The Great Western

What I expected. Clean, warm, and great food. Gourmet burger for me, thanks! Had a Pepsi in the morning and returned in the evening for a meal before getting my train. Staff were lovely. I have a hard time understanding why people are so put off about it being a chain.

I arrived very tired and hungry at Cardiff Station (10:20pm) to be told they had stopped serving food 40 mins earlier. If passed a Burger King but that would REALLY have been scraping the barrel. The ladies behind reception did point through the window to the Weatherspoon’s opposite, but my heart sank. I tried at Brazil, no dice. So… with no real choices left I came here.
What a surprise! The barmaid was friendly and kind, I ordered a burrito and a bowl o salad and a pint of something real-​aley and found a seat. I’d barely taken a sip of my beer before the food arrived. Not only was everything tasty, it was also apparently fresh! No limp brown salad leaves, guacamole and salsa tasted great. The tortilla chips were crispy and the salad (lettuce, lambs lettuce, cucumber, tomato and French dressing was also perky!
Yes it’s a chain.
Yes it’s a cheap pub.
Yes there were a couple of small groups of girls singing briefly but nothing irritating.
Hurrah for Gods Wonderful Restaurant!

The Great Western used to be the Old Monk and is now part of the Whetherspoons monopoly of pubs.
Out of all the Whetherspoons pubs in Cardiff, the Great Western is the most unique. While it still has the same cheap drinks and standardised menus, it has a distinctly different look to all other Whetherspoons pubs in the area. With a winding staircase that leads to the upstairs area, this pub two main floors of lounge space (ground and first) in addition to the basement area used for toilet facilities.
The ground floor has a small open space which acts as a dance floor and numerous tables as well as a large bar. The service is usually pretty good and you rarely have to wait long before you’re holding a frosty beverage, which is always a plus point in any bar. The upstairs is a lot more laid back, and there is a good view out of the windows at the busy Cardiff nightlife below which is ideal for people watching or keeping you occupied during a boring conversation.
The atmosphere is usually quite good on the weekend, with most people attending the bar for the same reason; namely to get themselves half-​cut for the night while the drinks are still fairly cheap.
A great pub to start the evenings festivities.

I’m sure I don’t need to explain to you the concept of a Wetherspoons, but I would like to comment upon this handy and often overlooked bar in the centre of town.
Spacey, sparsely populated and virtually free from atmosphere, this is hardly the first choice of venue in town unless your sole aim is to sob into a pint. However, when that little-​known game of rugby makes its shy and retiring presence know in Cardiff, remember this place.
Anyone who has ever tried to get into rival Prince of Wales in the final minutes before the game will know they have no chance. Head just around the corner, though, and the Great Western is packed enough to provide a decent atmosphere.
And you certainly see why rugby fans come here. The bar is full of screens so you can always see the action, and even when full meals are impractical the kitchen often provides quick, basic hot snacks throughout the game.
URBAN CHALLENGE: When watching the rugby here, choose your drinks based on which country is playing

My experience of The Great Western is highly varied. From a start off point for a night on the town, a meeting place for colleagues after a week at work, a bit of a knees up celebration upstairs or a date even. I keep finding myself back here. I’ve had some really strange nights in this bar but also shared some really memorable ones too. I remember waking up one Saturday morning and hobbling my way to the toilet trying to figure out what the heck was wrong with my leg. It wasn’t until someone in work reminded me that I had been riding a mechanical bull type surf board and had been thrown across the room as I failed miserably to maintain my balance. A sight to which I am sure anyone watching was more than slightly amused.
Everything here is typical of what you would expect from any weatherspoon’s or Lloyd’s bar in the city centre but this bar has a real character about it too. It’s a large building and one of the closest bars to the central railway station which makes it a great starting or finishing point. There’s seating provided outside and upstairs there is a terrace for smokers or anyone wanting a bit of open air breathing space. I’m very fond of the cast iron staircase and I guess I tend to make a bee line for it nowadays. Perhaps it seems out of place or it may just be the allure of the roof terrace but I rarely stay on the ground floor unless it is lunch time. On a night out, if I’m in the Great Western, you will most likely find me upstairs in the less crowded bar.

