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The Dolphin & Anchor (JD Wetherspoon), Chichester
Chichester
PO19 1QD
Pub Type
J D WetherspoonReviews (Current Rating Average: 5½ of 10) see review guidelines
Strongers . left this review about The Dolphin & Anchor (JD Wetherspoon)
Opposite Chichester Cathedral, the Dolphin & Anchor is a Wetherspoons that was absolutely rammed when I visited on a recent Saturday not long after midday when I think there was an overlap of breakfast and lunch diners because every table was being used, mostly by people eating. There’s open plan seating on laminate flooring at the front either side of a long ramp from the entrance. This open plan seating continues up the carpeted left-hand side towards the rear where booths are found. A single file queue had formed in the flagstone floored bar area where the serving counter runs up the right-hand wall, come on people this is a pub not a post office! The left and right-hand side of the pub’s rear are separated by a central flight of stairs that I didn’t venture up and out the back is a small courtyard where some smokers had gathered around the high tables. Back to the bar, in amongst the standard and premium keg there are two banks of six hand pumps that were drawing the usual three plus Matlow Brewery’s Rebellion Smuggler, Adnams Old Ale, Daleside’s Old Legover and Jaipur. This is a well-positioned Spoons with cheap food and drink, so I’m not surprised it was so busy, especially seeing as a pint in here was less than a half in the Chantry up the road.
On 20th February 2026
- rating: 6
[User has posted 6560 recommendations about 6522 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Pub SignMan left this review about The Dolphin & Anchor (JD Wetherspoon)
This is a decent sized Wetherspoons pub, blessed with a great location opposite the cathedral. You enter down an unusual sloped floor, into a spacious bare boarded area with high tables and stools to the right and lots of basic tables and chairs to the left. The room has an impressive ceiling with lots of decorative friezes and features, whilst the walls have been painted in neutral shades and decorated with plain mirrors, paintings of the cathedral, local history boards and a bunch of promotional posters. A couple of TV screens were showing muted Olympics coverage and there's a large fireplace to the right of the entrance with a massive mirror above. The bar is along the right-hand wall, about halfway into the room, and has a simple counter with quite a grand bar back topped with a Wetherspoon sign and a small skylight above. More seating can be found through the carpeted space opposite the bar and to the rear, broken up by various sections of partitioning wall. Perhaps the best space to grab a seat is down the left-hand side of the room, where some nice banquette booths can be found, along with access to a beer garden out the back.
Not the widest ale range to be found here, with the three regular options on alongside three guests. I tried the Glamorgan Jemima's Pitchfork, which was in pretty good nick but not the most memorable pint I've ever had. The staff weren't the sharpest bunch, so we had a bit of a wait to get served, despite the modest Sunday afternoon crowd.
I thought the best thing about this pub was the location and that bagging a window seat with a view of the cathedral could be a great move, but that aside, it struck me as a pretty mediocre branch of this ubiquitous chain. I'm not too familiar with Chichester's pub scene, but I imagine there are a fair few others you'd prioritise before settling on this place.
Date of visit - 11th August 2024
On 16th December 2024
- rating: 6
[User has posted 3387 recommendations about 3387 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Blue Scrumpy left this review about The Dolphin & Anchor (JD Wetherspoon)
We tried visiting this city centre branch of Wetherspoon's on our last visit to Chichester on Christmas Eve, 2017. On that occasion, we walked in only to find an empty pub with staff not serving due to a flood (I believe that was in the cellar).
Back again on a sunny Sunday afternoon, the pub was much more lively. It's a typically large Wetherspoon's with seating in various sections. Its bar stocks the usual 'spoon's staples - Greene King Abbot, Ruddles Best & Sharp's Doom Bar with 4 not particularly local guest beers - Purity Mad Goose, Lancaster Black, Ringwood Old Thumper & Redemption Big Chief. There was no real cider that we could spot.
This pub's location opposite the magnificent Chichester Cathedral and within easy reach of the city centre shopping area, along with its range of cheap real ales and mass-produced food will always draw the masses, but I found it below par by Wetherspoon standards.
