The Water Witch is one of the best real ale pubs in Lancaster, a town not known for great venues…read more It's located right next to the canal, with a generously designed outside seating area [Unfortunately, it was raining all the time I spent in Lancaster]. The pub itself isn't as big as it seems from outside, with much of the pub area divided into single-spaced, window-seated tables. On the plus side, that means it won't get too noisy when the placed is packed. The real ale selection is certainly adequate [I've seen better, and much worse, the latter more often], the staff generally nice and helpful, and the real ales being kept fresh. Recommended for Lancaster.

The Witch is a lovely big old rambling canalside pub/restaurant, just a few minute's walk from…read moreLancaster centre. It's a very pleasant pub to spend the afternoon in, looking over the canal boats outside, and it's spacious enough that you can find a quiet corner to yourself most of the time. They have a great selection of real ales to sample, and even offer special discounts for CAMRA members. Tthe food menu is a definite cut above the average and is easily comparable with the best restaurants in town. There's a cool, homely, welcoming ambience about the place that lifts your spirits as soon as you walk in the door. A perfect place to spend a relaxing couple of hours away from the bustle of city life.

My husband and I stopped by The Robert Gillow for a Sunday lunch after touring Lancaster Castle. It…read morewas a quiet day and we arrived just as the lunch service was starting. We sat at a high-top table near the bar. The food was good. We had cider, shared a meat/cheese plate, had lattes and Sticky Toffee Pudding for dessert. We enjoyed it. However, the food was not my biggest impression. What made the experience so enjoyable was the staff, ambiance and live entertainment. Our server was very friendly, but even better, the super nice manager stopped by our table to chat and to make sure that everything was good. He was so welcoming that it immediately made me like the pub. The ambiance is warm and cozy. If we lived nearby, this would be our local place. It felt comfortable. We listened to a senior citizen Dixieland Jazz band while we ate. They were fantastic and just seemed to be having so much fun performing, that their joy was infectious. Our lunch at The Robert Gillow made me happy and I walked out with the "warm fuzzies".

Arguably the best pub in the area. Great beers, lots of live entertainment, free snacks, what is…read morethere not to Like? There should be more pubs like this.

I've only ever been here with my girlfriend for Valentine's Day. One of the best meals I've ever…read morehad in Lancaster after having lived there for about a year and a half. We got three courses for around £20 each and the drinks were reasonably priced. Food was varied and cooked to perfection with absolutely wonderful staff who were attentive to our every need. The wine menu was also quite varied in terms of both price and sorts with some interesting choices on there. You could say that it's a little low-light with there not being any windows in there (I did think that the first time I went in to look around), but the it is sufficiently lit when you're in there and the background music provides a lovely ambience without drowning you out and making it hard to talk. Plenty of space around the tables is nice and candles were a nice touch too. I couldn't recommend the Merchants any more highly. 5/5 without a doubt.

Service is pretty slow and nonexistent. Be prepared to take the check up to the counter and settle…read morethere. Food is okay. The steak is a bit tough for the kids but they ate it. If you order mussels in a Guinness cream sauce, it's not served on the shell. It's pieces of mussels in a cup, marinating in a creamy beer "soup" and foam. Burrata and tomatoes are yummy. The bathroom is upstairs and relatively clean. There's a lot of history in this restaurant - interesting to read while waiting for food or service.

Wednesday experience at the Three mariners in lancaster not good, service poor drinks overpriced,…read moreordered soup stilton and broccoli laden with pepper no brown bread refused to eat it taken away nothing offered to replace it didnt refund money for it spicy not specified on menu, meal not too bad apart from chicken too much cheese on it. poor choice of dishes, poor service overpriced drinks. lancaster city council in to check on this pub it looks like they are not following food hygiene regulations definetly wont be coming back to this pub not impressed

Great food and very friendly staff. Very historical restaurant right next to the castle. Would…read morehighly recommend.

Ace ive music venue and "local". Open mic night on Tuesdays is legendary. and has run for more than…read more10 years. Landlord knows his stuff and books good bands. Good range of beers. Old fashioned interior - lots of pics of old vanished Lancaster on walls inside.

