Visited the happiest Wetherspoons in Birmingham and didn’t mind paying £6 a pint

When I heard the day before our flight that some passengers flying out of Birmingham Airport were stuck in three-hour security queues, my first concern was “I hope we don’t miss our flight”. It probably says a lot about me that the next thought that crossed my mind was “I hope we still have time for a drink at Wetherspoons”.

A pre-flight pint has become an institution for tourists and I’m not ashamed to say that I’ve joined the tradition of enjoying a 7am drink with my airport layover. This time, I was on an afternoon flight, but it wasn’t going to change my plans.

Feeling relieved after a surprisingly smooth security experience, we made our way to the red letter sign in the far corner of the BHX departures lounge and grabbed one of the last remaining tables. I checked my side bags with a clear view of the departure board so I could check the status of our flight every 14 seconds.

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As it seems to be all day, every day, the place was mobbed. The atmosphere in my local Spoons can feel a little depressing in the middle of the week – it’s usually empty apart from a few old men sipping their alcohol – but this was bustling, the busiest restaurant in the room by far.

I scanned the code on our menus to order. The list was much smaller than the usual Wetherspoons offering and the prices made me do a double take. You expect things to cost more – airports are expensive, after all – but some of the drinks were more than double the prices at our place.

A pint of Carling, £2.63 at the usual Wetherspoons, was £6.25. Guinness costs £3.15 at our neighborhood branch, but here it was £6.25, while a pre-flight glass of Prosecco was priced at £8.99, compared to £4.16 pounds at our pub.

Fortunately, we were too wrapped up in the excitement of the holidays to care much. Our trip had officially begun as soon as we parked our bums on those awkwardly tall wooden chairs and nothing was going to stop us from hailing the occasion. Besides, complaining about the prices is part of the airport dining experience, right?

I was tempted by the all day brunch (£14.30) but changed my mind at the last second and copied my friend by ordering the Beyond Burger for £14.05, one of the few vegetarian dishes on the menu and added cheese plus a bowl of 12 onion rings on the side to share. I’d usually get a pint of cider but was hooked on a bottle of Kopparberg Sweet Vintage Pair for £6.05. We grabbed a few sachets of salt and pepper and squeeze bottles of mayo and ketchup before settling down to people watch while we waited for our food.

A group of boys in matching T-shirts clinked pint glasses over a table full of empty ones. An elderly couple sat in comfortable silence, tucking into their fish and chips, and a family with two young children, all wearing color-coordinated tracksuits, tried to pack a giant suitcase between tables, while the young man excitedly asked himself questions about what a pool it would be like at their hotel.

A man walked past us wearing an oversized cowboy hat – part of a group of deer, I assumed – but sat alone and sipped coffee while reading his book. Two women who looked to be in their 60s giggled as they drained a bottle of Prosecco and I made a silent promise to myself to still go on girls trips when I got to that age.

At one point a male guy knocked over a male guy’s chair on the way to the loo and instead of starting a row like you might expect to see at some Wetherspoons in some cities (no naming names) the guy and – he put the chair inside. and said, “Don’t worry my friend, have a good holiday.”

Our lunch came out promptly. It was far from a masterclass in culinary presentation, but burgers are rare. It looked exactly as I expected. That’s one of the good things about Spoons – you know what you’re getting.

Everything on the plate was hot and cooked as it should be. The chips – 24 in all – were fluffy in the middle, save for a few tiny crunches. My burger bun was a little dry, but it wasn’t anything a dab of mayo couldn’t fix, and the veggie bun was surprisingly meaty, while the fresh tomato was a nice addition. It came with a tangy dip that reminded me of Domino’s garlic and herbs.

The onion rings were quite nice and they even threw us a few extra, but I didn’t think they were worth the £5.40 we paid. Considering it was busy, the service was top notch and our smiling waitress came over to check everything was ok and cleared our plates right after we finished.

Our burgers were nothing special, but it was just the delicious meal we wanted before our four hour flight. The food was the same food served in any of the other 800 Wetherspoons in the UK, but food in an airport is different.

People were nicer (because who isn’t when they’re on vacation?) and the sense of giddy excitement and anticipation in the air was palpable. It has to be the happiest Wetherspoons in Birmingham – and certainly the only pub in town where you still smile after spending £6 on a pint.