Latest reviews from Rugby

“Visited July 2023.“

fonefan 273 days ago

“Visited July 2023.“

fonefan 273 days ago

“Visited July 2023.“

fonefan 273 days ago

“Visited July 2023.“

fonefan 273 days ago

“Visited July 2023.“

fonefan 273 days ago

“Visited July 2023 with beery friends.. Huge bar, great atmosphere.. lots and lots of beery deco all over. At our visit a festival was going on with a huge list of ciders and a nice list of canned beers.. Would love to revisit this place, when there's is not a festival going on..“

Brugmansia 273 days ago

“Visited July 2023 with beery friend... Nice selection of beers in cans / bottles.. Few seatings inside and outside as well.. On our visit the beers were not the best condition..“

Brugmansia 273 days ago

“Visited July 2023 with beery friends.. Short walk from city center. Easy to find. Cosy atmosphere, friendly service.. beers served with a smile and in good condition.. For sure worth a visit and a revisit..“

Brugmansia 273 days ago

“Visited July 2023 with beery friends.. Cosy small old fashion pub. Staff busy cleaning the bar, but still managed to service us with beers.. Quiet place...“

Brugmansia 273 days ago

“Visited July 2023 with beery friends. Large welcoming pub with a good range of well served beers. Friendly staff. Lots of seatings, nice music in the back.. For sure a visit being in Rugby..“

Brugmansia 273 days ago

“Visited July 2023 with beery friends.. Great cosy old fashion bar close to town center.. Easy to find.. super friendly service and with a welcoming atmosphere.. Nice selection of beers from a range of breweries.. served in good condition. Great spot...“

Brugmansia 273 days ago

“Visited july 2023, with beery friends.. first stop of the day.. Nice quiet place, easy to find.. Traditionel wetherspoon layout..“

Brugmansia 273 days ago

“Cozy pub with dark brown interior. Their cask range was a bit limited at our visit, but there was one new. They did have a couple of decent bottles as well.“

Rasmus40 360 days ago

“Visited 11/3/2023. Great place, quirky, slightly eccentric, really friendly, with a decent selection of beers too. Some interesting bottles including a range from Oslo. Enjoyable visit.“

Grumbo 372 days ago

“Visited 11/3/2023. Great looking pub, busy with a nice vibe inside, but the beer selection on this visit was surprisingly narrow and unadventurous with nothing at all we’d not had before despite the quantity available. Headed to the Tap instead.“

Grumbo 372 days ago

“Annual Beer Festival in the historic town of Rugby. It is held currently in Arnold House which is now a Masonic Hall, in the centre of Rugby, basically backing on to the Merchants Inn, the building was previously a girls finishing school and previously to that the residence of Thomas Arnold, a famed headmaster of Rugby School. The building is large, airy and warm on a pretty miserable, cold day. The beers are racked in a large room to the rear with more seating in the permanent bar. There were roughly 30 beers available plus a good range of food, payment was by cash or card at the bar, which slowed things down and created queues, I think vouchers would be better but hey-ho. It's an enjoyable Festival to visit.“

imdownthepub 783 days ago

“Maybe a notch above your average Everards pub, but hard for those of us living in Leicestershire to get excited about. Open plan and friendly. A few Everards brews plus a couple of guests. 'Craft' Beer available from Purity or Grimbergen. Pleasant enough but not good enough to be asked a destination.“

jjsint 965 days ago

“Decent Black Country Ales pub in Rugby. As per the chain's business model there's a decent selection of beer: about 4-5 of their own plus a few sessionable guests (normally from West Midlands counties) and a couple of ciders. I went for the New Brew APA, an unexciting if decent enough beer. This pub doesn't really have a whole lot of character. Good beer but very identikit. Maybe not one of the more exciting offerings in Rugby.“

jjsint 965 days ago

“Rugby is a town that seems to thrive on cask beer. So is a chain of the Craft Inn franchise really necessary? Well, it's a brilliant pub, no cask but 15 keg lines plus cans/bottles of the great and the goos of craft beer. I came on the back of a Turning Point tap takeover so got to try a couple of their beers. Really reasonable prices considering the product. Brilliant place. Necessary? Maybe not. But sure as hell welcome, and possibly the best establishment in town.“

jjsint 965 days ago

“When I walked in I thought, surely this isn't the highest rated place in Rugby? Three sessionable beers on gravity... then I saw the bottle fridge with craft beers from producers such as Oslo. And the takeaway beers as well, from Belginus, Oakham and Church End. But, and they say, the proof of the pudding is in the tasting. The cask beer was so perfectly served that I'd have to go back years to find it's equal. And... they serve coffee gin. And raspberry gin. Whatever a pub should be... they nailed it.“

jjsint 965 days ago

“Lovely building, with a typical Black Country Inns interior. Mostly open plan with a large TV screen, but there's an attractive snug near the entrance. There's about 8-9 cask ales, although I don't think I've seen this many big regionals/macro at this chain (Sharps, Wychwood). I opted for a Salopian which wasn't the best beer but was in fine condition. Worth stopping by but can be missed.“

