The Alchemist Nottingham in Nottingham

Three of us went to The Alchemist in Nottingham for food and drinks. All started off well, service was a little slow but drinks good and food seemed ok. Whilst two of us had the steak sandwich with chips,. one of us decide to have the curried fish which was a big mistake. Although it was on the small side, something must have been wrong as he spent the majority of the night on the toilet. He should of had the steak, no question. You don’t need to be a rocket scientist to know when you’ve eat something bad / off. Do not order the curried fish or probably any fish from here unless you want a very long night! Contacted The Alchemist as per their reply message to the review which I can only assume was to make it look like they were bothered. After a few emails with Hannah the Senior Operations Manager, she asked to schedule in another meal but then stopped responding to emails altogether.

Lovely cocktails and great atmosphere. Staff were very friendly, we went near Halloween and were served by Fat Thor, which was a 10/10 costume

Popped in for some cheeky cocktails after a meal in the city centre, great atmosphere with some good music. Cocktails were excellent as expected, I had a Hard Peach Iced tea and my partner had Basil Smash, very fruity and refreshing drinks.

Food has lost its was since I last went, less magic, but food was lovely.

The drinks and vibe of this place are fun but my complaint lies with the service. The waiter felt extremely pushy when he was coming over to the table. There is attentive service and then there is shoving drinks down your throat. I just wish they took a more chilled out and casual approach to the service because he kind of ruined the vibe of my date.

Popped in for a quick drink with 2 kids. Bar staff were great & made the mocktails to suit the kids which they loved. Reasonably priced & super quick service.

Best drinks Best atmosphere You get what you pay for

Fantastic venue. Well trained and pleasant mixologists. Mixed crowd.

Fabulous cocktails served with a bit of theatre. Not cheap but really fun and delicious too

We seen the building from the street and thought this looks nice let's go in. So we did very nice clean food looked good. We had some very nice drinks was nice and relaxing for us. Would like to come again when I am in Nottingham again.

Nice place, service was good but looking a little tired decor wise.

Amazing food, amazing drinks and service was amazing

Had booked a table for 6 for this evening between 9:45 & 11:30, booked this time slot as we were attending a show at the nearby theatre and was reckoning that the show would end about 10. The show did finish and by the time we got out and down to the Alchemist it was 10:15, girl on desk couldn't find our booking, then another member of staff turned up and said that the booking had been reused as it was now half an hour after our booked time. Explained that we had been to a show, but they weren't interested. Have checked my booking confirmation email and there was no mention of any time limits on arrival during the booked times. Disappointed with my first visit to them.

Love the alchemist. Drinks are the best

Amazing cocktails. Even the no-low ones are classy!

Came here with a couple of friends visiting from London. Really amazing concept cocktails and smashing food. Just a tad bit too flashy for me but the flash londoners obviously loved it.

The Food was good and warm when we got it. I was there with my guest family, and we all enjoyed it. The Drinks were good and the prices were good. I would consider it a cocktail bar. The bar looks (like the name says) like a alchemy bar. The employees were really friendly and even double checked about my guest moms lactose intolerant. I can only recommend this bar !

Great staff and atmosphere, just wish all the cocktails weren't full of sugar and they had more whisky based ones

We were looked after by Izzy (Izzi?) she was attentive, friendly and frankly gorgeous in attitude. The music was cool too first track I heard upon entrance was Phyllis Hyman - You Know How to Love Me!

A shame this place. Someone has gone to a lot of effort to get the 'look' right. Superbly appointed inside with a stunning bar. The problem was the lack of decent service. We could not get anyone to even look at us never mind take an order. I could possibly have been more assertive but it wasn't particularly busy and I didn't feel like having to make a noise to be treated with a modicum of civility. We left and visited another of the many excellent, yet, professional and friendly bars in town. My question is why spend a fortune on fitting out a place to scrimp on training?

