Leek – Green Dragon

The Green Dragon, formerly known as the Swan for a time, has been trading as a pub since at least 1693. It was reopened by JD Wetherspoon in 2013 and the refurbishment they undertook was clearly costly as it looks like they’ve done a marvellous job.

An historic plaque outside the pub.

The real ales were mostly generic and there was a surprisingly dull selection for a Wetherspoons pub. The service at the bar was unfortunately inept as I was served out of turn. This in itself really isn’t a problem, but when there are only two people at the bar, it’s not difficult to avoid this. Anyway, I just left the staff member to serve the other customer and this customer then moved along the bar as he wanted to order another drink. The staff member then told him to wait as she was serving another customer. He reminded her that he was the customer that she was already serving, but by this point it was clear the staff member was entirely lost, so I just left and ordered by the app at the table.

The staff member who served us the food and drink was on the other end of the competence spectrum. He was engaging, conversational and had a real presence within the pub, although he didn’t seem to be a manager. His check back seemed authentic and he cleared the plates promptly. The chicken wrap was fine and represented decent value for money.

The interior of the pub, which was largely devoid of customers when we visited, but it was spacious and clean. There were a range of different types of seating areas, and the pub appeared modern in its design without losing any of its historic integrity.

I’ll ignore the staff member at the bar, as she seemed out of her depth, but the other staff members were friendly, helpful and engaging. It was an intriguing pub and although the beer selection was disappointing, it felt like a professional and thorough conversion by JD Wetherspoon.