With 836 Wetherspoon pubs in the UK, the battle for the top spot on TripAdvisor in any one town or city is going to be intense. But when one Welsh pub made the top 20 in the entire UK, I was a bit taken aback. I've been to it a few times but never thought it would be named among the very best of close to 1,000 pubs.
So for the first time in my 28 years I headed to The Central Hotel in Shotton, Flintshire, with a different goal in mind: to remember the occasion (or try to anyway) and enjoy all those great Wetherspoony qualities that you don't get in independent pubs: the trippy carpets, the curry nights, the dirt cheap pints and the raucous atmosphere.
The distinctive building has become a local landmark in Deeside over the years, standing on what was marshland alongside the River Dee, which covered much of the area of the present town. The Central Hotel was built in 1920, next to the railway station and the bridge over the main road. In the mid-1980s, the hotel was renamed The Royal Charter, yet later reverted to its original name which I will bet money is never so much as whispered. It is, simply, Shotton Spoons.
For a lot of people my age, Shotton Spoons is the favourite haunt of locals heading into Liverpool, Manchester, Chester, or maybe somewhere else in Wales for the day. If there's football on, everyone meets in Spoons. Races? Let's meet in Spoons. All-dayer? Let's meet in Spoons.
It helps that there's a train station seconds away from the threshold. And while this makes it extremely convenient, it also usually means a lot of trains are missed (the words "stop stressing, it's literally just over there" just shuddered through me).
So I popped down with a friend for a couple of hours to get a better sense of the place and not just get blind drunk. We parked just round the back. As soon as we got there, about 5pm, it was already heaving. The place is extremely popular with locals who go there after work or just to chat with others in the area. There's a great sense of community.
Service at the bar didn't take too long. Two pints of Guinness, standard. Local cask ales on offer were all from Conwy brewery. Instead of sitting near the bar - which seemed exclusive to top Shotton heads only - we sat in the back near the unlit firepit with a great view of the entire room. The two Guinness had cost £4.98. I'll let you take that in for a second. Incredible. I gave my Guinness 8/10. My mate gave it seven. But he's one of those Guinness snobs that has to 'split the G' so a 7 is high praise indeed.
Inside, the pub is very typical for a Wetherspoon. Four fruit machines, carpet to compliment acid, The Chase on one of the tellies and dozens of people enjoying cheap food and drink in a cosy atmosphere.
And cosy it was. We were witnessing storms and rain batter Shotton, which seemed almost biblical at some points from inside. With lots of other people in a wide open room, it couldn't have been more pleasant. Before long we realised why it was so busy: curry night. Although we didn't try one due to both having just eaten, I can confidently report that the reviews are fantastic.
We seemed to be the only naan-less table in the room, the chef must've been worked off his feet. Everyone seemed to be loving the food, and the staff were extremely attentive at checking in on tables asking if everything was OK. They also collected glasses quickly and, crucially, asked before taking our glasses. That really is a pet peeve, when staff snatch glasses away without asking and there are at least another two swigs left.
In Shotton Spoons, however, they could have taken my pint mid-gulp and I would have gladly bought another, the value is that good. Up in Hawarden where you're talking upwards of £5 a pint, you effectively want to take the glass home with you to feel like you've got your money's worth.
For the next round we decided to order off the app instead of going to the bar to see how long that would take and we later wished we had done all along. It took just five minutes from ordering to our table and the pints were again really good. I had zero complaints about anything, only that I wished I stayed longer.
After we left I realised that Shotton Spoons really does deserve its place among the top 20 for the many services it provides. It's dirt cheap, it's cosy, staff are quick and attentive, it offers the perfect start to any boozy day you wish to embark on, or the perfect end to a long day.
Admittedly, if I'd been reviewing the place at 12am on a Friday or Saturday, I may have got a different impression (I remember those cheap pints doing more damage than good over the years) but for that afternoon it truly was brilliant.
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