Nottingham Food: Great Places to Eat in Nottingham

From a beach hut in Brighton to Barcelona tapas, the food scene in Nottingham takes interesting destinations and turns them into fun dining experiences. We ate our way around the world in a single weekend with a visit to this East Midlands city…

The spirit of independence

This is the city that gave birth to Friar Tuck. And now I know why. In a whistle stop tour of seven restaurants in the city over three days, we expand our waistbands exponentially. But this isn’t Sherwood Forest food. (Although the Robin Hood wild boar burger is as good as it gets!) Unlike some UK cities where chains rule at the expense of everything else, Nottingham has managed to retain its independent foodie spirit. And there are some imaginative themes emerging to feed and entertain shoppers and diners. And families are welcome too.

Where to eat in Nottingham?

We begin in the best fish and chip restaurant in town.

Seaside in the city

Yes I know. There’s no ocean for miles and the National Water Sports Centre on the River Trent is the closest you come to running water. But then George’s Great British Kitchen isn’t really your typical fish and chip cafe. 50’s seaside nostalgia tastefully meets luxury fixtures and fittings throughout this city centre restaurant, from the magnificent fish door handle to the beach hut booths named after British seaside towns. With even the salt and vinegar coming in exotic flavours, George’s Great British Kitchen manages to match a traditional ‘I do like to be beside the seaside’ atmosphere with modern and creative food. And there’s pretty much a twist in every dish. Who knew onion bhaji batter, curry sauce and coriander yogurt raita would complement haddock? Whoever realized you could create a Mediterranean version of this traditional English dish by dressing it up with paprika batter, drizzling it with red wine and honey vinegar and serving it with spiced roast pepper aioli? Hannah’s child size portion of fish and chips arrives in a bucket with a spade on the side. And her pudding is sprinkled with all the colours of the fairground, with a side of candy floss so light we have to snaffle it before it floats away. The restaurant was started by two locals who believed in ‘proper fish and chips.’ It’s not cheap for a family but it’s a winning formula. And it has a gin bar. The best of British all round.

Proper burgers and chips

The restaurant owners I meet on our tour of Nottingham believe that due to some canny decisions by the council to keep rent low and traders operating, the city centre has retained its food identity. While it does have all the chains,  buffet restaurants and cheap pubs you will find on any high street, there is a growing network of food enthusiasts and chefs who know and respect each other. One of these is Anmarie Spazanio from USA’s Rhode Island who set up an American burger joint in Nottingham in 2009. While it has reinvented itself a couple of times and moved to the Lace Market part of town Annie’s Burger Shack has always stuck with its core concepts.

“Annie’s is just good food and real ale. It has come out of Annie’s own heart and identity,” says General Manager Rob Firth. There are 32 variations of handmade burgers (not all meat, each burger choice has a veggie and vegan options) and new ideas come from the owner and the head chef Leo. “Leo is a genius with his weird and wonderful whacky creations.”

The monthly special on our visit is the Robin Hood burger; wild boar marinated in red wine, black olive and rosemary with grilled parsnips and potato, and Rob promises next month there will be a brand new special. “I can’t tell you what as unfortunately I’d be shot at dawn,” he jokes. “We keep it secret until the day of the launch.” And local people really care about what it will be? “We’ve had people who’ve gone through the menu and now they come back on a monthly basis for the specials. They come back for the joy of it.”

Tapas Barcelona style

European flavours are a staple of the Nottingham food scene. Locals point us towards Baresca for a taste of Spain. Owners Jon and David Perkins had a clutch of successful restaurants and hospitality ventures to their name when a trip to Barcelona prompted them to create a tapas bar over here. This was achieved first with West Bridgford’s Escabeche, and then with the more centrally located Baresca. The brothers have a reputation for fine dining but what Baresca achieves is a relaxed introduction to tapas where everyone from kids to granny happily join in and share dishes. From noon through to early evening the Menu del Dia fills people up for a fixed price in the smart three floor tapas bar, market café and cellar bar. With flatbread and dips, two tapas, one side dish, coffee and dessert, it’s very good value and very good food.

“Baresca works because it’s all about fresh flavours and quality produce served in a really warm environment,” says Emily Neary, Baresca’s General Manager who recommends we try signature dishes including Moroccan lamb stew, baby chirozo in a honey and sherry vinegar and char-grilled octopus. We do, and before too long we are channelling our inner sunshine.

Coffee and latte art to finish

Before leaving Nottingham we call in on a coffee house that specialises in coffee. You might think that should be standard but not all coffee shops are made alike. Not all of them have their own roastery that delivers freshly roasted coffee twice a week. Tim Moss is in charge of the roastery for the 200 degrees brand and he talks me through what I should expect from my latte.

“Locally roasted means fresh. It should be as fresh as possible. It should be a nice smooth flavour without tasting bitter. With the blend we’ve created you get a complex flavour which cuts through the milk. You should get the subtleties of the flavour.”

Latte art is a buzzword at the brand’s 200 Degrees coffee shop on Flying Horse Walk. The night before our visit it hosted a latte art competition. Baristas from all over Nottingham came along to compete in a head to head knock ou. But it’s not just trained baristas that are welcome at the coffee shop. Tim teaches classes in making coffee and in advanced latte art upstairs, “We have a chat about the coffee, the origins and the process. Then we get everyone behind the machines and have a go at making expresso or latte. Families can do it too.”

Full up with good Nottingham restaurants

As we leave and head to the car park some people are just arriving for weekend brunch and the Robin Hood jacket potato van on the high street is doing a good deal and a roaring trade. For a fixed fee you can have all of the flavours on a single potato should you wish. Friar Tuck would love it. But we can’t fit in another thing. Which, I suspect is exactly how each of these dedicated food producers planned it.

Disclosure Note: We visited Nottingham in a collaboration with Visit England who arranged for us to check out these family friendly places to eat in Nottingham. Our thanks to Experience Nottinghamshire and the staff at George’s Great British Kitchen, Annie’s Burger Shack and 200 Degrees for taking the time to talk to us about their businesses and inviting us to sample their menus. The experience, opinions, photography and expanding waist lines are, as ever, entirely our own.

This post is part of the #citytripping linky organised by WanderMum and Mummytravels