LEICESTER. Tourist Info: 0116 2650555

This is the tap for Hoskins and Oldfield's (Hoskins Brothers) beers. Close to the railway station it is a must stop for beer travelers. Most nights it has at least 4 H&O ales on tap with the new beers coming round before they go anywhere else. On this occasion it was Bangkok Gold 4.0%, but there is always a mild on and some of the favourites. More recently they have started to serve up to three rotating guest ales (three on a Wednesday means they are serious about their ale and about customer choice). Not the best pub interior design and could do with a real refurbishment - soon. The floor is pure 1970s in both bars and the 'lounge has a fireplace (not used) and old square tables and chairs in various styles/colours, there is even a 3-piece suite by the short bar - no working hand pumps. The 'public' bar is also bare floored and it is here where the hand pumps are. The bar is a through bar and you can see into the lounge easily. There is bench seating round the walls with stools and round tables. You can also sit at the bar on tall stools, though doing so on a busy day will cause inconvenience. There is access to the toilets from both bars and these are very basic affairs (in need of refurbishment), but get the job done. Don't let the decor put you off - magnolia walls and pea green ceiling, the beer is well kept and served in a traditional no nonsense boozer and I go regularly as there is no music or pretentious people there. No food is served, but access for the disabled is possible, but not to the toilets. A recent service they have started is ordering Hoskins 18/36 pint polypins for home. Give them a few days and you can have any of the beers on brew. Leicester Pub of the Year 2004.

2 mins from BR station and two doors down from the The Wyvernn). One of the Everards 'young persons' pubs. Very loud and a little brash with games machines and loud music. There is also an Internet access machine (6 mins for £1). There is a split level seating area that is really an upstairs. The ground floor has dark spaces and is heavily carpeted giving the feel of a house. Seats are comfortable benches around the walls coupled with separate chairs. It is reasonably easy for the disabled to get to this level, but not anywhere else in the pub. The stairs wind upwards to the first floor. It is just as loud up here and the seating is slightly different, but still comfortable. The beers being served were all Everards: Beacon and Tiger. Both well kept and tasty without sparkler. Food is traditional 'pub grub' bar food, not too expensive either £3.95 - £5. No accommodation here, but try: Burlington Hotel email, 3 Elmfield Avenue, Leicester, LE2 1RB 0116 270 5112. Price: single from: £32, double from: £46 per room per night. View.

I agree the name is a little out of date, but the pub is just that, a little piece history from the Victorian past. Two bars, the oval lounge has oak panelling, has an oval bar and a decorative ceiling. The smaller basic bar is less ornate but still of interest. Beers on at the time were: Bass, Boddingtons and the better placed Highgate Mild. Sometimes there is a guest ale. The Black Boy is not far from The Vaults or the railway station. Food is served 12-2.30 and is traditional, there is no evening service. This is where Leicester CAMRA hold their branch meetings. No accommodation here.

This pub has a 120 year history being given an extended life by the students that frequent it during term time. Inside there are two rooms which have been left relatively untouched by the pub developers hands. A single central bar stretches between them so you shouldn't have to wait long to be served. Afraid no food is served here at all, this is a drinkers pub only. That's also why there is no accommodation here. Opening times are also the old style ones, no all day here. Beers on at the time were Everards Beacon; Everards Tiger; and Elgood's Greyhound Strong Bitter, plus a couple of guests towards the weekend. A pleasant enough pub with atmosphere, though the lack of food does make it more of a drinking atmosphere than a relaxed one. No accommodation here but try: Spindle Lodge Hotel, 2 West Walk, Leicester, LE1 7NA. 0116 233 8801. Prices: single from: £27.50, double from: £46 per room per night. View.

