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The Captain Alexander (JD Wetherspoon), Liverpool
Liverpool
L2 7NX
Pub Type
J D WetherspoonReviews (Current Rating Average: 5½ of 10) see review guidelines
Strongers . left this review about The Captain Alexander (JD Wetherspoon)
Crossing over the road from the pub opposite I noted a few people sitting at café seating that runs along the wall outside of the Captain Alexander between its two entrances. After climbing the steps to the door, I learned that the right-hand entrance is just a fire exit, so I had to do the walk of shame past the café table crew to the left-hand entrance. High two-seater tables run along the front windows with a couple of rows of standard sized tables behind. The serving counter runs up the right-hand wall where it faces rows of high tables and more standard tables up the centre before booths that run up the left-hand wall to stairs at the rear that climb to a roof terrace that was closed during my recent late Monday afternoon visit. At the rear is a large kitchen hatch that looks over more standard seating. The counter supports two banks of five hand pumps that were drawing the usual three Spoons classics plus Jaipur, Exmoor Gold, Phoenix Brewery’s Arianna, Coach House’s Cheshire Gold, Conwy Brewery’s Rampart and Peerless Brewing’s Lone Ranger. The service was polite, but this is a Spoons with little character or atmosphere, even when busy.
On 21st July 2025
- rating: 5
[User has posted 6168 recommendations about 6131 pubs]
Blue Scrumpy left this review about The Captain Alexander (JD Wetherspoon)
Near James Street station and not far from the tourist attractions in the docks, this is still probably one of the better branches of Wetherspoon's in the city. The interior is not actually that big, with one large open-plan room on the ground floor and an upper level roof terrace.
I find that the ground floor is far too cluttered with too many high tables and stools cramped into a small space. If you can grab one of the very few booths, you may be better off. The bar is off to the right-hand side and with some very awkwardly placed pillars, it's difficult to see what beers are on. On our Wednesday afternoon visit, the Abbot was off, but the remaining selection was Ruddles Best, Sharp's Doom Bar, Peerless Dark Nights & Langton Spin, Oakham JHB, Coach House Three Kings & Spitting Feathers Rested When Expected & Trio Brew Alien. Ciders were Weston's Old Rosie & Gwynt y Ddraig Black Dragon.
One of six branches in the city centre, this is almost certainly one of the best 3, with one of the better beer ranges.
On 5th December 2024
- rating: 6
[User has posted 3204 recommendations about 3202 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Pub SignMan left this review about The Captain Alexander (JD Wetherspoon)
Large open-plan branch of the Wetherspoons chain just across the road from St James station. The main part of the pub is a roughly square-shaped space with exposed floorboards and an unbelievable amou8nt of almost exclusively high table and stool seating options. Normal tables and chairs can be found in the space under the large front windows, with some comfy looking banquettes in support, and cosy banquette booths can be found down the left-hand wall, so it’s worth exploring a bit in order to find a comfier seating option. To the rear, a semi-partitioned space with an open kitchen on the back wall offers a few more basic seating options. The servery lines the right-hand wall and has a nice dark wood counter and a typical ‘Spoons-style mirrored bar back. The whole room probably feels a bit like an old-school drinking barn at times, such is the open-plan nature of the layout, but there are a few pillars and posts that break the space up a bit and on a busy evening, the furniture obstacle course was enough to distract from the rather impersonal surroundings.
On the bar, the standard ratio of three regular ‘Spoons ales plus three guests was present and correct and I took a pint of Purple Moose Dark Side Of The Moose, which I haven’t tried in many years and was as great as I remember it being. The staff were all pretty young, friendly and suspiciously enthusiastic on a busy Saturday evening.
There are loads of Wetherspoons pubs in Liverpool and absolutely none of them stick out in my memory as being anything other than functional, so it’s only fitting that this is another such venue that fits perfectly into that category. This was fine for a quick pint, held absolutely no surprises and will be forgotten about in no time at all - a typical average ‘Spoons experience all round.
Date of visit - 15th July 2023
On 22nd December 2023
- rating: 6
[User has posted 3361 recommendations about 3361 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
ROB Camra left this review about The Captain Alexander (JD Wetherspoon)
Completely different experience to the previous reviewers in here. We called in on a Sunday afternoon to find a queue two deep at the bar and only two serving. Almost all the guest ale clips were turned around apart from a Phoenix Black Bee one which is a brewery local to me, so of little or no interest. After a few minutes wait, the queue was just the same so we left.
