The Apiary Cafe Bar in North West Leicestershire

Not eaten here but always a lovely place. Music nights are particularly excellent, well worth a visit.

Just visited the Apiary for Sunday Lunch with family. This was our first visit and from a very warm welcome on arrival to excellent food and service, we were really impressed. The interior is quirky and cosy and the real fire was lit creating a lovely atmosphere. The Sunday lunch was exceptional. We all had the beef and it was perfectly cooked. We were served a variety of veggies and really tasty Yorkshire pudding. Everything was seasoned well and plentiful. The staff were really warm and friendly and gave great service, even when we were slow to leave (apologies, we lost track of time), they did not rush us. We won't hesitate to return next time we are in the area. Thank you 😊

Lovely atmosphere and people. Would visit again definitely.

Great place . Me and my wife stopped in for lunch. Some really nice decorations and furniture. Friendly staff . Good service. I would recommend some improvements to the food . Burger overcooked . Chips triple socked in oil over cooked . Cheese over powered the food . Sauce in small packets . Make some changes and it would be 5 stars .

Smashing place, food, staff. Strongly advise booking!

What a quaint little pub with a good selection of beers.

Looks lovely inside, didn't drink here but stayed at their caravan site which is fantastic

Really good food and great pub inside. Would go again.

>WARNING DON'T GO HERE< >Access For The Elderly & Disabled Is Extremely Bad.... >Attitude Apporling... >Extremely Bad Lighting. >I've Seen Better Lighting In A >Cinnemere >You Can't Read Whats On The >Menu Unless You Are A Bat... >As For The Toilet Access You Need >Really Thin Build... >Price Is The Same As The Ritz Or >The Savoy.. >Menu Choice There Are Three >Things On It >My Ratings Minus 1000%... >But The Choice Is Yours.. >I / We Shall NEVER Go Here AGAIN

Lovely old fashioned pub. So friendly.and welcoming. Loved the atmosphere

Amazing food friendly atmosphere we will definitely recommend and return little gem and staff were fantastic thank you 😊

Great little cafe-bar where we enjoyed an excellent lunch today 08/08/2024. Quirky decor in the style of a flowery French boudoir but nicely done! Some of the wall art was for sale. Lots of loos - 3 unisex on the 1st floor and more on the ground. Everywhere was nice and clean. You can pop in just for a coffee/pot of tea or eat as we did. It's also licensed with a decent bar 🙌 I bought afew nice greeting cards from a small selection left on a windowsill.

Tasty drinks and good service- staff happy for you to order and then take a seat and they'll bring the drinks over to you. Small cocktail menu but with a good variety of flavours for the drinks on offer. The decor is lovely, especially in the little garden terrace out the back.

This is quite simply a very nice pub, I called in for a beer whilst attending an event at Donnington Park which is nearby. Nice staff, good beer & comfortable, what’s it to like !!!

Spent a good few hours here sat outside. The staff were great and the prices are reasonable. The singer that they had on was good. The selection of drinks was good, though they had ran out of cranberry juice.

Stopped by to have a coffee and cake, nice interior very vintage and staff are all welcoming and service efficient, would recommend here we came here after visiting the nearby east midlands aeropark

Our first visit, loved it, the service was great the ambience is great, we only called in for drinks however, we plan to return for dinner, from what I saw the meals looked great.

Didn't eat apart from a cake that was lovely. Staff were friendly and efficient. Lovely bar area and very cosy

We visited when we stayed at the priest house hotel on the 7th June. What a great find. Really unique and welcoming. Staff really friendly, clientele really friendly and had a fab vibe. I actually said to my wife “ imagine having this as our local” very jealous of those living in castle donington. So what you waiting for, pay them a visit. We can’t wait to go back ! 🍺🍷❤️

Came for a family breakfast and service was superb. Food excellent and good value for money

Nice friendly place and staff excellent coffee. Cant wait to try the ale and food

Brilliant place will be going again

Stumbled across this lovely place by chance...panini and superb chips really good. Made very welcome too. You won't be disappointed.

