Plumtree Restaurant Guide

“Still at the top of its game” and “very much worth the trip” – Sat & Amanda Bains’s converted motel remains Nottingham’s flagship destination, even if its location leaves a little to be desired (just off a large dual carriageway, next to an industrial estate, beside a National Grid pylon and the concrete banks of the River Trent). Once inside, the stylish interior lives up to the high ambitions of the extensive tasting menus: either ten courses for £195 per person; or blow out with the 15-course option at £275 per person. In either case, reports say “the flavours are so well-crafted that you want to give each mouthful plenty of time, and before you know it you are well into your third hour”. One or two reporters find it hard to get over the “extortionate price tag”, but even they describe the cooking as “outstanding”. (Aside from the main dining room, which seats 28, other options for a meal include the Tasting Room for 4-6 diners, and the kitchen Tasting Bench for 4 people).

This “fabulous Spanish cellar-bar” is a long-term attraction in the Lace Market with “quality cooking”, “vaulted ceilings and perfect service” which makes it “just right for special occasions”. A spinoff tapas bar in Hockley is not so highly regarded.

This 15-year-old Lace Market venue offers “a bewildering number and variety” of “very satisfying burgers to choose between”, inspired by founder Anmarie Spaziano’s childhood home in Rhode Island, where US diner culture began. She acquired a taste for the craft beer served alongside them here in the Midlands. There’s now a second branch in Derby.

2021 Review: “When all you want is an old-school burger”, these US-based arrivals of recent years really “hit the spot” – you can “build your own”, with “tons of accessories”; plus “seriously addictive fries”, “thick milkshakes”, and “more soda flavours than is reasonable”. “The eat-in experience is as depressing as McDonald’s”, though, in fact perhaps more so – “some branches have a strangely gloomy ambience” – but fans feel that “if you don’t mind 1980s-rock, a trip can still be surprisingly fun”.

2021 Review: “Very reliable and reasonably priced (especially at lunch. or for the popular pre-theatre menú deli dia)” – Escabeche’s lively, city-centre spin-off provides “tasty tapas in a utilitarian but appealing setting”. On a nice day, nab one of the few tables outside.

“Always a real treat to visit” – this well-established local institution is to be found near the castle in the atmospheric surrounds of the seventeenth century Newdigate House (also home to networking haunt the Nottingham Club), and – especially in summer when its terrace comes into its own – provides “a calm escape from the city streets”. Its rather ambitious food has proved “consistently good” over many years (and even “fabulous” on a good night) and reports this year suggest that it has attained a more consistent standard of late.

“Very authentic and reliable Sichuan cooking” gives this Chinese venture near the Lace Market an added string to its bow, that complements its large menu of more standard Cantonese fare. “The ma po bean curd is very moreish”.

2021 Review: Tom Brooke, launched this 70-seater in Nottingham in September 2019 by splitting his existing Red Dog Saloon site (sibling to the well PR’d one in Shoreditch, as well as three others around the country) into two. The all-day format will offer Indian small plates cooked on a charcoal BBQ, with influences from Middle Eastern countries such as Persia, Turkey and Lebanon.

“A very welcome addition to Nottingham’s foodie scene” that is attached to the upcoming Island Quarter regeneration project, and thus is “somewhat stranded on a ring road”, but with “great views of the canal” and a superb waterside setting in compensation. ‘MasterChef: The Professionals’ winner Laurence Henry masterminds the “very accomplished and tasty food” (two- or three-course lunch £37/£47 per person, dinner £75 per person), while there’s also praise for the impressive interior – “upscale without being too grand”.

The “best fusion ramen” is the focus of this new noodle specialist from the crew (including MasterChef finalist Pete Hewitt) behind food truck Homeboys; the “very good value” spot also adds charcoal grills, Asian small plates and a hip hop soundtrack to the mix.

2023 Review: “If you want pasta come here” – this “tiny local restaurant” is “good value and worth a visit”. Owner Edin Gondzic is a veteran of the Hockley food scene with a knack for memorable restaurant names: his stable includes Botti di Mamma and the now-closed Crazy Fish My Love.

This highly rated plant-based restaurant produces what many consider the “best vegan tasting menu” they have tried, with “some really inventive flavours” – “the vegan camembert is a revelation: it tastes identical to the real thing”. Menus are available in both gluten-free and nut-free versions, and there are “great cocktails too”.