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Beer of the Week (w/e 28th April 2024) with Mobyduck
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The Pit & Pendulum, Nottingham
Nottingham
NG1 2EW
Reviews (Current Rating Average: 6 of 10) see review guidelines
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Old Boots left this review about The Pit & Pendulum
Reading the previous reviews I had to pop in, yup it’s an upmarket Goth pub, plenty of Hammer Horror stuff here (sadly no Ingrid Pitt as barmaid). More dragons, gargoyles, twisty bits of wood and gothic windows (back room only) than you can shake a stick at. There's plenty of plastic stone arches and all that, lots of dark paint but not the black of death or even black as priest’s socks in spite of them trying. Lovely bits of old pubs and other Victorian places have been incorporated. It has a pendulum and a pit if you count the downstairs bar. The street level floor has four pulls of fairly mundane beers plus the usual old kegs, the rear bit has just the kegs.
On 13th February 2020
- no rating submitted
[User has posted 3273 recommendations about 2982 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Mark Davey left this review about The Pit & Pendulum
not been in here for years and I don't think it has changed much. One thing of note is that is strictly over 18 only due to the 18+ certificate videos being shown. I tried to get a drink with my 15 year old niece in tow and was refused service.
As Al says, mental at the weekend and lots of better places to quaff a decent brew, unless of course you have jet black hair, piercings and a girlfriend that looks like morticia Adams.
On 15th March 2018
- rating: 5
[User has posted 292 recommendations about 276 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Al Bundy left this review about The Pit & Pendulum
A terrifying pub. Lots of frightening death metal nonsense emitting from the speakers. The place seems to be on 3 levels with the bar split into 2. The handpumps are on the lower bar and if you come in from the scary part and make it to the bar without sad Gothic/Buffy/soft c**t from Black Sabbath look-a-likes trying to scare you its actually not a bad pub. I'd hate to be in this place on a weekend though.
On 27th April 2017
- rating: 6
[User has posted 3487 recommendations about 3390 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Alex Conway left this review about The Pit & Pendulum
Split level Gothic themed pub with dingy interior and loud scary rock music playing most of the time. This is a very popular place and does attract a good amount of mainstream drinkers as well as rocker types. This is a very old school type of no thrills city drinking pub with no fancy glassware as all beers are served in old school nonick pint glasses even the fancy pants larger like Estrella, a touch I quite like.
On the lower bar on victoria street side there are three and pumps at the fron with two on the right side as you face. On my visit there was Hobgolbin (a permanent beer) turned around and Springhead blind Tiger, Flipside Frank en Stein adn Roosters buck eye. The buck eye (£3.20) was on the turn with an unmistakable tint of vinegar creeping inn but was still palatable if you are not type to complain, fortunately I have no such problems and sent it back. The classic charade of its fine ensued until he realised i would nit back down and it was replaced for a ok blind tiger. I dont understand why bar staff get so defensive of their beers when returned firstly why would people return a fine beer? and secondly it just infuriates customers and is really bad customer service that makes return visits less likely.
I've now been and wont be in any hurry to return but wont completely rule it out if ever with a group who decide visit but unlikely of my own accord.
On 11th July 2016
- rating: 6
[User has posted 457 recommendations about 457 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Just a quick pint, then I'm off left this review about The Pit & Pendulum
Split-level pub with various different seating areas, all full of gothic nonsense, with doors onto Pelham Street as well as Victoria Street. Surprisingly extensive bar food menu for the daytime, but one suspects the atmosphere changes at sundown... (or, at least, that's what the Eerie Pub Co marketing team would have you believe). Hobgoblin, Banks's Black Diamond and Ey Up from Dancing Duck (£3.20) available from five handpumps.
On 26th April 2015
- rating: 6
[User has posted 8117 recommendations about 8117 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Soup Dragon left this review about The Pit & Pendulum
A pub, with two frontages, that occupies the ground and cellar level of a four storey 17th century styled building, mainly in red brick, with ashlar stone quoins, keystones, pilasters and balustrade roof. The pub interior, as the name suggests, is in the Gothic style conjured-up by an Edgar Allan Poe novel. The upper floor is irregular in shape and is in red and green, with Gothic wood tracery, fake stone work and has old scientific instruments hanging from the ceiling, or are in display cases. The hologram of a horned helmet is a little different. The cellar has a brick vaulted ranges that contain torture equipment - a pillory, manacles, a gibbet cage, for example, as well as the same red and green walls. A big pendulum hangs down between the two floors. It is all fun. The bogs are hidden behind a 'secret' door, to continue the theme. The service was fine and the clientele quite mixed. They do cheap and cheerful food, which was fine and the music was mixed, and at a decent level. The TV had silent news on. Beer; usual tap stuff with Hobgoblin, Jennings Crag Rat and a decent enough Newby Wyke's White Squall on handpull. A fun place to visit and as a historian I would go back for that purpose - other people that may like this pub are:- Goths - as it is a castley kind of interior; emos - as it is dark and gloomy; sadists - sit downstairs and watch the people in need desperate of a pee fail to find the bogs (indeed, send them the wrong way); masochists - wait until you need a pee desperately, then get lost looking for the bogs, when it really hurts - ask (just not the sadist watching!); bondage fetishists - you can get-off on the manacles and pillory; avid Poe readers are taken for granted and finally, real ale fans - well, worth a pop in just to see what's on!
On 24th September 2013
- no rating submitted
[User has posted 3067 recommendations about 3062 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Alan Winfield left this review about The Pit & Pendulum
This pub was originally called the Malt House,this was a really nice looking pub that was a Scottish house with some decent Scottish ales on the bar like Youngers No3,sadly the pub was converted into the Pit and Pendulum several years ago.
The Pit and Pendulum is a theme pub and in my opinion the novelty wore a bit thin after my first visit here several years ago.
The pub has got two entrances the main entrance is on victoria street this takes you into the main bar and the pumps are in this area,there seems to be very few seats throughout the pub but lots of wrought iron work,there are lots of nooks and crannys and there is also a seating area downstairs which is where the toilets are,you have to go through a secret door in a bookcase to get to them,it is fuuny the first time you see people looking for a door but as with the whole pub this gets boring after your first visit.
There were five pumps on the bar but only two real ales,i had a drink of Hobgoblin and this was quite a nice well kept drink the other beer was Old Speckled Hen.
This pub might appeal to some but not to me.
Malt House first visited 1981
Pit and Pendulum visited 19/9/2012
On 19th September 2012
- rating: 6
[User has posted 6113 recommendations about 6113 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Ian Kerry left this review about The Pit & Pendulum
Its a great fun quirky pub. Things that let it down are with the RIP card which is free, you just fill a form in and then you are supposed to get 10% discount every time you use it, but they make excuses on some nights saying there is already a discount so you wont get the 10%, and you don't always get a full pint. Other than that all is fine
On 1st September 2010
- rating: 6
[User has posted 1 recommendations about 1 pubs]