Lovely to sit outside with a pint now the weather's getting nice now.. also lovely inside

I attended a wedding recently. I personally felt some areas were simply too small to accommodate our party. Take the eating area. Each table contained 10 people on a rectangular table. These were squished into an area that was barred or half walled in. This meant we were packed like sardines. Anyone wished to get up it involved others getting up to allow them out. The backs of our chairs were touching the person on the table behind us. If you were larger in size, maybe size 18 plus or 38 inch waist it was incredibly uncomfortable. Felt as though you were the problem not the layout. Keeping items such as the original feeding trough, although astitically pleasing, it offered no practicality. Just was another obstacle that got in the way of people sitting at the table comfortably. This is the first time I've ever attended a wedding and had to continually get up to allow others access. It also made serving food increasing difficult for staff. When dining, I appreciate the menu is a fixed menu for weddings etc, but when our table requested some more rolls, we were ignored. This meant some people ended up with none. There was no selection of coffees. Simply filtered. So if you require decafe or prefer a cappuccino, you couldn't have one. The outside space was a great overflow area, which enabled guests to mingle and enjoy some air. Be prepared for planes though! As directly in the flight path, which couldn't be helped. The items of historical significance on display were interesting and looked wonderful, adding to the overall ambience. Also, parking was plentiful and they offered a few charging docks to charge your EV if needed. We didn't see the rooms or experience the over night stay.

Stumbled into here by accident, and stayed for quite a few hours, service and atmosphere was absolutely fantastic. Only real let down, was the beer selection was a bit pants... Maybe worth getting a few real ales in on tap?

Always a great atmosphere for a drink.

Great service Called on way to airport and was seated quickly and the Sunday roast was lovely Would recommend and certainly call again if I’m in the area

Visited the Apiary recently with my family for breakfast to start my birthday celebrations. Service here was excellent, right through from first booking over the phone. Food was great; the first time I have ever wanted to try the black pudding and it was lovely. We pre-ordered which meant we were served very promptly after choosing our egg options. We never felt rushed and nothing was too much trouble. Thank you for the birthday Buck’s Fizz! A great start to the day!

What a good find. Great food and excellent service. Will definitely recommend it and be going back

Wonderful find from google. Excellent service with a smile and a great Sunday roast at a reasonable price. Nice pint of Timothy Taylors to wash it down.

Called in for Sunday lunch from off the A50. Found using Google maps. Excellent quirky restaurant, delicious food and excellent service. Highly recommend

Absolutely amazing as always, great staff, good drinks and excellent vibes

Great food and service from staff. Very cosy atmosphere

Popped in on a Saturday night. They had a great young lady singing. She had a great voice! The place is superbly furnished with much thought gone into it. My only gripe is that they have around 5 draught lager/IPAs on but not one draught cider? There are a lot of people around who drink cider.

Absolutely loved it landlady is lovely

We found ourselves in Castle Donington at lunch time and wandered into The Apiary on spec, but weren't disappointed. It is cosy and clean; service was excellent- friendly and quick. Good choice of lunch options. I had the daily special of cod, sautéed potatoes and green beans in Parsley sauce. Portion size was just right for me and I thought it good value. I wish I had been there on a Sunday - the Sunday roast options looked reasonably priced and I'm sure would be delicious.

Solo traveller, but felt very welcome and comfortable having lunch here, very friendly and helpful staff. I had Bacon, Brie and Cranberry toasted Panini, served with a side salad. It was all delicious.

Wonderful place for live music. Fantastic atmosphere.

Very disappointed with Sunday lunch last week. Waiting staff were lovely though.

We love this place and meet up with an old friend whenever we can - usually for Sunday lunch, which is very good value. The staff are friendly and the decor quaint! Definitely recommend...

Had lunch here twice this week - each time delicious. Fantastic staff and a beautiful place eat. Fabulous. Can’t wait to return.

Lovely meal (pie night!) Nice atmosphere, very friendly. Hadn't heard of it before so really good discovery, would go again if in the area.👍

Staff super friendly, however did forget one of our drinks and didn't return to ask. Unfortunately unsuitable for prams/pushchairs (can get in there with a squeeze) but also no room for disabled access. Also no baby change. This was very difficult - changing my baby on my lap on the toilet seat was a challenge. There is plenty of room in the loos for a fold down baby change. The food was incredible can't fault that. Music was a tad too loud so couldn't hear conversation but the music itself was good. Great choice of food for veggies but not vegans.

