We visit the Birmingham Wetherspoons rated the 'worst in the UK' - but is it really that bad?

For the second year in a row, The Atrium which is located inside of Birmingham NEC, has received the lowest ranking of all Wetherspoons pubs in the UK according to Google reviews.

It’s received the fewest amount of excellent reviews out of almost 900 Wetherspoons pubs in the UK. The pub is located amid the huge conference halls at the NEC where some of the UK’s biggest exhibitions and shows take place attracting millions of people a year.

Many of the online customer reviews are critical, too. Despite it’s less than favorable reputation, surely this Brummie Spoons can’t be that bad? I went to the pub on Thursday (May 1) to see for myself on what was a scorching hot day.

I arrived at around 1.30pm, just in time for some lunch. The Atrium is one of the two main public areas which provide access to the exhibition halls, and when there are a lot of shows on the pub can obviously get quite busy.

The venue was about half full when I arrived on Thursday lunchtime. Everyone was in good spirits due to the sunny conditions, and the atmosphere was calm and chilled. My initial impression was that this surely can’t be the worst ones in the UK. I took a seat in the pub and ordered through the app.

I had a Doom Bar for £5.15 and ordered the tuna and cheese panini for £10.65 - a little more expensive than some other town and city Wetherspoon locations, but still typically decent Wetherspoons prices. Despite the pub being relatively busy, my pint was delivered in five minutes, with the food taking around 14 minutes to arrive.

Although the side salad was a little dry, the panini was tasty and filling, and you can’t complain with quick and easy food. You always know what you’re getting when eating at Wetherspoons - nothing fancy, but decent portions at decent prices - I didn’t find the Atrium to be an exception to this.

I found the service to be perfectly fine, too.

You might expect the ‘worst Spoons in the UK’ to be a little rowdy but the atmosphere was calm with people enjoying their lunch and drinks in the sun.

Due to its location, The Atrium is always going to be quite busy, but I found it no different from many other Wetherspoons pubs. If you’re looking for a quick bite to eat and a drink or two in the NEC, then I found no reason to not recommend this pub.

Some of the Google reviews certainly seems a little harsh, and of course, your experience will depend on the time of day, but I’ve certainly had worse food and experiences in pubs over the years.

I went in with pretty low expectations, but overall, it wasn’t a memorable dining experience although it wasn’t a bad one, either, and I certainly don’t believe this is the worst Wetherpoons you can visit.

In fact, it’s location within the NEC means that you’re much more likely to experience a more relaxed atmosphere compared to Spoons pubs in towns, high streets and city centres.