I hadn’t even got through the door of the Black Dog when a bloke popped his head out the door and shouted past me towards his mate.
“Are you going to the shop?” he asked.
“Can you get me some cigs?” he followed up.
The Black Dog in Grantham
The verbal transaction completed, I followed the bloke into this cosy-looking Grantham pub and the barman greeted me with: “What can I get you?”
It was 12.19pm on a Sunday afternoon in a moderately busy – very busy for this time of day – boozer when a couple of large groups followed me through the door.
“What’s going on?” asked the startled barman while pouring my Guinness and swiftly getting some back-up to aid him.
I liked the Black Dog. It ticked all the boxes
I’d only been in the pub a matter of minutes but every interaction I’d seen so far had been a question.
So here’s a question of mine… why was the Black Dog named Grantham’s best pub at the town’s Quality Business Awards last year?
Well, for the judges of that aforementioned award, it boiled down to ranking highly for satisfaction, service, reputation and quality.
The Black Dog – a photo taken before it filled up fastA tribute to historic Grantham
For me, it seemed a lot simpler than that. The Black Dog is a flipping nice pub with all the stuff that makes you want to come back – it’s warm, welcoming, busy and ticks all the beer garden, pool table, darts board, big-screen-with-the-match-on boxes.
But there’s plenty more to the pub than just this.
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It’s modern, but without being to cool to alienate anyone over the age of 25. It’s traditional, but not too chintzy to put off anyone who’s not ready for free bus travel.
These guys were having a great time inside what looked like a giant hamster’s wheelA nice looking bar
There were no neon signs, instead a lovely The Black Dog inscription over a welcoming fireplace.
A few more quirky legends were also spotted around the place.
‘On reflection, always time for a prosecco’ read the words under a couple of mirrors, while writing on a wall near me stated ‘beer is the answer… but what was the question again?’.
Modern meets traditional in the Black Dogthe black stuff in the Black Dog
See, even the decor got confused by all the questions thrown around this place.
A large wooden beam across the room stated ‘dedicated to life, food, drink and less serious matters’. Something I can get on board with.
There was also a nice gallery of black and white images of historic Grantham hanging from the wall in one corner and – bizarrely – what appeared to be a giant hamster’s wheel, within which a group of blokes were having a jolly good time.
What was the question again? There were plenty of questions at the Black DogThe Black Dog beer garden
As I supped and searched the pub continued to get busier and busier, kids playing pool round back, blokes watching the footie, groups of friends chatting at tables.
The place had been open less than an hour and the a nice atmosphere had already built up for the afternoon ahead.
The Black Dog is a lovely pub, and I don’t think that can be questioned.
Anyone for darts?In the gents
THE BLACK DOG, 19 WATERGATE, GRANTHAM, NG31 6NS
DECOR: The Black Dog is a good looking pub, mixing tradition with a modern feel. 4/5
DRINK: I had a pint of Guinness (ABV 4.2%), no introduction needed. 3/5
PRICE: I didn’t think £3.70 was bad value at all. 4/5
ATMOSPHERE: It wasn’t even 1pm on a Sunday and the place was already alive with laughter. 4/5
STAFF: The barman was a friendly-enough chap, seemingly overwhelmed by the big groups heading in. 3/5
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