Wig & Mitre, Lincoln

Food-led pub in three parts: the main seating area by the picture windows overlooking Steep Hill, the bar area with a few stools in the centre and a slightly raised dining area at the back. All sections smart, semi-traditional in appearance. Despite initial appearances, cask ale is important here, and we found a pair each from Milestone and FAB (including the Green Imp green-hop beer, £2.50, half).

This is a somewhat modernised, gastrofied affair, pics aplenty on their website. Ferry Ales Brewery Green Hop at £2.15 a half and not really what I was expecting from a seasonal green hop beer; it was a bit too weird to attract another of the same, a slight chemical taste and not very nice, a bit like the crawlers referenced by BF below. Beer aside, not bad, but not the cream of the crop in Lincoln.

Located on Lincoln’s main tourist artery of Steep Hill, this is a food led pub and has more of an ambiance of a restaurant serving the eating needs of the tourist hoards. However, the small serving area beyond the front room does have four hand pumps on the bar surface that was providing a local range as detailed by the previous two reviewers below. I went for the house ale, the Milestone brew badged as Wig and Mitre Best Bitter, and it was very good. The area beyond this small serving area and the section upstairs was operating very much as a restaurant and unless you are able to get a table in the front section this is not that comfortable a pub for just a drink and there are much better options for that just a short walk away for that. The menu did look good though and I’ve filed it as a possible lunch venue if I ever return to Lincoln with the good lady.

An old building with a modernised interior over many different levels rising towards the back.The front section is a large seating area with bench seats and an overwhelming smell of pub food,fish is obviously popular here although it was a Friday.The next level up is the tap room offering on handpump FAB (Ferry Ales Brewery) Green Imp (NBSS 3.5) and Squadron 49 along with Milestone Cathderal Gold and Wig & Mitre Bitter. I don't appeciate "house" ales and so was not overly impressed with the range. There is a fUrther dining section even higher and then a steep climb up some stairs to a back door inlaid with red and green glass.An entry from the back door while under the influence could be a very brave decision. Although there are lots of old timbers and there was some richness with the leather furniture,it felt touristy not helped by the sudden influx of pub crawlers claiming to be Yorkshire's finest. I might swerve the W&P if in Lincoln again.

Official site of Wig & Mitre - www.wig-lincoln.com

Official site of Wig & Mitre - www.wig-lincoln.com