Not already a member?
Join our community and
- Rate & review pubs
- Upload pictures
- Add events
JOIN for free NOW
Chat about:
Poll for date of Halifax crawl. with ROBCamra
on the Pub Forum
Detail Pages
Needle & Pin, Loughborough
Loughborough
LE11 5BE
Reviews (Current Rating Average: 7½ of 10) see review guidelines
Pub SignMan left this review about Needle & Pin
This is a compact shop converted micro pub with an excellent town centre location, handy for the shopping centre. The ground floor room has a brick tile floor through a fairly narrow space, made even more narrow by the positioning of a staircase along the right-hand wall. Seating is limited to a small row of high tables, but with no stools in support, which means everyone sits along the same side of the table, all facing the same direction. The bar is located in the slightly raised rear part of the room, with a tidy brick counter and basic bar back squeezed into the left-hand corner. A few fridges stand opposite and are full of bottles and cans should the cask range not be to your liking. The walls have been decorated with various railway themed items, despite the station being quite some distance from this part of town, whilst each table has an old spirit bottle on it, with fairy lights inside. The aforementioned staircase leads up to an overspill seating area on the first floor, but there was no need to explore with only one other couple in on my early evening visit. A sign outside explained that the upper room can also be hired for private functions of between 18-30 people and that the room has a record player with over 400 albums to pick from.
On the bar, three of the four handpulls were in action, dispensing North Riding Phoenix Mild and Walker Down The Aisle, plus Thornbridge Lord Marples. I was served by a very friendly barmaid who took time to chat to all her customers, and the Mild was in excellent condition.
This place had a bit of character to it, which isn’t always a given for such shop converted operations. It felt a bit odd having everyone face the same direction, but perhaps the upper room would have had a better layout. I liked this one and thought it was a sound addition to the town’s pub scene.
On 9th May 2023
- rating: 7
[User has posted 3114 recommendations about 3114 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Quinno _ left this review about Needle & Pin
Barely looks like a pub from the outside, more like a chippy. Inside is a tidy micro done to a high standard; quarry tile flooring, mauve walls and a bit of exposed brick with some cushioned bench seating. Three cask, my North Riding was poured through by the diligent and friendly barmaid and it was a great drop (NBSS 4). There was also a good selection of cider and overseas bottles. I was the only punter 20 mins after opening at 5pm which was a little concerning. However I really liked this one and it’s the only place in town I’d make an effort to get off the train for next time.
On 19th November 2022
- rating: 8
[User has posted 5081 recommendations about 5064 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Alan Winfield left this review about Needle & Pin
The Needle & Pin is a Micro pub that i walked past without knowing it was a pub.
Once inside there is a small oblong shaped room which runs to the rear,the bar is to the rear and up two steps,there is a stone floor,the seating is bench seating on the left side and tall tables and chairs on the right side,there is also a room upstairs.
There were four real ales on the bar,i had a drink of Stancill Barnsley Bitter,which was a very nice drink,the other real ales were Slightly Foxed Urban Fox,Milk Street Stout and Stardust PK3.
Pretty similar to most Micro Pubs i have been in and almost empty on my Saturday dinner visit.
Pub visited 1/7/2017
On 15th October 2017
- rating: 7
[User has posted 6113 recommendations about 6113 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
custodian 42 left this review about Needle & Pin
Good micropub which, unsurprisingly, was quite full. The barman was attentive and I would return to this place.
On 26th March 2017
- rating: 8
[User has posted 1693 recommendations about 1691 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Aqualung . left this review about Needle & Pin
I did wonder if there was any connection between the name of this pub and the Searchers and the previous review gives me the answer. I'm old enough to remember the Mersey Beat group and a track called Needles and Pins was their second number one single. If the owner is the older of the two blokes who were there when I arrived then he is way too young to know about the Searchers!
The previous review also describes the place well. I didn't venture upstairs but downstairs just seemed to have three tables alongside the bench on the wall.
The three hand pumps had Thornbridge Lord Marples & McConnells Vanilla Stout and Scarborough Sealord. I went for the Mc Connells which was excellent. Although it was priced on the blackboard at £3.60 I was charged £3.40 so assume they thought I was a CAMRA member (is it that obvious?).
I thought this was a good micropub and with the Swan in the Rushes only a few doors away makes this side of town well worth a look.
On 7th December 2016
- rating: 8
[User has posted 2143 recommendations about 2143 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Real Ale Ray left this review about Needle & Pin
Slightly disappointed to find this micropub shut on our arrival at 5.10pm on Tuesday, so were two fellow ale chaps. The owner noticed us milling around out the front and opened 20 mins earlier, nice one.
This micro is on two levels, ground floor and a wide staircase to the first floor. The ground floor consisted of high tables and stools along the left hand wall as you enter, with a collection of casks under the tables. The bar counter was positioned at the rear left hand side and had an oak counter top and a brick front. Opposite the bar was a bank of bottle chillers with a substantial collection of varied beers.
There was three pumps in operation, so we immediately opted for the Swannay IPA from Orkney, which was first class. We also tried the Market Harborough Bitter MHB. The third pump was the owner's own brew, which was called Wicked Hathern Brewery Dovecote Porter.
The upstairs room had more seating and a record player, where you can choose a vinyl. There was also a photo of the Searchers, a well known Liverpool band. I should definitely know them, as I used to knock around with the lead singer's son. The owner told me he was a fan.
On 12th April 2016
- rating: 8
[User has posted 3382 recommendations about 3381 pubs]