The Whalebone in King's Lynn and West Norfolk

Food good. Table clearance was terrible, tables were left with plates,cups and glasses for quite a while.

Standard Weatherspoons. Decent size. Plenty of tables.

It's a Wetherspoons! Great beer and food at half the price of other pubs and restaurants. A lot of money has been spent on this venue which was once a spit and sawdust drinking hole. A lot of local history displayed on the walls. A spacious bar and extensive outside area when weather allows. Friendly staff.

Had previously enjoyed it in here definitely cant say the same about it now. No wonder it was half empty even on weekend crap staff & management that ruin the atmosphere of the place. My best advise to anyone reading this would be avoid!!

Great value, good standard food

The food service is very good and we find the staff extremely helpful and friendly.

It was a really nice afternoon with girlie's and the baby. Thank you .

I don't really good night with friends from the USA

Good value for money food . Great brekfasts too

Excellent breakfast - I'd recommend the Freedom option!

My local spoons which I do have a soft spot for but you can't give a Spoons five stars. Toilets aren't the furthest I've walked to compared to other spoons but still up some narrow stairs. Nice outside area with bar stool tables, picnic benches and 'normal' tables. I always find the staff super friendly.

Pretty good Wetherspoons pub with bright interior and well kept beer. Recommended if u r in the area.

Busy and buzzing but prompt service and food was good.

Not all our party where happy. But I was happy with my meal as having used JD before I knew what to select.

Very good meals delivered promtly Well cooked

Good food and drinks for the price but the young staff could learn to smile at the customers.

First the table number wasn't recognised by the app so we had to move to another table. Very little choice of food available, no steak, gammon, chicken or lasagna to name a few. Told by one member of staff that they were short staffed, another member of staff said they hadn't received their supplies. Then they had ran out of the alcohol free cider that I had ordered. The food that we received was just about edible (pizza base very crisp and hard to cut, burnt on edges)

Never been before, I was most impressed. A lovely building with lots of history. I'm always amazed at how wetherspoons can offer great value for money.

Excellent service and good value

Staff should be patient when serving people with hearing problems. Not very patient needs customer training food was not very good

Nice place in good location, couple of beers were unavailable 😔 but as all spoons plenty of options 😁 food was good too

Most of the staff at this pub are lovely and the beer garden is great. Unfortunately, one of the barmaids(green hair and piercings) has an incredibly surly manner about her and has been rude to me on more than one occasion.

Edit* 6 years later, new menu, the bottomless coffee is great but the staff is a bit cold at times. The outdoor space is great. The breakfast today took longer than expected. I had the gluten free breakfast which came a little cold but can't complain about prices. The bottomless coffee is brilliant but I can't get any internet so I can't take advantage of the app.

Well what can I say. This is by far one of the worst Wetherspoon I’ve ever been in. I wish we had ready read the reviews before going in. We would have avoided it. Firstly the beer tasted of musty, the other beer was completely wrong and the Pepsi max cherry was flat. This was changed after a while. Next was the food, the steak and pork was one stage off shoe leather and made the plate ring when you tapped the plate with it. Be avoiding this Wetherspoon in the future. Management really need improve things on this site and wasn’t worth the further wait to get this changed as we really had waited long enough.

It was nice The Beer garden is very good it was very busy but the food came in good time so that was okay. Admittingly, my brother's hamburger which was billed as an American styled hamburger was very small

Well done breakfast. Good conversion of old pub.

Great place. Lovely staff. Great food, and wine

Genuinely nice place. Loses a star for the toilets which are badly placed even by Spoons standards, up a super narrow staircase so those going up can't pass those going down.

Fairly pleasant wetherspoons in a small town. Was quietish when visited on a Friday afternoon. Service quick and food the standard of other spoons.

What more can you want. Open until midnight. Cheap! Great service. Brilliant business model.

We enjoyed it, food was good, service very good, interesting building. Worth a visit.

Lovely food and very nice staff.

Worst meal ever, will not be returning.

1) the vegan burger (fiesta burger) is no longer the beyond meat patty as detailed, it’s now the generic brand you see in the store, 12 for £1.50. It’s obvious. It’s half the thickness. 2) refused to heat up baby food. It’s in a secure container and takes about 20 seconds in the microwave. Still denied. First place we’ve been too that declined

Excellent service and excellent food.