This pub is owned by the same people as the Swan and Rushes. So, you can expect the same good quality beer and food at prices that wont break the bank. The pub is very new, only opening in 2003 and has still to find a weekday clientele for the evenings. However, it still serves six to twelve great guest ales including Durham White Crystal and Newby Wyke Bear Island and Belvior Mild, including Oakham regulars. There is a small step into the pub, which is easily negotiated with a wheelchair and access inside is possible. There are two rooms and bars. The room at the front left has a more relaxed feel to it and you can play games here. The bar itself is small, but you can still get served easily. Opposite this room are the toilets - these were kept very warm when we visited, a welcome treat from the bitterly cold weather outside. The main bar is directly in font of the pub entrance. Here you will find nice deep carpet on the floor and dark wood and burgundy type decor - very wine bar, but also quite relaxing over a pint of ale. Seating here is quite cramped in that there are too many tables and not enough standing area - but this will iron out with time. A mixture of benches and tables around the edges with stools at the bar. The bar itself is long and has the hand pumps for ale plus foreign beers (up to 100) all on show. They also do a little more of a show for the wines than in the Swan. Food is served here ( Mon-Thu 12-2.30, 6-9.30; Fri 12-2.30, 6-11; Sat 12-11.30) and it's my personal favourite - pizza! They range in price from £3.95 to £5.35 for a 12" baked on a stone deck (occasional specials are on a blackboard) . The food is good value and tasty and served till late. I hope they do specialty nights like the Thai ones at the Swan. Talking of which, the Swan is not far away and you should do both pubs in a night as they are having different guest beers at both. The nearest accommodation is the Holiday Inn or Ramada Jarvis, but they are both expensive, so we chose the Spindle - a little walk, but you get to pass near The Vaults, another Mecca for beer. The Criterion is another great stop on a crawl around Leicester.

This pub is situated right in the heart of the De Montford University buildings area, right where the students live. So, of course it tends to be full of students during term times. Quieter over the holidays it is still worth a visit, though the beer choice can drop dramatically. On Tuesday's there can only be two or maybe three ales on and that's a big maybe. However, don't let that put you off as the beers are well kept and it's not too busy. They do good food as well, usually specials from the blackboard and there is a standard menu, but the specials are more attractive. All the food is cooked to order and is well presented. They do small snacks to large meals and have special events, i.e. Valentines day, etc. Food is served all day till 8pm, though check on Sunday's (where they do roasts). There is a no smoking area, and recent air-conditioning installation may make the lack of differentiation acceptable. Part of the Tynemill chain it is not far from the Phoenix bar in the Phoenix centre and the Swan and Rushes round the next block. No beer garden here, but the inside is pleasant and comfortable. Seating is in one large room, though the far area is no smoking until certain times. The bar is on the left as you enter through the corner entrance. It is a long affair, which can pose problems for getting served as the staff never know who was first and trust me, good grace is dead. Seating here is at tables and chairs and there are pillars with tall stools and a small shelf. The far seating area has tall settles with cushions and chairs round square tables. More intimacy can be found here. As for Belgian and bottled beers, there is a wide selection available with some on draught changing weekly. For those not interested in sport there is a large drop down screen for sports events, so be warned. Live music events are also featured, not always student bands mind. All in all, I would recommend a visit. Disabled access is very good with a lift and toilet.

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This yet another Wetherspoon in Leicester, and it's not a bad conversion of a corner shop just by a Burtonwood pub too. Inside is the usual Wetherspoon decor, which while being samey is as friendly and welcoming as going into a burger bar in the Middle East - at least you know what you are going to get. The long bar is opposite the entrances and serves up to three guest ales at any one time, though occasionally more. Prices are as always, keen and well worth it. Food now comes with Egon Ronay approval is is imaginative and interesting. The vegetarian options are getting better too (but not everyone loves garlic with everything). There is an outside walled drinking area with heaters for the winter. Toilets are good, tiled mosaic and kept clean, though it's hard on Saturday night when the pub is busy. Now some people criticise JDW for poor staff and cleanliness, but if you want a cheap pint and are prepared to state how you want your beer served, then it's OK. If you're at this end of town, well worth a look in as it's not far from the Cafe Brussels, the Belgian beer paradise. No accommodation here but access for disabled is good. No music here.

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Another of the faceless chain, all bright wood floors and furniture. High ceilings make this pub lighter than others. There are some raised drinking areas and toilets are downstairs. Access for the disabled is possible and their is a disabled toilet available. The bar is halfway down the pub and to the right as you enter. It's a long affair which can be both good and bad. Good that you can get to it without waiting three hours, bad that it means if the staff are not attentive to whose arrived at the bar, you could wait three hours anyway. Have had some good pints in here and some bad. When it's bad they get a little difficult over changing the pint - despite a vinegar smell rising to their nostrils. A little bar training wouldn't go amiss there. Beer choices are up to four guest ales. Despite the list of up to eight, there are usually only four that are available. Food is a little expensive for the portion size, though it is wholesome and the choices a re plenty. Not far from the Vaults, so worth trip there after being in here. No beer garden, trapped on both sides by roads.