Some incredible cocktails on offer here. We tried the Lollipop Stand, the shots in oyster shells, the Mad Hatter, the Screwball and the TNT and loved all of them. So much artistic flair alongside the amazing tasting cocktails meant we came back two days in a row just for the experience. For food, whilst it was quite a long wait, it was lovely once it arrived and just meant we had more time to try another cocktail

My first time to try The Alchemist, and also my first (and ultra short) trip to Nottingham. Beautiful building inside out, really nice decor inside. Super accommodating, attentive and friendly staff 🌟 🌟 🌟 🌟 🌟 I had the BBQ chicken on a hot plate, very tasty, and then 3 scoops of Gelato for dessert. For drinks I prefer sweet, and was recommended "French Kiss" - was perfect! I then ordered a Pina Colada, but it tasted very different from my usual experience. The nice waiter told me they don't make it with Malibu, but mentioned another more high class spirit, which has a stronger alcohol flavor. He offered to sweeten my drink and make it more creamy, that helped, and a nice service as well 😊 The music is kind of lounge style, cozy and chill vibe - I was dropping in on a regular Thursday, and had no reservation. I am pretty sure weekends would be more packed and you'd better reserve in advance. Really nice experience, if I ever return to Nottingham, I would definitely go again 😊

Wow! Wow! Wow! This was the first time that I have dined here on a busy Saturday evening. The cocktails and food were fabulous and the service was great considering how busy it was. The atmosphere was buzzing! I can highly recommend the Chicken in a Basket and the French Kiss cocktail.

Be warned! Decent place however the manager pulled a fast one on us. The waiter came over to our group (6 of us) and asked if we were “feeling adventurous” and asked which flavour of shot we would like. The manager later came and asked us if we got “his drinks”. To our surprise there was a charge of £33 on our bill for the shots. Now the issue isnt the charge, its how it was handled. We raised to the waiter that we weren’t aware that we were going to be charged, another manager came over with such a bad attitude and said he wouldn't have got the impression they were free from the above conversations and looked at us like we were dumb. That might be your opinion sir but why would your colleague call them “his drinks” if we were paying and when do waiters come up asking what flavour shot do we want. At the same time, you could’ve apologised for the confusion and explained they are not complimentary and we would’ve understood, we’re not unreasonable. The service from this so called manager was definitely left at home this day.

Incredible experience, the cocktails were exciting, innovative and delicious. Waiters were friendly and the food was great also.

birthday dinner for four one meal had to be sent back took two hours for one course of food paid bill--then noticed a 125ml glass of prosecco (listed at £8.75), had been charged at £39.00! Contacted Alchemist same day, who promised to reply in 24 hours-they failed to do so. Rang restaurant the next day. Staff promised to credit my card within two days---still waiting one week later!!

Nice & cosy place however drinks are very overpriced.

Had amazing cocktails in here. The staff make every cocktail from scratch. Some bars have mixers already made up, none of that here, everything is amde with care. I had the espresso martini and it was top knotch. The building is beautiful and decor is really classy. Really vibrant atmosphere too.

Spent a couple of hours at The Alchemist on Friday night. A relatively large group of 21. Drink orders were delivered, but no attempt to charge/bill the individuals for their drinks. As a result, I ended up paying nearly £300 for someone else's drinks. I'd already paid over £50 on my own orders. This needs to be managed better!

Waited an hour for food even though the place was practically empty. The portions were very small and the salad was not great and served with chicken that tasked of whatever fish had been cooked on the grill before hand. Note they add a 10% service charge to the bill as standard and you have to ask for them to remove it. Won’t be coming back - over priced for what it was

Beautiful food, beautiful cocktails, beautiful place. Worth the prices.

One of the best places to get cocktails in Nottingham, great selection, and the theatrical cocktails won't fail to impress. Great service and beautiful interior and atmosphere.

The chicken curry was horrible. For a start I have not known fried chicken for a curry dish. It tasted ad if the chicken had been microwaved. The curry, which was served was blunt with curry taste at all. Please don't order if you fancy eating there. Even the fries were not fresh.

Probably as it was Sunday it's a bit dead, cocktails are immense and well worth the visit for

Great choice of cocktails, the best espresso martini I’ve ever had. Lovely finishing touches on the cocktails.

Sadly disappointing. Expensive drinks, hard to get staffs attention. Was expecting to be wowed, but sadly not.

Greta vibes, really nice food and drinks and good choice of music playing.