Good atmosphere and friendly staff

Unfortunately its like most wetherspoons. Uninspiring. Cluttered and soul-less.

It's amazing food and great staff, does get quite rowdy and full sometimes though

absolutely appalling!! staff are absolutely out of this world rude, we as a family of 5 went for a nice meal and a drink as this had been recommended to us, we ordered at 8:55 some drinks and then at about 9:05 our food, once we had finished our meal which is supposed to include a drink and we had paid for this and for our separate drinks earlier on when we went to order these drinks we were told that unless people under 18 left they can't serve us because it was past 9pm and then proceeded to get into a row with us because we had paid for a drink and they weren't letting us have it. do not recommend. bad food, bad service, bad staff

My husband and I visited today for lunch. Probably the worst meals we've ever had in any spoons. Pizza was so dried out my husband could hardly chew and my panini is suppose to be toasted not brick like. On top of all that. The chicken wings were still raw in places. Just awful. Which is a shame as we love a bit of spoons.

Bottom end of the Wetherspoon range. FILTHY glasses. Low standards. Service was quick though, food as you'd expect.

I used to come here often, but the last time it was not a pleasant experience, I waited 30 minutes for the food and in the end two disastrous portions arrived, the fish was only skin like 1/4 Will not coming back

Nice pub just called in for a cup of coffee

Nice village pub with plenty of history.

Great for a spoons. Always bustling and nice outdoor beer garden for the summer. Drinks are the best price around!

Much better Whetherspoons. A whole load better than Warminster.

£10 for a plate of food and a pint is difficult to beat! . I'm a regular visiting once, maybe twice a week and the standard of food and service is consistent. They could sometimes benefit from more staff on shift however people are generally quite unreliable nowadays and in the retail trade it can be dead one minute and queuing out the door the next like today's experience with the screen having 25 orders when I first arrived. All good, happy days ><{{{{{{°>

Staff very pleasant but so slow. Half the time there's not even anyone behind the bar. There seems to be alot of walking round doing not alot. Very annoying to be stood waiting for service every time another drink is required. Needs a staff shake up.

On this occasion,I ordered a small appetite plate unfortunately it was a little too small for me,the fish looked like a small eel,was about 8" long and 2" wide and about 8-10 chips, I then ordered 12 onion rings to share as I was still hungry and was brought a bowl of 3or4 rings and some scrappy bits but they did promptly replace them for 12 when I didn't accept them

Lovely Good Friday, very busy, lots of nice atmosphere and lots of meals going out. Hardly a spare table but the one thing that was highlighted was how hard the staff work, constantly in and out lifting heavy trays of glasses for the dishwashers, delivering meals and clearing up everyone's mess...still with a smile on their faces...they work non-stop...10/10 to you all 💓

Food always as to be expected and always a friendly atmosphere

Always fast service, great value for money

Lovely little place will definitely be back

Lovely food, staff were so friendly too! Was very excited to see Thatchers haze on tap too as don't see it about too often! Kids menu had a lovely variety aswell. Would definitely recommend 😊

Food wasn't hot hot and mushrooms were missing from breakfast. Otherwise all good

Beer not as cheap as it used to be. Toilets hard to reach. Food quantity has shrunk. In the last year it's become grubby and unclean and smells.

Best wetherspoon I've been in, clean tidy, great service thank you

Great place, good food, quick service and with a smile 😁😁

Excellent value full breakfast with unlimited hot drinks. Quick service and friendly cheerful staff and manager. Real fire in one of the rooms made it feel very cosy.

Good service and good food, allow assistance dogs in with no problem On the three occasions I have visited recently in January 2024, November 2024 and August 2023 the service and food quality and speed had been really good..

Decent spacious Wetherspoons. Bit like the tardis but all good. Staff excellent and efficient

A well-run 'Spoons. Good steaks and Guiness.

Очень хороший ресторан с очень вкусной едой

Grad 2 listed historical building! Great prices and food! Definitely recommend!

