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Southbank City, Nottingham
Nottingham
NG1 6DQ
Reviews (Current Rating Average: 7 of 10) see review guidelines
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Alex Conway left this review about Southbank City
The Southbank is in the former Approach bar and is the second Southbank in Nottingham alongside its big brother at Trent Bridge. As you enter there is a bar along the right hand side that bends around as the room curves with lots of tables and chairs in the centre. There are also many booths scattered around that display smaller TVs. This is predominantly a sports orientated pub with lota of Tv screens all around and a huge one in t centre that vis used for big occasions. On weekends the centre is cleared and it becomes more of a dancefloor with live bands. It is owned or at least managed by the navigation brewery located only a few miles away band so does include a good few of their (in my opinion bland and not very nice) beers. There were six beers available with Britannia and new dawn pale ale from Brittania on alongside Speckled hen, Doomabr, Rocking Rudolph and Oakham Citra. I had the Citra that was well kept for what would have been a scandalous £3.80 in this part of the country except this place along with the other pub has one massive ace up its sleeve in that it offers £30% of All food and drink up until 7pm weekdays, BARGIN! Even on the stupidly expensive craft beers that it sees this makes them very affordable and many under £3! This made the price of my Citra even better. Also if like my girlfriend if you have a student card you can get 50% off food all up until 7. Admittedly it wasn’t the best in the world but portion sizes were good and at an unbeatable price. This is not really my kind of place but with their bargain offer and six ales on the go I would return here for a bite and a cheap pint or a large sporting fixture as I can imagine it having a good atmosphere. Ok for a cheap one but not an all-night sort of place but one that is a bit livelier later on if that’s what your after.
On 16th March 2017
- rating: 7
[User has posted 457 recommendations about 457 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Alan Winfield left this review about Southbank City
The Approach as had a large refit and is now called Southbank City.
This pub was originally a tea rooms and then became a Casa and had no real ales on.
Once inside the room is the same shape and the curved bar is still in place on the right side,there are new bare boards on the floor and there is now a pool table to the front right,there is also DJ rig next to the bar,the middle area is now different with normal tables and chairs in the middle area and a drinking shelf with tall stools on two sides of it,there is now a proper stage to the left,the rear right has some american type diner seating and there is now a dart board to the rear left.
There are lots of TVs around the room showing different sports and a large screen was advertised for larger sporting events,like Nottingham Forest playing.
There was a decent choice of real ales on the bar,on our dinner time visit we had a drink of Salopian Shropshire Gold which went down well,the other beers were Navigation New Dawn Pale which we also tried,Navigation Bitannia,Wold Top Wolds Way and Doom Bar.
On our mid evening visit there was a DJ playing pretty loud music and the normal tables and chairs in the middle area were being removed which created a large dancing area,we could not resist having a dance,then a live band came on doing decent covers so the dancing continued.
The pub still does food and the guest speakers usually Nottingham Forest or Notts County players are still advertised.
I have always liked this pub and like it even more now,my wife loved it here having a good dance after going to the Nottingham Beer festival.
Pub first visited as Casa September 1988
Recent visit to Southbank City 14/10/2016
On 15th October 2016
- rating: 9
[User has posted 6113 recommendations about 6113 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Will Larter left this review about The Approach
A large city centre drinking barn which was full of some surprisingly civilised Nottingham Forest supporters watching their away game on a drop-down projector screen. Food was being served and there was a congenial atmosphere - the match was fairly low key at the time of my visit, but Forest went on to win 2-1, so I expect the place livened up a little.
There are three hand pumps dispensing Navigation beers. I went for the Britannia, which was ok but wouldn't have won any awards. I wouldn't mind calling in again if there was a match I particularly wanted to see, but there are better options for real ale fans within a stone's throw (please don't try it).
On 14th September 2015
- rating: 6
[User has posted 3745 recommendations about 3482 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Pub SignMan left this review about The Approach
This is a large, open plan wine bar style pub with a good city centre location. You enter into a vast, bare boarded area with the bar running down the right hand side of the room. There are several support pillars dotted through the room which have been made to look like metal girders, but they are not big enough to break up the large space. High tables and stools are arranged around the bar area whilst there are tub chairs and standard seating options on the carpeted raised area on the left hand side of the room. Several TV screens are dotted around the room, showing either Sky Sports News or various pub promotions, whilst music played quietly enough in the background. Menus showed a good range of food, albeit a bit pricier than some of the other nearby pubs and bars. Live music is regularly put on in this pub and sports coverage is clearly a big draw as well. It’s worth looking out for the regular ‘An audience with…’ nights, which have seen some top sporting names, many with connections to the city’s two football clubs, do a bit of after dinner speaking.
The pub is part of the Great Northern Inns chain, and these pubs are currently stocking beers from the Navigation Brewery, so the two cask options on my visit were Navigation Traditional and Golden (£2.80). There was a wide keg range which I intended to make a note of, but for some reason I only noted the Worthington Cream Flow. The Golden was okay, but I didn’t think it was as well kept as in the Trent Navigation.
This is a fairly soulless place and I thought it would probably be best visited to watch a bit of sport when there are a few more people in. It seems that there is a fair bit going on here and the promise of Navigation beers is certainly a draw, but it’s definitely not one for the traditionalist.
On 17th November 2012
- rating: 6
[User has posted 3114 recommendations about 3114 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Real Ale Ray left this review about The Approach
This is a large one roomed pub carpeted throughout. Quite like a chain we all know, but with large tv screens. Four handpumps serving up Notts Rock Bitter, Blue Monkey BG Sips, London Pride and Castle Rock Harvest Pale. Ales all well kept, will call again.
On 10th January 2012
- rating: 7
[User has posted 3382 recommendations about 3381 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Gill Smith left this review about The Approach
Another visit and nothing further to add. Enjoyed Flipside Copper Penny.
On 18th November 2010
- rating: 7
[User has posted 1339 recommendations about 1222 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Gill Smith left this review about The Approach
4 real ales on in this pub, and we had 2 from Blue Monkey brewery, the others being Bateman and Oakham beers.
Large room with a long bar and we watched the news on the TV screen. Another screen had the sports channel on but there was no sound as background music playing.
On 13th October 2010
- rating: 7
[User has posted 1339 recommendations about 1222 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
ROB Camra left this review about The Approach
Unusual to find real ale in a pub like this. Large one roomer with a relatively young clientele and a live band on. Had a pint of Mallard Bitter which was good. The band weren't bad either, but I can't remember their name, sorry. They also give a discount to CAMRA members if you can make yourself heard above the band.
On 23rd April 2010
- rating: 6
[User has posted 3224 recommendations about 3135 pubs]