Came for a quick afternoon meal! The table ordered the pie and the fish and chips. Both dishes were…read moregreat. The server took great care of my allergies making sure to no verify I was safe

Amazing coffee and real ales. Should my review finish there? Maybe - but there's more you need to…read moreknow about the Sun Inn, way more! First of all it's one of the favourite hangouts of very tasteful people... those being some of my best friends in Lancaster. Secondly, it's bloody gorgeous. You want a cosy, rustic, boutiquey pub in what I've come to call 'The Edinburgh of the North West'? Walk right this way. Want to see how pretty it is? You only have to check this cinemagram from my fiancé: http://cinemagr.am/show/4336818 Look at that. What a backdrop it provides. Gnarled branches with fairylights = one of my favourite things ever. Big wooden tables, locally roasted coffee (a coffee my maid of honour recommends wholeheartedly, and it has its own shop around the corner. I do believe it's called Atkinsons. http://www.thecoffeehopper.com After our epic roasts we needed a pick-me-up, and I opted for black while she had a fab-looking latte. We also got biscuits as standard. (That should be a rule, everywhere. No exceptions. If Font Bar can give out entire Freddos with every brew, all establishments should at least be able to manage a Lotus biscuit.) The food looks amazeballs here, perhaps a little pricey for a casual lunch but great for a treat, and potentially truly delicious. The atmopshere's lovely, the staff friendly, and we've had wine here too which has always been tasty, offered in some of the prettiest wine glasses I ever did see. And fruit beer on tap? I can see why this could easily become a Lancastrian's local.

A pub with lots of character, well decorated with framed beer mats & photos of musicians past &…read morepresent this is a must-visit for any ale lovers when in Lancaster.

The pub is a live music venue real ale choice limitedread more

Previously the Cross Keys and now renamed 'The Keys' it has been refurbished to a really high…read morestandard. The ladies toilets are the smartest I've seen in a pub in years! We just popped by for a drink but the bar meals that were being served looked smashing and reasonably priced too. Separate restaurant area with a more varied and slightly more expensive menu looked equally appealing. We'll definitely be back to try the food at a later date. A much improved pub!

went in today for a burger 1/4 pounder , the burger meat itself was ridicously small ,, sat in the…read moremiddle of a dry bun, the burger was about 2inches round sat in the middle of a 5inch round bun, so ended up eating dry bread till i got to the meat, pulled the waiter about it who just said its shrunk when it was being cooked and we now use bigger buns. crap excuse its a bit like getting a single crisp between 2 slices of bread and calling it a crisp sandwich ,, wont be going back there again ,, theives

My family and I are from the States. We reserved a wonderful table. The manager and waitress were…read moreexceptionally kind, wonderful and knowledgeable about their menu. The restaurant itself is a vibe! We can easily eat here for any meal! We ordered these starters: goat cheese bon bons, stuffed mushrooms, pork belly, and doughnut. ALL WERE FANTASTIC. My personal favorite was the goat cheese bon bons. (We began eating so no photos of the starters) For entrees, we ordered the gnocchi, sirloin steak, chicken Kiev, katsu chicken and beef pie. Everything was DELICIOUS. If you're in Lancaster, definitely recommend this restaurant! Honestly some of the best food we had while in the UK!

Good value for food and a bit exotic. A good daytime atmosphere. Welcoming staffread more

Fairly typical pub in terms of decor. Three or four cask beers available. Had a sandwich and fries…read morefor lunch here and it was pleasant enough. The Sunday lunch seems very popular and a specials board adds to the already varied menu. Large screen TV keeps sports fans happy watching football. All in all an OK pub, nothing to make it stand out from the crowd but nothing wrong with it either.

As the other reviewer says it's a typical pub, usual pub food and ale dictated by Mitchells. My…read morevisit was OK but was slightly annoyed when the bar staff served the locals first. Come on guys we are all paying customers so treat us with some respect.