Love this place staff amazing 👌😘

Whenever we meet up in Castle Donnington this is the pub we go to, great selection of beers and vibrant yet relaxed atmosphere.

Love The apiary came here recently for pie night, and it did not disappoint.

We've had dinner at the Apiary in the past and were pleased. Nice surroundings. However we visited last week and were very disappointed. After ordering, the main course appeared literally in seconds. This suggests it was already plated up - maybe demonstrated by the gravy being fully soaked into the pie. Another jug of gravy was provided. The food was only lukewarm. How does a restaurant hope to get away with that? The chips were soggy and not freshly cooked. There was no desert menu - only a few cakes under glass on the bar. Another eatery gone down hill. What do the owners do?

Popped in to have a drink, and had a great time. Staff were lovely and really helpful, drinks were perfect (I had a non-alcoholic beer as I was driving and my wife had a lovely merlot) and the decor was cool. Cracking atmosphere and will definitely be back for the Sunday lunch and live music. Edit: Went back for Sunday dinner and drinks. The food was outstanding, the band very entertaining and the atmosphere reflected that. Thoroughly recommended.

Had an lovely Sunday lunch, only thing missing in my opinion was cauliflower cheese, even did a wonderful takeaway for my partner who couldn't be there due to a chest infection.

Went in on a Sunday night for a couple of drinks after arriving for a work trip. Nice friendly bar staff. The bar area is very cosy. Was nice to sit and relax for a while before heading back to my hotel.

Lovely little find! I booked myself and two friends in for lunch, was disappointed that there was no salad but the roast chicken was very tasty and the Yorkshire pudding was huge! The atmosphere is lovely could do with the music turning down a notch.

Popped in on a Sunday without booking after a day of travel. Quickly given a table by a very friendly lady. Food arrived in good time. Pork and beef were very tasty. Yorkshire puddings were great. Couldn’t fault food or service.

Nice enough food and lovely staff but a little slow on service, despite it not being that busy, after sitting for 10mins or so after plates cleared no one asked would we like the pudding it lost a sale as we were going to order but gave up

Lovely pub, lovely pint with a ham salad crusty cob which was excellent. Friendly and efficient staff and service. We will be back for live music in the future.

Kooky place which a nice selection of beer. Food options very limited... But then they never claimed they weren't so can't really complain. Seemed really popular.

Would recommend this unique place, food, drink and hospitality great.

Only went for a couple of drinks Decor was beautiful Literally the best pub I have ever been in and I have been in a few !

Now that there is a fridge of canned craft beer, this pub has the best selection of craft beer, ipas & sours in Castle Donington. The venue often has live music and the food is really good, both in the evening and earlier in the day. There are seats outside on the High Street and a secret garden area round the back.

We are here before a flight. The food was home cooked and delicious. Lovely, quirky decor and friendly service. Don’t eat at the airport when you have options like this.

Was hoping for a comfortable early evening meal for the family on Saturday. Could not book an Apriary table because "it was a themed Caribbean night". Never mind, let's go! 3 things spoilt it: virtually no seating left, incredibly noisy – due to music and density of people, and took absolutely ages – 50 minutes – to order then get food! But my "airline" mutton and rice was tasty; staff were friendly. Unlikely to return.

Cosy place with excellent service!

Stopped here for a drink one afternoon and we were incredibly impressed. What a lovely place, plenty of choice and wonderful staff. We are going to come back to try the food but it does look good.

Always lovely food and staff been many times will keep going back xx

Called in for lunch. Wonderful décoré and a really nice vibe. The lady who looked after us was great. Seated us quickly even though it was busy. Caters for everything, coffee and cake. Drinks, lunch and Sunday Roast. We had a great Chicken Teriyaki bowl. Enjoyed it so much, we went back the next day for coffee and cake then in the evening for the live music and a few beers. Well worth a visit.

Unfortunately there was a very long wait and the food was 'nice enough'.

Waited an hour for food to arrive told the kitchen was busy. We all had burgers they were tasteless and dry chips over cooked . Disappointing as the surroundings are fabulous.

