The Borough

The Water Witch is one of the best real ale pubs in Lancaster, a town not known for great venues…read more It's located right next to the canal, with a generously designed outside seating area [Unfortunately, it was raining all the time I spent in Lancaster]. The pub itself isn't as big as it seems from outside, with much of the pub area divided into single-spaced, window-seated tables. On the plus side, that means it won't get too noisy when the placed is packed. The real ale selection is certainly adequate [I've seen better, and much worse, the latter more often], the staff generally nice and helpful, and the real ales being kept fresh. Recommended for Lancaster.

The Witch is a lovely big old rambling canalside pub/restaurant, just a few minute's walk from…read moreLancaster centre. It's a very pleasant pub to spend the afternoon in, looking over the canal boats outside, and it's spacious enough that you can find a quiet corner to yourself most of the time. They have a great selection of real ales to sample, and even offer special discounts for CAMRA members. Tthe food menu is a definite cut above the average and is easily comparable with the best restaurants in town. There's a cool, homely, welcoming ambience about the place that lifts your spirits as soon as you walk in the door. A perfect place to spend a relaxing couple of hours away from the bustle of city life.

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The Robert Gillow

4.0(5 reviews)

My husband and I stopped by The Robert Gillow for a Sunday lunch after touring Lancaster Castle. It…read morewas a quiet day and we arrived just as the lunch service was starting. We sat at a high-top table near the bar. The food was good. We had cider, shared a meat/cheese plate, had lattes and Sticky Toffee Pudding for dessert. We enjoyed it. However, the food was not my biggest impression. What made the experience so enjoyable was the staff, ambiance and live entertainment. Our server was very friendly, but even better, the super nice manager stopped by our table to chat and to make sure that everything was good. He was so welcoming that it immediately made me like the pub. The ambiance is warm and cozy. If we lived nearby, this would be our local place. It felt comfortable. We listened to a senior citizen Dixieland Jazz band while we ate. They were fantastic and just seemed to be having so much fun performing, that their joy was infectious. Our lunch at The Robert Gillow made me happy and I walked out with the "warm fuzzies".

Arguably the best pub in the area. Great beers, lots of live entertainment, free snacks, what is…read morethere not to Like? There should be more pubs like this.

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Ye Olde John O'Gaunt

4.2(5 reviews)

0.2 mi

A pub with lots of character, well decorated with framed beer mats & photos of musicians past &…read morepresent this is a must-visit for any ale lovers when in Lancaster.

The pub is a live music venue real ale choice limitedread more

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Pendle Witch

2.0(3 reviews)

0.2 mi

•£

Been going there for meals for about 4 years now. Last visit we ordered the yorkshire pudding wrap…read more Unfortunately they zapped it in the microwave and it was very chewy. We decided to let that go. Today we ordered the fish and chips .The fish was very undercooked and when we complained all we got was 'sorry about that'. I think they must have a new cook who is not quite up to it. Sorry but we wont be back

It was a lovely day so we sat outside in the beer garden, the area where you access this leading…read morefrom the main ring road would benefit from being tidied up which wouldn't take one of the staff very long. The food although in-expensive was not great, scampi was dried up and cooked too much and the same with the steak and ale pie. Most of the staff are polite however the manageress does not seem like she wants to be in the hospitality trade and definitely has the wrong attitude. When we mentioned about the food this only made her attitude more offhand. A shame - this could really be a great pub! Will not be rushing back I'm afraid, I live and work in Lancaster and often lunch with friends in the city.

Merchants

4.3(17 reviews)

Service is pretty slow and nonexistent. Be prepared to take the check up to the counter and settle…read morethere. Food is okay. The steak is a bit tough for the kids but they ate it. If you order mussels in a Guinness cream sauce, it's not served on the shell. It's pieces of mussels in a cup, marinating in a creamy beer "soup" and foam. Burrata and tomatoes are yummy. The bathroom is upstairs and relatively clean. There's a lot of history in this restaurant - interesting to read while waiting for food or service.

Bags of ambience and a select menu make this place a winner in the eating out stakes. Housed in a…read morecomplex of old wine cellars, it's a great intimate place for a nice quiet night out. The menu isn't all that extensive, but friendly and helpful staff go out of their way to make sure that any peculiar dietary requirements that you might have are taken care of. It has a nice bar area with a goodly selection of beers and wines a-plenty to choose from, and if I hadn't come in search of food I would have happily have hung out in the bar area all night. There's a nice outdoor area as well if you like to people-watch on the street. Top marks for location, the staff service and ambience - in fact I'm only deducting a star because I feel that they could do with a couple more choices on the menu for meat- and dairy-free eaters.

Burrata and tomatoes

Like a freaking tunnel

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Duke Of Lancaster

3.0(1 review)

So when you hear the words 'gay friendly' what do they bring to mind? Drag queens and middle age…read moreheterosexual couples looking for some laughs? Well the Duke of Lancaster doesn't disappoint on either of those scores. At the top of Church Street the Duke is the one place in Lancaster that you can be guaranteed to find many different type of people doing the 'Grease' megamix dance routine on a Saturday night. Cheesy? Yes? Tacky? Quite a bit. But it's a friendly crowd and there never appears to be any trouble in there. And the resident drag queens, Norma and Miss Bonnie, are always on hand to sort out anyone who does fancy themselves as a bit of a comedian. It's not a hip and happening gay night but in a small town like Lancaster it's not as bad as it could be.

The Golden Lion David & Heather O'Hara

5.0(1 review)

0.1 mi

Ace ive music venue and "local". Open mic night on Tuesdays is legendary. and has run for more than…read more10 years. Landlord knows his stuff and books good bands. Good range of beers. Old fashioned interior - lots of pics of old vanished Lancaster on walls inside.

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Three Mariners

3.4(10 reviews)

Wednesday experience at the Three mariners in lancaster not good, service poor drinks overpriced,…read moreordered soup stilton and broccoli laden with pepper no brown bread refused to eat it taken away nothing offered to replace it didnt refund money for it spicy not specified on menu, meal not too bad apart from chicken too much cheese on it. poor choice of dishes, poor service overpriced drinks. lancaster city council in to check on this pub it looks like they are not following food hygiene regulations definetly wont be coming back to this pub not impressed

Great food and very friendly staff. Very historical restaurant right next to the castle. Would…read morehighly recommend.

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Brown Cow Inn

2.3(3 reviews)

0.1 mi

Nice pub in the heart of High Street Lancaster. We had British staple fish and chips. Lots of beer…read moreon tap but we had 0% Heineken. Ambiance is quintessential northern England.

Fairly standard town pub. We didn't dine but the food was in the budget price range, examples from…read morethe specials board included liver and onions £5.45 and stew and dumplings for a similar price. Soup £2.95 and desserts around £3.25. Beers included Wainwrights and Lancaster Bomber, my Wainwright's was smashing. An OK pub really but nothing out of the ordinary, nothing that would especially make me dash back there.