please note - reviews on this site are purely the opinion of site visitors, so don't take them too seriously.
Easily the best pub in Southwold and amongst my favourites for the whole of the UK. Nice to find a place not dominated by the "dining experience". If you like Adnams ales you will love this traditional cosy boozer. Only cons are the typical Southwold steep prices and the beer range being limited to Adnams.
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Crammed in a week ago for a lunchtime pint of Adnams So Many Different Worlds (in preference to the Southwold Bitter and Broadside which incidentally has only gone up 10p in price since 2015/16). Only time I saw this beer on sale in Southwold. By 2pm the pub had emptied. Preferred the Lord Nelson to the Sole Bay because it had better beer.
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Our favourite pub on our recent jaunt to the area. What better place in Southwold is there to be than enjoying a pint on the benches outside looking down to the sea? Ok, prices are steep considering how far they've travelled, but I'd rather spend that money here than any of the other pubs in town that have been stripped of their former character to make them more appealing to the Harpenden-on-Sea set. It would be a travesty to see this place go the same way.
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nice pub , and at £4 for broadside, it should be.
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This is a really lovely pub in Southwold serving decent pub food but the drinks are way overpriced. On my visit Oyster, Mosaic and Broadside were all £4 a pint which is ridiculous.
I live in Suffolk and have found that a lot of the Adnams pubs in 'holiday' locations seem to think it's acceptable to fleece their customers on drink prices. I presume they feel they can get away with it as most of their customers are only around for a short time, and once in the pub they probably are not going to move on. When I mentioned it to the staff the attitude wasn't much better, am I bothered?
You can get cheaper pints of Adnams in London! The Adnams brewery is in Southwold!
Madness complete madness.
I used to like visiting this pub not anymore, my local does beer for £3.20 a pint up to 4.5% and £3.60 for beers over that.
Such a shame they have to resort to such brazen overcharging.
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All over the country you can find Adnams Southwold and Broadside served poorly and giving Adnams a bad name. Then you find this place and realise that they produce a full range of marvellous beers that taste divine. A terrific, atmospheric pub.
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Went in here 6th Sept in the evening.Popular pub with a good few people in.Dog friendly.The Adnams Explorer was very good.It felt it had a different atmosphere to to Red Lion on the green.
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On a nice summers day sitting outside on the rickety old benches is a must. Adnams all round which were in good condition. I got the t-shirt.
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Nice enough, Popped in for fish'n'schips, which were delicious. Gargantuan portions though. One portion was enough for me and my wife between us, Log fire. Dogs. Good selection of Adnam's and nice clientele. Was busy though and we had to wait for a table. That was on an overcast March Monday so heaven knows what it's like on an August Bank Holiday. Landlord appeared a bit grumpy. Worth a visit though
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A proper town pub - friendly, efficient with good home-cooked food and excellent beer. My Ghost Ship and Oyster Stout were simply divine, and my wife's Sauvignon Blanc was a very good one. Very busy on our visit (Friday lunchtime with a range of clientele. If all pubs were this good they would not be in decline.
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Lovely old pub unspoilt by progress, very busy at lunchtime today, the Adnams Old ale was perfect, the meals looked good as well.
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Lovely pub! Great selection of beers. The food was lovely traditional pub food with a twist, perfect for families. The scampi and chips was cooked to perfection. I went back in the late evening around 8.30pm with my partner and I've got to say thats really when the pub comes alive. Great atmosphere!
anonymous - 26 Oct 2011 14:12 |
Visited on a wet Saturday in June. Pub was busy. Good beer including Adnam's Mild (any pub that sells cask mild gets a thumbs-up from me). Seemed to have character. Would definitely return if in the area.
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Read somewhere that this was meant to be one of the top 10 pubs in the UK so expected something amazing.
Wouldn't go overboard about it but it did have the full range of Adnams and a nice beer garden. It was pretty rammed inside but was still quite characterful.
