The Half Moon - JD Wetherspoon — Restaurant in London

After being brought our food which, naturally, we assumed this was our order. After all, the food had been brought directly to us, and there was no indication otherwise. We tucked in—only to be abruptly accosted by a member of staff. Apparently, this food was not ours, despite being plonked directly in front of us by their team. What followed was the most bizarre display of managerial incompetence and customer mistreatment I’ve witnessed in recent memory.

The manager, rather than acknowledging their team’s error, decided to double down. Despite the fact that their mistake had led us to eat the food, they insisted we pay for it. Yes, you read that right: Wetherspoons managed to redefine the concept of “customer service” by demanding we shell out for food we hadn’t ordered but were misled into consuming.

When we politely pointed out the glaring absurdity of the situation, the manager’s response was to mutter dismissively and turn their back on us—hardly the diplomatic touch one expects from someone in charge. Moments later, we were presented with the bill for food we didn’t want, hadn’t asked for, and had only partially eaten due to their own incompetence. It was as if Wetherspoons had decided to pioneer a new business model: Force-feeding customers mystery plates, then charging them for the privilege.

To add insult to injury, our drinks—ordered and paid for—sat warming on the side of the bar. The staff, though not particularly busy, refused to bring them over, forcing us to fetch them ourselves. At that point, it seemed the Wetherspoons team had collectively decided to embody the phrase “not my problem” in its purest form.

In the end, we left bewildered, frustrated, and feeling thoroughly unwelcome. The lack of accountability, the rudeness of the staff, and the sheer arrogance of the manager made for a truly surreal experience. Mistakes happen—we understand that—but what separates a good establishment from a poor one is how they handle those mistakes. Wetherspoons failed spectacularly on all counts.

Save yourself the trouble and head somewhere—anywhere—else. At least there’s a chance you’ll only pay for what...

🚇 Stepney Green 🍺 £3.59 Carlsberg

The Half Moon pub is located on busy Mile End Road close to Queen Mary University in Mile End in the East End of London. The nearest Tube is Stepney Green.

This Wetherspoons pub used to be a Methodist chapel, built in 1900. In 1977, the disused chapel was taken over by the Half Moon Theatre Company, opening with a production of Robert Tressell’s The Ragged-Trousered Philanthropists. In 1985, the theatre expanded into a derelict site next door, yet closed in 1990. Wetherspoons refurbished the two buildings and opened this pub in 1998.

This Spoons unusually has two bars, one in the front left and one in the rear right. The front bar (Chapel Bar) has the servery located at the back, a very high ceiling with an impressive domed skylight and some unique high-back booths. The back bar is completely different and has quite a modern industrial feel to it. To the side of the pub is a large patio beer garden with plenty of seating and is partially covered.

The beer selection has a simple choice of keg options and a good range of cask ales. I decided on a Carlsberg, my pint was great, price point was less than four quid. The food menu is vast and offers a veritable smorgasbord of deep fried microwaveable pub classics, Fish & Chips and an alcoholic drink costs £11.61.

I arrived just before 6pm on a chilly Saturday afternoon in March. The pub was busy in both bars and in the beer garden. The atmosphere was different in all three areas, The Chapel bar was slightly subdued, the back bar a bit livelier and it was buzzing in the beer garden. The service was pleasant, I was served in no time at all and the server was gracious.

I must admit, I do enjoy visiting a local Spoons as it is a great way to see a good cross section of the local community. It also provides an affordable place for the younger and older generations to have and enjoy social interaction.

The Half Moon is a unique East End pub experience, definitely a pub of two halves. Worth a look if you’re in the area.

ℹ️ Info correct on...

Had a terrible experience here today. I've never had any problems with staff and have been nothing but friendly to them when ordering food, yet I felt humiliated as a customer. I felt like the victim of a distasteful joke. I'm even inclined to call this place racist/islamophobic. Please read on.

I went here for an evening of food with my friends. I'm Muslim so I don't drink alcohol or eat the meat/chicken here. Therefore, I ordered a soft drink and a vegetarian burger meal. Whilst ordering, the barmaid was quite cold, however I shrugged this off and smiled as I'm sure she's had a long day. After ordering, I forgot to take my drink, which she later brought to me with a comment along the lines of "you should pay attention and take your drink next time". Fair enough, I smiled it off and said thank you.

What happened next is what really bothered me. My plate of burger and chips came with a piece of bacon on the side. I look Muslim from my beard and brown complexion, and Muslims are known to not eat pork. I also ordered a vegetarian meal. So why on Earth was I served bacon? I took my plate back to the counter, and was offered a replacement. I was not given a formal apology from the manager, and my experience was treated as if it was another everyday occurrence for them.

I am a student at Queen Mary University and I'm extremely appalled that something like this can go on at a local establishment and in such a multicultural area. I know the faces of the barmen who took my plate back, and several of my friends were witnesses to my experience. I also know the name of the barmaid, but I will not share that here as I don't have proof she had any part to play in this. I will, however, be letting others know of my experience and of the fact that The Half Moon did nothing about it. It's 2019, businesses cannot be getting away with such ridiculous behaviour. Would give 0...