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The Powder Monkey (JD Wetherspoon), Exmouth
Exmouth
EX8 1RJ
Pub Type
J D WetherspoonReviews (Current Rating Average: 6 of 10) see review guidelines
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Pub SignMan left this review about The Powder Monkey (JD Wetherspoon)
Just a short distance from Exmouth station, this is a pleasant branch of Wetherspoons with a bit of a locals’ boozer vibe to it. You enter the pub through a small front courtyard with some nice garden furniture and an old cannon, which ties in with the pub’s name - a naval slang term for the young boys who would fill cartridges and shells with gunpowder. Moving through to the front seating area, there are a few decent, comfy seating spaces that maybe feel a little detached from the main body of the pub, but are each tucked away behind partitioning walls and had individual lit fireplaces, which made them relatively cosy spots to bag. The bar appears midway down the left-hand side and has a bevelled purple counter front and typical ‘Spoons bar back, with the customer side benefitting from a wide skylight that allows plenty of natural light into this otherwise rather gloomy central part of the building. A good mix of high tables and stools plus regular tables and chairs fill the space opposite, with a couple of TV screens showing Six Nations rugby with the sound on. The room extends into a wider rear space, chopped up a little by covid screens, with a lot more tables and chairs under wood panelled walls with ‘Spoons info boards detailing the history of pub and its links to Walter Raleigh and his eventual execution. A solid mid afternoon crowd, many of whom were seemingly here for the sport, ensured a decent atmosphere, although this did include a fair share of screaming kids, plus one who was running a remote control car through the rear part of the pub.
On the bar, there were three regular ’Spoons ales plus a rather impressive five guests, from which I chose a pint of Green Jack Lurcher Stout which was served in good condition by a very pleasant barmaid. I also stopped here for a quick spot of lunch and found that the food came within a few minutes of ordering and was the usual cheap, no frills fayre you expect from this chain.
This place seemed to have quite a bit going for it, whether that be a good ale selection, welcoming staff, a few cosy seating areas or the nice front courtyard, making it a notch up from your average provincial town ‘Spoons experience. With a central location so close to the station, it’s a bit of a no brainer to add this to any crawl around Exmouth.
On 5th June 2022
- rating: 7
[User has posted 3114 recommendations about 3114 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Aqualung . left this review about The Powder Monkey (JD Wetherspoon)
I couldn't find any reference to the original use of this building. It looks like a large house so maybe it was. The entrance is via the front patio and inside it consists of a rectangular room with the bar area in the middle. It's not that large as their outlets go but on a Friday evening despite being busy getting served was no problem and I found a table.
The bar has ten hand pumps which had a better than average choice of the JDW Trio Of Doom, Otter Head, Dartmoor Jail Ale, Hanlon's Firefly, Woods Shropshire Lass, Bays Devon Dumpling, Hobgoblin and Dorset Brewing Durdle Door. I had time for a few of the Otter Head (£2.75) which was excellent.
I thought this was a good Spoons.
On 22nd May 2017
- rating: 7
[User has posted 2143 recommendations about 2143 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Graham Coombs left this review about The Powder Monkey (JD Wetherspoon)
Fairly average Wetherspoon's, with a rather plain large main bar lacking much character. Reasonable drinking area outside with smokers kept to one side (in theory at least). Range of beers was quite good though with a couple of interesting local ones on offer and condition was fine.
On 31st August 2014
- rating: 7
[User has posted 3339 recommendations about 3276 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Quinno _ left this review about The Powder Monkey (JD Wetherspoon)
Exmouth’s Spoons, two minutes from the station. A bit of exterior character, enter through a courtyard patio past a ‘powder monkey’ cannon. Cavernous interior, decorated in what I can best describe ‘seaside seafront’ colours, quite decent for a JDW I thought. A fair ale selection, though the Dartmoor Jail Ale was not available and no sign/turned clip; sloppy, a mark off there from the JDW mystery shopper. Tried a couple, a Cotleigh ale and a local from Hunters which both came out well. Staff seemed a bit ‘so what?’ in attitude. Unusually quiet for a Friday evening, in sharp contrast to the Grapevine. Toilets were a hike even by the usual Spoons standards. Overall, a pleasant Wetherspoons, if perhaps not quite as good as it could be. With a bit of tightening-up…
On 3rd February 2014
- rating: 6
[User has posted 5072 recommendations about 5055 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Glass Monkey left this review about The Powder Monkey (JD Wetherspoon)
Yet another branch of McWeatherspoons, just like all the others. Pensioners pile in for the daily fried breakfast and pint combo (which turns the pavement outside a little slippy around midday). Last I heard they were branching out into selling very reasonably priced household utensils alongside the impressive novelty condom range. The highlight is (of course) the traditional betting session on Saturday night to see which drunken slapper does the old 'straddle-the-cannon' routine first. Hey-Ho the Empire marches on...
On 17th October 2010
- rating: 2
[User has posted 12 recommendations about 12 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Soup Dragon left this review about The Powder Monkey (JD Wetherspoon)
Terraced on one side, with an alley on the other, this white Georgian styled house with dormer windows has a beer patio at the front.
The interior is open plan, with blue and white walls and panel. There are, as in many Spoons, lots of old local photos on the walls to give some interest. There are also skylights in the ceiling. Service is the usual Spoons, too few dealing with too many, even though there wasnt that many in.
Beer; usual tap tosh, with Pedigree, Abbots, Ruddles Country and Best, Exmoor Stag and Blackawton Head Strong on handpull. The Blackawton was ok.
Didnt know it was a Spoons until i walked in, but you could guess. It was so-so, I have seen worse certainly.
On 14th September 2009
- no rating submitted
[User has posted 3067 recommendations about 3062 pubs]