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The Shakespeare's Head (JD Wetherspoon), Holborn, WC2
WC2
WC2B 6BG
Pub Type
J D WetherspoonReviews (Current Rating Average: 5 of 10) see review guidelines
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Roger Button left this review about The Shakespeare's Head (JD Wetherspoon)
Named after a former pub that stood nearby, the Shakespeare’s Head is a Wetherspoons housed within the confines of Africa House. Despite the elegant exterior with its columns, Lion statues and impressive ornamental feature high over the entrance, the pub itself is a fairly drab and souless place.
The interior stretches quite a way back and narrows towards the rear wth a lengthy bar down the left hand side. There is some fancy chessboard tiling around the bar area but on the whole it’s an anonymous kind of place that feels a bit claustrophobic despite being quite spacious. There are a few screened off sections and a series of 3 divided semi-circular banquettes at the rear but it still feels very open and lacking any intimacy.
On the plus side I have never failed to grab a table and it ticks all the usual ‘Spoons boxes in the value for money department. Service has never been an issue on my visits and there have always been a decent selection of guest beers so despite the dinginess, it does still provide enough of a draw to pop in if I am passing by with time to kill.
On 13th September 2013
- rating: 6
[User has posted 1239 recommendations about 1233 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Aqualung . left this review about The Shakespeare's Head (JD Wetherspoon)
The scaffolding as mentioned below has gone, so this place didn't seem unusually dark to me. It is a typical Spoons barn which on my midday visit seemed to be taken up by mostly tourists.
The most annoying thing for me was an extremely irritating little man jabbering into a mobile phone while randomly walking around right in front of the bank of pumps which I was trying to inspect.
I ordered a pint of Portobello Market Porter at £3.05 and sat at one of the small tables. The beer was pretty ropey and when the Mobile Phone Moron's meandering path took him close to my table I was tempted to empty it over his head and leave.
This is one Spoons I wouldn't bother with again given the short distance to the GBG listed one in Holborn, but I felt no compulsion to visit the GBG listed Ship a few minutes walk away selling bog-standard beers at over 4 quid a pint.
On 29th June 2013
- rating: 3
[User has posted 2143 recommendations about 2143 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
paulof horsham left this review about The Shakespeare's Head (JD Wetherspoon)
The overwhelming recollection of this bog-standard Spoons is the darkness of the interior the further you get from the main entrance. After purchasing a festival ale, I decided that I really didn't want to venture any further back as, not only was it clear that I'd struggle to read my Standard, I wasn't entirely certain I'd be able make out my pint in the Stygian gloom.
In future, I think I'll leave this one to the budget-conscious tourists who seemed to comprise the majority of the clientele.
On 14th April 2013
- rating: 4
[User has posted 453 recommendations about 425 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Malden man left this review about The Shakespeare's Head (JD Wetherspoon)
This is a fairly mundane formulaic Wetherspoons with the usual long dark and narrow interior. The lighting levels inside are certainly not helped by the scaffolding that currently shrouds Africa House despite the row of windows along the side passage. The bar is typically along a side wall towards the front, seating is at crammed in rows of small square tables at the Kingsway end but improves a bit towards the rear where there are a few larger circular tables separated from each other by glass screens. There are a couple of nominally raised areas to the front and rear. Decor seems to consist of various Shakespeare led framed prints including scenes from the writer's plays however these are easily overshadowed by the abundance of notices warning customers to keep an eye on their belongings, one of such in nine languages.
There was a reasonable selection of guest beers on, Mordue Workie Ticket, Twickenham Naked Ladies, Bragdy Conwy Welsh Pride, Dorset Weymouth BB and Wickwar Bankers Draft. Central London 'spoons prices apply however with my Workie Ticket being £2.90.
The 6 Nations rugby was showing on the big screen with the volume up.
Not the best of the chain I have been in, despite an ok beer range but it was harmless enough.
On 10th March 2013
- rating: 5
[User has posted 1708 recommendations about 1681 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Steve of N21 left this review about The Shakespeare's Head (JD Wetherspoon)
Despite the fact that the Africa House and this ‘spoons, which is housed on the ground floor, is currently undergoing a major renovation and is completely hidden by scaffolding whilst the stone-faced building façade and large sculpted montage is returned to its former glory, it was still banged out as usual on recent Saturday lunchtime visit.
I’m always surprised by the popularity of this place, as I find this to be one of the most soul destroying and depressing of the ‘Spoons chain. Despite the use of nice glass dividers to divide the place up, it still comes across as one large non-descript space, incapable of reducing the noise of the punters and with usually all forms of human life lurking inside.
Frankly I wouldn’t bother if it wasn’t for the ‘spoons beer festivals, because here be the saving grace for this one, in that the beer range offered from the 12 hand pumps on the bar is consistently good and once again I suffered this place long enough for a decent pint of Caledonian Porter before escaping.
As Steve C comments below, if you only want to do one JDW, give this place a miss and head for The Penderel's Oak up the road.
On 12th April 2012
- rating: 4
[User has posted 2110 recommendations about 1992 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
BobOs . left this review about The Shakespeare's Head (JD Wetherspoon)
Average sort of 'spoons, a pretty characterless interior and no welcome as such but at least I got served fairly competently. Visited fairly frequently as they normally have a decent range of ales on, food is normal microwave pre-packs of the chain.
On 13th July 2011
- rating: 4
[User has posted 370 recommendations about 355 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
E TA left this review about The Shakespeare's Head (JD Wetherspoon)
An old commercial building now turned into a JDW with a single large bar in a busy part of London. It is a typical, middle range JDW bar which has given little ground to the idea of a pub, and like so many JDWs is characterised by apathetic staff, irritating gaming machines and over-chilled beer. There were 11 ales on, none at discounted price, and I had to argue about the use of CAMRA vouchers. I had a pint of Exmoor Dark, which apart from being too cold was reasonably well kept. It's not the worst of its kind, but average at best. With so many better pubs nearby I wouldn't make a point of coming here too often but would drop in if passing.
On 3rd December 2010
- rating: 5
[User has posted 3283 recommendations about 3248 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Rex Rattus left this review about The Shakespeare's Head (JD Wetherspoon)
A fairly typical Wetherspoons in my view – a drinking barn doing the usual sort of food. I can’t remember what the building used to be before Wetherspoons took it on (offices of some kind?) but it certainly wasn’t a pub. Clientele seem mainly to be office workers in this part of Central London, rather than the retired types that are seen more frequently in the suburbs’ ‘spoons. But they always have a decent ale selection on, at reasonable prices, even if they are more expensive than my local ‘spoons – The Edward Rayne. Whatever faults others may lay at Wetherspoons’ doors, they do sell good quality real ale at decent prices.
On 27th February 2010
- rating: 5
[User has posted 2606 recommendations about 2520 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Steve C left this review about The Shakespeare's Head (JD Wetherspoon)
I wasn't impressed with this place.
I'm not a Wetherspoons fan, but I would suggest to anyone that is and is in the area to give this place a miss and head for The Penderel's Oak up the road.
On 27th October 2008
- rating: 3
[User has posted 5243 recommendations about 5211 pubs]