The Saracens Head, Southwell

Blackthorn _ left this review about The Saracens Head

An attractive old timbered coaching inn in the centre of Southwell, this is reputedly one of the oldest pubs in the country, although you really wouldn’t know that from the interior, some of which is really quite modern. First impressions weren’t great, with all of the real ales off, and about half the keg options as well. Apparently there was some unspecified problem in the cellar, which only Johnny knew how to fix, and Johnny wasn’t back in until Monday. And this was Friday evening!

The décor was really a bit of a mix match, with different areas having totally different styles. The main bar area just looked a little dated rather than “olde worlde” with one or two token black beams on the ceiling, red patterned carpet on much of the floor with quarry style tiling at the rear with the walls being predominantly khaki green in colour. A small fireplace was off to one sided, there were some gilded mirrors on the floor and it did perhaps have an understated elegance if I were being generous. The dining room was a little more impressive, with extensive oak wood panelling on many of the walls, old pictures on the walls, chandeliers hanging from the ceiling and heavy drape curtains at the windows. A little dated in style certainly, but quite elegant. The star of the show though was the adjacent front room which is perhaps the only surviving original part. This had plenty of old beams on the ceiling, further inlaid timberwork in the wall which may have been the structure for a staircase, old wooden boards on the floor and old oil paintings on the walls. It really was very attractive, although much more in a hotel drawing room sort of way as opposed to your traditional pub.

The menu offered a decent choice of pub grub style dishes, with options including fish & chips, scampi & chips, lasagne, etc. My Penang Curry wasn’t at all bad, although it could have done with a touch more heat and it was a little on the small side. A steak & ale pie across the table was well received with tender chunks of well cooked beef and a decent mash, although again, it could have been a more generous portion.

As previously mentioned, no real ales available on my visit, with two pumps having their clips reversed and one appearing unused. Of the reversed clips, I could see that one was Timothy Taylor’s Landlord. Ciders meanwhile were two from Stowford Press, both the original and the mixed fruit. Not entirely unsurprisingly, the bar was completely deserted when we left at about 8:30 on a Friday evening. I think most of the diners we had seen in the restaurant were hotel residents and clearly none of the locals were going to bother venturing in.

On 10^th June 2025 - rating: 5
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