Bagsy - 28 Jul 2011 18:16 |
Being in this pub makes me want to wear thick cable knit sweaters and lure sailing ships onto the rocks to steal their cargoes of rum and gold. But i can usually resist. Without doubt the most atmospheric pub in Southwold and best enjoyed midweek out of season when it is not populated by Boden / linen trouser wearing Guardian readers from Kensington. It gets uncomfortably busy at weekend lunchtimes and evenings but still worth a visit. Unusually for Southwold I think that this works best as a winter pub. I wish all pubs were like this.
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Called for lunch on 20 June 2011. Good range of food, good beer - also does takeaway food.
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Late write up from 29/09/08 visit (looking back through diary).
Yes this is a very "Pub Grub" pub but thank goodness you can find a time of the year and week and day when you can still find this to be a very nice, atmospheric, traditional pub. The end of September, Monday night after 21:00 and this pub will show you what it can be. Excellent range of Adnams (brewery next street) a good buzz of conversation, nicely lit relaxing ambiance, a proper pub.
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This had to be a must visit from previous reviews and yes, all the essentials are there for a very good pub. This is sea side heaven, it's really busy at all times aparently, and this was no exception, great place for people watching and seeing how the day trippers and locals interact. The red faced Landlord seemed really cheesed off with the buggy procession that came through. Back in the day I don't remember even 1 buggy being pushed through a pub, but I notice that these have become monsters these days and there must have been seven of them one after the other and the buggies are the size of small cars, people eh? Mine was a curiously dubious pint of Adnams The Bitter considering the proximity of the Brewery, but apart from this it is a great place to be, particularly after walking from Kessingland via beach and cliff
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What a super pub, we got a very friendly welcome when we visited this pub. The beer was just right. The food is very reasonable, the fish and chips were superb, I think I got Moby in batter on my plate! Certainly can't complain about the portions here.
Well done keep up the good work, we will be back!
Be warned sadly a lot of other people know how good this pub is so it can get very busy! But it's well worth persevering as the food is excellent.
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One of my favourite pubs. Superb beers, superbly kept. Very good Sunday lunches (that's why there's a queue at opening time on Sundays!). Always my first port of call when in Southwold.
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There was actually a queue waiting for this pub to open up on Sunday! I'm not sure why this one in particular is more popular than the others - the usual range of Adnams and fairly good food. Worth a visit, just get there early if you want a seat.
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A great pub and the best pub we found in Southwold.
Has a beer garden at rear, but we preferred to sit on the benches out front and people watch in the sunshine.
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A proper pub serving proper beer. There is food but it does not dominate and the beer was in excellent condition.
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Did not expect the Nelson to be good, turned out to be the best pub in my visit, super well kept Adnams (Bitter, Broadside, Explorer and Regatta), friendly staff, lively locals � at last a pub in Islington-on-sea which is not full of nonces sipping overpriced piss-poor beer.
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Probably my favourite pub ......... in the world. Fantastic beer, always warm and welcoming and a great place to watch the world go by.
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Great pub - friendly, great beer and the food was good pub nosh.
Seems to attract the locals and the place was heaving on a damp March Wednesday night, says something
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Traditional pub with good, efficient service. This is Adnams country but I had a Guinness which was really excellent.
zoomy - 28 Nov 2008 13:05 |
Unfailingly great ale and friendly service. Sitting outside the Sailors' Reading Room on a summer evening with a pint of Broadside is an unbeatable pleasure. And now there is East Green too!
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Well, further to my comments of more than two years ago(!), I finally made it back to the Nelson yesterday for the first time in 4 years and am glad to report I was not disappointed at all. Arriving just after 2pm and therefore finding it devoid of the lunchtime rush, we were able to enjoy a glorious pint of The Bitter in glorious sunshine on a bench out the front, people-watching and soaking up the flavours of Southwold in full stride. The Bitter is up to �2.80 now and everything else is �3.00, but, believe me, those prices are better value here than anywhere else you may care to mention.
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There is a bench at the end of this cul-de-sac that overlooks the coast of Southwold. Sitting here with the kids and a pint of Broadside from the Lord Nelson, whilst the wife pops round the shops, never fails to make me a happy man. This place easily sells the best pint in Southwold. The pub itself is seems great in the short time I spend there buying my pint. although only visited in the Summer, i would say this was a pub for all seasons.
