Update: The Baron Cadogan is no longer a Wetherspoons pub, so this review is no longer accurate.
The Brown Cardigan. How to review a Spoons? It has a dreadful carpet, painfully similar to the one that I had in my living room for 7 years after moving house, because it just seemed in too good condition to throw it out. It is full of little old men nursing a pint, and has been since 11am. It’s devoid of atmosphere for most of the day, and it’s owned by an EU hating loudmouth. The food is OK, but you always wonder how they make it so cheap (incidentally they actually score highly on animal welfare – I looked in to it before libelling them).
But on the flip side, it serves a variety of interesting beer. It has a high enough turnover that the beer is drinkable – although often inexplicably hangover inducing. The prices are low, and they don’t mind you paying contactless for a £2.85 drink – which is after all the modern equivalent of students writing a cheque in a pub for £1.04. The staff are friendly too – so what’s not to like? Lets look at their scores;
| Beer Quality | Borderline. The beer generally tastes looked after, but more of a hangover the next day than some other pubs. |
| Beer Selection | Always has the cheap but good Cadogan’s Gold, and has an ever changing selection of interesting beers. |
| Drink vs Food | Perfect balance – food is available, but no particular expectation that you should be buying that instead of beer. |
| Music | None. Just the TVs with subtitles on. |
| Snacks | Plenty – crisps, nuts, and bags of slightly bitter olives. |
| Atmosphere | A real mix of people – big drinkers, students, old folks, and often whole football teams. Everyone is welcome it seems. |
| Price | Bargain. You won’t find cheaper. |
| Space | Tons of room. It’s rare to not find a table. |
Score: 6.8
Reading RG4 8JG, UK