We sat outside as we had a dog Unfortunately we had to wait 15/20 mins for our drinks . We didn't have food . I had a hot chocolate and it wasn't very tasty . The coffee was good and tea was good Love the decor and the menu looks good .

Delightful, quirky atmospheric cafe/bar. Sinatra and other swing music playing in the background. Dark, moody interior with floral covered chairs. Very baroque. Fantastic.

Superb, atmospheric cafe/bar. Dark and cool inside. Great swing music over the speakers. Baroque, shabby chic.

Lovely little place which has rooms you just keep finding! The gin choices are fantastic too. Love the feel of the place. Definitely will return ♥️

Beautiful Decor, lovely staff and great drinks. Look forward to trying the food soon

Can't fault this place. The staff were welcoming and delightful. The Sunday roast was cooked to perfection. Veg wasn't overdone, lovely buttery mash, meat was great quality, the gravy was very very tasty. They have a chef who cares about food. Thank you!!

Good local bar with a good selection of beers and good food

We went to muncaster castle on 5 th may 2023 shameen was so lovely on the tickets very nice girl will definitely come again

Great place, good selection of food & drink. Excellent service. Definitely recommend.

Great evening with fantastic music. Warm welcome, lovely atmosphere. Quick service and reasonable prices. Quirky decor which I loved. Didn't have a meal but hear the food is great. Highly recommend

Lovely atmosphere, great music, love the place

Cute place with great food, few cocktail choices and more cider options would be a nice addition

Went in for Mother's Day lunch. Very popular on a normal Sunday and more so today. Food was very good (we wouldn't keep going back if it wasn't...!!), and the staff were their usual polite and efficient selves. Good lunch recommended and we will be back again without hesitation.

Love this place all good, but limited menu so deducted star

Lovely atmosphere and the service was great - will be going back

We loved this quirky cosy restaurant, the staff are super friendly and welcoming. The food was delicious, fresh and homemade. As a vegetarian I struggle to find a decent Sunday dinner, this place nailed it. Yorkshire pud, roasties and good mash…yum! Will definitely be going back.

Great food, great staff and lovely quirky building. Definitely recommend 👍

Wonderful place highly recommended

Good food at a fair price. Sunday lunch main course fo £11.95. Not bad at all.

Great little place.. amazing staff and awesome food 👍

Never open and terrible parking even when it was open.

Been wanting to try the Apiary for sometime time , went for Saturday lunch , lovely cosy place with a good atmosphere the food & service was excellent will definitely go again

Going to try the Sunday Roast Excellent bar service. Second to none.

Really nice pub The roast was tasty without being amazing

Excellent food,-delicious breakfasts, amazing Sunday lunches, and friendly staff!! And the decor is amazing.😊

Absolutely love this place. Great atmosphere, great food, wines and beers. The only fault with the place is.... The music is played way to loud. It would be perfect other than that. It would be nice to be able to hear each other when talking 😔

A lovely atmosphere, beautiful decor throughout. Staff were welcoming and helpful. Me and my friends had breakfast - a great choice of traditional English breakfast, or eggs benedict, smashed avocados on sourbread toast etc and more. All beautifully presented. I'm looking forward to returning!!

I took the family out for a nice Sunday roast dinner. This venue is absolutely fantastic with the art deco. The Sunday roast is to die for absolutely perfect I didn’t have anything to complain about. There is also plenty of selections of gin and draft. I would highly recommend if you like good quality food.

Popped in on a Saturday morning for a coffee. Very very unfriendly lady serving.

Lovely venue set out really good, Independent family run business. Sunday roast to die for , I can’t recommend enough. Service on point, food good, beer good. Thanks.

Good food and very friendly team

I have NEVER eaton alfresco before.. your even on VIDEO how exciting NOT ! ! ! Then of course you have so called music blaring away..NOT IMPRESSIVE AT ALL rating minus 100%... Disabled access it has not got any..! ! ! ! Poor......

Spent a fantastic Sunday afternoon here. Sunday Lunch really nice and good value. Quality produce, well cooked and good size portions. (Extra jug of homemade gravy as standard on the side was a particularly nice touch). We got to keep the table in the main...