The Ribs of Beef, Norwich

A very nice riverside location for this largish pub. Internally it’s modern Victorian with grey where it’s not darkish wood or clear windows to make the most of the location. Nine pulls with eight in operation on the longer face of the L shaped counter plus two more with ciders and two low T-bars on the short face. The beers came from locally and further afield including a Turning Point from Knaresborough. I don’t think it sells ribs of beef but the made on site pizzas seem popular. The main bar is split in two by a residual wall or chimney breast with a seating area at the back. Downstairs are the toilets, a riverside jetty and a small function room. Decor is mainly old photos and large plastic ducks, nice carpet, a couple of discrete screens and a big pull down one, well behaved bar blockers and very switched on staff.

With a superb location on the south side of the River Wensum and Fye Bridge we probably didn’t see this one at its best as our visit coincided with the prime after work drinking hours on a Friday evening when the place was rammed and packed to bursting and it was standing room only and somehow we kept getting in the way of staff trying to deliver food. It’s not the biggest of spaces, and especially not when the outdoor riverside seating and the advertised jetty are closed off, as they were for our visit for reasons the harassed food staff couldn’t completely explain to us. So not the most comfortable of our drinking experiences around Norwich on this day, but still a good one as far as the actual drink went. Some decent premium and craft keg options as Steve details below and having had the excellent Vocation Naughty & Nice Salted Caramel Stout earlier in the day at the Fat Cat Brewery Tap I went for the more local Mr Winters Evolution, which was a nice drop. So yes a very good range of different styles and strength options but I got the feeling that this one needs to decide if it is more a pub or more a restaurant I was also impressed with the bar staff team however who were very friendly and efficient, despite the demand on their services. I will have to try and return to this one at a quieter time when I am back in this fine ale city.

Located on the south side of the River Wensum and Fye Bridge, the Ribs of Beef was unsurprisingly very busy when visited early on a recent Friday evening. The L-shaped bar counter on the left wall faces seating in the leaded front window and small tables under the windows up the right-hand wall. At the rear is some prime split-level seating with views over the river. Downstairs are the toilets, and the Wherry Room which is a small space that was full of student aged persons, one of whom was moaning about his Norwich tattoo. I imagine the 5 – 1 drubbing that was to follow that evening at Middlesbrough did little to improve his mood. There is some outside seating and an advertised jetty, both of which were closed off. Premium and craft keg were available from the bar that also supports around ten hand pumps. I noted the availability of Neptune Brewery’s AGWE, Vocation’s Naughty & Nice Salted Caramel Stout, Arbor’s Shangri-La, Nene Valley Brewery’s Bitter, Oakham Citra and Three Blind Mice Brewery’s Guns, Nuns & Cowboys. One hand pump was unused and another was reverse clipped. I found the service to be very friendly, especially considering how busy it was. Next time I’m in Norwich I will revisit here, but at a quieter time so that I can have a proper nose around, although it’s not really that big in here so it shouldn’t take very long.

Situated on Wensum Street, with an outdoor view of the eponymous river, photos visible on their website. Very cramped and noisy inside on an early Friday evening with clear food-led leanings; the denial of access to the outdoor seating was a bit unnecessary, no doubt an indication that the staff couldn’t be arsed to clear the tables. A half of Oakham Citra came in at a rather pricey £2.30, the second dearest drink on the day and more than a London alehouse. Not bad, it’s not a must-visit though.

My last stop on the PuG crawl and by 7pm on a Friday evening the pub was packed.It's by a bridge over the River Wensum and is an obvious circuit drinkers venue at weekends.There are some good looking lattice windows ,pleasing features and a print of the best players to have pulled on a Norwich City strip,some well past their best by the time they arrived at Carrow Road.There are two main section and different levels with a lower lounge with views over the river but my notetaking by this time were poor.I seem to remember flatscreens and a lively atmosphere..I noted the ale selection as Gun Brewery Mum & Cowboys,Oakham Citra (NBSS 3.5),Vocation Naughty & Nice,Mr Winters Evolution,Nene Valley Bitter and Arbor Shangri-la which is a very decent selection with a range of styles.I would most certainly return,next time for a longer stay and this really should be included on any tour of the city.

An odd one - half cosy and half clinical refurb in bluey green colours, though the pub carpet did enough to keep it on the right side of spartan. Tiresome table service, I couldn’t see the bar and can’t remember the selection the floor walker reeled-off but my Woodfordes Wherry was fine (NBSS 3). The couple playing Trivial Pursuit next to us decided to pack up and go, was it something I said?? Couldn’t make my mind up on this one, perhaps if we had been able to access the river terrace and not have to sit in a corner like naughty schoolboys I might have swung to a clearer positive. I'd give it another go next time. Visited early August.