Reviewed By: eGDC Ltd on September 10, 2013

The William Wilberforce is a J.D Wetherspoons, under the Lloyds No. 1 brand, pub in Hull’s Old Town. This is a decent choice of pub for a lunch if you are willing to spend a bit more than would be required at a fast food restaurant, and want something more than a sandwich.

The William Wilberforce, Trinity House Lane, Kingston-Upon-Hull, East Yorkshire, HU1 2JD.

Initial Impressions

The William Wilberforce is on Trinity House Lane in Kingston-Upon-Hull’s Old Town. The venue is named after the famous Hull Member of Parliament and anti-slavery campaigner, whose house is located just a few minutes’ walk away. The closest parking is metered on-street, with several multi-story car parks within 5-10 minutes’ walk away.

Although originally part of the Lloyds No. 1 chain, that chain has now been merged completely into the J.D. Wetherspoons brand and the menus are identical.

The William Wilberforce was visited on a Tuesday lunchtime, and was moderately busy, with many of the downstairs tables being partly occupied. There is also an upstairs balcony area with a separate bar that is open during busy times.

The pub serves a breakfast menu from opening until noon and a full menu from noon until 10PM. During the week there are a number of offers on different days; Steak Club on Tuesdays, Curry Club on Thursdays, Fish Friday and Sunday Club, which serves Sunday lunches.

Upon entering, you have to find a table and sit down. To order, you must make a note of the table number, and then go to the bar to place it. Meals are brought to the table, but any additional food or drinks must be ordered from the bar.

The table chosen, although it had been cleared of plates, unfortunately had not been fully cleaned and was sprinkled with a condiment. Cutlery is brought to the table, and packet condiments are available from a help yourself counter.

Main Course

The main course ordered was a Tennessee Burger. This is available as both a beef burger and as chicken. The chicken was the one ordered, and it was a chicken breast, rather than being reformed into a burger shape. The burger is served in a floured bap, which contained a bit of lettuce, a slice of tomato, a few pieces of sliced red onion, two slices of bacon of several beer battered onion rings. The meal comes with six onion rings in total, and the rest of them were on the plate, along with a portion of chips. There was a small tub of what appeared to be tomato relish as well as a container of the Tennessee honey sauce. The impression given on the menu was that the sauce would be on the burger; perhaps that is the case with the beef burgers.

This meal, and many others, includes a drink in the price although the price does differ depending on whether the drink is a soft drink or an alcoholic one. The drink ordered was a half pint of draught Pepsi which could be, and was, upgraded to a pint for an additional 30p. The burger could also be doubled up with another chicken breast added for an additional £1.

The food was served in well under ten minutes. Everything had been cooked fine and was at the right temperature. this was a nice meal, without there being either too much or too little food. The draught Pepsi was as good as can be expected from a draught soft drink.

Dessert

When it came to ordering a dessert, they were out of ice cream. As four of the six desserts on the menu used ice cream in them, this was a bit of a problem, and meant the original choice of Belgian Waffle with Ice Cream could not be ordered.

The dessert actually ordered was Eli’s Original Baked Vanilla Cheesecake which was served with a strawberry and blueberry compote poured over it. The cheesecake was, oddly, served in a bowl rather than on a plate. This was brought to the table in only a few minutes. Apart from the odd choice of crockery, this was fine. The cheesecake had a slight crust on it, being baked, and the compote added a touch of flavour and colour, without which it might have been a bit bland.

My Opinion

The cost of the meal came to £9.79, including the extra paid to increase the size of the Pepsi. The lack of table service is a problem when visiting by yourself, especially during peak times, as you have to leave the table to order and so you may have lost it when you return, unless something is left at the table to show that it is taken which, as the table may be out of sight of the bar, does run the risk of losing anything left behind. The William Wilberforce serves a decent quality of food at a reasonable price, and is recommended as being a cut above fast food joints for a meal. 3/5.