Best Pubs in Nottingham: Historic Inns, Real Ale and Roasts
A candid guide to the best pubs in Nottingham, from cave-built historic inns and canalside gardens to Canning Circus ale taps and proper Sunday roasts.
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The best pub in Nottingham depends on what you want from the evening: Ye Olde Trip to Jerusalem for the cave-cut history, The Canalhouse for a canalside pint in the sun, or The Cross Keys for cask ale in the Lace Market. This guide sorts the city's pubs by that decision rather than alphabetically, names the specific draw at each and says plainly where the crowds, the walk and the kitchen times change the plan. If you are weighing the same choice elsewhere, the best pubs in Birmingham make a useful comparison.
Most of the city-centre pubs sit within a twenty-minute walk of each other, but Canning Circus is a climb out of town and Ruddington is a short drive or bus ride south, so it pays to group your stops by area. Pints and pub food are the focus here; the city's breweries and its Sunday roasts get their own guides.
What makes a Nottingham pub worth the trip
Three things give Nottingham pubs their character: sandstone caves cut into the cliff under the castle, the castle rock itself, and the canal running along the southern edge of the centre. Pubs such as Ye Olde Salutation Inn and The Hand & Heart use those caves as dining rooms and cellars, which is why a pint here feels different from a standard town-centre boozer.
The other defining feature is the real-ale circuit. Canning Circus, a short, steep walk west of the centre, holds a cluster of ale houses that drinkers treat as a single run rather than separate destinations. Plan your afternoon around one area — Lace Market and the castle side, the canal, or Canning Circus — and you will spend less time walking and more time at the bar.
Historic inns in the city centre
Ye Olde Trip to Jerusalem is the one everybody names first: it claims to be the oldest pub in Britain, dates its founding to 1189 and is built into the cliff beneath Nottingham Castle. Treat the age claim as the pub's own rather than settled fact, and expect it to be busy with visitors, especially at weekends. Go early in the day or on a weekday evening if you want to study the nooks, fireplaces and curios on the walls without a scrum at the bar.
Ye Olde Salutation Inn, known locally as The Sal, sits on Maid Marian Way and draws a rock crowd and real-ale drinkers into a pub that does not dress itself up. It is the pick for an unpretentious pint with caves underneath and a straightforward food menu. The Bell Inn completes the historic trio and is where you look for the glass floor panel over the medieval cave system. For a side-by-side of the three and their age claims, see the comparison of the oldest pub in Nottingham.
Best for a canalside pint in the sun
The Canalhouse is the city's sunny-afternoon pub. Its large canalside garden fills the moment the weather turns, while indoors a canal, bridge and moored narrowboat run through the building, so even a grey day gives you something to look at. The pub also claims the largest world beer selection in the Midlands, which makes it a good stop for drinkers who want something other than bitter.
The trade-off is obvious: on a warm weekend the garden is the busiest spot in town, and service slows accordingly. Arrive mid-afternoon for a seat, or accept standing. If the garden is the whole point of your trip, compare other options in this guide to the beer garden in Nottingham before committing to one patch of grass.
Canning Circus and the climb out of town
Canning Circus is a short but steep walk west of the city centre, and it rewards the climb with a compact run of proper ale pubs. The Sir John Borlase Warren, The Falcon Inn and The Organ Grinder sit close enough to move between on foot, which is why drinkers treat them as one outing rather than three separate trips. Start at the bottom and work up, or you will be climbing after every pint.
The Sir John Borlase Warren is the best of the three for a sit-down pint with food, a Canning Circus stop that appears on local Friday-night crawls. The Organ Grinder and The Falcon Inn suit drinkers who mainly want a well-kept pint in a traditional room. A word of warning: these pubs are small, and a big group arriving at once will struggle to find seats together, so split up or book ahead where the pub takes bookings.
Best for real ale in the Lace Market
The Cross Keys on Byard Lane is the Lace Market's reliable traditional pub, opposite Nottingham Contemporary and running seven hand-pulled cask ales alongside craft keg lines. It suits a pre-dinner pint or a light lunch rather than a long session, and it is handy if you are already in the Lace Market for the evening. Look at the full pub food Nottingham guide if you want the kitchen side of the decision.
The Malt Cross, an old music hall off the main drag, is worth knowing for its pub character and its heritage tours, though it works better as a stop on a wander than as the anchor of a drinking session. If you want to understand where the city's beer comes from, the breweries in Nottingham map out the local names you will see on the pumps.
