Huckleberry's, Lincoln

As usual PSM has done a sterling job of describing this place below. We'd also booked in for food, but were aware that it was also a pub. The food was pretty good although we were served the smallest portion of nachos as a starter that we've ever had the misfortune to be served, the ribs were good though. There's currently one unused handpump on the bar which I was told hadn't been used since Covid restrictions were lifted. The service was totally haphazard, with no-one seeming to know what their job was. It was busy for food, but there was only one person just drinking. A bit of a disappointment really.

We’d booked in here for a meal and, assuming it was just going to be a grill restaurant, had no idea that the place doubled as a pub – something that only became apparent on approach as the building’s fine timber framed façade hinted strongly at the building’s former identity as the Olde Crown. Whilst the place does feel perhaps better suited to diners, we still saw a fair few customers popping in for a drink or two and the fact that this has been a pub for some time means that there is enough of a ‘pubby’ feel to make it a decent place to enjoy a pint or two. The pub clearly once had a two-bar set-up, as evidenced by what remains of the old two-door entrance porch which now just takes you into the same room irrespective of which direction you plump for. At present, customers are encouraged to turn left on entry where they are greeted with a zap from the temperature gun and a squirt of hand sanitiser before being shown to a table. The right-hand side of the room is bare boarded, including on a raised platform to the rear, and has a good mix of chairs, banquettes and what looked like a sofa. The walls have high dark wood panels, there is a large fireplace to one side with a big clock above it and a cluttered mantelpiece and plain mirrors adorn much of the remaining wall space. A tiled walkway runs through the room’s mid-section from the entrance to the servery which is to the rear left. The bar has a green panelled counter front and plain bar back, neither of which gave the impression they were part of the pub’s original layout. Some curved banquettes and regular tables and chairs fill the front left part of the room which has been spruced up a bit with the addition of large amounts of potted plants. At the rear of the room, a few more tables and chairs can be found underneath an attractive feature window, whilst there is a small side room to the left which we didn’t explore. The pub has a lot of grand decorative flourishes including glitzy chandeliers, smart, heavy drapes on the front windows and an enormous ‘human-sized’ birdcage close to the entrance. There were four handpulls on the bar but apparently the cellar cooling system had broken down earlier in the day, so all draught beer was off, leaving a modest bottle range to pick from. The grill menu was extensive and we both enjoyed our meals which were served by a friendly waiting team. This was clearly once a pretty impressive pub and the current owners have thankfully retained a few features from this era that make it worth exploring. Whilst this is clearly better suited to diners and well down the pecking order in any list of Lincoln’s best pubs, it nonetheless offers a reasonable drinking experience (assuming the cellar is working!) and I wouldn’t complain if I found myself back here again one day.

Large one roomed place with bar to the left. Nothing of strength ale wise so opted for Scrumpy. Quite quiet on a Saturday afternoon but would expect it to get busy on an evening.

Official site of Huckleberry's Bar & Grill - www.huckleberrysbarandgrill.co.uk

Official site of Huckleberry's Bar & Grill - www.huckleberrysbarandgrill.co.uk