Da Noost, Lerwick

Closed for some time, according to the locals and it sure looked it.

Just called "Da Noost," (two words), this consists of two separate sections on different levels, although it’s unclear which is supposed to be the lounge and which the bar. The upper section, accessed from the semi-pedestrianised Commercial Street, is long, narrow and decorated with pictures of fishing boats and (real) guitars and violins hanging from the walls. The presence of a piano and amplifiers suggests that it hosts live music sessions. During my visit, though, loud, recorded rock music was playing there. Confusingly, a painted sign on the frontage points down a narrow alleyway to “The Bar,” above the entrance to which another sign says “The Noost Lounge Bar.” The toilets are located on the lower level, which can also be accessed from the upper via an internal stairway. This lounge (or is it the bar?) is the same elongated shape as upstairs, but had quieter country and western music playing and more subtle lighting. The service area here is tiny and resembles what you’d find on a train buffet carriage. Prices in both sections are the same, with Tennent’s lager at £3.30 a pint and Carling lager, McEwan’s 70 Shilling, Guinness and Magner’s cider also on draught. This is a decent enough, if unexceptional, pub, offering a choice of areas to drink in and music to listen to.