jjsint 965 days ago

“Brilliant cask ale pub. Open plan and nicely laid out with ample seating inside and an attractive outside space. The beer may be more quantity than quality - mostly session beers from well-known producers - but it's worth checking to see what they've got (I'm drinking a new mild tick, which is getting rare these days). The bottle fridge consists of well-loved Belgians such as the ranges of Chimay and Delirium Tremens. They do the sort of snacks that soak up the beer (sausage rolls and pork pies) at a reasonable price. A must in Rugby? Probably.“

jjsint 965 days ago

“My first stop in Rugby and it is a good one. I don't see any Atomic beers so I'm not sure it's affiliated. What I did see are five casks (Hook Norton, Oakham x2, Abbeydale and Stockport) with an Abbeydale IPA on keg. Friendly and knowledgeable landlady. Cricket on the TV. I could have spent all day here.“

jjsint 965 days ago

“Old-fashioned but not olde World, the Squirrel is a decent if not necessary stop in Rugby. Open plan with a slightly delineated area to the of the bar. Watch your head, I'm not 6 feet but almost scraped the ceiling in the bar! They carry about 5 cask ales, nothing you can't get elsewhere but well kept. No ticks for me but a couple of beers I like (Goffs White Knight, Grainstore Ten Fifty). The hours have changed, so I waltzed in just before 1 on a Saturday and they were open. Piped music is classic rock; I'm enjoying some Traffic, Lovin' Spoonful and Love with my pint.“

jjsint 965 days ago

“This pub has recently been transformed by Black Country Ales after being closed for a long while. It's quite a large building looking really smart inside now. It's friendly, quite a chatty place with a decent beer list and quite a few cask ciders too. Good choices available, reasonable pub grub. A very good addition to the Rugby pub scene.“

imdownthepub 1597 days ago

“This is a pub that was bought by Black Country Ales in 2019, previously struggling now updated and revived. Just a short walk out of the main town area alongside the famous Rugby school. Typical of the burgeoning chain, it is on pretty traditional lines but with the addition of an electronic beer list behind the bat. Currently having some problems with some of the electronic beer pulls but still around 6 beers on sale. Well worth the short walk for a visit.“

imdownthepub 1597 days ago

“Dec '19 review = 66. Split from the bottle shop, opens when it likes really now, no set opening hours on the window. Dec '16 review = 80. This review is for the Micro Pub side of the pub / bottle shop, we visited early on a sunny, chilly Wednesday lunch time, we were unsure whether the Pub was open but were given a great welcome as the owner runs both sides at the same time. The pub is an old Printer cassette refill shop, opened up with a bank of casks to the rear. We were helped with our choices and our opinion was asked as to whether beers were ready. There are also 4 keg lines that have been recently fitted, we hadn’t noticed these initially. The keg lines improve the beer choice no end, good to see that there is no hang up here with the cask vs keg argument. The ambiance was really pleasant in here, a big sunny picture window, comfortable and great beer chat from the owner, it was disappointing to have to move on. A must visit when in the area.“

imdownthepub 1597 days ago

“Lovely old pub, nice fireplace. Seems fairly popular, but we managed to find a comfy place to sit. Lots of hand-pulls, more than you can first see, as the central bar has two sides. Alas the beers weren't on great form, or even good form, which really ought to be the single most important attribute for a pub. Service was friendly. Grand County Tour #8: Warwickshire, 3 thirds of real ale, 20:43-20:54“

FatPhil 1734 days ago

“On the main road through the centre of the town, this somewhat irregular designed pub is traditional and historic, although there's clearly been one or two updates in the interior over the years, but it retains enough charm. The bar is central in the lengthy but thin front room area. Tables and chairs are tight fitting within and its ale selection is quite bland, with Westons making up real cider box options on my visit.“

ManVsBeer 1799 days ago

“On the eastern edge of the central part of the town centre before the park, this is a traditional pub, quite extensive with a couple of different rooms. A little spartan around the bar area, I think it can get quite busy here as it's open late at the weekends so the tables had been cleared, the decor is quite eclectic, beer themed, pseudo Irish Bar in style. The long row of microbrewery cask ales and some real ciders make this place well worth a stop.“

ManVsBeer 1799 days ago

“A deep shop unit on the south side of the town centre proper, facing the main road. Despite its size most of the back of the venue is taken up by the frame for the gravity dispensing of the cask ales here, you can walk right up to it but some will be marked as 'coming soon', you don't pour it yourself though. The main seating area is the front with a very bohemian-cum-slapdash approach to the furniture and set-up. It works though. There should be something local in the selection.“

ManVsBeer 1799 days ago

“A no more than 10 minute walk east of the town centre where the suburbs start proper after a roundabout, it's a two roomed locals pub with an internal walkthrough the male toilets between both. The bar serves both sides with the best room on the right and the 'bar' area to the front and left after you enter. They're both similar though. Ales are over both sides, perhaps go to the best room for the greater choice, with an Atomic ales and plenty of guests during my visit. Friendly and urban traditional in design.“