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Back again for a brief visit to Suffolk. No change at the Lord Nelson - everything as good as ever. Had a great lunch and a lovely pint of Adnams, with the usual friendly bar staff in attendance.
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Nice pub, nice location, nice people, nice staff, nice interior, great ale (Adnams of course!).
Had food and that was ok, gets very busy so get in there early. The staff coped extremly well and were very friendly through out. My only nag was they seemed very keen to get you out or away from tables by taking away plates when people on the table were still eating!! I hate that, so upsetting!!
Apart from the above thing everything else was 10/10 so I give this a 8/10.
NeilA - 17 May 2008 23:40 |
The Lord Nelson is one of my favourite pubs - great beer, good food and pleasant staff. I try and get here 2 or 3 times a year. I enjoy it most when it's blowing up a gale outside, the rain and wind are lashing down, and I'm sat by the fire with a plate of grub and a pint of Old...
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My wife, whom I mentioned earlier is sad at the news that cherry pie and ice cream has been taken off the menu. I am unpeturbed though and still rate this the best pub in Southwold.
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While the womenfolk 'shopped' we went in and had a few wonderful pints of "Broadside". Superb atmosphere and a host of dog owners!
Nicest pub in Southwold and worth a visit.
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dull pub in a dull town. Sorry, but there is more to a pub than old relics of Nelson.
anonymous - 15 Nov 2007 22:48 |
The best pub in Southwold, it is important to note that it is the only one to offer the whole Adnams range. Pleasant, welcoming and adorned with interesting memorabilia its an historic place. top marks
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Following my earlier visit to the Harbour Inn, I called in to this adnams house on the way back. Like most Adnams Pubs it is traditional in the way it is laid out. Lots of Nelson memorabilia and the beer was absolutely in tip-top condition. Also at �2.55 a pint somewhat cheaper than the Harbour Inn. Well worth a look.
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The best pub in Britain. Fantastic beer, service and atmosphere. In contract see my comment on the White Hart at Blythburgh and steer clear of there.
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Lovely couple of pints this afternoon, Broadside and Explorer. Nice garden at back, reasonable food: Fish and chips- the batter was made with Broadside, and had a lovely dark colour. Bar staff were friendly and laid back, didn't mind our dog, or drinking out on the benches overlooking the sea.
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been coming to this pub for twenty years -- uniformly friendly staff and clientele, beers all on top form, ideal location -- what more can one say?
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We came in for restauration at about 5.00 May 25th after seeing the new brewhouse across the road and distribution centre at Reydon. Plenty of room for most, and a good selection of the beers to try - and Twiglets! - and excellently kept Best Bitter, Regatta, and Explorer were all tried.
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Nipped up the coast (I live in mid Suffolk) at the weekend and was able to enjoy a couple of pints in the Nelson - perfectly kept bitter, as ever, and a luscious pint of the rather elusive Adnams "May Day" as well.
The pub is as it ever is, which is close to a perfect example of the breed. Good beer, OK food, friendly service, just the right balance of business, bustling without being rammed. What a great pub this is.
I also noted the food still ends at 2pm....and it was still very clearly advertised that this was the case ;-)
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Pretty near perfect. A proper pub, but family friendly. Pleasing on the eye from outside, warm and woody inside. Friendly bar staff and a landlord who actually remembers faces. The welcome appears to be the same for visitors as Southwoldians. Beer, as would be expected, is first rate. Food is simple but fine (particularly the fish and chips). Its pure pleasure to stagger through the normally heaving bar and share a table out in the courtyard. Its the sort of place where strangers actually talk to each other - which isn't a bad thing.
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Wow! What an absolute treasure. Great beer, great food, great staff, great location and a really friendly clientele. An absolute pleasure bereft of any annoying jukebox and games machines. My first visit and I felt welcome from the off. Will definitely be making numerous return journeys. A real pub and no mistake.
