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Beer of the Week (w/e 27th April 2025) with Thuck Phat
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Detail Pages
The Angel (JD Wetherspoon), Basingstoke
Basingstoke
RG21 7BB
Pub Type
Lloyds No. 1 (J D Wetherspoon)Reviews (Current Rating Average: 5½ of 10) see review guidelines
Blue Scrumpy left this review about The Angel (JD Wetherspoon)
A branch of Wetherspoon's located on the outside of a shopping centre. It's a fairly small drinking space for a 'spoon's. Although, there is a high ceiling with exposed ducting.
On the bar, the regular ales are Greene King IPA & Abbot & Sharp's Doom Bar. With the Wetherspoon's Beer Festival ending on the day of our visit, the festival beers were starting to run out. However, there was still Maxim Banoffee Pie, JDW Ishii Orihimi Pale Ale, Red Racer Session IPA, Siren Mesmerist & Evan Evans Wild Coast. The cider was Cock Eyed Monkey Mango. Craft beers were Brewdog Punk IPA, Mad Squirrel Sumo & Shipyard American Pale Ale. Draft ciders were Strongbow, Strongbow Dark Fruits, Stowford Press & Kopparberg.
I enjoyed the Maxim Banoffee Pie and also found this to be marginally the better Wetherspoon's of the 2 in Basingstoke.
On 23rd October 2024
- rating: 6
[User has posted 3040 recommendations about 3038 pubs]
Pub SignMan left this review about The Angel (JD Wetherspoon)
This is a typical modern Wetherspoons venue situated in a retail and restaurant development close to the station. The pub has a single room layout which comprises one large, open plan space with the usual 'Spoons carpeting throughout and the servery along the rear wall. The bar looks quite cool on entry, thanks to its metal fronted counter, typical 'Spoons bar back and an impressive high shelving unit full of beer displays and some multi coloured, back lit panels above. Tables and chairs are available to the front and left, with high tables and stools opposite the bar and in the far right, front corner. The pub has a modern bar feel, with exposed utilities across the ceiling and plain panelled walls between big front and side windows. Fancy light fixtures run throughout room and a few modern art prints and plain mirrors fill out much of the remaining wall space walls and unusually there were no TV screens that I could see, although I suspect they are hidden away somewhere.
There were three 'Spoons regulars on handpull alongside four guests, from which I tried the ever reliable Thornbridge Jaipur. Service was prompt, despite the pub being pretty packed on a Saturday evening and my pint was in good nick.
On paper, I assumed I would enjoy the town's other Wetherspoons more than this place, which has a bit of a Lloyd's No 1 bar feel to it, but I came away feeling more favourable towards this pub thanks to a good ambiance, well-kept beer and a marginally more interesting interior. If I only had time to visit one 'Spoons the next time I'm in Basingstoke, this would be the one.
Date of visit - 17th February 2024
On 9th July 2024
- rating: 6
[User has posted 3350 recommendations about 3350 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Danny O'Revey left this review about The Angel (JD Wetherspoon)
Modern one roomed Spoons under the cinema, the outside space fronts a public grassed area and despite the view of the flyover it does add something. Ok Weatherspoons
On 4th April 2022
- rating: 6
[User has posted 1542 recommendations about 1519 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Quinno _ left this review about The Angel (JD Wetherspoon)
Now called the Angel. Not much seating inside on my early Friday afternoon revisit, in fact there were no tables at all – Timbo must be coining it in. There’s a large plate glass window wall at one side whilst the other walls are cladded in a mid-brown plastic-wood combo that wouldn't have looked out of place in a mid 70's executive office. The multi-coloured square lights behind the bar quite were nice, made the place feel like a disco. 10 pumps with four proper guest ales; my Nottingham Dreadnought had that Spoons ‘long pour’ feel to it (NBSS 2). Plenty of staff on which I was impressed by, at one point I counted 7 behind the bar – a JDW record? Better than last time, but not exactly a stand-out.
