NORWICH
trail 2 - The Lanes in the city
Norwich is a city in East Anglia in the county of Norfolk. It was once second to London in size and importance with its heyday being prior to the industrial revolution. Important visitor attractions are Norwich Castle and Norwich Cathedral. Fun can be had with real life game play at Cryptic Escape and History Mystery Game. Arts activities include The Sainsbury Centre for Visual Arts and the Theatre Royal. There is also the Strangers’ Hall Museum and The Museum of Norwich.
Norwich visitor guide Norfolk Guide Norwich Castle Norwich Cathedral
PUB CRAWLS
There are three PUBTRAILS for Norwich. One is in the city centre and two just outside the city centre:
1. UNTHANK ROAD (green icons) and environs taking in a lot of pubs in the Golden Triangle area of Norwich - starts below
2. A tour around THE LANES (red icons) in the city centre
3. Out to the WEST END (blue icons)
Trail 2 around the Lanes in the city
Trail 2 around the Lanes in the city
One of the pubs on this trail, Micawber's, causes problems as it opens at 5pm Mon-Thurs and 3pm on Friday. Thus depending on the time of day you might reach it affects planning. You might want to follow the trail anti-clockwise or start at a different pub to fit the timing of your visit. To compound problems the pub has now become Chick INN at Micawber's specialising in chicken dishes.
All trails can start at the roundabout on the A147 at Chappelfield gardens. Trail 2, which is in the city, can be started in the centre of the city.
Starting in centre of town by finding Jarrold's Department store main entrance. Walk up hill from here and turn down first right to find The Vine. Turn right when exiting The Vine and walk to Pottergate and turn up to the left. The Belgium Monk is up on the right followed by the now closed The Birdcage at the next corner.
Continue along Pottergate and eventually reach Chick INN at Micawber's. Leaving here walk down the road just beyond it called Ten Bell Lane where The Ten Bells pub is found at the right-hand corner with St Benedict's St. Turn right from here and walk back along St Benedict's St where you will quite quickly find The Plough. Further along is The Mash Tun, then The Rumsey Wells at the crossroads.
Continue along what is now St Andrew's St and across the road at the next main corner is The St Andrew's Brew House. Follow the curve of the road round and up and on the next corner is the hard to spot Norwich Tap which, while still a pub it chnages its name (or is closed between name chnages). Return to The St Andrew's Brew House and walk up the lane opposite it and turn right at the top to walk on to The Wildman.
Links to all Norwich Pubtrails
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Unthank Rd and off of it
The Georgian Town House
The Pear Tree (was No 27)
The Mulberry
Warwick St Social
The Eaton Cottage
The Unthank Arms
The York Tavern
The Rose tavern
The Coach & Horses
The Champions
The Coachmakers Arms
The Trowel & Hammer
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The Lanes
The Vine
The Belgium Monk
The Birdcage (closed)
CHICK Inn (was Micawber’s)
The Ten Bells
The Plough
The Mash Tun
The Rumsey Wells
Dt Andrews Brew House
Norwich Tap (closed)
The Wildman
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The West End
The Temple Bar
Earlham Arms
The Black Horse
The Garden House
The Alexandra Tavern
The Belle Veu
The Fat Cat
The Reindeer
PUB FACTS
It was said that Norwich had a church for each week of the year and a pub for each day.
The book Norwich Pubs and Breweries Past and present by Frances and Michael Holmes is highly recommended. Lovingly produced it maps current and former pubs and breweries in the city. See their website.
The vast majority of pubs are open all day and most serve food during this time.
Most pubs in the outskirts trails (1 and 3) have extensive gardens and often front patios. Many of these are corner pubs that were two large rooms and are now opened up.
Quite a few of the city centre pubs also have beer gardens through to the rear and some have seating outside the front of the building.
Staff are invariably friendly and helpful.
Prices are seldom outrageous though 'craft ales' are often more expensive than real ale.
