I visited The Gateway recently with colleagues from work for an impromptu Christmas lunch.
The Gateway is a large pub with plenty of seating, and they're able to accommodate even large groups of people - we had 6 but the table would have easily seated 8-10. They also take reservations if you definitely wanted a table, and for groups you can also order ahead for food if you want. I'm not sure whether this is just the staff at The Gateway being helpful, or whether it's a Wetherspoons policy, but this was a nice bonus.
The drinks range is fairly standard, though they did have a couple of craft ales on draught - I went for the Devils Backbone, which was a decent enough pint. One thing to note, though, is that Wetherspoons "Craft on Draught" ales aren't imports - they're brewed in the UK specifically for the chain to match their US counterparts.
The food menu is pretty extensive, with everything ranging from burgers and hot dogs to classics like fish and chips. There's also the daily "clubs" which provide either discounts or extra options - Friday being "Fish Friday" for instance. I went for the chilli dog, which came with chips and some onion rings as well as a choice of a drink, so I got the food with my pint for around £7.50.
The chilli dog was nice, and a good portion of food. The hot dog was a large frankfurter type sausage, so for those who don't like the firmer skin on bratwurst sausages for instance this should be agreeable. The chilli was tasty, if not overly spicy, and the onion rings were well cooked.
All in all, everyone in our party was satisfied with their food and for the price I have no complaints. I've given The Gateway an A-OK 3/5 which, in all honesty, shouldn't be taken as a negative because it's a wholly agreeable pub with friendly staff and the service we received was excellent, but it is at the end of the day a Wetherspoons pub and I think a "pub-by-numbers" type chain generally tends to get noticed for the sub-par ones than the good ones.
The Gateway is, then, one of the better Wetherspoons I've been to and I could see myself returning if I needed somewhere to get a cheap filling meal and a beer, but not necessarily over an indy venue in Manchester. read more