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Beer of the Week (w/e 27th April 2025) with Thuck Phat
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Image posted by Just a quick pint, then I'm off
Submitted on Tuesday, 31st December 2024
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Detail Pages
Royal Victoria Pavilion (JD Wetherspoon), Ramsgate
Ramsgate
CT11 8LS
Served areas
Reviews of Royal Victoria Pavilion (JD Wetherspoon) (Average Rating: 7 of 10) see review guidelines
Quinno _ left this review about Royal Victoria Pavilion (JD Wetherspoon)
A magnificent 2017 Spoons conversion of the previously dilapidated GII listed Edwardian pavilion, done to a high standard. Inside is a big cavernous affair with various wood and glass partitions off right for more private seating but on the whole the lower area is quite a barn (mind you, given the one-drop nature of the summertime clientele, who can blame them?). There’s an upper mezzanine level with a splendid beer garden overlooking the beach and a pure suntrap. This is apparently the largest JDW in the country and my table number, well into the 400s, was testament to that fact. Perhaps surprisingly there were just three guest cask ales, my Reedly Hallows Beer O Clock was pretty good for a 10.30am pour (NBSS 3) though given the heat I soon switched over to an Oakham craft can whilst I awaited the arrival of a certain notorious GBG ticker. Service was efficient, with plenty of staff. Reading the reviews below I could well-see how visiting this place at 10pm rather than 10am might have given me a quite different impression. Either way I think it’s well-worth making a special visit for this one, especially on a sunny day.
On 25th June 2024
- rating: 8
[User has posted 5552 recommendations about 5533 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
E TA left this review about Royal Victoria Pavilion (JD Wetherspoon)
Very comprehensively described by others below, this was an enjoyable visit to an historic building which has been put to good use. The ale selection has diminished though, the choices being Trio of Doom, Kirby Lonsdale Radical, Darkness Prince of Ales and Coach House Blueberry Beer. The young staff were functional, there were a few drunken idiots trying to cause trouble, but otherwise it was fine. I'd be happy to come back, though I suspect it gets pretty busy during the Summer season.
On 11th April 2024
- rating: 6
[User has posted 3516 recommendations about 3480 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Pub SignMan left this review about Royal Victoria Pavilion (JD Wetherspoon)
This eye-catching Edwardian seaside pavilion has been thoughtfully restored by the Wetherspoons pub chain following a decade of disuse, becoming the company’s largest pub in the process. The pavilion opened in 1904, operating mainly as a cinema and variety theatre before its eventual closure in 1970, when it was converted to a casino. Unfortunately, a lot of the original features, including the domes at either end of the building and the decorative ceilings, have been lost over time, so that the initial impact upon entering is more a sense of marvel at the size rather than awe of the building. The main bar area is an enormous open plan space with dark wood flooring, the servery along the front wall and an open kitchen over to the left. There are loads of high tables and stools in this area, but it was virtually empty on our Sunday morning visit, making it feel cold and somewhat soulless as a result. Moving to the right, past some basic dark wood panelled partitioning walls and a few simple banquettes, you emerge into another very large space, carpeted throughout and furnished with some curved banquettes, chairs and tub chairs. Several pillars break up the space which seems to act as the child-friendly part of the pub judging by the chaos on display with kids running around, food crushed into the carpet and tables heaped high with no sign of anyone to clear them. Aside from a few decorative light fittings and some half-decent views out towards the beach, there was little to recommend here. Stairs lead you up to a first-floor area with a balcony, lined with muted TV screens, which looks down into the main bar area. There’s a whole load of extra seating up here including some decent padded bench booths, all running around the perimeter of the room, with many giving nice elevated views out to sea. The best views are probably to be found from the sizable upper deck area which offers plenty more seating but was far too cold to test out on a bitter Winter’s morning.
The twelve handpulls had a reasonable selection of cask ales, with three Spoon’s regulars doubled up and six guest ales on the remaining pumps. It being early in the morning, I opted to forgo the beer for a change and instead enjoyed a nice mug of tea with my full English. The staff seemed nice enough although were a little short-handed hence some of the uncleared tables. Unusually for a Wetherspoons, signs around the pub advertised a weekly quiz.
As with a lot of these ‘Spoons conversions of local landmark buildings, the best thing to come out of this pub opening is the opportunity for the public to explore a fine building that is an important part of Ramsgate’s history. For me though, the place didn’t really work all that well, seeming far too big for a town of this size and having lost a lot of original features, struggled to convey a sense of the building’s past use. It’s a perfectly functional ‘Spoons that I’m sure would be a good spot for a bit of summer drinking, but I can’t enthuse about it much more than that.
On 30th March 2020
- rating: 6
[User has posted 3350 recommendations about 3350 pubs]
View more reviews of Royal Victoria Pavilion (JD Wetherspoon) (7)
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- CAMRA WhatPub :: Royal Victoria Pavilion (JD Wetherspoon) - whatpub.com
Dumpton Park, 1.25 miles, 24 min walk (show)
Broadstairs, 2.47 miles, 47 min walk (show)
Pub Details
Pub details supplied by members of this site to the best of their knowledge. Please check with pub directly before making a special trip.
- Accommodation : No last updated 25 June 2024 by Quinno _
- Bar Billiards : No last updated 25 June 2024 by Quinno _
- Beer Festivals : Yes last updated 25 June 2024 by Quinno _
- Beer Garden : Yes - Three outdoor areas - last updated 25 June 2024 by Quinno _
- CAMRA Discount : No - Just the usual 50p vouchers - last updated 25 June 2024 by Quinno _
- Car Park : No last updated 25 June 2024 by Quinno _
- Child Friendly : Yes last updated 25 June 2024 by Quinno _
- Darts : No last updated 25 June 2024 by Quinno _
- Dog Friendly : No last updated 25 June 2024 by Quinno _
- Function Room : No last updated 25 June 2024 by Quinno _
- Hot Food : Yes last updated 25 June 2024 by Quinno _
- Jukebox : No last updated 25 June 2024 by Quinno _
- Karaoke : No last updated 25 June 2024 by Quinno _
- Live Music : No last updated 25 June 2024 by Quinno _
- Live TV Sports : No last updated 25 June 2024 by Quinno _
- Micropub : No last updated 25 June 2024 by Quinno _
- Pinball : No last updated 25 June 2024 by Quinno _
- Pool Table : No last updated 25 June 2024 by Quinno _
- Quiz Night : Yes - Weds evening - last updated 25 June 2024 by Quinno _
- Real Ale : Yes last updated 25 June 2024 by Quinno _
- Real Cider : Yes last updated 25 June 2024 by Quinno _
- Wheelchair Access : Yes last updated 25 June 2024 by Quinno _
- WiFi : Yes last updated 25 June 2024 by Quinno _