On 27th June 2022
- rating: 5
[User has posted 3415 recommendations about 3413 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Moby Duck left this review about The Dolphin & Anchor (JD Wetherspoon)
Nice exterior but bog standard Spoons inside, a generally mediocre beer lineup was saved by Oakham JHB, It wasn't enough to make me want to return though.
On 2nd January 2020
- rating: 4
[User has posted 2291 recommendations about 2255 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Graham Coombs left this review about The Dolphin & Anchor (JD Wetherspoon)
Spoon's in a splendid Georgian building, but the interior is hampered by a central staircase so feels smaller and a bit poky. A fair range of mainly local ales alongside the usual offerings, otherwise pretty predictable.
On 26th December 2018
- rating: 6
[User has posted 3900 recommendations about 3832 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Lester Ford left this review about The Dolphin & Anchor (JD Wetherspoon)
This large 'spoons opposite the cathedral was packed on my Saturday morning visit but also pretty soulless.
Long and quite dark in parts, the bar occupy’ s most of the right side of the pub as you enter and is pretty long. 12 hand pumps with 8 different ales and 1 real cider on. Being 6 Nations time, I choose a rugby inspired pint from Langham's Brewery Nice Try @ 4.5%, a decent & well kept pint.
The pub was packed with barely any spare tables, most of the clientele were eating with not so many of the usual ‘spoons crowd in here on my visit.
A fairly non descript review of a pub that didn’t do much for me.
On 27th March 2017
- rating: 5
[User has posted 80 recommendations about 78 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Aqualung . left this review about The Dolphin & Anchor (JD Wetherspoon)
This old hotel has been converted to a large relatively opulent single room Spoons as well described below. It was getting quite late on my visit so didn't get to note all the beers but did spot Dark Star Winter Meltdown & Revelation, Adnam's Rogue Brutal IPA, King Lost Kingdom, the usual 2 GK beers, Doom Bore and a Langham's beer.
I went for the Adnam's Rogue Brutal IPA which not only was not in that good nick (cloudy) but unless I was overcharged was a ridiculous price for a small town Spoons, £3.19. They have two casks of this in my local Spoons so I know I will be drinking it there for £2.35. If I ever return to Chichester I will probably avoid coming here and the score is knocked right down for the poor expensive beer.
On 9th February 2015
- rating: 3
[User has posted 2143 recommendations about 2143 pubs]
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Steve of N21 left this review about The Dolphin & Anchor (JD Wetherspoon)
For me this was one of my better Wetherspoon experiences, and due to its position just down the road from our Travelodge accommodation, it was utilised for morning brecky and mid-afternoon beers, although we avoided it in the evening when like a lot of ‘Spoons it turns into a crèche for the local youth, and especially in a place like Chichester where the local council has kept any nightclubs from being opened in the town.
Firstly it’s a former pub, being the original Dolphin & Anchor dating from 1910, when the two neighbouring separate Inns of the Dolphin and The Anchor were combined into one pub. And although the internal space is quite large by other Chichester pub standards, it’s not a cavernous soul less space like some of the Wetherspoons conversions can be.
Secondly, the double aspect corner position with lots of windows, and the use of light wood and light colours makes this quite a bright and airy Wetherspoons.
And last and most importantly the two banks of six pumps on the main bar on the right as you enter. were all going during my couple of visits and with only three given over to the usual house ales, this left plenty of choice on the others. These included a good range of locals including Langham’s Black Swallow and a couple from Ballards with the Best and Wassail on.
On 19th June 2014
- rating: 7
[User has posted 2322 recommendations about 2169 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
I L left this review about The Dolphin & Anchor (JD Wetherspoon)
For a long time this Wetherspoons has had a poor ale range and of not very good quality but on my recent visit this was much better. Place was packed as usual but let's hope that the current manager keeps up the nice selection of ales in a town that has lost a lot of charming pubs to the restaurants and chic market.
On 22nd October 2011
- rating: 8
[User has posted 287 recommendations about 284 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
john mcgraw left this review about The Dolphin & Anchor (JD Wetherspoon)
Large Wetherspoon's in the city centre that gets packed.Not a very good selection of real ales on my visit.Better off going to The Bull
On 25th July 2011
- rating: 4
[User has posted 2044 recommendations about 2025 pubs]