After a great first time in The Alchemist, I decided it was time to treat the family to another meal here. Once again, The Alchemist did not fail to please. The staff were as welcoming and helpful and the food was wonderful. I would to single out the staff member who dealt with us the most as she was just amazing, even going so far as to even throw in a little entertainment for my kids her name is Georgia and she is an absolute credit to your business. Thank you again for a pleasant and tasty experience. 🙂👍

We went to celebrate our wedding anniversary and had the most wonderful experiences. . From the moment we were welcomed at the door to the moment we left, we were made to feel like regulars and completely at home. The food was delicious and superbly presented.. and the cocktails... simply out of this world and totally unique To add the cherry on top of the most wonderful dining experiences, they were kind enough to present us both with a glass of prosseco on the house to celebrate. The atmosphere is comfortable, yet chic.. an absolute class establishment. All the staff are beyond accommodating and just all round wonderful, lovely human beings. Thank you so much!

Just been and they tried to bring the mains side 15 minutes after the main and the drinks were at lot more dissapointing very strong and perfumed the waffles are way to sweet if you have the chicken and waffles very dissapointed to say it was my birthday aswell wont be returning unfortunately

Great service Visited for an 18th and staff were fantastic and even gave us a polaroid for a momento

Pub with an extraordinary atmosphere, where meals are served. Closes at 24:00.

My favourite place ever. So welcoming, staff are fun. The cocktails are amazing !! Anyone who loves a cocktail and chemistry it's a much you go. We went for a bottomless brunch, can't fault it and it's such a fair price.

Classy place, amazing cocktails, love the decor and the staff are so friendly! The vibe is great too, I like to come Saturday evenings as it’s busy! I would recommend booking a table for those who decide to visit Saturdays, otherwise you may be stood at the bar! 🍸

Lovely food, beautifully prepared and brilliant cocktails.

This is my favourite place to go for a drink. Though it can be pricey the drinks are very much worth it. You get a drink and an experience in one! Perfect for a celebration or a date night! I will be returning.

Excellent experience. We came as a couple for the fancy cocktails and we're not disappointed. Whilst they are pricey, the more theatrical ones are absolutely worth it - plenty of dry ice, cherry smoke bubbles, fancy custom glassware and really inventive drinks! Special shout-out to our server, Liv, who was friendly, hit our vibe perfectly, knew her menu and helped us out perfectly. Come for the experience of some crazy cocktails and you won't be disappointed.

Lena!!!!! Best bartender ever! Made our lovely friends Hen party! Gorgeous gal with a lot of patience! Thank you for the bestest time! Very professional! Had a lot of fun and really deserves a great rating! Team Lena!!!

Hen weekend. Have to say Lena was awesome, very patient and professional. 5 stars all the way xx

Evening meal was ok. BBQ chicken fajitas was very nice, burger was ok and salads weren’t that tasty. Food was slightly better than the cocktails. A lot more emphasis has been put on the theatre of the drinks than the taste

We own a small Cocktail Bar locally and can only aspire to this fantastic location and attentive staff. Well done really enjoyed the experience

Crazy displays while putting drinks together Highly recommended!

a wonderful cocktail bar with amazing and strange drinks all worth sampling

We went for brunch and chose the option with the three cocktails. We chose the smashed potatoes and eggs and it came with missing ingredients and only one half cherry tomato per person (multiple people had this happen so it didn't feel accidental) apart from our vegan friend who got more but no vegan protein to replace the eggs. The portion was small and the quality was not great so while the service was pretty good, we will not be going for brunch here again. Cocktails are still fun of course but the brunch options were on the overly sweet side.

Amazing cocktails, with some serious theatrics, and friendly service. Bit pricey but would highly recommend 👍.

Great place shame about adding the"optional service charge" and then looking offended when I asked for it to be reduced

Worth visiting place. Enjoyed the ambiance alot.

We had some cocktails that were amazing but unfortunately the service was really bad. We didn't get the right amount of change, and didn't get asked if we wanted to leave a tip for service charge it just got added on nice experience. But bad staff

Absolutely stunning place, amazing drinks :)

We all had a group cocktails enjoyed the experience

We visited the Alchemist prior to going to the theatre. It was amazing. Our sever Liv was excellent. Gave amazing advice on the menu. The cocktails were beautiful I had a larva lamp. We had a starter and a main. Because we were going to the theatre 15 percent was taken of our food bill. Our experience was fascinating we would definitely visit again

My first time for food and won't be the last. Service was excellent and food delicious. Drinks expensive though, but fantastic choices

Beautiful place to have dinner and a drink, only downside is that food portions are small for the price, otherwise a must try?

