Missoula Nottingham: Reflections From Opening Night

Great American Food and Cocktails in the Heart of the Lace Market- 

Missoula Nottingham Opens

Thursday 18th saw the opening of Nottingham's newest bar and restaurant in the heart of the fashionable Lace Market. Missoula Montana Bar and Grill on High Pavement promises to offer something different to Nottingham's food and drink landscape with hearty American food inspired by the bountiful state of Montana and a select drinks menu with an American edge.

Missoula Montana Bar and Grill, Nottingham in the Lace Market

I always loved the Living Room bar in the heart of Nottingham's Lace Market area. It was always lively and had a feel good atmosphere so the knowledge that the Living Room was closing came as a bit of a shock having friends who have had wedding ceremonies there and having spent time in the bar on many weekends. Sometimes change is a good thing and the investment made by the Stonegate Pub Company certainly sparked my interest. They've spent over £300,000 on changing the site in the heart of the Lace Market which should add a little spice to what was an already popular bar and restaurant.

The VIP opening party gave us a great opportunity to check out this exciting new Nottingham bar for ourselves and savour what it has to offer both drinks and diners. As food lovers it's always going to be the restaurant and menu that appeal to us most. (We're hoping to sample the main menu next month so should have a more in depth food review from Missoula Nottingham posted soon).

Missoula Nottingham's Restaurant Area

Up on the first floor is Missoula's restaurant, Featuring a selection of rustic wooden tables and cladding to the walls the restaurant area adds a modern touch to mid-west heritage whilst having a very contemporary feel.

Missoula's Upstairs Restaurant Seems a Great, Relaxed Place to Eat

Uniqueness comes in the detailing. In the back corner of the restaurant are a selection of booths with seating featuring featuring a striking cow hair pattern and many of the chairs feature a selection of American Indian style designs. The styling really works for me by doing nothing to excess which gives an air of authenticity which we believe is unlike anywhere we've been in the city.

The Abdication- Nottingham's Newest Micropub Review

Arnold seems to be a hub of activity for drinkers now as since the re-opening of the Robin Hood and Little John we now also have a new micropub on Mansfield road- The Abdication.

Almost disguised amongst a small row of shops on Mansfield Road in Daybrook is The Abdication. You would struggle to tell it's a pub without a closer look except for the very subtle frosted glass in the window which you could easily miss while driving along Mansfield Road.

The exterior of The Abdication Micropub, Nottingham

The interior is very simple with a large beige walled main room feeding through to an additional seating area towards the rear. Everything seems to have been reclaimed or recycled within the Abdication and whilst nothing really seems to match it creates a degree of charm which could have easily been overdone if more had been packed into the building The interior feels far too dated for my personal taste as yet another pub gets onto the retro memorabilia bandwagon but I know may people like that nostalgia and certainly wouldn't expect a micropub to have a big budget for interior decorating. 

Inside has a very rustic feel. It's part of the Coronation Buildings which were built by Home Brewery to mark the the accession to the throne of his brother King George, after Edward's abdication as a result of ab affair. Hence the very fitting name although it's likely that many local residents wouldn't have had a clue on this.