Latest reviews from Loughborough
| 68 /100 Moon & Bell (JDW) (Bar) 6 WARDS END “Visited 4/3/2023. Breakfast stop before the Loughborough beer festival Saturday session. A perfectly fine ‘spoons with a decent ale range for its size, made all the better by the excellent friendly service from the staff“ |
| 70 /100 13 MOIRA STREET “Visited 3/3/2023 after an afternoon at Loughborough Beer Festival. Not much to look at outside but nice and cosy inside with relaxed and friendly (including dog friendly) vibe. 5 casks available on this visit from Little, Muirhouse, Nene Valley, Chapter and Parkway but nothing from Moonface except a 9.8% bottled impy which I bought for another day. A Nene Valley keykeg also on. Fridge at the back end of the building with maybe 20 or so bottles/cans. Decent place to visit.“ |
| 62 /100 Moon & Bell (JDW) (Bar) 6 WARDS END “Visited before heading to the Loughborough beer festival 2022. Typical selection of regional cask beer at low prices. It was the usual trek upstairs to find the toilets. Service was swift even though it was fairly busy.“ |
| 84 /100 Needle & Pin (Bar) 15 THE RUSHES “Visited after the Loughborough Beer Festival 2022. It's was quite hard to find this place and walked past twice. The bar is towards the north side of the town centre but some distance from the train station which is on the edge of town. It is a small pub with seating in the front and a few step up to the bar at the back. The beer fridges and selves hold some really interesting beers. In all the selection had an excellent range of beers. These were mainly national craft beer but also cask beer is served. It looked to be dog friendly.“ |
| 76 /100 13 MOIRA STREET “Loughborough already has a brilliant beer scene, so the addition of a new brewpub, while always welcome, seemed a bit superfluous, almost greedy. However I won’t complin as I enjoyed my trip to Moonface immensely. The beer, and the overall set-up, are fairly traditional – 5 gravity casks and no keg or bottles/cans – but they push the boat out that little bit with a pale ale and a strong American amber from their brewery, supplemented by two from Lenton Lane and a bitter from Leatherbritches. On the expensive side but worth it. My well-worn Loughborough pub crawl now has a new entry.“ |
| 58 /100 Wheeltapper (Bar) 60 WOOD GATE “Range of beers and quality has gone down hill. Good comedy night and friendly staff but beer has slipped in last few months“ |
| 78 /100 4 WOODGATE “Great ambience, friendly staff. Some great beers and friday happy hour is a bargain. The guerrilla stout and infinity are good regulars. Could do with a wider range of guest ales. Recommended“ |
| 88 /100 Needle & Pin (Bar) 15 THE RUSHES “Excellent bar. Great staff. Always something interesting on and good range in fridge. Friendly atmosphere. Highly recommended“ |
| 68 /100 21 THE RUSHES “Regular pub with pizza offer of two for 7 pounds. Lots of local ciders and beers here. Looked like many of the guests were regulars.“ |
| 80 /100 Needle & Pin (Bar) 15 THE RUSHES “Excellent little bar with local ciders and beers along with a decent size fridge with foreign and other UK bottles and cans. Cash only and no wifi.“ |
| 60 /100 Wheeltapper (Bar) 60 WOOD GATE “Not terribly impressed by this place. We were the only customers here at 8 o’clock on a Tuesday evening, so maybe 8’m not the only one. They displayed two beers we wanted on the screens behind the bar, but one of them wasn’t on yet. Why would you put a beer on the screens if it’s not yet ready to be served? When I asked why, the bar tender got smart with me. We found a different beer instead, which was okay, but the other beer was terrible. A strange mix of much too sweet and too little sour Berliner Weisse.“ |
| 58 /100 Amber Rooms (JDW) (Bar) 15 THE RUSHES “Not the best of JDWs. It looks more like a restaurant than a pub from the outside, and it’s not particularly appealing inside either. Limited selection. Great prices.“ |
| 66 /100 21 THE RUSHES “We stopped here for some beers and a good offer for pizza. The pizzas come straight out of the freezer and are not very good. Their selection of beers and ciders was wide but not of the best quality. Good place for ticks.“ |
| 80 /100 Needle & Pin (Bar) 15 THE RUSHES “Great little bar with a solid selection of cask beers and ciders. They have a good fridge selection as well. We were fortunate enough to find a beer from Isle of Wight on cask at our visit. Good service. They do thirds. The best place we visited in Loughborough.“ |
| 56 /100 Generous Briton (Bar) 85 ASHBY ROAD “Basic two-room pub just outside of the main area of town. It's simple but friendly, and the beer choice, while not life-changing, will serve the purpose: two Oakhams, Bass and Timothy Taylor's Boltmaker. Broadoak cider and Weston's Perry also available. I went for the Boltmaker and it was fine. No food but you can bring your own in. Not a ticker's joint but ok boozer.“ |