Refurbished in the summer of 1998, this pub is part of the Everards chain. As such on at the time were well kept Equinox, Old Traditional, Beacon Bitter and Tiger. The lighting is dark in the evenings and the high wood panelled walls reminds you of a stately home. There is a gas fire (real effect) at the rear near the ladies. Situated opposite a snug type area, you can get intimate here by firelight. Old pictures of Leicester abound as do raised drinking areas (disabled toilet available). The long bar with shiny marble top has lots of handpumps on plus wine pumps! and the bar back shows special offers on the latest naff bottled alcohol drinks. Out back there is a wedding marquee type area all done out in drapes and red carpet. Here they have the Xmas parties and such like. Food is served lunch and evening until 8pm and is usual fayre including a vegetarian special of the day. Prices are a little high, but not bad seeing as they need to recoup the refurb cost. No music to spoil conversation, though fruit machines. Worth a stop if in the area. No accommodation here.

This is the new pub from those people who ran The Vaults. This pub has more room and light and air than the other, but still retains its warm and charm and welcome. Going in there is like meeting old friends. The bar has two entrances, both have steps and so its not good for the disabled, but then neither was the Vaults. The floor is wooden throughout the main area and gives it a real 'boozer' feel. The dark wood bar is 'L' shape with an overhang. A whole swathe of handpumps sit on the bar and you can make a choice from up to 8 guest ales - though Brewsters Hophead is the regular beer. There are always more beer on towards the end of the week rather than early on. Seating is at  tables and pews that are slightly raised. There is seating in the window area on King Street and opposite the bar (not a lot of space between bar and seating) and at the back by New Walk there are some stools and round tables. The toilets are here too, but don't expect anything much as they are small and narrow. This is probably the best pub in Leicester and will appear in most pub guides in future. There is food here with a hot menu from 12-3pm. Once a week there is a curry night and they may have rolls in the early evening, but nothing substantial usually. This is all due to the kitchen being 20 feet long, but only 5 feet wide. For the non beer drinker they have a selection of fruit wines and real cider and serve a number of Belgian beers on draught. The best pub in Leicester!

A Bank's pub, that has now been re-badged into a Festival Ale House. As such it has lost its appeal as part of a Leicester pub crawl - usually only Camerons Strongarm and Bank's on. The pub itself has high ceilings and a Victorian look to it. There are two seating areas all decked out in bright light wood and subdued lighting, more reminicent of wine bars than a good pub. There is also a high walled enclosed outside area in the summer and the front windows opn to let in the traffic noise from Charles Street. There is piped music and a fruit machine. Food is available at lunch times and is traditional pub fare at reasonable prices. This pub does generally have a guest beer policy so if you have a few minutes, try it out. Don't be put off by the 'smaltzy' atmosphere. This is a girls pub, but worth taking your partner to if you like beer while being with them. No accommodation though. (Steven Braid).
 

Another J. D. Wetherspoon, this usually has about three guest ales on at any one time. The food is cheap, though quality has lapsed of late. It also has the occasional beer festivals organised by the head office. Inside you could be forgiven for thinking you were in any Wetherspoon in the country. But what it lacks in original decor (pictures regarding the Plantagenets aside), it makes up for in its cross-section of society that frequents it. On any given day/night you can see the entire human condition in here. This is not helped by the poor staffing levels now in JDW which leaves tables dirty and glasses uncollected and unwashed for a long time. It also means that there are few staff at the bar to get served. It has the usual comfy seats and a no-smoking area and some booths are situated to the back of the pub for the intimate moment. Toilets are upstairs, though there is both access and a downstairs toilet for the disabled. If you are just stopping off in Leicester and need a quick meal and a drink near the station, you could do a lot worse than sup here, as long as you don't expect The Ritz. No accommodation here but try: Hermitage Hotel, Wigston Road, Oadby, Leicester, LE2 5QE. 0116 256 9955. Prices: single from: £70, double from: £85 per room per night (Discount available) View.