The following morning we called in for breakfast, what a mistake. We got served easily enough and ended up sitting near the open plan kitchen where we could watch one of the staff putting the food on the plates with his fingers despite having loads of suitable utensils to use. Our breakfasts arrived and the first thing I said to the server was "What the hell's that!" pointing to a lump of charcoal that had, maybe once, been a tomato. The egg was rock hard as well so I sent it back. Nothing wrong with Ms CAMRA's breakfast, so we ended up eating separately as it took a good ten minutes for my new breakfast to arrive. I knew it was nearly ready as I watched the same numpty in the kitchen put a fried egg on my plate with his fingers.
Congratulations are due for, despite having only just opened, managing to become the worst JDW in Liverpool by a street length.
On 15th January 2020
- rating: 1
[User has posted 3308 recommendations about 3218 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Gill Smith left this review about The Captain Alexander (JD Wetherspoon)
Added this new JDW outlet to our crawl this week, and found it had Big Bog Bourbier and 3 Peerless brewery beers as guests, and we chose Langton Spin which was fine.
On 21st August 2019
- rating: 7
[User has posted 1339 recommendations about 1222 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Bucking Fastard left this review about The Captain Alexander (JD Wetherspoon)
A new 'spoons in a modern building opposite James Street station,you enter up a short flight of steps into an open plan interior yet broken up by supporting pillars and the decor is dark wood panelling giving a plush finish.There are high tables running along the large plate glass front windows,while seating booths are located to one side,with more traditional furniture in the centre.
The long bar has 12 handpumps in two ranks with guests on my trip of Roosters London Thunder (decent),Cairngorm Trade Winds (very good),Coach House Combine Harvesters and Strawberry Blonde,Farriers Best,Wimbledon SW19 and Weetwood Southern Cross while there were 4 regular crap ales in GK Abbott,IPA and Ruddles Best along with Doom Bar.
It stays open until midnight ,I was in late and failed to visit the roof terrace.
I thought the guest list was decent,and the smart appearance marks this above some other Liverpool city centre 'spoons.Worth a visit.
On 13th July 2019
- rating: 7
[User has posted 2997 recommendations about 2997 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Real Ale Ray left this review about The Captain Alexander (JD Wetherspoon)
Good bar and table service on my midweek lunchtime visit. The clientele was a mix of early bird drinkers, having a Spoons breakfast followed by a few pints of lager and then groups of young professionals popping in for various combinations of wraps and taking advantage of the roof terrace, which was busy on such a hot day. You do feel rather hemmed in on the roof terrace, by the imposing office block and sitting under netting to stop the seagulls nicking your food doesn't help. This Spoons is making a decent effort to serve a decent range of ales and there was a good selection on my visit. I went for the Big Bog Hinky Punk and the Coachman's Blonde, both of which were in top condition.
On 9th July 2019
- rating: 7
[User has posted 3716 recommendations about 3716 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Brainy Pool left this review about Captain Alexander (JD Wetherspoon)
a shiny new Spoons with a roof terrace giving panoramic views of hideous brown office blocks. I tend to avoid Wetherspoons when in Liverpool due to the number of better options, but this one is a welcome enough addition to this part of town if you like the combination of greasy spoon cafe and professional drinkers pub. the beer choice was good today but the number of annoying arseholes in ensured it was a brief visit. It’s probably okay in midweek especially if you need to be in the James Street area.
On 22nd June 2019
- rating: 5
[User has posted 1174 recommendations about 1136 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Aqualung . left this review about Captain Alexander (JD Wetherspoon)
Liverpool's newest Spoons is set on the ground floor of an ugly 20th Century office block. They've made an effort to make it attractive but it's still a square open plan room. I didn't look into the roof terrace. There were loads of staff but I wonder how long that will last.
I normally avoid new JDWs on the opening week and this one showed why. On its 3rd day of opening the 12 hand pumps just had the JDW trio of doom, GK old Speckled Hen and Adnam's Broadside. I went for a couple of cans of Bengali IPA.
There are better Spoons in Liverpool but as it was the opening week I'll ignore the abysmal beer choice.
On 21st June 2019
- rating: 7
[User has posted 2143 recommendations about 2143 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Al Bundy left this review about Captain Alexander (JD Wetherspoon)
After missing out on a phenomenal pay day last weekend due to it being closed when there was hundreds of thousands of people in town due to Liverpool's Champions League win this is finally open. A single box room with the bar to your right and an open kitchen to the rear. A fairly standard Wethers with nothing of real interest inside decor wise. There are indeed 2 banks of 6 handpulls and all were on on my visit, serving 12 different beers. Its by a million miles the cheapest place in this part of town and at £2.29 a pint it's no wonder it was the most popular pub in the area. As it was pissing down I didn't venture up to the roof terrace.
On 8th June 2019
- rating: 6
[User has posted 3487 recommendations about 3390 pubs]