please note - reviews on this site are purely the opinion of site visitors, so don't take them too seriously.
After a walk uphill out of the town centre, we arrived at the first of 5 pubs I was to try in this part of Nottingham. The Hand & Heart is built into caves. This makes the restaurant area at the back very dark. We chose to sit in the drinkers area at the front. Several of our party decided to tuck into bar snacks. The ale selection was Maypole Little Weed, Dancing Duck Light Hearted & Heavy Handed, Lenton Lane Cherry Phoenix & Vanguard & Springhead Outlawed & Left Lion. Ciders were Snail's Bank Apple Dappley & Raspberry Ripple. A fairly unique establishment.
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A lively, atmospheric pub with pleasant service. The tables where they serve meals are set in the caves---my first experience of eating underground! They also provide more space than the front bar area, which can get busy.
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Interesting place with a good selection of beers. The rear of the pub is actually a cavern though it smelled as if the drains were backing up when the Jolly Boys Drinking Society paid a visit, (or perhaps it was one of our members). Never-the-less a fine establishment.
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Very good indeed and the best pub that we encountered on a mini pub crawl in Nottingham in advance of a triumphant hometown show from Tindersticks in June 2014. Lavish furnishings in dark red suit a pleasant front bar before the pub dwindles into the shade of a back cave while service was friendly. Little Weed and Voodoo Mild were both excellent - the latter part of a Mild season involving the local branch of CAMRA.
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Best pub in Nottingham, great selection of real ale, helpful staff and a friendly atmosphere. The pumps have little jam jars with the the beer in, so you know what you are getting in terms of colour, the knowledegable staff can help you out with any other beer related queries.
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Greeted with a bank of handpumps with some very interesting beers. Front part of the pub is a little bland, but opens up at the back where it is carved through sandstone & cave-like. Very atmospheric
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Half pub, half cave which is sort of the point being carved into part of Nottingham's district geological features. For our visit a wetherbeaten local thumped out some fifties rock 'n' roll on the edge of one of pub's chambers. In between numbers the barmaid lets rip with an earthy laugh. Actually this pub isn't half bad. The range of ales was excellent and so too was the food. The general atmosphere was very convivial, aided by some highly commendable bar service (and that includes Gertie the Guffawer - hmm will I regret calling her that?) Over all a much more satisfying experience than our visit to the stiflingly hot and crowed Trip to J. A Nottingham must.
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Lovely little place with an excellent choice of ales kept in good condition, a welcoming atmosphere and a rather posh barmaid who was not only helpful and friendly but also knowledgeable about what she was selling and very good at the process of pulling and serving pints. This was a first visit, but won't be the last.
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Real ales, caves, seats with cushions, and off the city's beaten track...a little gem.
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This place is a gem, the restaurant can be a little musty due to being in the cave, but the food more than makes up it. A pub I will always go to when in Nottingham, a superb collection of excellently maintained beers and great food with good service. A little slice of heaven.
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Had a lovely pint of Sterling Pale on our last visit. More of an upmarket feel to the place, with tranquil yet ambient background music. Barman was friendly enough and knew his ales of which was a great choice. Will visit again!
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Fantastic. Went at a quiet time, but beer (Derby Brewing) was superb, the pub itself is gorgeous, and the barman was very friendly. Should have tried the food which looked different to the norm as well.
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Really nice bar. It has a very comfortable slightly more upmarket atmosphere. Its a couple of minutes walk up Derby Road from the Market Square, but well worth it. Yes, it can smell a little musty, but its not overpowering and it is partly built into the sandstone rock, so its to be expected! The food by the way is excellent and hearty. Highly recommended.
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Ordinary looking frontage leads in to front bar and further back is hewn in to the rock. Gents is in like a kind of cave. Loads of ales on, either local or from neighbouring counties. Plumped for a pint of Copper Penny which was a very nice pint. The gastro element does make the back half look more like a delicatessen than a pub though.
anonymous - 21 Nov 2010 15:52 |
'Musty' and 'humid' are understatements! It gets worse the deeper in you get, and the busier it is. But it's mostly worth it - always a great selection of well-poured beer, extensive yummy-sounding (posh) menu, helpful staff etc. Usually rather busy, but generally easy to get seats. Definitely worth the 5 minute walk from the centre of town!
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Great pub built into a series of caves. Can get very busy and very stagnant. The Hand and Heart ale is great, and the beer selection in general is also cool.Finding a place to sit at peak times can be tricky, but it's still worth a visit.
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An absolute gem of a gastropub, with tables for food in the sandstone cave at the back (and a new food space upstairs also), great ambience & decor, friendly service & good beer. I wish I went more often but I work over the other side of the city centre...
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Paid a brief visit recently. Good range of unusual beers, nice decor, individualistic and the food smelled great. Hope to revisit soon.
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Excellent little pub now re-opened. Seems more up market than it used to be. Built partly into a cave, its a pretty unique setting. Food is very good, and its located just on the edge of town its away from the hoi polloi. Enjoy.
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Not closed.
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Definitely not closed.
An unusual pubs, although Notts has more than it's fair share of cave pubs.
Food. Slightly on the extrvagant side, so high prices than a typical pub. However the food is worth the money in my experience.
Beers. Changes very regularly, sometimes whilst your there. I like my beer a bit cooler but that's purely personal preference. You'll always find a good beer here, though the changes often mean you may not see the same one twice.
Lots of live local bands on a well for all tastes (Jazz, folk to well whatever). Worth a visit.
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Excellent - Very comfortable, good selection of ales and the food looked good too.
The seating in the sandstone caves is very interesting.
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I checked out this place last night. It's great seeing this huge cave being used to its full potential, after being run down for years. The new owners have done a good job. Five real ales on, the three I tried were absolutely spot on. There is a gallery and cafe upstairs, and Joe's Musical Circus has relocated here, every Wednesday. Yes there is the sort of musty smell you would expect from being in a large sandstone cave. Forget the Trip, come here
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well it was opened this sat 28 June 08 nice and clean just smells damp must be the sandstone ?
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Alas, this pub has been closed for quite some time now.
cobbo - 26 Mar 2007 20:30 |
Not sure if her name is Val, but there is a really friedly owner there. Love the trogliditic architecture, although itcan get a bit nippy. Strangely overlooked for a Canning Circus bar.
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Does the very wonderful Val the manageres still work there
anonymous - 20 Jan 2006 14:44 |
I used this pub on a regular (too, some would say) basis during the 90's, when working down the road at the NAAFI. Loved the place, went back not so long ago still the same.
gerry - 19 Nov 2004 10:25 |
Unusual pub, most of which is carved into sandstone on the edge of the city.
Cobbo - 15 Jun 2004 20:58 |
