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The Moon Under Water (JD Wetherspoon), Wigan
Wigan
WN1 1PE
Pub Type
J D WetherspoonReviews (Current Rating Average: 7 of 10) see review guidelines
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Quinno _ left this review about The Moon Under Water (JD Wetherspoon)
Old skool Victoriana-styled JDW. Quite nice if a bit battered and it felt more characterful than the average Spoons, with plenty of distinct areas and cubby holes over a couple of levels. Four guests and my Robbies Tom & Berry was an excellent drop (NBSS 4). I was impressed and I’d certainly pop in again next time, unusually I didn’t eat in here because I was already two pies to the good by this point, this being Wigan and me being a fat git tourist. 7.5
On 11th March 2023
- rating: 7
[User has posted 5072 recommendations about 5055 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Rob Hunter left this review about The Moon Under Water (JD Wetherspoon)
This is an older style Spoons which was busy at the time of my visit at 11:30 on Wednesday, with a mix of people from the tail end of breakfast, those wanting a drink, and those waiting for the lunchtime menu. There are two distinct sections as well as stairs leading up to what looked like a small mezzanine style seating area (not investigated).
At the bar, two banks of six hand pulls, the two banks being duplicated and all were clipped and ready for action. The usual trio featured plus three guests. Not a wild choice of styles with at least two of the guests being bitters or pale ales. Standard Spoons pricing of course with guest ales currently £2.46 a pint. Service was pretty efficient.
On 10th March 2023
- rating: 7
[User has posted 750 recommendations about 598 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Brainy Pool left this review about The Moon Under Water (JD Wetherspoon)
this is a pretty decent JDW's actually, fits in well on the main pub circuit through Wigan. a standard affair, no atmosphere at all of course, but loads of cosy nooks and crannies for a quiet pint. The beer choice is okay if unspectacular and the clientele usually a mixture of rough youngsters and harmless pensioners.
On 3rd December 2022
- rating: 6
[User has posted 1058 recommendations about 1023 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Steve C left this review about The Moon Under Water (JD Wetherspoon)
The Moon Under Water is a Wetherspoons with open plan seating down the right hand side with steps up to the bar area along the left wall. More seating is found at the rear where steps lead up to smaller seating areas on the way to the rear entrance on a narrow alley. Standard and premium keg are available from the bar and the two banks of six handpumps were drawing mainstream cask alongside Beartown Brewery’s Kodiak and Wily Fox Brewery’s Dark Flagon. Food is available, I went for a burger which as usual wasn’t the greatest, but was cheap and lined the stomach. This isn’t the biggest Spoons I’ve been in, but it still retains the JDW vibe.
On 14th September 2022
- rating: 6
[User has posted 5228 recommendations about 5196 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Just a quick pint, then I'm off left this review about The Moon Under Water (JD Wetherspoon)
Quite a decent conversion, with wood panelling on the higher parts of the walls and plenty of local history photographs and displays. The main seating / dining area is separated from the bar by a couple of steps and there are other partitions to break up the space. Usually has a reasonable selection of real ales from the two banks of six handpumps, but despite there being many duplicates on this coronavirus-era visit there, my Naylor's Mosaic proved a decent consolatory pint.
On 10th October 2020
- rating: 7
[User has posted 8086 recommendations about 8086 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Aqualung . left this review about The Moon Under Water (JD Wetherspoon)
This is a fairly standard town centre Spoons that seemed to be a bit shell-shocked on my early Thursday evening visit. The cluttered tables
were soon being cleared after my arrival.
It's a large split level room with the bar at the far side after entering and the usual assortment of Spoons fixtures and fittings.
The bar has two sets of six hand pumps but with the usual suspects and some festival beers from a few weeks ago this left a choice between Beartown Ruby Bear, Moorhouse's Pendle Porter and Redwillow Peerless, a reasonable selection of Locale ales. This was the first time I had seen a Redwillow beer in a Spoons so I went for the Peerless (£2.20) which was in excellent condition. Despite being somewhat chaotic on my arrival I thought this was a decent Spoons.
