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Spanish Bar, Ilkeston
Ilkeston
DE7 5QJ
Reviews (Current Rating Average: 7½ of 10) see review guidelines
Old Boots left this review about Spanish Bar
Four pulls with Oakham Citra, Exmoor Fox, Doombar, a Dancing Duck beer and four T-bars of mostly Molson Coors national brands on the counter to the left greet you as you enter this multi space bar. The space down a step to the left appears to be another bar, I spotted three pulls and a T-bar in there but I suspect nothing different. The place goes back a long way and there’s a garden at the back and another room off to the front right, it’s probably several shops knocked together. Decorated with a very nice stone floor pattern Lino with cream or navy painted or distressed wood wallpapered walls. I think the Spanish bit is the Madri and Estrella lagers sold, it possibly includes tapas on its menu as well. I found it a little impersonal and the beer average.
On 9th March 2024
- no rating submitted
[User has posted 3269 recommendations about 2978 pubs]
Pub SignMan left this review about Spanish Bar
This is a large and very lively pub spread out across three or four distinct areas. You enter into the main bar space with the servery down the left-hand wall of a stone tile floored room, with chairs and low stools to the front and high tables and stools further back. The walls have been painted in a purple and cream colour scheme which makes some parts of the room feel bright and airy, whilst other spots have more of a darker, cosier feel to them. The servery has a long, slightly curved counter with a stone wall bar back topped with a large TV screen showing live football, flanked by two large clocks. Some fancy light shades and unusual artwork on the walls add a good amount of visual distraction in what might otherwise have been a plainer space. To the front left is a side room with overspill seating, whilst another slightly raised side room to the right of the bar has loads more seating, another TV screen showing the same muted match and a mix of quirky art and plain mirrors on the walls. The pub runs back past the bar, into a packed room which seemed to have some sort of Elvis impersonator doing his thing to great acclaim, although he took a break before I had time to fight my way through the crowd and was replaced by some very loud music blaring through the sound system.
Four cask ales were pouring – Dancing Duck DCUK, Oakham Citra, Thornbridge Jaipur and Sharps Doom Bar. The DCUK was in very good condition and served to me by one of the friendly and efficient bar team who kept things ticking over nicely despite the packed house, ensuring no long queues at he bar. With some time to kill before my bus out of town, I stayed for a quick half of the Citra, which was also on fine form.
This was a somewhat manic visit that is surely not representative of a ‘normal’ visit to this pub. The place was absolutely rocking on this particular Sunday afternoon, and I enjoyed being part of that and sampling some of their well-kept beer, but I can equally imagine settling down here for a quiet pint or two at less busy times.
On 11th September 2023
- rating: 7
[User has posted 3114 recommendations about 3114 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Bucking Fastard left this review about Spanish Bar
ORIGINAL REVIEW May 2011
Situated in the town centre ,doormen are required at busy times and the pub is popular with crawlers and a fair amount of totty of various ages mix easily with ale drinkers,pensioners and those lads keen on Spanish football aired on the large screen in the room away from the bar.That seemed the end of the Spanish connection,no tapas in sight.
Given it's GBG listing ,I was expecting a variety of locally brewed ales from some of the award winning teams close by,but the chalk board included the always awful Bombardier casting doubt on the thinking here.Luckily the board was out of date but the ales sampled by the crew were either insipid or in poor condition despite a wide range.Bar staff didn't seem familiar with what they were pulling,and their main focus was to deal with the throng at the bar so maybe the timing of our visit was sub optimal.However I wouldn't be inclined to a revisit.
UPDATE
A lot of money has been spent on an extensive internal refurb with smart furniture,wood panelled walls and modern bar .Covid T&T was observed and the bar had perspex screens.Clearly used by the young ,signs at the tables asks for no shouting between tables,no furniture movement and no gathering at tables other than the one allocated to you.
It would appear there is a rotating selection of real ale and both my Tiny Rebel Cwtch and Salopian Lemon Dream were clear ,although the latter is a poor brew from this normally reliable source.There were a couple of other real ales available ,so if crawling the area put this on the list.