| 68 /100 Amber Rooms (JDW) (Bar) 15 THE RUSHES “Above-average Wetherspoons in a university town. Absolutely heaving on a Saturday night out of term time. It's got the normal Wetherspoons formula but the service is very good and you'll probably get a tick or three. While it's a world away from the ethos of the Needle and Pin, it's just across the street so no reason not to.“ |
| 56 /100 Cask Bah (Bar) 39B MARKET STREET “New micropub in the town centre. Small but there's ample seating and a stage for live music. Six cask beers and one cider, the beers coming (so I'm told) from Nottingham brewery. But here's the thing: all the beers are ones I've not heard. Possibly rebadged with a rock star theme (Lemmy Legend, Hendrix Experience, Strummerville) so I had no idea what I was actually drinking. A ticker's nightmare. If you're missing Nottingham beers, and you're willing to do the extra work (I wasn't inclined to alias them for just one place, sorry) then by all means pop in. I can tell you that Strummerville is Bullion, TCB is Rock Bitter, and Lemmy Legend (which has been found elsewhere) is Legend.“ |
| 74 /100 Wheeltapper (Bar) 60 WOOD GATE “I've been looking for an excuse to visit this new craft beer bar not too far at all from the centre of town. It's really smart inside, and the music is not too intrusive (it's always fun to time your entrance to the start of 'The Boys are Back in Town'). They claim 23 taps, I didn't count but that sounds about right. A few lagers and ciders, several cask and eight keg. However quantity outweighs variety, as a lot of the beer they offer can be found quite easily (e.g. Neck Oil and Salty Kiss). They had Kernel, Cloudwater and Wiper and True, so I was happy. A welcome addition to the burgeoning scene in Loughborough.“ |
| 82 /100 Wheeltapper (Bar) 60 WOOD GATE “New key keg location just off the A6 in Loughborough centre. Good selection of beers with a sour present. Few mainline beers and good selection from craft micros“ |
| 76 /100 4 WOODGATE “Nice , cozy place with their own brewed ales.They need improve the selection of draught beer.“ |
| 64 /100 White Hart (Bar) 27 CHURCHGATE “The White Hart is a smart and simple pub on the inside and out. Low lighting, dark wooden flooring and furniture all add to the ambience. They have six cask beers: Landlord and five from local microbreweries such as Charnwood, Shiny, Anstey and Tollgate. The beer is sessionable, traditional and in pretty good condition. It's nice in here, and I picked up ticks. Although there isn't anything that you won't find elsewhere, I'd recommend stopping by if in the area.“ |
| 66 /100 White Hart (Bar) 27 CHURCHGATE “Town centre pub close to the inner ring road and bus routes. Smart and tastefully furnished, it is a popular meeting place for shoppers for a bite to eat. Comfortable, there is a reasonable range of cask beers. Good.“ |
| 72 /100 Paget Arms (Bar) THE PAGET ARMS, 41 OXFORD STREET “Back street local but a shining example of how they can be. It is on a large corner plot with several rooms. Lively and friendly, there is a selection of the Steamin Billy beers along with a few guests. A fun place to visit.“ |
| 22 /100 Generous Briton (Bar) 85 ASHBY ROAD “Previously a Free House this has been taken over by a group. It is an estate pub in an spot prime for re development. No beers available on our visit an nobody seemed bothered.“ |
| 60 /100 4 WOODGATE “Decent old style pub on the way towards the Steam Railway Station, quiet and studious on our visit. They just seemed to have Blue Monkey beers on without any seasonal specials. Worth a visit if in Loughborough but not to go out of the way for.“ |
| 82 /100 Needle & Pin (Bar) 15 THE RUSHES “Cracking little Micro Pub in the Rushes area of town, close to the Swan. Seating both upstairs and down, the pub is immaculately clean and tidy, which helps due to the size. The cask / keg range is a little restricted, but the bottle fridges are stocked with some amazing beers. Excellent beer venue.“ |
| 66 /100 21 THE RUSHES “This is a very traditional pub just off the town centre in an area called the Rushes. The Hop Loft was closed recently and this is now a function room for special hire. The pub itself is two roomed bar and snug, very quiet and studious on our visit. The beers are mostly Castle Rock but with just a few guests. There are some keg lines, again Castle Rock. Worth a visit but no longer the top spot in Loughborough.“ |
| 72 /100 4 WOODGATE “Blue Monkey beers well represented in this town centre pub. Cask & keg beers available, the selection was reasonable on my visit. Prices are quite keen“ |
| 80 /100 Needle & Pin (Bar) 15 THE RUSHES “Small micro pub a couple of doors don from Swan in the Rushes. Some downstairs seating with more upstairs. Three or 4 on cask plus a similar number of keg beers, plus a cracking range of bottles. The best venue for craft beer in Loughborough“ |
| 90 /100 Needle & Pin (Bar) 15 THE RUSHES “This micropub absolutely knocks it out of the park and then some. It’s extremely small although there’s more seating upstairs than you’d think. A vinyl collection which customers are free to use, and even though it gets a bit stuffy there is an electric fan to cool you down. The beer is amazing: four well-chosen independent breweries on cask with a handful of ciders. But the true star is the bottle selection: Wylam, Wild Weather, Mikkeller, Evil Twin, Thornbridge, and everything sideways an in between. Be warned that this place isn’t cheap. But you get what you pay for. A proper gem and a destination.“ |