This Wetherspoons is just around the corner from another one, so you have your pick near the train station or if you want a bit of a spoons pub crawl. This particular Wetherspoons is quite the dark affair, but then these types of pubs generally are, especially in the day and they don’t want to light it too well.
This pub has its wide open spaces for drinking, which lets put it frankly, is extremely beneficial on match day when all you want to do is be able to breathe.
I don’t really opt for this Wetherspoons when I’m out and about in need of some spoons loving, it’s just a little too dark for me. I prefer to pop round the corner and go to the Prince of Wales.

This to me is a last resort pub.
You know the situation — you are wandering round town with a bunch of mates late at night trying to get into other pubs but a little tipsy and too impatient to queue. So being desperate to get another pint you notice that the Great Western doesn’t havea queue — and it doesn’t strike you that there is a good reason for this — you just assume that you’ve made the discovery of the night. So you enthusiastically beckon your mates over shouting, «There is no queue here c’mon!». So you all pile and and end up having an ok night in quite a tired dingy pub.
It will never be you first choice but it will do if you’re in a tight situation.

Though only a delusional drinker could claim that Wetherspoon’s isn’t a chain pub in the same manner as most others of its ilk (O’Neill’s, the Scream group, etc), their individual naming policy does lend itself to instilling separate character. In keeping, The Great Western takes its handle from the famous old railway company that once ran from the nearby Cardiff Central Station (presumably it’s not in tribute to the overpriced, delay-​strewn antics of modern day equivalent First Great Western at least). It differs in terms of interior and clientele too. While The Gatekeeper has the students and The Prince Of Wales hardened drinkers, The Great Western’s patrons are harder to pin down. But the best thing is that the winding metal staircase that leads to an upstairs lounge initially appears to be a staff-​only route rather than an obvious thoroughfare. Hence relatively few people venture upstairs, ensuring it’s more relaxing and not as rowdy most nights. Trotting back downstairs to get the beers in is the only inconvenience in fact.

Only a short few steps away from Cardiff Central Station, I’ll admit I’ve only ever been there a few times to meet my friends once they’ve stepped off the train. Like any other Weatherspoons the drinks are reasonably priced and if memory serves (and if it’s open) you can go upstairs where there is additional seating as well as an area for smokers. There is also small area out the front that is cornered off like a pen for those wishing to have a smoke or just enjoy the sun (when its out).
There is nothing extraordinary about this pub it’s great for a few quit pints or even to start your night off with, either way The Great Western is one of those pubs you know you can trust to deliver on what really matters when you and a group of friends decide to go to the pub for a few pints.

The Great Western’s not one of my usual haunts, not for any reason in particular, but it is the conveniently located rendezvous where my friends and I descend prior to (or just after) an exhausting rail journey.
I mean, it’s right there! The Great Western serves as a perfect springboard for any subsequent train antics, what with it situated only a few yards away from Cardiff Central Railway station, so how could you not?
I’ve also been here quite late at night on a weekday, and it turned out to be a quiet haven from the surrounding carnage of St Mary Street.
When summer arrives, so do the shirtless men with their protruding bellies. All adds to the regional charm, I say. Nothing says summer like an angry sunburn and a cold pint of lager.
You’ll also find The Great Western to be a prime meeting spot for stag and hen parties who then go on to tear through the streets of Cardiff like a tornado.

Are you really all that surprised that there’s another Wetherspoons in Cardiff city centre? What? Five wasn’t enough for you?
This pub is much like many of the other in the same chain dotted around the UK, but as each one is slightly different, I’ll let you know now what you’re in for.
There are wide windows in this place, and lots of space to accommodate the super busy match days. But on a normal day, this means that the place has a pleasant opening feeling to it.
The drinks and food are all standard Wetherspoons affair; lots of choice at cheap prices. I’ve not tried the food at this particular branch, so unfortunately cannot comment personally upon that aspect.
There is small outdoors area on the pavement which has been cordoned off to allow simultaneous drinking and smoking in those who are so inclined. But it’s on a busy corner with many pedestrians traipsing to the railway station, and can also become a bit of a wind trap, so be warned if you like to drink, smoke and wear hats.