On 26th November 2015
- rating: 7
[User has posted 2143 recommendations about 2143 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Real Ale Ray left this review about The Moon Under Water (JD Wetherspoon)
Eight ales on handpump on our Monday eve visit. We went for the Butcombe Mathew Pale Ale. This is a decent enough Spoons with its timber wall panelling and Victorian style pearlescent globe ceiling lights.
On 22nd February 2014
- rating: 6
[User has posted 3382 recommendations about 3381 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Pub SignMan left this review about The Moon Under Water (JD Wetherspoon)
This is a large split level Wetherspoons pub on the main pedestrianised street in Wigan town centre, just a short walk from the two train stations. Entering through the main front doors on the right hand side of the building, you find yourself on the lowest level which is the main seating area. It is carpeted throughout with a lot of dark wood panels and pillars decorated with mirrors and crescent moons. The large windows on two sides make this a nice, bright space in the daytime and the walls show off a lot of large photos of Wigan in days gone by. At the rear of the room there is a small recess with a single curved banquette which looked like quite a cosy spot. Steps lead up to the mid section of the pub where the servery can be found. There is more of the same décor but a lot less seating in this space, although there remains ample room for vertical drinking during peak times. Past the end of the bar, more steps lead up to a third level which has a lot more seating in an area split up into all manner of nooks and crannies including one area under a big skylight and several dimly lit hideaways. A side door leads out onto the pleasant alleyway alongside the pub – The Wiend – which is well worth a look on your way out.
I counted twelve hand pumps on the bar with a 50/50 split between ‘Spoons regulars and guest ales available. I opted for a pint of Mordue Workie Ticket (£2.00) which tasted like, and probably was, the first pint through the pump that day. The staff were functional, if not very friendly and there were already a good number of customers in by midday.
This is a fairly run of the mill ‘Spoons which I didn’t really warm to. I thought the upper level with its secluded spaces was a nice feature and probably the best place to settle down, but otherwise this place didn’t leave much of an impression on me.
On 18th January 2013
- rating: 6
[User has posted 3114 recommendations about 3114 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
peter ashworth left this review about The Moon Under Water (JD Wetherspoon)
Called in one Saturday lunchtime on the way to Haydock races,the barstaff were few and far between
On 4th July 2010
- no rating submitted
[User has posted 2318 recommendations about 2275 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Roger Button left this review about The Moon Under Water (JD Wetherspoon)
Commanding a prime position on the Market Place, this spacious Wetherspoons is spread across two separate buildings, one of which appears to have been a Bank or Building Society before being put to better use and the other a quite drab modern and faceless block of concrete. The divide is quite evident internally and externally with part of the old wall remnants splitting the pub into 2 halves. Overall it does have quite an elegant and spacious feel although the ornamental moons and stars look a bit tacky. Old town photos and displays of local characters can be found dotted about the interior although the younger generation will be disappointed to find the likes George Formby favoured over the Verve.
All the usual ‘Spoons food and drink suspects are evident and on the ale front there were 6 guests across the 10 hand pumps with Moorhouse and George Wright ales being showcased on my visit.
The connection between Wetherspoons and former Wigan resident George Orwell might not seem immediately apparent but ‘Spoons boss Tim Martin and Orwell seem to share a united vision of their ideal pub and Orwell’s Moon Under Water, a fictional Victorian pub referred to in a 1946 essay, was the template for Wetherspoons when the business was founded. What Orwell would make of this incarnation of his thoughts is anyone’s guess but he would certainly be able to tick many of his boxes although he wouldn’t have been able to forsee the delights of plasma screens and alcopops. I found this to be one of the better Wetherspoons and whilst it may not fully match Orwell’s vision, I’m sure he would be relatively pleased with the resulting efforts.
On 1st March 2010
- rating: 7
[User has posted 1239 recommendations about 1233 pubs]