Now owned as a free house, this pub has come a long way towards being a real ale Mecca near the hospital. Just 10 minutes walk at a leisurely pace from the railway station, it is not far from the Vaults (see below), or the Criterion. The pub is on the corner near the university and the hospital and without a car park, road parking can be at a premium. Inside there are two bars. The first is the long thin public bar with 'booth type' seating areas comprising kitchen style tables and chairs. On the walls are odd bits of Leicester and posters promoting real ale. A chunky carpet welcomes with its warmth. The second smaller back bar has horseshoe bench seating plus some stools and round tables. The padded bar is only about 10 feet long here, but there is a beer menu above it. 6 real ales are always available, including Batham's Mild and an Oakham ale as regulars. All were kept in tip top condition the night we tried them. This is also one of two places you need to visit to try over 100 bottled beers from around the world - they even have a menu to help you choose. For those who like the apple, scrumpy is served. Food is also served 12-2.30 and then early evening and ranges from baguettes to main meals (including Xmas meals) and includes a vegetarian selection. The food choice is limited most nights, but Tuesday  is Steak Night and Thursday Curry night. The staff are friendly and service is speedy. Toilets are accessible for the disabled, though not with concomitant WC, as is the pub with a ramp for access. Quiz night on Thursday. Well worth seeking out if in Leicester. No accommodation here. Frequent foreign beer festivals are held here and you can get one or two on draught at all times.

This used to be the only pub in Leicester that belonged to the Hoskins brewery. However, with takeovers, this is no longer true. It's also no longer true that you can get Hoskins beers here. They tend to do the usual range of blands, but do have a guest ale policy which is really refreshing, especially is it is round the corner from the National Space Centre and the Abbey Road Pumping Station and a 10 minute walk from the canal. The pub still backs onto the old brewery building, though it lies empty at present. There is a patio beer garden for summer with an ivy covered wall. Inside there is a TV - usually on for sport mainly - and a single drinking area around an 'L' shaped bar. Very much a locals pub, don't let that put you off though as the beer is good and not badly priced either. Access for the disabled is possible through the beer garden and to the bar.

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Literally a cellar bar in the old school - it's a genuine cellar! It has a concrete floor and is basic in the extreme (used to be a nightclub?). A low ceiling is complemented by cast iron pillar supports for the building above. You sort of feel vulnerable - until you have sampled the up to 18 real ales on in a week. I tried Robinsons Hatters Mild, Crown Buckley Reverend James, Leatherbritches Hairy Helmet & Belter and Burton Bridge Thomas Sykes Old Ale (10%). Beers change as and when they run out. The seating was tall backed pew seats, hard and uncompromising, but you hardly notice. They are arranged in pairs and so you could find yourself facing strangers, but the atmosphere makes up for it as it's very relaxed and friendly. The plain brick walls are adorned with old 1930's retail signs like Swan Vesta and it reminds you of an old railway station. No real food, though it does do rolls if you fancy a bite. On Saturdays & Sundays it has live music - the artists play next to the toilets and if it's a large band you can find yourself walking through a performance if you are desperate. There are some old wooden barrels dotted around the floor next to the pillars - convenient to put your beer on or to lean on. This is definitely an 'Oasis in a desert'. However, it can and does get smoky very easily and there is no extraction, just a 'blower'? No accommodation here, though I'm not sure I would want to sleep under tonnes of building upstairs. This pub is definitely worth a visit even if you are passing through. Web site.

This is a Mansfield pub that thinks it's a Firkin - definitely for the young/students. There is memorabilia on the walls, but no particular theme, except fake age. The pub is basically one large room with areas within it. Can get noisy as the loud music means you have to shout (quieter during the day). The seating is a mish-mash of chairs and tables of all styles - like they raided your grannies house - it's not comfortable! As it's a Mansfield's they have 3 of their beers on and 2 guests at the time of visit - Wadworth 6X and Fullers ESB - hardly inspired choices. Beer prices are expensive £1.86 a pint. For the fun people there is a large computer game and a Sega style interactive skiing machine. For the football mad there is table football machine and satellite TV. Only short walk from the station, but try the Rainbow and Dove (see above) in Charles Street - literally one block over as you walk out the door. Not good for the disabled, steps once you get in and there is a high bar. There is a beer garden out back by the car park. No accommodation. Its web page

Also try:

Kings - King Street. 4 ales.

The Talbot - 4 Thurston Rd. Guest ales.

The Cow and Plough, Oadby - excellent pub.

The Globe, 43 Silver Street, Leicester. 0116 262 9819 - Everads/plus guests

The Ship Inn, Soar Lane, Leicester. 0116 262 4415 - Oakwell Barnsley Bitter and Old Tom.

The Shakespears Head, Southgates, Leicester. 0116 262 2421 - Oakwell Barnsley Bitter and Old Tom.

Gone now