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It's just perfect, the best beer, the best food, close to Nutters and on the sea front. Easily the best pub in Southwold. The Ploughpersons are fantastic and the Cherry Pie and ice cream worth traveling all the way from Sheffield for.
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a lovely pub in a great spot
however
too many second homers and london braying fools though
is it some kind of new theory that the louder you squawk the more important you are?
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A wonderful pub.
Not been here for a few years but my recollection is that a pint of Adnams on the bench outside was a pleasure.
No quibbles about food being served as I didn't go there to eat.
Inevitably, fine Adnams beer on tap.
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Nicely put, dodgy.
It seems a shame that, like so many of our wonderful places, Southwold is now having its traditional relaxed and away-from-it-all feel squeezed out by a pincer movement of people from the top and bottom end of the affluence ladder. Unfortunately, both types seem to think they're the first to discover Southwold and, worst of all, both think the place now exists just to serve their needs.
My family have lived in the town for five generations and, of course, everyone is entitled to visit wherever they choose. But for those of us who have been coming to Southwold for longer than just a few years (please take note Ms Lipmann)it would be nice if we could be allowed to enjoy it still without feeling that the 21st Century has arrived with such a furore.
Oh, and by the way, "The Nellie" wins every time !
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Every time I've been in there the food service times have been clearly advertised. If someone's late for them then you can hardly blame the pub
Perhaps the families concerned should have turned up with more than a minute to spare and they wouldn't have an issue
Bad service is not getting something you have been promised/led to believe you should expect for your money, or treated rudely. Bad service isn't an establishment declining to extend a service if you turned up late
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Fantastic pub - like going back in time coz the food's off at 2pm even though there are dozens of families queuing to eat. More money than good service. (Just like all the other pubs in Southwold)
anonymous - 31 Jul 2006 18:28 |
Wouldn't you know it...the wife gets to go to a case conference in Norfolk and manages to find the time to call in here on the way home, calling me from the benches outside to rub my nose in it! Confirmation from her, as if it were needed, that this does, indeed, remain amongst the very best there is. Lovely chatty atmosphere, wonderfully kept Adnams - as if it could ever be poor, very decent pub grub and a superb setting...Nirvana.
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All the favourable comments about one of my top five pubs of all time are making me teary-eyed at the thought of making a pilgrimage there again soon. It's exactly two years since we were last in Southwold and it's high time we renewed acquaintances with all our old friends in the best small town group of pubs anywhere in these islands...
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Best pub in Southwold, hands down. And as other contributors have said, there are plenty of competitors here, but none can match the Nelson's cosy ambience, friendly welcome and great beer.
As a native East Anglian, I can be forever proud of two things: The man this pub is named after, probably the greatest military leader this country has produced; and the beer that is served in it. Adnams is a gilt-wrapped gift from East Anglia to the rest of the world, finally Londoners are cottoning on it seems
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One of my favourite pubs to visit in Southwold. Great all year round, but comes alive in the winter months when the atmosphere becomes very cosy. Beers kept superbly - which you should expect with the Adnams brewery just around the corner! Have recommended the place to everyone.
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Very nice little pub with good beer. Nice sitting outside the front when the sun is out.
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The best pub in the world. Great beer, good food, lovely open fire and a warm, friendly atmosphere.It's very inviting on a cold Autumn night but just as good after walking on the beach in springtime. My wife loves the Cherry pie and ice cream
anonymous - 28 Jul 2005 11:13 |
As a local definately the best pub in Southwold. Friendly service, good conversation not to mention a first class pint.
Martin - 14 Jun 2004 16:26 |
Arguably the best pub in Southwold- and there's stiff competition. Being the home of Adnams, you're guaranteed a good pint.
Russ - 20 Jan 2004 13:06 |
good old fashioned pub, no music just good food and a good pint.always busy and thats a good sign
alan - 26 Sep 2003 17:19 |
Great pub close to cliff-tops in this sea-side town. Southwold is great anyway but this pub is always a mecca for those who enjoy good food and excellent beer
Nigel Smith - 12 Sep 2003 18:11 |
