The Avenue Hotel, Grantham A Pint Of Ale Pub Review
A hotel in Grantham town centre, The Avenue serves excellent ales in a friendly atmosphere. A wonderful place to stay!
I’ve been a bit shoddy at writing Pint of Ale posts recently and I still have a backlog of 20 or so posts from our recent holiday. One of the reasons for this shoddyness is that I’ve been working away a lot more than usual and for longer hours. Part of this work has involved spending several nights in Grantham in Lincolnshire. I’ve been spending some of these nights at The Avenue, a family run hotel with an excellent bar serving three changing ales.
Martin and Tracey, who run the hotel, used to run the nearby Blue Pig, a pub that frequently makes its way into the Good Beer Guide. Since taking over the hotel, they’ve refurbished the bar and have been awarded a Cask Marque in recognition of the excellent Tim Taylor’s Landlord that they keep. It is generally said that Landlord, from Keigley in West Yorkshire, does not travel well, but the pints that I drank at the Avenue were simply perfect. Tracey told me that it took them a while to get right, but they’ve got it.
Walking into the bar, it’s a bit like stepping into a locals’ regular haunt and on first impression it can seem intimidating, especially when sitting alone like I was. However, these are a friendly bunch of locals and I was made to feel genuinely at home, even being included in a round at 11.30pm when all I wanted was to pay my bill!
The recently refurbished restaurant serves a wide selection of food, but I didn’t try any on this visit. The rooms are straight forward but comfortable too. Some are on the small side, but you get what you pay for and the Avenue is well priced.
I’ve spent many nights in Grantham over the last year and it’s a shame that it’s taken me this long to find the town-centre hotel with a bar that serves real ale, really well. It’s a perfect place to stay! Hic 
