much natural light in this branch, with the only light coming from the front windows and a little bit from some rear windows that look out onto a small outdoor drinking/smoking area. However, I'm not sure what the upstairs area is like, as I've never tried going up.
Regular beers are Greene King IPA & Abbot & Sharp's Doom Bar. 3 guest beers were Twickenham Autumn Red, Portobello Crown Jewels & Milestone West Coast IPA. Ciders were Weston's Old Rosie & Gwynt y Ddraig Black Dragon.
My English breakfast was fine and fit for purpose. But given its central London location, this is never going to be the cheapest branch of 'spoon's.
On 14th November 2024
- rating: 6
[User has posted 3040 recommendations about 3038 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Quinno _ left this review about The Penderel's Oak (JD Wetherspoon)
A large and tidy Spoons with a relatively modern feel (1998 opener), situated below an office block nestling close to the legal district of Lincolns Inn. Three guests, my Brightside Time Bandit didn't fully clear (NBSS 1.5) and I abandoned it halfway down. I suppose it doesn’t need to particularly impress to retain customers, given the location. A better beer would have seen a better score – I’d be tempted to give it another try in a year or so to see; although I note that Timbo has put the place up for sale as of pretty much my visit so this one was likely my last.
On 21st November 2023
- rating: 5
[User has posted 5552 recommendations about 5533 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Bucking Fastard left this review about The Penderel's Oak (JD Wetherspoon)
This is a very large 'spoons below an office block.On entering there is a sea of pine tables,a slightly raised section by the windows with the bar along a rear side wall.There is lots of room for vertical drinking infront of the bar,opposite which there is a library section with seating booths,while a further rear section leads to a small coutyard.The 12 handpumps are split into the dreaded regulars on one set namely London Pride and Doom Bar (both doubled up) along with GK IPA and Abbott.The 6 guest taps were offering Strathaven Old Mortality,Ilkley Mary Jane,Maxim Double Maxim,Twickenham Honey Dark and Naked Ladies (NBSS 1.5) and a real cider.
I visited the Cellar Bar which just has the 6 handpumps with the same ghastly regulars as upstairs.Down here the back lit bar in a pleasing curve gives a bit more character,while the furniture and fittings are a bit more plush.However the low ceiling focusses attention on the two flatscreen with BBC News 24 on mute.
My fish was soggy ,my pint was in poor nick and for me this felt like a 'spoons for which a revisit is not called for.
On 29th February 2020
- rating: 5
[User has posted 2936 recommendations about 2936 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Brainy Pool left this review about The Penderel's Oak (JD Wetherspoon)
an enormous, and enormously dull city centre Wetherspoons. Modern interior upstairs and down with no character at all of note. Downstairs the choice of real ale was very dull indeed and the London Pride, the best option, was well over £4. Not too impressed with it really.
On 16th May 2019
- rating: 4
[User has posted 1174 recommendations about 1136 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
hondo . left this review about The Penderel's Oak (JD Wetherspoon)
Large L shaped ground floor didn’t visit the cellar bar. Maybe not one for a session but does the job on a crawl.
On 25th October 2018
- no rating submitted
[User has posted 2933 recommendations about 2866 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Tris C left this review about The Penderel's Oak (JD Wetherspoon)
Named after Richard Penderel who aided Charles II when he fled from Cromwell's troops; he hid Chaz in the Royal Oak tree in Boscobel Wood, Shropshire.
I've been coming here sporadically since around the time it opened, solely because we meet here on occasion and a friend of mine (who earns a packet) loves 'spoons, unlike me.
A return trip after quite a while in a group of about 10 but solely because a group this size - it could've been a lot larger - can be guaranteed a table. I don't think it's changed much if at all over the years: it's a 'spoons so you know exactly what to expect though it is in a largely commercial area and is therefore in a more affluent drinking zone but benefitting the drinker in that because of the location, there's virtually nothing else open around here at weekends.
So a 'spoons indeed with very bright lighting. Ales: about 10, though less inspiring than most branches and probably at the more expensive end of the 'spoons chain, my pints of Mine Beer costing £3.45 each which is near charitable by London standards.
Good lavatories and a small, attractive rear patio with illuminated [royal?] oak motif are probably the only reasons to visit unless, unlike me, you are a fan of the breed.
On 8th October 2017
- rating: 3
[User has posted 2208 recommendations about 2165 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
E TA left this review about The Penderel's Oak (JD Wetherspoon)
A fairly standard London 'Spoons set on the ground floor of a modern building which is mostly office block, comprising a single L-shaped bar and a small outside terrace at the back. Nine ales on draft and one 'Coming Soon'. I had a pint of Brewster's Et Citra, which wasn't to my taste particularly, but it was in good condition and served at a decent temperature, ironic considering this is one ale that possibly could benefit from being a bit cooler. It's a contrast to the other local pubs in that it isn't as pretentious, and the clientele are a fairly ordinary bunch. The staff were OK but notably foreign, and the WiFi worked. I'd be happy to drop in again for a pint when passing and I'd include on a crawl.
On 6th November 2015
- rating: 6
[User has posted 3516 recommendations about 3480 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
john mcgraw left this review about The Penderel's Oak (JD Wetherspoon)
Large Wetherspoon's with a cellar bar. There always seems to be a fair selection of real ales but none seem to be very inspiring,just the run of the mill stuff.
On 2nd March 2014
- rating: 6
[User has posted 2044 recommendations about 2025 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Moby Duck left this review about The Penderel's Oak (JD Wetherspoon)
I am not known for my love of Wetherspoons establishments and to be honest the only reason I dashed through the doors was I didn't think I would make my next planned pub before my bladder burst.Having used the facility's I thought it only fair I should purchase at least a half of something as I would anywhere If I popped in to use the loo,expecting to find something of interest I was very wrong, I have never seen such a bland collection of pump clips,London Pride, Courage Directors, Green King IPA and Abbot, Bombadier and something from Adnams I think,I'm afraid I left without having a drink. I will still give it a rating of 3 for the experience, 2.5 of which is for the toilets.
On 30th December 2013
- rating: 3
[User has posted 2151 recommendations about 2118 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Aqualung . left this review about The Penderel's Oak (JD Wetherspoon)
This pub is made up of the Ground Floor and Basement of an office block named after some bloke who hid someone in a tree a very long time ago. It is actually a Lloyds No 1 which presumably means there is music in the evening.
I arrived just before 11:00 on a Friday morning, when despite the Central London location and higher prices there was still the odd daytime Spoons type present. The building is well described previously and I thought was wholly uninspiring. The twelve pumps had GK IPA and Abbot, two London Pride, Adnam's Broadside, six festival beers, unusually a perry and Adnam's / Pretty Things Jack D'Or. I went for the "American" Jack D'Or (£3.35) which was rather cloudy and certainly not at it's best. The pub has been GBG listed for many years and is in the 2014 edition. The beer quality was totally disappointing for a GBG listed pub.
It seems to me that despite the much higher prices Central London Spoons are inferior to their suburban equivalent, maybe they are just too busy to cope with everything that needs to be done.
On 10th November 2013
- rating: 4
[User has posted 2143 recommendations about 2143 pubs]