Best for a Sunday roast
The Hand & Heart, a few minutes from the centre towards Lenton, serves its roasts in a dining room built into sandstone caves, which makes it the most atmospheric Sunday lunch in the city. Pair the roast with the pub's own Light Hearted ale. Book rather than turning up at two o'clock and hoping, as cave dining rooms are small.
The Trent Navigation on Meadow Lane is the other dependable option, a pub that gets packed on match days when the cricket and football are on and quiet on other afternoons. Check the fixture list before you pick a Sunday there. For a wider shortlist of roasts across the city and county, work through the Sunday roast in Nottingham guide before booking.
Best for a burger with a pint
The Sal's kitchen turns out a Beast Burger that has built a following, and it is the obvious choice if you want a serious burger in a proper old pub rather than a chain dining room. Portions are generous, the room is unpretentious and the beer list runs to real ale. Book or go early at weekends, because the historic pubs fill quickly.
For a different style of burger, Bomba Notts serves smash burgers from Bunkers Hill in the city centre, with a menu built around a handful of well-made options. It is a lighter, faster stop than a full pub meal, so it works before or after a pint rather than as the whole evening. Check the current menu and serving days with the venue, as kitchens change their offer.
Lighter lunches and a quick pint in town
For a light lunch, The Cross Keys does small plates and sandwiches in the Lace Market, handy if you are between appointments or trains. The Roundhouse Bar & Kitchen, a short walk from the canal side towards the castle, reopened after a spell closed and has rejoined the Friday-night circuit for a pint and a burger. Neither is a destination in itself, but both fill a gap well.
Menus, kitchen hours and whether food is served all afternoon vary by pub and season, and the venue is the only reliable place to check. Ring ahead if you are travelling for a specific dish or arriving late. Otherwise keep the plan loose and treat the pub's own board as the final word on the day.
Pubs a short trip out of the city
The Nottingham Knight in Ruddington is a family-friendly grill pub around eleven minutes by car from the city centre, with a beer garden, a car park that takes coaches and dog-friendly policies. It is the pick for a mixed group where some want a steak, some want a burger and nobody wants to fight for a table in town. Its opening and serving hours run separately and change by day, so check the times published on the pub's page before setting out.
Do not treat Ruddington as a walk from the centre: it is a separate village and needs a car, taxi or bus. The trade-off is space and parking in exchange for a less characterful room than the historic inns. If you want the whole weekend to hang on pubs rather than one meal, stay central.
Where to stay for a pub-led weekend
Base yourself in the city centre or Lace Market if you want to walk between the historic inns, The Cross Keys and the canal without booking taxis. Canning Circus suits drinkers who plan to spend the evening on the ale run and do not mind a steep walk home.
Book Sunday lunch and any large-group table in advance, particularly at the cave dining room and the Canning Circus pubs, which are small. Kitchen closing times and whether food runs all afternoon are the details most likely to catch you out, so check with the pub on the day. Two calls — one to the pub for food times, one for the table — cover most of the risk.
Which Nottingham pub should you book first?
Book The Hand & Heart first if Sunday lunch in a cave dining room is the point of the trip, and follow it with a wander down to the canal for a pint at The Canalhouse. If you are coming for beer rather than food, make the Canning Circus run the centrepiece and keep the Trip for an early weekday slot before the crowds arrive.
Either way, decide by occasion before you decide by pub name, and confirm food times with the venue rather than trusting a published menu. The city rewards a loose plan and a short walk between stops.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Which Nottingham pub is best for a first visit?
Ye Olde Trip to Jerusalem gives the most distinctive first impression, built into the cliff under the castle, but it is also the busiest with visitors. Go early or on a weekday if you want to look around properly, then move on to The Sal or The Cross Keys for a calmer pint.
Do I need to book for Sunday lunch in Nottingham?
Book for any pub roast you have set your heart on, especially at the cave dining room at The Hand & Heart and the smaller Canning Circus pubs. Roasts sell out and walk-ins at peak time are a gamble. Confirm the serving window with the pub when you book.
How far is Canning Circus from the city centre?
It is a short but steep walk west of the centre, close enough to reach on foot from the Lace Market. The climb is the trade-off for a compact run of ale pubs, so wear something you can walk uphill in and start at the bottom of the hill.
Sources
Notes on eating out in the UK
Optional updates when our city guides change.
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