Walkabout Inn

...About Walkabout

Walkabout is an Australian themed bar chain which has found its way to various main cities in Britain. They cater for the early evening eating crowd with a menu which consists of such delights as kangaroo burgers, crocodile fillets, and salmon fillets, all doused down in rare spices that originate with Australian Aborigine's. They also cater for the sports and music fans, boasting great entertainment from its resident ...
...in its range of spices, Walkabout also offers a great selection of typical pub food such as chips, baked potatos, fish, pies, chilli, and lasagne. Their menu is exceptionally well laid out, with Snacks and Sharing, Sharing Platters, Jacket Potatoes, Basket Meals, Sandwiches, Meal Deals, Burgers, Pastas & Salads, Main Courses, Grills, Deserts, and Wine all having their own section throughout.

Walkabout also offers a great deal on its ... more

(This review is under Birmingham as there isn't a link of ciao for the Glasgow option - but this review most likely applies to all of UK's branches)

About Walkabout

Walkabout is an Australian themed bar chain which has found its way to various main cities in Britain. They cater for the early evening eating crowd with a menu which consists of such delights as kangaroo burgers, crocodile fillets, and salmon fillets, all doused down in rare spices that originate with Australian Aborigine's. They also cater for the sports and music fans, boasting great entertainment from its resident DJ's and various tv screens which boom out the latest sport action in live events and music video's for music fans to enjoy.

Food and Drink

As well as offering the occassional off the wall options such as the above mentioned crocodile fillets, all marinaded to perfection in its range of spices, Walkabout also offers a great selection of typical pub food such as chips, baked potatos, fish, pies, chilli, and lasagne. Their menu is exceptionally well laid out, with Snacks and Sharing, Sharing Platters, Jacket Potatoes, Basket Meals, Sandwiches, Meal Deals, Burgers, Pastas & Salads, Main Courses, Grills, Deserts, and Wine all having their own section throughout.

Walkabout also offers a great deal on its drinks, most drinks already reasonably priced for being places in the city centre. At the moment, they have a brilliant "2 cocktails for £5.95" option which takes place from Monday to Wednesday. Alcoholic cocktails start from as little as £3.50 with non-alcoholic cocktails ranging from £1.50. Their strawberry boomerang is a great non-alcoholic drink, smooth and sweet, but not too sweet that you would have had enough after one. They also have glasses of wine from as little as £2.10 per glass.

The Venue

Having only ever been to the Glasgow branch, I can only assume that many of them have the same make up. One of 50 branches now situated throughout the UK (they also have 3 hotels, and a backpacker). Set across 2 floors, Walkabout is a large very open space that gives you the freedom to stand in a place where you wont be knocked into everytime somebody wants to go the toilet, no matter how busy it is. On the ground floor is a large bar area with approximately 9 - 12 staff serving at busy times. It can take a while to get served if its exceptionally busy, but you'll find that it any large busy nightclub. The waiting staff and bar staff are very pleasant any time that I have been in, and even the bouncers are fairly professional and friendly. There is a cloakroom to store your coat in when it opens as a club. And the good thing is that if you have been in from earlier on, you dont have to pay the club entry fee come midnight. There is a large eating area, which doubles as a seating area on the ground floor later on at night. And on the first floor, the layout is similar with a much smaller seating area, an equally large bar, and a bigger dance floor.

Entertainment

Walkabout boasts great music throughout the day, opting for a range of everything from Keane to Kylie, from Coldplay to Goldfrapp, from Razorlight to Muse. All of this booms out of their surround sound system, accompanied often by the latest music video's. They also have the latest sporting action on the tv screen's throughout the day, and available is any sport of your choice from cricket to football through snooker to swimming. By night, they offer two dynamic floors for dancers and music lovers alike, continuing to screen sporting action as well as video views of the shenanigans taking place on the floor. The ground floor has a DJ that caters for the more radio friendly option, playing music that varies from 70s disco to modern day pop, and chucking in a few party games to give the DJ a laugh. Upstairs caters more for the younger crowd and is great for people who love a bit of house, dance or techno music. Opting for a DJ mix style, it offers a great selection of club music for the clubbers. Both floors operate as a nightclub after midnight, and yet have their own eclectic collection of music booming throughout the spacious area. Some venues also cater for live music fans by boasting up and coming bands and tribute acts appearing live.

The cost

Walkabout is a highly affordable night out. Drinks can be expensive at times, but thats aside from various drink offers, and reasonable prices for many spirits and mixers. The food menu is very reasonable with most main courses coming in at less than £10. The entry fee if you're going only as a clubber can be as little as £3 so even thats fairly even handed for a city centre club. The cloakroom attendants charge £1 (again, common of most clubs) for the use of their hangers, but hey they've got to make a living, and it means your jacket or your bag isn't getting nicked as you trip over them to stagger to the dancefloor. There is also a student card available for only £1 which gives you 20% off food, selected drinks for as little as £1.50, and buy one get one free tickets for events. Another great gimmick that isn't really offered in many of the other pubs.

The verdict

I have always had a good night at Walkabout. The music caters for just about everybody who is there to dance. The staff are friendly. The food is reasonable in quality, as are the drinks. And I always leave with money in my pocket, so that cant be a bad thing. One gripe would be that in all that open space, it tends to be a bit cold and faceless, but at least you can move around without constantly being bumped or having drinks spilled on you. I believe that the venue I have visited is also generic of all of Walkabout's in the UK in terms of style and appearance, that could also be a bit off putting if you are looking for somewhere more unique. Other than that, there aren't really many places (in my local area anyway) that cater for such a wide dynamic of people in such an eclectic way. A good night out for everybody.

Whereabouts

There are venues in Bromley, Covent Gardens, Croydon, Islington, Putney, Shaftsbury Avenue, Shepherds Bush, Temple, Watford, West Hampstead, Wimbledon, Birmingham, Derby, Hanley, Leicester, Lincoln, Nottingham, Rugby, Wolverhampton, Barnsley, Bradford, Doncaster, Durham, Grimsby, Leeds, Musselbrough, Sheffield, Blackpool, Burnley, Carlisle, Lancaster, Liverpool, Manchester, Oldham, Wigan, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Bournemouth, Brighton, Portsmouth, Reading, Southampton, Bristol, Exeter, Newquay, Plymouth, Swindon, Cardiff, Newport, Swansea

For more information on Walkabout and the venue nearest to you, visit their website at www.walkabout.eu.com 

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