Crown Hotel, Nantwich

There's a very impressive looking Tudor frontage to this High Street pub and hotel, which makes it feel like a promising prospect on approach. You enter via a side passage entrance, which takes you through a small lobby area, into a carpeted front lounge with the bar to your left. This front space is a cosy spot with a few tables and chairs plus some comfy tub chairs, all arranged around a nice brick fireplace with a carved stone mantlepiece and a plain mirror hung from the floral wallpapered chimney breast. Lots of dark wood timbers cross the walls, which have been liberally decorated with black and white local photos, with some tankards along a high ledge and an unused TV screen next to the front window. The bar has an attractive, wood panelled counter painted in a dull shade of gastropub grey, with a deep, mirrored bar back and some nice old timbers across its canopy. Tables and chairs fill the limited space opposite, whilst high tables and stools can be found further back. Beyond this is a dining area with a sign advising customers to wait to be seated. I noticed a few cabinets on the walls back here, each with various with bottles on display, but didn't fully explore. On the bar, four handpulls were dispensing three cask ales - Sandstone Postmistress, Spitting Feathers Special Ale and Salopian Shropshire Gold with the final handle left unclipped. My pint of Shropshire Gold was in good nick and I found the front room quite a comfy spot to settle down in, although the customer base felt a bit transient and the atmosphere wasn't the best. This place certainly looks the part and I'm glad that I popped in to check it out. It has perhaps lost much of its character internally, but still offers a comfortable drinking environment which I was happy to spend a bit of time in enjoying a well-kept pint, but if I lived around here, I imagine this place would only get an occasional visit, as there are better options a short walk away. Date of visit - 18th January 2024

As described by others, an historic building with some spectacular (from the outside) features, which inside remains an attractive and friendly pub. Certainly the staff and some of the visitors were friendly, though there were a few drunken female idiots who managed to annoy everyone. The TV was showing live music performances, which was loud if nothing else. Dog treats and water were provided in the dining area, without asking, which was very much appreciated, by the dogs at least. Ales on were Settle Ribblehead Bitter, Salopian Shropshire Gold and Purple Moose’s Snowdonia, all in very good condition. There was a bank of hydrants for Camden Hells, Erdinger and another foreign lager, plus the megakeg set which included Leffe and Becks. Food was very good for the price. I’d be happy to come back.

The entrance of the Crown Hotel leads to a foyer at the foot of some stairs that lead up to the hotel rooms. The bar can be seen through the glass back bar and there is a burner to the right of a door that leads to the bar area. Through this door there is a front seating area and more seating runs up the right hand wall where there is also a piano. The is some more seating at the rear before the boundary to the bar and grill restaurant at the rear. The bar supports five handpumps that were drawing Salopian’s Shropshire Gold and Lemon Dream alongside Titanic’s Plum Porter, Thornbridge’s Jaipur and Spitting Feathers Brewery’s Rush Hour. A standard and premium keg range is also available. I didn’t spot any televisions, but there was some very low background music playing. I found the staff to be polite and there was a decent mixed crowd in during my recent Thursday evening visit.

It is immediately obvious that this is a hotel bar as reception is to your right as you enter. Once in the bar area there is a small front room with a fireplace and four tables, beyond this are further areas with additional seating. The building looks old from the outside and this continues internally, with olde worlde wooden beams in the walls and ceiling. Five hand pulls for cask ale, all of which were on and offering something fairly interesting at the time of my visit. I can imagine this place does get filled with diners as per Alan Hurdle's review, but thankfully not the case at the time of my visit with just a handful of people in enjoying drinks. My Tailspin by Salopian was very enjoyable. Background music was playing, service was friendly, toilets are smart and modern. I'd be happy enough to pay a return visit.

A fine old timbered building. On my Saturday afternoon visit it was busy with diners. All the empty tables were set up for dining. In spite of having four handpumps, it is not very suitable for the non-diner unless you wish to stand at the bar watching the diners. It might score an 8 as a restaurant, but my 5 as a pub is very generous.

Very twisted old timber inn with a public bar open to the public. The bar is quite pubby with approximately old style wooden furnishings tasteful prints and a piano. Four pulls with three from Spitting Feathers and Salopian Shropshire Gold which appears to be the house beer. A touch pricy at £3.50 for a 3.8% beer but that's hotel bars for you, although Nantwich is a pricey place all round except perhaps in the dodgy looking Marstons pubs I didn't try.

This place isn't too bad once you get used to it. It is, however, a hotel bar in the end and though its ok you're not likely to be hanging around too long.