For more detail on Norwich pubs and historical information - norfolkpubs.co.uk
The Vine
The Vine must be the smallest pub in Norwich. Small one roomed pub with bar on far wall and a couple of tables by window/door. Some seating outside in lane. Also has a Thai restaurant upstairs. Although small it does hold beer festivals. Meals all day, dog friendly
Have a pint here.
Greater detail
CAMRA Good Beer Guide - - 2021 and many years before, and 2024, 2025
Real ale: Red Panther ( Pather); Jeffrey Hudson Bitter (Oakham) Summer dream Elderflowe ale ; Handliner (Coastal)
Lager: Bud; Luffenhah; Krombacher
Guinness
The Belgium Monk
The Belgium Monk is a Belgium and Continental beer pub. The servery and some seating are to the right of the entrance while there is seating to the left. Extensive beer garden. Meals all day.
Lots of continental beers in bottle and some on keg
Have a pint of something continental.
Pub Jukebox:
Alcohol themed music to listen to while you browse.
the piano has been drinking, not me - Tom Waits
The Birdcage - now Dining Rooms
The Birdcage (now Dining Rooms) was an art-deco style building. The main room has a curved bar on the far wall. The room has an odd selection of old furniture. Tall tables by window, small tables in middle of room and then low table and armchairs. Down a few steps in the corner takes you to another large room with black and white decor and continuing theme of odd old furniture (perhaps from a closing school!). Cocktails and entertainment; which may be Poetry or Comedy. The Dining Rooms is actually more of a cocktail bar and pub has lost its bohemian style.
Dogs welcome
Greater detail
Ale: still serving real ale
Bitter: Wild Goose
Lager: Blue Moon; Heineken; Amstel
Chick Inn at Macawber's (was Macawber’s Tavern)
Micawbers Tavern closed because lease came to end but has reopened under two chefs as Chick Inn at Macawber's specialising in chicken dishes. A corner entrance which takes you to seating on the right with a double fire place. Ahead to the left and on the rear wall is the servery. Further along is more seating and another room area.
Greater detail
Have a half pint here
Real Ale: no longer available
The Ten Bells
The Ten Bells has a corner entrance to a traditional wooden bar round to the right wall. This small room has tables at the front. Further along the front wall and down a few steps is a small room with Pictures of ten different bells. Beyond this is a larger room with a variety of large tables and gin production in windowed room at far end. Gin distillery on site. Cocktails and burgers, as well as beers and gin.
Greater detail
Have a pint here
Real ale: Tusk IPA (Errant ); Golden galaxy (Brentwood); Landlord; Firebrand Saison; Orange Blaze
Craft Ale: Redwell Steam Lager; Redwell Norwich Pils; Harbour Brewery Pils
Bitter: Yardbird
Lager: Amstel; Staroperamen;
Cider: Aspall Suffolk Guinness
PUB QUIZ
In music what is meant by the term legato?
Answer at foot of page
The Plough
The Plough is a very basic looking pub. There is a front room served by a small curved counter with wooden benches and tables. Up a few steps at the side of the bar there is another room with a larger servery with three good sized tall tables. Entered from both rooms is a very large modern beer garden. Dog friendly.
CAMRA Good Beer Guide regular including 2023
Owned by Grain Brewery
Greater detail
Have a pint here
Real ale: Oak; Best Bitter; Threeonesix; (£3.40); Slate; Pale ale; Pilsner (all Grain brewery)
Cider: Hogan’s
The Mash Tun
The Mash Tun was renamed and repositioned in the market becoming Strangers Tavern, a traditional pub) has a beer menu linked to numbers on font where you can see the colours of the craft beer. Real ale pumps exist side by side. The servery is along the back right wall with large communal tables opposite it along the window wall. There is further seating from either side of the serving counter. Map on wall shows where beers come from. Disabled access. There is a gin palace upstairs.
Greater detail NEWS
Have a pint here.
