Weatherspoons, Ocean Village, Southampton – Restaurant Review

Star Rating: ⭐⭐

This restaurant is easy to get to, but unfortunately has steps up to the front entrance; which means I could not get into the restaurant this way. Instead, I have to gain access through the garden connected to the restaurant; this I think is fine as it allows there is more space around the back of the restaurant for me to be able to manoeuvre through in my wheelchair. There is flat access into the restaurant through the back way, although what I will say is the doorway is quite thin and it takes me a few attempts to be able to get the right angle to get through it into the main restaurant.

When moving into the restaurant, I saw that the toilet facilities have a standard size disabled toilet alongside the men and women’s toilets. This upsets me but I have seen too many standard size disabled toilets within restaurants now, that I’ve just become accustomed to it.

In the main restaurant, the access and space within it is okay. There is a lot of high tables as well as regular tables, all positioned in a way that I in my electric wheelchair could move around to a certain extent and to be able to get to my table and to the back door, but I couldn’t get to other parts of the restaurant very well. Only having a small number of regular tables within the restaurant, meant they were positioned closer together to give those customers that hire tables more room to sit at an angle that wasn’t interfering with either table.

Once at my table, I remained sitting there, my dad pushed the table behind us back in order for me to get at an angle in which I can get close to the table as possible. Unfortunately, the table that my dad and I sat at was one of the regular tables and was other low height. Despite me being able to get at a very good angle to the table and tilting my wheelchair down as much as I could, I was unable to get sufficiently under the table and therefore had to lean forward and arch my back painfully in order to be able to eat and drink by myself. Due to the very restricted space within the restaurant, my dad placed the order at the bar himself while I sat waiting for him, I think both the tables and the arrangements as the restaurant as well as ordering at the bar needs to be revised as it will allow disabled people, particular wheelchair users to be more independent in their dining experience.

While my dad was placing the order at the bar, I was able to relax and sit at the table while being on my phone. The atmosphere of the restaurant combines both the chance to sit and done with your family all your friends in peace or have a drink or two with a group of your closest friends with no pressure of having to order food. It does well 2 cater for both sets of clientele, the atmosphere is relaxing but also busy enough and what a pub restaurant should be like, but I will say, however, is that there isn’t annoying sound of clinking glasses behind the bar which is all going as bar staff throw empty glasses into the back. The staff members within the restaurant were very kind and caring in offering to move tables aside for us and they were open and kept checking on us to see if we needed anything else.

I have been to this particular Wetherspoons a few times before and though I like going here for a few drinks, I have not been overly keen on the food there. However, on this visit, I was pleasantly surprised; I had two bottles of apple and raspberry J2O and a beef burger with cheese and bacon with a side of onion rings. I don’t know why but I really did fancy a big pub beef burger, I must admit the burger was slightly dryer then what I was hoping for, but the bacon and cheese were able to improve the flavour of the burger and I really enjoyed it, along with the sweetness of my drinks.

I’m not sure if and when I will be returning to Wetherspoons in Ocean Village, Southampton, but when I do I will be sure to have a beef burger again with bacon and cheese!