On 12th September 2020
- rating: 6
[User has posted 2728 recommendations about 2728 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Al Bundy left this review about Spanish Bar
I was expecting some sort of tapas related nonsense here but was pleasantly surprised to find a decent, if slightly rough around the edges, pub. The place is bigger than it looks as it stretches back. 7 handpulls of which 5 were in use with one, sadly, dispensing Doom Bore. Beers from Oakham, Blue Monkey, Whim and Exmoor made up the others. A good pub.
On 2nd February 2019
- rating: 7
[User has posted 3487 recommendations about 3390 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Will Larter left this review about Spanish Bar
Our visit coincided with a beer festival, but at first the pub was so busy that we struggled to find it. Eventually I made my way through the scrum in front of the small stage where some middle aged men were rendering their versions of 1970s minor hits and found a substantial stillage where about forty barrels and pins were arrayed. There were about half a dozen beers and a similar number of ciders left. This was the last day of the festival but the two beers I tried were both in excellent condition and at the correct temperature too. I hadn't realised that one of them, Salopian Polygraph, was a 7.4% monster, and I blame this for my failure to maintain sobriety for the latter half of our pub crawl. Regular beers on the bar included Whim Hartington IPA, as mentioned by previous reviewers, Fuzzy Duck Ruby Duck and Oakham Citra. I'd like to come back here when it's less busy, but on the other hand, the festival beers were such good quality I'd have no trouble in coming to the next festival either.
On 3rd July 2017
- rating: 8
[User has posted 3746 recommendations about 3483 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Real Ale Ray left this review about Spanish Bar
Unfortunately our two fellow reviewers below caught this pub on an off day. I was slightly dubious about visiting here. I think the name of the pub and the frontage of the pub made me think that the place could be a bit of a gimmick. Once through the doors, I soon found this to be a proper pub.
The main room was large with the bar to the left as you enter. There was another large room off to the right with a large screen on the end wall. There was a decent sized beer garden at the rear.
There were six handpumps, with five in operation. We were pleased to see they had Peak Ales Chatsworth Gold on, which was in top form. We also tried the Whim Brewery Hartington IPA.
We sat opposite the bar and enjoyed good banter with the locals. A busy pub, so I recommend to visit off peak.
On 25th February 2014
- rating: 9
[User has posted 3382 recommendations about 3381 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Alan Winfield left this review about Spanish Bar
The Spanish Bar was converted from other premises well over 10 years ago.Its not as the name implies spanish but to me seems very English inside the bar is on the left as you enter there are 4 or 5 handpumps on the bar on my visits Hartington IPA and a Mallard beer seem to be permanent the other pumps have rotating guest beers this is an excellent pub that suits all age groups well worth a visit.
19 April 2010
I have visited this pub loads of times since my first review,but only for a quick drink.
I had a good session in this pub on a Saturday dinner,my first drink was Bradfield Farmers Brown Cow,this was a well kept beer,i then went onto The Spanish Bars pemanent beer,Hartington IPA,this beer has been on the bar here for years so it must sell well,the beer sailed past the three pint test and i ended up having five pints of it.
The atmosphere in the pub was great,with a good mix of customers of different ages and sex,the TV had a premiership game on,i think Everton was one of the teams,but i was too busy in conversation with my mates.
The pub was quite busy throughout our Saturday afternoon visit.
I still rate this has one of the best in Ilkeston,a strong 9 for me.
Pub visited 22/2/2014
On 22nd February 2014
- rating: 9
[User has posted 6113 recommendations about 6113 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Thuck Phat left this review about Spanish Bar
A busy town centre pub popular with drinkers of all ages.
Five beers on: Church End Vicars Ruin, Tollgate Mellow Yellow, Mallard Quackerjack, Whim Hartington IPA and Falstaff Norman Bates. None of those we tried was in great nick and nothing went down well. It's commendable that the Spanish Bar are offering so many real ales but they don't seem to have the time or maybe the expertise to keep their ales up to scratch. A Bank Holiday weekend may not have been the best time to judge and I'd have another go if in the area.
On 4th May 2011
- rating: 6
[User has posted 679 recommendations about 678 pubs]