Sun Inn, Retford

The Sun Inn is primarily a food led pub, but after the installation of Sky and TNT Sports in January it now heavily advertises live football. There are different areas with that main body of seating being across the front and up the right-hand wall. The bar area is reached up three steps, standard and premium keg was available alongside two hand pumps, one of which was drawing Welbeck Abbey’s New Rise. I didn’t really notice the muted televisions during a midweek evening visit, but I did note pre 1970s background music. It’s comfortable and tidy in here, but I’ll probably walk by next time.

A multi space dining pub on the southern outskirts of Retford. Outside has a couple of oddities, an old phone box and a tuk tuk, inside the stuff continues with an old Coca-Cola machine and bits and bobs on shelves. Its a mish mash of buildings jammed together looking at the outside, inside the various spaces are on different floor levels. The counter is up a few steps from the front door passing the meet and greet position, here we have a large pipe horse shoe, a quad of latin lagers, a double of more latin lager and two hand pumps. One pull had a poor Welbeck Abbey beer and the other a handpump hijack version of Wainwright. The urinals are cut open kegs and there’s an old fag machine in there too. There are interesting bits to observe but it is just a dining pub with poorly kept beer.

A surprising backstreet pub that has clearly had a load of money spent on it, creating a modern, slightly upmarket, open plan sort of place. Firstly you have to fight in past the numerous tables wedged round the outside, with its own bar (in an old Airstream trailer) and, depressingly, outdoor musak. Next you come to the large designer decor dining area, complete with a Wait to be Seated sign, which you can ignore and head to the bar as there is a fair sized room with mostly high tables to the side suitable for drinking in. Thankfully it does have a brace of handpumps, which had a tolerable Welbeck Abbey White Stag and a clip-reversed Batemans's Rosey Nosey. Probably useful if you are looking for food and it is not far from the station but not a huge draw.

Facebook page of Sun Inn - www.facebook.com

Facebook page of Sun Inn - www.facebook.com

Official site of Sun Inn - sun-inn-retford.co.uk