ManVsBeer 1799 days ago

“Behind one of the main streets that heads from the town centre down to the railway station area, it's a little hidden, as such it seems to have a good local clientele in here. Essentially open plan, this traditional well-lit pub with a large garden area at the rear has lots of defined areas around a centrally located bar. Here you'll find some Everards brews but plenty of guests too including locally sourced brews. Is decorated with a 'rugby' sports theme.“

ManVsBeer 1799 days ago

“An airy, decent spoons with two entrance and a servery offering 10 cask ales, a couple of new ones for us. Located in the pedestrian area of town. Solid and well valued traditional breakfast, as usual. Polite service. Unfortunately, our next destination, Rugby Tap, was closed.(Visited with Finn 12.02.2019).“

Rune 1888 days ago

“A traditional pub near Rugby School the inside walls of which are adorned with beer memorabilia. There are nine cask and seven taps (three of which were Belgian beers) and prices are decent. Self choice tasters/flights are offered.“

KeefOz 1933 days ago

“Cask only micro pub with a bottleshop next door (selection a bit dull). Choice of 8 or so cask beers, mostly local and kept well. Enthusiastic, chatty owner, it’s a nice little place“

Cheeseboard 2225 days ago

“Nice place. Looks old and very traditional. Bit worn out too but it comes with age. It was quite full so it must be quite popular around here. Toilets, visit the toilets.“

Marduk 2277 days ago

“Popular locals pub, closest to the Railway Station for us on this visit. Welcoming, friendly and warm on a bitterly cold afternoon. Although an Everards pub there seems to be a good guest beer policy going on. There is a conservatory at the back, pleasant on a summers day I would imagine. The Pork Pie was excellent and the beer well kept. Well worth a visit.“

imdownthepub 2703 days ago

“Dec '19 rating = 48. With the sale of the other Spoons in town this seems to have have an overhaul. Smart, clean and well run now, good service, tidy. The whole space feels cleaner and more welcoming. Beer choice is pretty limited though for this chain. Dec '16 rating = 40. Initially this felt like walking into a carpet warehouse building, open, featureless. Typically a Spoons inside though, there is a sweaty note to it. Slow service, not much choice if truth be told, very similar to the sister pub down the road. A quick turnabout.“

imdownthepub 2703 days ago

“Traditional old pub right on a busy road in central Rugby, opposite St Andrews church and gardens. Very friendly and welcoming, watch out for the later opening though. Long and narrow with the main seating area to the far end of the bar. Chatty locals at the bar and a smaller range of beers than nearby pubs but well kept with seemingly one changing guest beer. Glad we managed to fit this one in on our Rugby tour.“

imdownthepub 2703 days ago

“Classic old pub in the centre of Rugby, inside is warm and inviting with a log fire on a cold day, lots of nooks and crannies to sit, timbered, interesting decor of past beer mats, everything you want in an old pub. The Bar itself is pretty central with a list of the ales available chalked above the bar. There were around 8 beers available on our visit, some on cellar runs. Pretty much a must visit on any visit to Rugby.“

imdownthepub 2703 days ago

“Dec '19 = 30 Pub has been sold off by Wetherspoons to a pub group. Terrible atmosphere and beer range. Didn't linger. Dec '16 rating = 38. A Wetherspoons situated right on the pedestrianised High Street on the Rugby School end of town. It was built for Boots the Chemist originally in an art deco style but this has largely been stripped out of the building which is dark and dingy on entering with a stale beer aroma. The beers on offer on our visit were pretty disappointing and the welcome non existent as no-one came to serve us. An experience we won’t be repeating.“

imdownthepub 2703 days ago

“Interesting selection of beers. Worth visiting just to try the local beers although be warned some of them are bottle conditioned CAMRA type beers which may not be the most consistent in the world. A few interesting Americans as well as bita and pieces from other countries. The owner is friendly and knowledgeable. Not a massive selection, more of an interesting one.“

johndoughty 2981 days ago

“Nice little micropub conversion. Beer range was decent and picked up a couple of interesting beers in bottle and on cask. Service was excellent and really friendly and helpful. Offering table service which saved a weary rater moving. Really nice place and a great stop off in Rugby“

WingmanWillis 3276 days ago

“Rated to include the Mircropub next door which opened around Xmas 2014. The Tap is a shop with approx 3-4 racked casks to take home beer, and a decent selection of bottled beers, mainly local too. They have now bought and fitted out the shop next door, and have the facility to rack 4 casks in here too. On average 4-5 beers on and 3 Ciders. But you also have the added bonus of buying a bottle from the decent choice and drinking this, served to you in a glass in the Micropub. A novel and excellent idea! The bottle beer selection is good and decent prices, although mainly focused on local breweries there is a selection of German Belgian and American too. Top place added to the excellent beer scene in Rugby.“

47574xeCD 3384 days ago

“Third pub visited on a tour of Rugby. A large selection of draught beers were available including a Stout and an Old Ale. The food portion was slightly smaller than I would have wished for. Appears to show Rugby Union in one large area of the pub. Log fire was blazing. Overall it was my favourite of the 6 venues visited on the day - 13.12.14“

moleha4 3420 days ago

“2nd pub visited on a tour of Rugby. Friendly welcome, and draught beers seemed well kept to our party.“

moleha4 3420 days ago