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Moon in the Square (JD Wetherspoon), Bournemouth
Bournemouth
BH2 5AQ
Pub Type
J D WetherspoonReviews (Current Rating Average: 5½ of 10) see review guidelines
David Walton left this review about Moon in the Square (JD Wetherspoon)
Visited 12/08/26
Cask here was Ruddles, Doom Bar, GK IPA, Jaipur, Abbot, Theakston Old Peculiar, Trooper, Wobbly Bob from Phoenix and Rev James. Biased towards heavier ales! Keg offering pretty standard of Worthington CF, Stella, dark fruits SB, Angelo Poretti, Leffe Blonde, Budweiser, Corona, Coors, Bud Light, Carling, Carlsberg, Guinness, the Easy IPA from Seven Brothers, BrewDog Punk IPA, the Sumo APA from Mad Squirrel, Thatchers Gold and the trio of their flavoured ciders, Staro, K1664, Murphy's Irish stout, Stowford Press.
Large and in all senses the older school of the two JDW I sampled in quick succession in the town centre. Starting at the rear is a carpeted raised area with a focal point of a stained-glass ceiling centrepiece. Regular tables and chairs and some booth tables in an area that had a bit of a library feel. The bar counter is along the left-hand wall and the fully carpeted area in front has a lot of regular tables and chairs and some booth tables. Glass fronted but surprisingly the windows were not opened up, the best seats in the house were some low fabric upholstered chairs facing the tree lined square opposite. As usual, screens switched on in silence, no music and the chatter of a more mature crowd than in the other JDW nearby. The lower-level right-hand side was also carpeted and there was the same mix of regular tables and chairs and booth tables. Lighting felt quite baronial dining hall. Preferred this JDW over the more modern Mary Shelley, which I suspect might have been a Lloyd's No. 1 bar.
On 31st August 2026
- rating: 6
[User has posted 1975 recommendations about 1937 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Delboy 20 left this review about Moon in the Square (JD Wetherspoon)
My first visit here for about 25 years and it hasn't changed much! Standard Spoons with the usual trio plus 5 guests. My pint of Quiver was pretty good but the Christmas beer I chose next was decidedly average! The place was very busy but the service was good. Worth calling in.
On 12th December 2023
- no rating submitted
[User has posted 1991 recommendations about 1839 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Aqualung . left this review about Moon in the Square (JD Wetherspoon)
This is one of the few remaining Spoons I've been to before but haven't reviewed here. It opened in 1994 and I came here a few years later on a Saturday night but all I can remember was it being hopelessly rammed and having bouncers on the door.
On an October Thursday afternoon it had plenty of trade. It's been well described below but I completely missed the upstairs bar.
Downstairs the ten hand pumps had two unused, the JDW Trio Of Doom, London Pride and four festival ales. I went for the Tring Warrior Queen (£2.69) which was in good nick but on the expensive side for a JDW. The food clubs were also dearer here and with the Steak Club at £9.99 the most expensive I've noticed.
It's a typical old school town centre Spoons and not one of their better ones.
On 25th October 2016
- rating: 4
[User has posted 2143 recommendations about 2143 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
E TA left this review about Moon in the Square (JD Wetherspoon)
This former department store consists of several levels of flooring and a small outside seating terrace overlooking the park, the raised area at the rear being a bit quieter than the other areas, possibly due to the unusually large percentage of clientele using walking sticks and crutches who are unable or unwilling to climb that far. There is an interesting stained glass ceiling at the back, but otherwise it is of little architectural merit. The standard mute TV screens and gaming machines are dotted around, the WiFi works intermittently depending on where you’re sitting. A tribe of unruly children seemed to dominate the space, some playing football between the tables, others simply coming in to use the toilets. The staff here were better than in many JDWs, friendly and professional, and in one case, even smiling. There were only 5 ales on – I had Lymehouse ‘Stonecutter’, a light beer in very good condition. It’s not bad for a pub of this type in a busy town centre, somewhere decent to while away the time while the wife terrorises the nearby shops.
On 6th August 2015
- rating: 6
[User has posted 3839 recommendations about 3797 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Quinno _ left this review about Moon in the Square (JD Wetherspoon)
Bright and cheery (recently refurbed?) JDW with a large acreage over two levels (it’s former department store). Interior was noticeably bright for a Spoons. Décor items of note were the nice downlights at the bar and moon motifs in the woodwork. Downside was the fairly staid guest ale range (only three of genuine interest…did I miss more upstairs?). My choice, Elgoods Bitter, was fair if a bit watery. Not bad, though I suspect it’s horrific on a Friday and Saturday when the stag and hen crown descend.