Having been to the alchemist in several other locations around the UK, this was the most disappointing visit. The staff were really friendly and checked on us often. Drinks came quickly. It was the food that let it down. My calamari was nice, but my partners halloumi was really overdone and tasteless. For mains I had chicken in a basket where the chicken was tasteless and chips soggy. My partner had the steak hand held which had so much mustard it was completely overpowered, and the chips so salty he couldn't eat them (and he adds salt to most things)! Not great when 2 drinks each and 2 courses comes to £100.

My favourite place for drinks. The staff are really friendly and the drinks are so good.

Food was average, service was very slow even though plenty of staff hanging around the welcome desk. Food was nothing but average, drinks took ages to arrive and loud drunk lads spoilt the atmosphere

I mean year the drinks are good but it’s so pricy and it’s always so chaoticly busy

It was my first visit here and I had a swell time. The staff were so nice and friendly and I watched how they ensured everyone was having a good time. I enjoyed the cocktails and I love the idea that they are served in lab beakers. The food was smashing; from the balance of flavors to the texture and presentation. This has been added to my ‘fave list’. PS: I tried the Bao buns, Remix rice bowl, Curried fish, Cookie s’mores and pancakes.

Thoroughly good experience, even when very busy got great humour and service from staff Kada and Oliver who gave a good show and explanation when serving the drinks even though the place was very busy on a Saturday afternoon / evening. The drinks are brilliant as always and really is a great place.

Really enjoyed the cocktails. Staff were a bit hit and miss and we had to find a server to order more drinks. By the time we had had about 5 cocktails each then they would ask us. It did feel as if some of the serving staff don’t really enjoy their job. One guy was great and asked my husband and I if we had co-ordinated clothes and then called us blue/green for the rest of the evening. He may the experience better. Food was not great. We had cheese burger and fries - probably the better meal. Cubano hand held avoid although chips were good. Duck pancakes were ok. Crispy noodles pointless and tasteless. Also a pile of grease under the pancakes. Hot honey corn ribs tasty but so greasy. Go for the cocktails. I do wonder if the Alchemist needs a kick up the bum because the cocktails are not as unique/theatrical as they once were.

Loved the cocktails & food is delicious.

Visited The Alchemist in Nottingham with two other couples recently and have to say it was a thoroughly enjoyable experience. Excellent decor, decent music (which was loud enough to hear but not too loud you could not talk), great service and a super array of drinks and particularly cocktails to choose from. Cocktails (and drinks overall) are a bit more expensive than standard but as per the name of the establishment they are presented with a bit of theatre which makes them well worth the extra couple of pounds. As examples we had one cocktail which was based on Jaffa cakes and you could eat the ‘glass’ as it was made of like a waffle ice cream cone material and another which came in flask which you’d see in a chemistry lab and was ‘smoking and bubbling’. You’d not want to drink here regularly but on a night out it’s great, creates conversation points and isn’t expensive for what you get.

We went for my sons 21st birthday, there were 4 of us. I didn't realise at the time that the 10 percent service charge added was for tables of 6 or more, so why were we charged it?? Also the steak is very tiny! And chips aren't included. Overall a bit disappointed 😞

We had a sharing meal which was lovely and just enough for two people. We also had two cocktails which were again lovely has they were different to a normal cocktail. The food was nice and hot. The staff were friendly and helpful. Child friendly. Nice and clean. It is not cheap but worth a visit for a special day. I would recommend going here.

I had the most amazing girly lunch here last Thursday. The food was delicious and our cocktails were so much fun! Special thanks to our waitress, whose name I've completely forgotten - sorry! :-)

Nice place! Drinks are very theatric and creative. Just make sure you bring your wallet..

Update: Visited on 17.02.2024 to find out you no longer do sweet potato fries 😭 and that you have changed the vodka you use to make the color changeing one, it just doesn't taste the same no more, that was my favourite drink if all time ! On the other note, I loved it. My favourite Alchemist 😁 No better location than this. Amazing food , amazing drinks. Great staff.

Nice place with a lot of interesting and cool looking drinks. The bar has a very nice vibe and is something different compared to other bars. Highly recommend to make a reservation beforehand.

