I often describe this place as the only "normal" pub around the Market Square area of Nottingham city centre. You won't see a stream of urine flowing from the doorway of this place at 2pm on a Tuesday afternoon, like a couple of other places around here.
As you enter the pub and walk along a corridor, there is a small bar on your right hand side and also one on the left. At the end of the passageway is a door through to the main bar area. This is quite large, with a stage area at the end where live acts perform on certain nights. Tuesday night jazz is always popular. On weekend nights, The Bell gets very busy, but it never has a threatning atmosphere. Don't be put off by the doorman stood outside ( they are always friendly), i've never seen a hint of trouble in here.
The range of beers is good, and although I haven't eaten here personally, the food I have seen looks good and on curry night, the place smells great. At its busiest time, the bar can be three deep all the way around, so it is worth popping into one of the side bars to see if you'll get served any faster.
In front of the pub is a cordoned off seating area, where smokers can sit, or anybody who fancies watching trams and buses as they sip their pint.
All in all, a nice safe normal pub with a diverse customer base. At weekends, the place tends to become quieter after 11pm, even though they serve drinks for a while afterwards. If you're on the market square looking for a drink, this is your best bet. Oh, if you look young for your age, make sure you have some form of ID with you as they seem pretty tight on this. My youngest brother however had some trouble using his "CitizenCard" to prove his age (even though it was created for this purpose!) and we had to ask to speak to the manager before he would be served. I can understand their caution, as no landlord wants a fine and / or his license suspending, but the CitizenCard is a government approved proof of age card. We were told that some fakes were doing the rounds, which is why they were reluctant to accept it at first. If you are lucky enough to look too young to drink, take some proof of age with you..but I guess you are limited to a driving license, a birth certificate, or a passport. read more