The Ernest Willows

I’ve been going to this weatherspoons pub for the best part of this year on a friday morning at around 11 am for a breakfast the staff are always very welcoming and serve you almost straight away. I have been ordering a large breakfast and a pint of ruddles bitter this has proved to be too big so I’ve cut down to a traditional breakfast at £3 and an extra £1.80 for two toast and a tea most reasonable I think and well satisfyiing. The pub itself is not as tidy as it was when it was first opened probably but no complaints its reasonably quiet when I go there in the mornings but gets busy throughout the day and evenings I think. It’s got a car park out the back and a small beer garden if you prefer to go outside for a beer or something to eat when the weathers good. It’s very big inside and can house probably about a hundred maybe? Good value for money and attracts a lot of locals. Perfect for a breakfast, lunch or evening meal and a pint or two.

what more do you need cheap ish beer/​wine/​spirits and good decent food, as with all wetherspoon pubs no music or TV blaring in the background, only downside is the terrible service you get from the bar even though there are 3 staff on and its quiet

As I’ve just done a review of the Hayes Island public toilets I have to do one for the toilets in the Ernest Willows.
I truly hate Wetherspoons mainly because I’m always being dragged in them by my brother. If Mr Wetherspoon was a real person, instead of a made up concept to give the pubs some desperately needed personality I would punch him on the nose.
But hold on there is one bright spark of light in the Ernest Willows. If you haven’t experienced them have a look at the toilets. I can only speak for the ladies one.
Firstly they are huge, covered in green tiles and have an Italian piazza feel going on. They’re also made to look bigger by a mirror effect just in case you didn’t think they were big enough. It’s unusual for the toilets to be as big as the bar is and I don’t think they’re far off.
I would like to meet the person who designed them as perhaps they should take over the rest of the business.

I quite like this Wetherspoons, you know what you’re going to get, lots of lovely ‘spoons grub at cheap prices. The drinks are going to be cheap as chips and there are going to be a fair amount of people drinking in here from the early hours.
This particular ‘spoons is situated on City road amongst a host of other drinking establishments so perfect if you fancy a city road bar crawl. I think I like this pub because there is plenty of seating by the window that you can sit and watch the city road world go by.
Somewhat of a rarity this pub has outdoor seating and really nice toilets, something you really don’t get that often and make all the difference.
This is a nice peaceful Wetherspoons most of the time filled with professionals and the odd student, well worth a visit if you are down City road.

I know that chains are chains and each one is the same, but Wetherspoons pubs are all pretty different. The food and the drink is the same wherever, as is the lack of live music and prices.
But what really sets this pub apart from the others are the toilets. The pub is big. In a square doughnut around the bar and kitchen. But the toilets are massive. And plush!
I’ve often wondered what it would be like to hold a performance of a greek tragedy in these toilets. The performance could take place on the raised area towards the back — with the tiny mosaic tiling and the fountain like feature in the background it would be great. The stage could open out to the lower section and all be viewed from the red velvet upholstered, high back sofa. Obviously the floor to ceiling glass doors would need to be opened but hey…
I always feel I should pay after using these. Each toilet has it’s own cubicle and shares a hand sink, mirror and hand dryer with it’s neighbour. There are also sinks and mirrors as you enter for doing hair/​makeup etc. (Lord only knows why — the men in the bar aren’t much to impress). But best of all there is a drink holder in every cubicle, all the loos have seats AND toilet paper AND a lock. This is almost unheard of.

Unlike most people I go to a pub to enjoy a drink and not to give lip service to the toilets, ahum (read other post), that being said and three pints later I used the so called heavenly abode toilets and was indeed greeted by st. peter on my way in. Plush, if you could call it that and spacious enough so you don’t have to jostle for elbow room at the armitage shanks. A full-​length mirror on your way out is impressive though no doubt.
As pubs go it’s one of the every so slightly more upmarket of the WeatherSpoons chain and one to goto to get all those drinks that will definitely get you drunk and my choice was old rosie and the whiskey. The bar is long with at least three staff members on tap. At the far end there are booths that 4 – 6 people can comfortably share.