It is what you expect it to be for a city centre outlet it's ok .Do not visit if you have dodgy hips or walking problems as floors are all over the place

Nice place to stay for one or more beer, cocktail .. bit to much people's but service fast and professional, shame no music inside.. just loud people voices.. but nice place to visit we will back again 100%

This is 2 stars only because the ale selection is good and the pints cost £2.50. I rarely pop in here tbh but occasionally I think I'll just call in to see what beers they have on and get a cheap pint. I always regret it. This is not a pub, it is a large canteen where everyone has gone for cheap food. The absolute worse thing, much worse than the dirty plates and glasses left everywhere, is the bar service and the way that people for some bizarre reason queue at the bar like you would queue at the till in a shop. The bar is massive with plenty of space to stand at but an orderly queue is always formed behing one of the tills and I find it infuriating. This is not how a pub works. The awful queueing system is probably a symptom of the awful standard of bar service and inept bar staff here and is probably the only way the single member of bar staff is capable of know who is next to serve. You are never greeted with a smile and a hello like a normal pub but its just a "who's next" or a shouted "can I help anyone" directed towards a line of people queueing away from the bar. The dirty glasses everywhere in this pub are even on the bar, there is no point in taking your empty glass to the bar on the way out as it will just sit there for ages with no attempt to clear it up, its as if someone on bar service feels it is beneath them to clear away empty glasses. There are much better pubs in Downham, The Crown which is a proper pub and a much nicer drinking experience and The Live and Let Live which is also a proper pub where you can watch the football and like the Crown the bar staff there know proper pub etiquette. Having said that you can get a late drink in this shameful canteen like wetherspoons when the other pubs have called last orders so swings and roundabouts.

You get what you get there at weatherspoons. Waited ages for food to be delivered and it was almost cold by the time it arrived.

This is a typical wetherspoons, good value for money and u get what u pay for. Would happily visit again for a breakast. The place was clean and service was quite quick. It seemed as parking may be a problem as always in Downham Market, the council is greedy to get money from parking fee's.

New menu and good range of ales

Good honest food and drinks at low prices, large family oriented pub, with indoor and outdoor areas.

Unfortunately they don't seem to have enough staff on . Empty glasses are plied up on either tables or on the bar. When they bring your food they DONT collect empty plates from the next table . The food is what you pay for it nothing special .

This was a great pub when it first opened and still could be. However it’s always very understaffed. The bar is huge with a great selection of drinks and always good value. It’s let down because not enough staff to cope. The bar is always covered in spilt drinks, dirty glasses, often food plates where customers are sick of having them still on the tables after finishing food. Tables are always littered with left plates and glasses. The manager was trying very hard on my last visit. But the only one clearing tables of plates and glasses. Saturday night and two people behind the bar. The food is passable but was so much better. Food chucked on the plate, no presentation whatsoever. Dirty cutlery. Wetherspoons you know what you get, half decent pub fare at a reasonable price. Prices have gone up quality the other way. Toilets aren’t the best cleanliness wise and don’t appear to be checked very often. It’s a great shame this was what downham needed and it was so great. Wetherspoons spent a lot of money bringing an old run down pub back and making it exceptional. Unfortunately it’s going back to those times. Hopefully it will be rectified and this pub returns to what it once was.

Good for just about everything ,very popular, value for money

Not enough staff, one of the longest bars ever half of which is full of dirty glasses. Empty tables covered in dirt plates and glasses. We had to move several glasses and plates off tables just to sit down. Not enough staff to cope with the amount of customers. Table service slow had to go and get drinks off the bar which had been poured but left as no one to bring to table. Long que at the bar as only 1 person serving. Felt really sorry for the staff, seems to always be the same. Management need to sort this out.

Disgusting Tables left with smelly and dirty plates etc for over 2 hours 1 surely young boy barely out of school the only person behind the bar Toilets filthy, piss all over floor and unchecked for over 2 hours - pic taken at 22.49🤢 Maybe cheap but what cost to drink at a pig stye 😖😖😖

Disgusting Tables left with smelly and dirty plates etc for over 2 hours 1 surely young boy barely out of school the only person behind the bar Toilets filthy, piss all over floor and unchecked for over 2 hours - pic taken at 22.49🤢 Maybe cheap but what cost to drink at a pig stye 😖😖😖

Fantastic food, brilliant service and lovely venue. Throughly recommend.