Real ale: Bullards No 1 ; Orange Blaze; Ruby red (St Peters
Craft: Steam; Pale Ale; Pacific Pilsner with raspberries; Equinox; Smoked Porter; Norwich Piklsner (all Redwell); Chiron (Thornbridge);
Lager: Staroperamen; Becks
Guinness
The Rumsey Wells
The Rumsey Wells (Adnams) has seating area to right of entrance. To the left is a servery cut in two by a pillar. The left side has real ales while the right has keg. The pillar shows the names and prices. Beyond the bar area is a square table with low couches around it. This has a glass wall over looking outside patio area which can be reached by a door on either side. Down stairs is the Underbelly for functions and events. Meals and disabled access.
Greater detail
Have a pint here
Real ale: Broadside; Southwold Bitter; Ghost Ship (both Adnams); Mad Goose ; Ubu (both Purity)
Bitter: Jackbat; Mosaic; Bendictine; Hells
Lager : Dry Hopped; Amstel
Cider: Real: Waddle Goose Blueberry Cider; Aspall Temple Moon Cider ; Aspall Suffolk Black Isle Porter
PLACES TO VISIT WITH PUBTRAILS
The towns and villages highlighted on this web site have a wide variety of pubs and beers in them. All of the places are great to visit, whether for a day or longer, and most have tourist attractions for all of the family.
There is a large variety of pubs throughout the different towns shown below. Some you may wish never to visit again but even discovering these can be interesting. There are pubs that you would not take your wife into. While some you could not take your girlfriend into. A few you would not take either into. However, most of the pubs are very pleasant.
HOME MAP of places visited
Alnwick Ambleside Anstruther Bakewell Bamburgh Barnard Castle Bath Berwick upon Tweed Birnam & Dunkeld Bourton on the Water Bowness on Windermere Bridge of Allan Chester Chichester Dunblane Dunoon Edinburgh Ely Fort William Glasgow Gourock Greenock Helensburgh Inverness Kelso Keswick Knaresborough Largs Linlithgow Lyme Regis Melrose Montrose Newton Stewart North Berwick Norwich Oban Pebbles Penzance Portree Pitlochry Quorn Richmond Rothesay St Andrews Seahouses Seend Shrewsbury Skipton Stirling Stratford-upon-Avon Stockton Heath Whitby Windemere Whitstable York
St Andrew’s Brew House
St Andrew’s Brew House is a pub, restaurant and brewery. From the entrance there is an L-shaped counter in an L shaped room. At far end of the left-hand leg is the brewery in action and small round tables. The right-hand leg has craft ales served from the back wall and tall tables opposite the bar. Down a few steps is a dining area comprising a variety of odd old furniture. Beyond this room is a back area with booths. There is also some outside seating. Meals, dog friendly and disabled access if ask for ramp.
Various tours of the brewery are on offer from a quick trip to spending a day brewing your own.
Good Beer Guide regular but not 2023
Greater detail
Have a few here
Real ale: Brewhouse (all St Andrew’s Brewery)Wherry (Woodfordes);
Bitter: Nuclear Sunset; Redwell White IPA; Whispering American IPA; Peligrosos IPA
Lager: Amstel; Birra Moretti; Dry hopped; Heineken
Cider: Symond’s Founders Whispering Bob Porter
The Norwich Tap closed to become Panda but has now CLOSED
The Norwich Tap closed to become Panda but has now CLOSED
Was a craft ale bar. Seating to left of entrance consisting of pews and benches, then bar counter along the right-hand wall.
The Wildman
The Wildman is a back and front room pub. The servery is to the rear. The front room has normal table seating. Some seating outside in lane.
In 1974 this was the only Norwich pub in The Good Beer Guide
Greater details
Have a half pint here
Real ale: Wherry (Woodforde); Hobgoblin
Lager: Amstel; 1664;
Cider: Strongbow Dark Fruit; Aspall Suffolk
“I would give all my fame for a pot of ale and safety.”
—Shakespear, Henry V
ANSWER: smoothly