The Ernest Willows is not just another Wetherspoons. Well, of course it IS a Wetherspoons; it’s still reasonably priced, serves the same great cocktails, the food is pretty good… But this Wetherspoons stands out from any other you’ll find in Cardiff (and most Wetherspoons in general) for two reasons.
The first is the outside area. I like drinking outside… in the summer, but I have a lot of smoker friends, so I’m no stranger to sitting or occasionally standing outside pubs and clubs in the freezing cold. The Ernest Willows, however, is one of the few places where doing that is an enjoyable experience. It’s heated, nicely lit and I actually prefer it to sitting inside. It’s also at the back of the pub so it’s nice and quiet if you’re like me and want to talk to your friends rather than spend the evening smiling and nodding as you attempt to lip read whilst being deafened by cheesy music.
The second thing about this particular Wetherspoons is the toilets. I know this is an odd thing to get excited about, but once you visit them you’ll understand, and every other review of this place agrees. These toilets look like something from a 5* hotel, and when have you ever been able to say that about pub toilets? Exactly. Next time you’re walking down City Road, pop in to use the facilities and Ernest Willows will soon become your favourite pub, purely because of the toilets.

After reading a couple of these reviews I decided to head on down to the Ernest Willows purely for the toilets. Not wanting to just walk in without good reason and eagerly awaiting nature’s call, I grabbed a drink and had a wander around. I think it takes the biscuit as one of the nicest Wetherspoon’s I’ve ever been to in Cardiff. There’s plenty of seating and even on a Tuesday lunchtime, there were people of all ages there. Most Wetherspoon’s in the city tend to fill up purely with old drunks a little but this one a little less so. There’s a really nice outdoor seating area here too, with like a stone water feature thing in the middle of it surrounded by park benches.
And I can’t say anything about the toilets that hasn’t already been said. Truly mind-​blowing!

So you might think there’s little worth in penning a review of a Wetherspoon’s, given they’re all essentially decorated identically and serve from a regimented menu. Not quite: The Ernest Willows is the most reassuringly locals-​packed bar of Cardiff’s countless links in the company’s chain. Crucially, it also knocks a few pence off the prices of its city centre counterparts’ drink and food options. And, honest to God, their chef must be slumming it, because the Ruby Murrays offered on the famous Curry Thursdays knock the rest of the city’s Wetherspoon’s into touch. The toilets are positively palatial and all.

Ok, you came here for one reason and one reason only; the toilets. So let’s get that out of the way. The toilets are amazing. They’re a porcelain Heaven cut out of your oddest dreams and made real. Even if they don’t need to go, people still queue for the loos just to be there. I once broke my leg. Went to the toilet in The Ernest Willows and 6 months later, with only a little bit of physiotherapy, I could walk again and you almost couldn’t see my limp. I’m not saying the toilets are Jesus, but I’m not ruling it out either.
There. Toilets. Whooo.
It’s a Wetherspoons, which means it’s never going to win the Best! Pub! Evar! award, but, being a Wetherspoons, you’re always assured that the drinks will be cheap, the atmosphere will be pleasant and the food, edible.
In truth, this is quite a lovely pub for the just-​left-​uni-​stepping-​into-​the-​real-​world crowd. It’s not exactly central, but it’s central enough that even the most far flung of you won’t have a problem reaching it. The seats are arranged so that conversation remains open and flowing and the alcohol is alcoholic. In short, it’s a Wetherspoons and it does its job.

Ha, I was going to mention the toilets too. Not quite the haven that is the ladies, the gents is still tiled and a lot better than 99% of the places I have to begrudgingly have to use.
It’s just a shame that level of care hasn’t gone intuit he place you spend most of your time drinking. Red carpets, typical cheap light wooden tables etc. Your usual Weatherspoons affair.
I have to say though, the food here is generally of a very good standard. Never seemed to of had a bad meal here.
Being cheap and not far format own it’s another decent place to get those training drinks in before the real game starts.

Although this is ‘just a Wetherspoons’, there is a secret side to Earnest Willows that I thought I might share with all you lovely people.
Although full of locals drinking quietly, this is an easy pub to go into and feel comfortable. With Coleg Glan Hafren’s City Road building just across the way, there also tends to be an influx of barely 18 year olds around lunch time. But I don’t think that this is too bad a thing.
No. The best thing about Earnest Willows? The toilets.
It was a massively pleasant surprise for me when I first made this discovery. When you entire the ladies’ loos, you enter a green tiled atrium with a sofa and flowers. Next, you pass through glass doors into a basin area, with mirrors and general glam factor. Then you go up a couple of stairs into a long hallway, with a few toilets on either side, ended with a mirrored wall and fountain.
Unfortunately I can’t speak about the gents’, but sources tell me they’re just your bog standard (forgive the pun) loos. Sorry.
Enjoy.
EDIT: Apparently the men’s loos are pretty good too. I’ve included pictures.

One of the better Whetherspoons pubs in Cardiff as it’s slightly off the beaten track so is mainly frequented by locals and the after-​work crowd.
Alright quality low-​price food and great drinks offers.
Also amazingly decadent loos deserve a mention!