On 25th November 2014
- rating: 6
[User has posted 6341 recommendations about 6319 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Just a quick pint, then I'm off left this review about Moon In The Square (JD Wetherspoon)
Very large 'spoons housed in a former department store, with a split-level main bar (ten handpumps) plus an upstairs bar (five more). Standard furniture and decor. Reasonable selection of real ale, including a decent Robinsons Hoptimus Prime (£2.49).
On 1st April 2013
- rating: 6
[User has posted 9226 recommendations about 9226 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Nick Davies left this review about Moon In The Square (JD Wetherspoon)
Routine JDW which gets fearsomely busy during the day with families using it as a canteen; the trademark sticky tables are much in evidence here. Upstairs is a bit more placid and you've got half a chance of enjoying a civilised pint. Only go if the company you're with insists or you can't be bothered to seek out somewhere better.
On 27th December 2012
- rating: 4
[User has posted 582 recommendations about 574 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Strongers . left this review about Moon In The Square (JD Wetherspoon)
The Moon in the Square is a vast Wetherspoons pub with a bar on each floor. Upstairs at the rear is a decked smoking area. I counted ten hand pumps on the downstairs bar and six of these were drawing guest beers. The usual draught and cheap food is available and I found the service to be very friendly.
I wouldn’t rush back here as the size means that there is little atmosphere, but it is handy for large groups to meet before hitting the town.
On 17th May 2012
- rating: 6
[User has posted 6826 recommendations about 6787 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Pub SignMan left this review about Moon In The Square (JD Wetherspoon)
This is a very large Wetherspoons pub situated in an old department store right in the middle of Bournemouth town centre. The ground floor is split over several levels, with the bar on the left hand side. In front of the bar there is a decent amount of space for vertical drinking, which is invariably needed on Friday and Saturday nights in particular as the place gets absolutely packed. There is plenty of seating in this area as well and a raised area at the back of the room has even more tables and is generally the spot that people use when eating. There's even more seating in a lower section near the front door and this area was packed full of people watching the cup final when I arrived on a recent Saturday afternoon. Several other screens throughout the pub were also showing the match. Upstairs there is another bar, again with lots of standing room and split levels with additional seating including a small outdoor patio, which was always a prized spot to grab a table when I used to drink here in the late 90's.
The decor is typical Spoons stuff although there is a nice coloured glass feature on the ceiling on the ground floor, possibly inherited from the store conversion, and they have also worked in the moon motif from the pub's sign into some of the woodwork, which at the very least, provides some sort of distinguishing feature.
There are ten handpulls downstairs and another five upstairs, with a fair few taken up by Spoons regulars such as Abbot Ale and Ruddles, but I would say that this is the best Bournemouth Spoons in terms of guest ale selection. I tried something from the Cottage brewery, which was in decent condition and served to me in relatively quick time by the notoriously slow bar staff.
I have a bit of a soft spot for this pub as it used to be our first port of call on many a memorable night out in town, but in isolation, this is essentially another drinking barn style establishment in a town packed full of such places. The decent beer range and relatively pleasant environment on quieter days make this a worthwhile option but in the grand scheme of things, it's nothing you haven't seen before.
On 28th May 2011
- rating: 5
[User has posted 3387 recommendations about 3387 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Roger Button left this review about Moon In The Square (JD Wetherspoon)
As the name implies, this large 2 floor Wetherspoons is centrally located on the main town Square. There seems to be an above average number of ‘Spoons in town and this would appear to be the flagship of the bunch.
It is for the most part a very formulaic and typically representative ‘Spoons that occupies what looks appears to have originally been 3 former buildings. The mainly glass frontage opens up continental style onto the square although the light doesn’t really penetrate into the rear sections and the lowish ceilings make it appear a bit more cramped and claustrophobic than it probably is.
There were 10 hand pumps in the main bar with a good selection of Festival ales and the upper floor also has its own self contained bar with a further 5 hand pumps that had a couple of different ales to the ground floor so it’s worth checking out. To the rear of the upstairs bar there is a decent size outdoor patio which is worth knowing as it isn’t obvious from the ground floor.
Theer are several interesting old photos of town dotted about that give a good impression of how Bournemouth has evolved from a relatively sleepy localized town to the major holiday resort it has now become.
Service was OK but the place was very busy for my mid Friday afternoon visit with a high customer turnover and they weren’t particularly quick to clear tables. There was a good mix of holidaymakers, local workers and retired folk but I would imagine this gives way to a younger crowd in the evenings.
The place is perfectly adequate for what it is (and you know exactly what you get witrh ‘Spoons) but it does have a bit of a seen one seen ‘em all feel to it.
On 18th May 2011
- rating: 6
[User has posted 1239 recommendations about 1233 pubs]