February 2009
Small, new(ish), shiny glass-and-steel Wetherspoons construct serving the cinema area. The drinks range was pretty good and my Mauldons Black Adder was fine but a word of warning - they serve beer in plastic cups...even on a quiet Monday night in crazy Basingstoke! If Mondays require beer to be served in plastic, Saturdays must be a riot. On the plastic cups issue alone, I couldn't recommend this place as a beer venue but it's probably pleasant for coffee and lunch in the afternoon because of the glass frontage. Rated 4
On 16th December 2019
- rating: 5
[User has posted 5552 recommendations about 5533 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Aqualung . left this review about The Angel (JD Wetherspoon)
According to the JDW directory this is still a Lloyds and has the tell tale Landscape printed menus rather than the normal JDW Portrait format. It is also listed in the JDW directory as Lloyds No. 1 bar rather than the Angel and according to the JDW web site closes at 23:00 every night of the week. Whether this is a standard JDW or a Lloyds is a mystery. I got here just before midday on a Friday and there were certainly no plastic glasses, just a load of mainly older locals and family groups who had come in for something to eat.
As noted below it's modern and is part of a cinema complex. It's smaller inside than it looks from the outside consisting of a roughly rectangular room with a mix of synthetic tiles and carpets. Their are some weird looking modern chandeliers, some idiotic abstract paintings on the walls and the ridiculous exposed ventilation ducts that some clown thought was a good design feature. There are only a handful of tall tables at the right side of the bar.
It was much busier than their other town outlet.
The bar has a 3-4-3 formation of hand pumps but the sets of three were both taken up with GK IPA & Abbot and Doom Bore. This left only four worthwhile options, Moorhouse Pride of Pendle, Dark Star Hophead, Longdog Lamplight Porter and Loddon's Ferryman's Gold. I went for the Gold (£2.49) which was slightly hazy but perfectly drinkable.
I didn't think this place was a disaster but isn't one of their better outlets. Is it a JDW or a Lloyds? I don't have the faintest idea!
On 18th January 2016
- rating: 5
[User has posted 2143 recommendations about 2143 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Moby Duck left this review about The Angel (JD Wetherspoon)
A Characterless modern Wetherspoons, 10 handpumps with a rather poor range of beer available, 6 pumps were taken up with an uninspiring trio of Greene King IPA and Abbott along with Doombar, the central four pumps consisted of supposedly Christmas themed beers,Exmoor Xmas,Titanic 8 Bells, Upham Winters Tale along with the beer I chose which had nothing discernibly festive about it apart from the santa attached to the pump clip,Driftwood Pale Ale , a perfectly drinkable beer but not really punching it's 5.0% weight. This place has done nothing to make me warm towards this chains pubs in anyway.
On 25th December 2015
- rating: 4
[User has posted 2151 recommendations about 2118 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Just a quick pint, then I'm off left this review about Lloyds No.1 Bar
Anonymous modern bar in the busy entertainment quarter of Basingstoke. Ten handpumps, offering a better-than-average range for a Lloyds No 1 (mostly priced at £2.25). Thankfully, there seems to have been a relaxation in the previous plastic glasses rule, so perhaps it is more civilised than it once was.
On 27th January 2013
- rating: 5
[User has posted 8679 recommendations about 8678 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
dave stray left this review about Lloyds No.1 Bar
Happens to stay open very late - even on a Monday night.
On 29th August 2010
- rating: 5
[User has posted 265 recommendations about 183 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Old Boots left this review about Lloyds No.1 Bar
Busy, noisy, dark, full of slappers, poor beer served in plastic glasses so don't come here for the beer. Big screens showing music videos and the news. Bizarre mix of seedy business men, a few middle aged locals and the aforementioned slappers. On the plus side the service was a big quicker than the usual JDW/Lloyds standard.
On 12th November 2009
- no rating submitted
[User has posted 3599 recommendations about 3279 pubs]