I will never drink anywhere else again

I went there for my one year anniversary with my partner and it was absolutely amazing. The cocktails were to die for, the food was very good too. The service was the best part, special thanks to Molly for being so kind and patient, helping me with the cake surprise for my partner. I recommend going there, either for some cool drinks with friends or for a romantic date.

My daughter had her 18th birthday last night with 10 friends and they loved it 👌 Would highly recommend for a night out, They had food and then the after dark cocktails, which was a lot of fun before they hit the town. All her girls said they had an amazing night 💯💯💯

Fab place, food great, dj bouncing 🙌

Good place for cocktails which are amazing and different, well worth a trip

Love this place. The menu can vary from time to time so sometimes I miss my favorite meals, but im never disappointed in the service, cleanliness or experience.

Won’t be visiting again. Shame, as it looks like it would be a nice place for a drink. My fiancé and I visited early on Saturday eve (about 6:30). It was busy enough that there was nowhere to sit, but that was fine. Managed to find a drink menu and then went to the bar to order drinks. We got to the front of the bar but were frustrated when the staff kept serving people behind us, or who had pushed in next to us. Poor bar management from the staff so we gave up after 15 minutes and left.

Took my son and his mates from university there for a meal and asked for obligatory service charge to be removed it was that poor! We were a table of 8 and got seated ok but that is just about where the good service stopped. We had to ask waiting staff if we could order drinks after sitting for 15 mins with no acknowledgement - despite 3 staff having a social near our table. Granted these came - eventually - and we ordered food. Again all came and to be fair the food was tasty. That said none of our sides came with the main course and we had to chase twice. We were told that they were on their way after everyone had finished their mains so we cancelled them. Again wanted more drinks and had to chase down a waiter to order which was far from ideal. All in all a really poor event and disappointing as we’re we’re treating my son and friends to the meal.. I have used the chain in Manchester and London and never been disappointed but it seems like the one in Nottingham has different standards in a bad way! Do not go; spend your money else where.

Lovely building inside and out but all downhill from there. Food is shocking, like they've gone to Farmfoods, all was limp and deep fried and small tasteless portions at that, overpriced and poor quality, only fries were good. Drinks quite weak as well, pretentious management

Wanted to charge £5.75 for a tin of guineas

Great place to go. Food is really nice and well portioned with an extravagant twist on each dish. Staff are fantastic, polite and accommodating. The drinks menu is outright fun they're unusual and presented in a quirky way that suits the environment. The place is decorated/themed as though it were a set from s Jekyll and Hyde adaption, it makes a unique experience that I'd recommend to anybody.

Excellent food and cocktails and service

Nice cocktails was so drunk I forgot what it was like

Great food and great atmosphere. Shoutout to our server Scarlett Fisher who was great!! She should get a raise

Very cool drink preparation and presentation. Didn’t have any food but hope to come back soon.

Staff are friendly, caring, and good-looking. Food and drink are just Soso, and the drinks presentations were cool, kinda too sweet for me and my partner.

Worth a try . Great cocktails with an incredible presentation really worth it . Even the restaurant seems very busy we didn't have to wait long very efficient staff. A little bit overpriced compared to other bar . Thank for the experience.

Absolutely shocking. Came for bottomless brunch and the worse staff, service Had only 3 drinks and I had to chase all the time for just them. Let’s say don’t go for btoolmless brunch . Turtle bay all the way

Love this place the staff are great and friendly even they are under so much pressure with the amount of people in there. The food in here is amazing but if your eating you will probably need to book as they as always busy. Am not a big fan of cocktails but always seem to have them in here.

Our experience at the alchemist was not all that, we ordered pina coladas that were too strong and had no coconut rum and just white rum instead, I also ordered a pale rum and ended up with a white rum, we also had a margarita with way too much salt around the rim and just overall vile. The bar staff just said oh well and didn't do much to make our experience better. Overall for the price of the drinks and the reputation we were extremely disappointed.

Nice pub good level of a fun pub just way to expensive for what you got in food and drink portions where so small mine only fitted on 1/4 of the plate it came on. The katsu would have been better from yo sushi

Came here for girlfriends birthday on New year's eve. Got there abit late to be told we couldn't have our table and that they gave it to someone else. Very poor customer service. We expect to be refunded for deposit. Wouldn't recommend