5 stars when it first opened good value. Friendly staff. BUT after 4 years of it being open its gone down hill, dirty cutlery, sticky tables.

Few beers was busy ish no trouble friendly staff and patrons

Sorry but never rates lower than 5 star.....but suppose we're cheapskates but seriously never had bad experience at Spoon's

I have changed my review from very good to awful. I have eatten in here about 3 times a week since it opened.... Last few week have been awful! This morning worst breakfast yet! Even the waitress see how bad the bacon was!

Food was not up to scratch. Ramen had hardly and noodles or vegetables and was just mostly hot fluid. Burger was dried out as were chips.

Not the tastiest food the services was good though but the atmosphere was very flat

Nice pub. First time I've been in there and was surprised how far back it goes. Plenty of seating, plenty of staff and great selection of beer.

Theres no need to order food here as you can take your pick from all the food thats on the floor under the tables. The place is generally filthy including, on occasion, the glasses. Some staff are pleasant but all are miserable. The real ale is hit and miss. I took a beer back because it was off and it was replaced with the same beer from the same barrel. Guess what? That beer wss off too so i left i. The food is ok depending on what you order and having a beer slammed on the table spilling it with no apologies is a charming touch to the surroundings. I've been here a few times with each visit being worse than the last one. I wont be returning. I travel and pop into many wetherspoons...or use to. All of the wetherspoon pubs are pretty much the same these days which is a shame.

Great large pub and large garden. Food as you would expect from a spoons

Beautiful hot breakfast. Quick and friendly service

My wife's curry was lovely but the onion bargees were stone cold in the middle, I took them back to the bar, found a boy waiter, explained the problem, he looked confused and walked off with them, I had to point out we are on table 22 ( otherwise how would he know where to bring them back to? ) He never returned! Went to the bar but my wife had finished her meal by now so I accepted a refund. It would really be nice in this situation to hear someone just say "sorry about that sir" but it never happened, just a curt "it may be 2 days before your money gets returned" 😒

My wife's curry was lovely but the onion bargees were stone cold in the middle, I took them back to the bar, found a boy waiter, explained the problem, he looked confused and walked off with them, I had to point out we are on table 22 ( otherwise how would he know where to bring them back to? ) He never returned! Went to the bar but my wife had finished her meal by now so I accepted a refund. It would really be nice in this situation to hear someone just say "sorry about that sir" but it never happened, just a curt "it may be 2 days before your money gets returned" 😒

Friendly staff, atmosphere was good, enjoyed the food, overall a good experience

A visit for a beer & food. Busy this Sunday night but didn't wait long for food. Fresh beers were being put on

Brilliant night in the Whalebone but only thing is to give the bar a good clean regularly. Had only arrived and ruined my shirt whilst waiting for a drink due to how sticky and bar spilled it was. Apart from that great night!

Quick food. Pizza and Chicken meals.

Cheap and a bit cheerful. Awful food, but you expect that at Wetherspoons

An amazing example in the Wetherspoon group. Well worth a try.

We wentvto meet friends. Everything we order they didn't have it. Mc Donald's food would be nicer. Never again. Dump

I've been here on many occasions. Like any other Wetherspoons, you know what you're going to get. It's cheap and cheerful, perfect for meeting friends for a catch-up. The toilet facilities are good although up a precarious stairway with an accessible toilet on the ground floor near to the entrance. There's a beer garden to the side and back, with a no smoking area. No dogs are allowed. Hot and cold food and beverages are served. The food is generally warm, but I've stopped having the Brownie as it's always burnt in the middle. The breakfast options are good and so far not been disappointing. You can order at the bar or via the app. The Old Fire Station car park is a short walk away and free of charge.

Went for a drink with friends, while the cider was fine the beer was not and had to be changed. We did not stay long.

IMPORTANT LOCAL KNOWLEDGE: unlike every other pub in the country, locals prefer to queue in a single line at the side of the bar instead of separate lines infront of each till. (You wont see signage or visual guidance for this, but a stern berrating from a local if you dont spot it ;-) Though not the friendliest/most welcoming wetherspoons, they still keep the wetherspoons bar high; relatively clean & quick, and the food is always awesome.