Lifestyle, food and drink, and our family life and travel adventures.
I love food. If I’m not eating food then I’m quite often thinking about it and what I’ll eat next, and I particularly love eating out and enjoying a meal in a restaurant or bar with friends or family.
There are so many brilliant places to eat in Nottingham, with loads of different types of cuisines and dining experiences, so you can find something for everyone and to suit all tastes and budgets. Nottingham has everything from budget spots to Michelin-starred restaurants and you can find and book lots of them on Bookatable to discover some great new restaurants in the area. Their ‘restaurants near me‘ feature is brilliant for when you are out and about, not just in Nottingham, but in your local area or somewhere new to you and you’re looking for somewhere to find some great food.
I absolutely love Ibérico and have been many times. It opened in 2007 and brings together the rustic simplicity of Spanish tapas with the refined ingredients of world cooking, and is housed in a beautiful building with a vaulted roof, that only seats a limited number of guests at a time, which I love. The food is beautiful and incredibly good, and the Express Menu, in particular, is so incredibly priced. The food looks and tastes like it should be way more expensive than it is, and in fact, they were awarded a “Bib Gourmand” from The Michelin Guide for exceptional food at a reasonable price.
They do amazing inside-out chicken wings with yuzu sweet chilli, Catalan bread, gambas a la plancha and so much more incredible Spanish food.
Their walk-in-only sister restaurant, Bar Ibérico opened in 2016 and is similarly wonderful. They do a great Menu Rapido for £11.95 during the day and early evening and offer vast choices of delicious tapas. It has big glass windows that open right up in the summer, so you can watch the world go by as you eat.
Escabeche is a tapas restaurant in West Bridgford and it is probably the place I eat out at the most. It’s a great place for meeting up with friends with kids, or just as a couple, and they do a really good Menu del dia, as well as lots of choice for a tasty brunch and it always has a good atmosphere.
They also have a sister restaurant in the city centre — Bar Esca is housed in a lovely building with Catalan-inspired decor and serves Spanish tapas and I love to pop in and have some lunch and a glass (or two) of Cava there (although it’s often very busy so you sometimes have to wait a bit) in between doing some shopping in town.
Sat Bains is one I have never been to but I really need to. Despite the unpromising location (under a flyover off the A52, a good few minutes outside the city centre), Sat Bains offers a truly world-class dining experience, serving two-Michelin-star food throughout its array of seating areas. You can choose from a 7 or a 10-course tasting menu that changes with the seasons, and the World-Class team give you a professional, yet relaxed experience. For an extra special occasion or treat, you can also opt to stay in one of their beautiful rooms for the night.
The Cod’s Scallops offer award-winning fish and chips in now 3 different locations around Nottingham — Sherwood, Wollaton, and Long Eaton. This fish and chip shop brand (owned by some friends!) just keeps getting bigger and better and they are always looking for new locations to open in.
You can eat in or take away and, despite being located in the midlands, can choose from 20 species of fish caught that day in places like Brixham, Cromer and Filey, all cooked fresh to order. Fish can be served battered in beef dripping, barbecue-spiced, or baked in garlic, lemon and herbs for a gluten-free alternative.
They also do posh stuff like lobster, oysters and scallops (of course), as well as flavoured butters and sauces and all of the usuals you would expect at a fish and chip shop, whilst also ensuring the quality and sustainability that is so important to them. They also serve their award-winning sausages and homemade pies as well as seasonal specials.
This award-winning fine-dining hotel restaurant is owned by Tim and Stefa Hart, who are best known for Rutland’s Michelin-starred Hambleton Hall, whilst their sons, Sam and Eddie, run London’s Quo Vadis and Barrafina (I loooove Barrafina and I can’t wait to go again).
Hart’s is located near Nottingham Castle and offers aesthetically beautiful and flavoursome British dishes using the best seasonal ingredients, created by Michelin Star Executive Chef Aaron Patterson from their sister hotel and head chef Martin Sludds.
After moving to Nottingham in 1994 from New England, Annie opened her first ‘Burger Shack’ here in 2009. Since then it has moved twice as it grew bigger and more popular. Now, Annie’s combines delicious handcrafted burgers with a great selection of real ales and craft beers, as well as serving American-style breakfasts.
At Annie’s Burger Shack each burger is made in an authentic American way and all of Annie’s original recipes and famous monthly themed burgers can be served as either 100% Vegan, Veggie or Meaty. Amazing and weird-sounding but delicious burgers such as ‘The Elvis’ (a half-pound burger smothered with peanut butter & raspberry jam) and The Johnny Vegas (burger topped with crispy bacon, warm toffee apple butter, Lancashire black pudding, sweet chilli jam and a homemade mini Guinness jelly doughnut on a stick) stand out amongst all of the wonderful-sounding combinations and toppings.
Brown’s is set in a beautiful and atmospheric building in the heart of the cultural castle district. It is a big, spacious place, full of character, and the staff are attentive and really friendly. The menu consists of food made from fresh, seasonal ingredients, with fun and tasty inclusions such as the savoury apple pie that comes with the delicious pork belly. Having been very recently I can happily say I will be back — the food was so good.
There is also a stylish cocktail bar where you can enjoy a cocktail or a lovely glass of wine whilst enjoying some bar snacks if you’re not after a full meal.
Junkyard is a neighbourhood café bar and brother of the renowned speakeasy cocktail bar Boilermaker. It is a very cool venue with a hidden backyard oasis, known for its craft beer but it also serves freshly prepared grazing plates, sharing dishes, deli classics and bar snacks such as marinated tofu Bahn mi, pickles, daikon and peanuts; tepaché pork taco, pineapple hot sauce, and scratchings; and tempura courgettes, whipped goats cheese, and honey.
A really popular venue with my friends as a weekend brunch spot to meet at, Delilah is a traditional, independent deli with a mezzanine café, which showcases the ingredients available in the shop below. Housed in a beautiful former banking hall in the heart of the city, you can eat French toast, avocado on toast with poached eggs, and sautéed field mushrooms on Welbeck sourdough toast with Manchego cheese and a fried egg for brunch, or visit at lunchtime to enjoy their signature tapas-style food: gourmet sandwiches, platters, and Italian salads, or a quick coffee or glass of wine and a piece of cake at any time of the day. The food is fresh and delicious.
This is a paid partnership with Bookatable.
Welcome to Birds and Lilies! I'm Lou: mother, blogger and freelance writer. This is my lifestyle blog, where I talk about motherhood, infertility and IVF, beauty, my love for food and wine, as well as my thoughts about stuff, and our real-life and travel adventures.
Contact: [email protected]