| 76 /100 4 WOODGATE “This is a really nice pub not far from the town centre. It feels like a refurbished traditional establishment, but there are some nice touches (I can imagine how nice the real fire feels in the winter) and its light and airy. Blue Monkey is very well represented, with six cask and one keg. There’s also a couple of guest cask although keg isn’t that interesting. Some bottles/cans, including UK craft. Top pub, but my concern would be the rotation of beers.“ |
| 72 /100 21 THE RUSHES “The Swan in the Rushes is a traditional pub in Loughborough centre. It is a Castle Rock pub which showcases their beers, however there is plenty of choice from other breweries in cask, keg and bottle. The pricing is a bit hit and miss (cheapish crafty cans but then Rochefort 10 for £9.50!) but all in all reasonably cheap. The Hop Loft is the upstairs function room where all beers in the main pub are available.“ |
| 86 /100 Needle & Pin (Bar) 15 THE RUSHES “A lovely little micropub in Loughborough town centre. Open for just over a year in an old electronics shop. Has the best beer fridges in the town for an interesting range of craft and foreign beers that change regularly. The cask ale is well kept and again new beers pop up all the time of all varieties. No hot food but decent quality bar snacks and the local ’Peter’ pizzeria will deliver. Only real criticism is with minimal toilet facilities available it can be a bit cramped at busy times but with the size of the premises this is to be expected. A vintage record player and selection of vinyls is also available. In my opinion one of if not the best pub in the town. Lots of real cider also available, usually four or five if memory serves and it was the local CAMRA cider pub of the year recently.“ |
| 72 /100 Needle & Pin (Bar) 15 THE RUSHES “Small bar that appears to be an converted shop, quite small and snug with an upstairs drinking area also, very busy on my visit on Christmas Eve but great atmosphere. Four I think hand pumps dispensing a couple of Black Sheep Beers and others all in good condition, fridge full of above average bottles. Friendly knowledgable staff. My companion at the time has visited before and says the beer range was a little better than Black Sheep on his visit.“ |
| 64 /100 4 WOODGATE “Nice place located in the city center. Several beers from pumps, some bottles and several pies to choose. Reasonable prices.“ |
| 84 /100 White Hart (Bar) 27 CHURCHGATE “The White Hart was reopened after some redevelopment some time ago and is now one of Loughborough’s finest pubs. The interior is tasteful, there’s always good beer on, some of which is locally sourced. You can tell that effort has gone in to making this pub. Prices are slightly higher than elsewhere, but the ambiance and the quality of the pub justify that.“ |
| 84 /100 4 WOODGATE “Great pub, excellent Blue Monkey beers, top prices (£3.00 for Guerilla!) and delicious pies. Nice selection of bottles as well!“ |
| 86 /100 21 THE RUSHES “Ambiance: pleasant, nice and modern
Service: never had any problems
Selection: best selection in Loughborough, quality craft beers on tap and a large choice of bottles from some quality breweries from around the world.
Value: the prices are fair for the quality of the beer that you get.
The Hop Loft also does a monthly beer tasting for a ridiculously good price“ |
| 86 /100 4 WOODGATE “Very convivial place, good range of own beers, including the excellent Infinity. Friendly and knowledgable bar staff.“ |
| 18 /100 4 WOODGATE “Over priced own beers £7.00 for Blue Monkey Silverback In The USSR 10.5 whilst in trade at £4.40.
Had 1 beer served with a glass covered in lipstick, but staff decide to serve others before rectifying problem even when free.“ |
| 66 /100 Amber Rooms (JDW) (Bar) 15 THE RUSHES “Large Wetherspoon pub in a purpose built shopping complex on the main road through Loughborough, this one faces the main road and its small patio is useful for watching the traffic. There is a patio area out back that is more secluded and backs onto the small narrow river running through the town. There’s plenty of space on two levels and the decor is slightly more modern than the regular pubs in this chain. The bar has two sets of real ale pumps.“ |
| 62 /100 Moon & Bell (JDW) (Bar) 6 WARDS END “Wetherspoon pub at the end of the main shopping street. It’s small in size with a small garden area for overspill when the weather allows, it’s therefore a popular place at most times. It does manage to pack two rows of ale pumps, the problem is finding a place to drink it in the dense area of tables.“ |
| 64 /100 Paget Arms (Bar) THE PAGET ARMS, 41 OXFORD STREET “Found in the backstreets of Loughborough when visiting just after a graduation ceremony. Really surprised to find a wonderful clean pub, with six beers on I had never seen before. Will visit again.“ |
