The Black Lion in Cheshire East

Great traditional pub - open fires, good beer, relaxing atmosphere and friendly staff, you can't ask for more!

We're lucky to have a lot of nice pubs in Nantwich, and this is one of the best. Well-kept beer in a lovely historic building. Like many good places, the menu isn't large, but I can always find something that I like.

Thank you Darren for looking after us on our wedding celebration this September. We chose the Black Lion as the room upstairs was ideal for our small party , I cannot thank the team enough for looking after us and the food was superb. Our guests left happy and there was such a a good feeling on the day ,it was just the icing on the cake we wanted,❤️ Thanking you again , Karen and Andrew

It has been a while since we’ve eaten at the Black Lion, we’ve missed out, it was fantastic! This is the oldest pub in Nantwich, dating back to the 16th century. With low beams, open brickwork, real fire, wooden and stone floors, it’s such a lovely, cosy place to sample their fine fare or taste one of the local ales. We were seated upstairs, a lovely space. As a party of three, our food was excellent, tasty steak and ale pies (as recommended by the table next to us) and perfectly cooked fish of the day, sea bass fillets and risotto on our visit. The service was great, very friendly, we never felt forgotten even though we were seated upstairs. Great food, fabulous service, lovely surroundings and a very respectable bill. When meeting up with friends at the end of the month, we suggested we eat here and are looking forward to a return visit. Highly recommend.

Cracking pub that fits the olde English pub criteria. Low beams, cosy atmosphere and brewing it's own beer downstairs.

Great Vegetarian Sunday roast with a friendly service. Really lovely pub, apparently the oldest in Nantwich

The Black Lion is one of the best in town, great selection of fine ales too. Beef dinner was great

Excellent historic real ale pub, with brilliant bar staff and manager Mateo is knowledgeable and friendly. Great atmosphere all around. Food is good and reasonably priced. Update: Despite the https://blacklionnantwich.co.uk/history/ picture showing Old Dog, that beer is currently unavailable at the Black Lion... Though it is available at the Globe (as of 19/8/24, see picture) - tastes as good as ever!

This pub has always been one of my favourites in town, it is a beautiful building, has some really great staff and great ale choices. However it appears that now I have a child, my time in the pub will have to be limited. I understand a policy of 'no children after 9pm' etc but I didn't realise the pub had a complete ban on under 12s. It is a quiet Sunday afternoon, the lovely courtyard was empty and we had just enjoyed a walk with our six week year old who was fast asleep in his pram. Knowing they have a courtyard hatch, we thought we would have a quick quiet pint on a Sunday afternoon. Sadly the manager had to inform us that children are not allowed. If I'm being pedantic it says on the sign on the door 'No children inside under 12', I didn't realise that would also include the empty courtyard. I do to an extent understand kids running riot unaccompanied but I also believe that the Black Lion is not that type of pub to attract unruly children's families. Businesses need all the support they can get currently, so I find it odd they would enforce such a rule on a quiet Sunday. Thankfully the Crown didn't have such a rule and is also a beautiful old pub with good ale. Please reconsider this rule during the daytime's when it is quiet 👍

Great service menu interesting as it’s not your typical pub fare, ideal for a tapas evening with a bottle or two of wine… main courses very nice and very ample and flavourful… the pub side is busy in the court yard and down stairs front bar… maybe a little more training of the staff when serving menu food and drinks but overall satisfying… a great evening date night with taxi home!! Great comprehensive allergy list, best I’ve seen!!!

Wonderful 17th century pub loaded with character. Uneven floors, low ceilings and old oak beams throughout. Fabulous food and a great selection of real ales. What's not to love!?

Friendly pub, gorgeous little courtyard with pretty planting and water feature, just the spot on a hot summer’s afternoon for an afternoon drink.

Lovely traditional pub atmosphere, we love the pub quiz on a Monday Evening. The food is spot on, the open fire really contributes to the atmosphere of a very friendly pub. Mateo and the team are really welcoming and friendly. Would certainly recommend this pub, without a doubt.

A cracking olde worldy pub, real history in the building (don't forget to take a peek upstairs in the lounge), brilliant ales on the bar, immaculately kept and reasonably priced, and good service. Our favourite pub in Nantwich, if only we lived nearer!

Love this pub - the building is ancient and beautiful and the service is excellent. They have a good selection of beers all of which are local - a lot are Weetwood. This isn’t your Madri/Moretti pub - it’s a proper beautiful pub with lovely staff.

Funky old pub serving tapas. The staff were really friendly

Service was excellent got served as walked in pub, great pint of lager, outside in beer garden his worth visit.

Always lovely here - first time for food - very nice and great service with attentive staff- will come again ! Thanks for the experience!

Best NZ sauvignon blanc served here. Very old pub, nice atmosphere.

As a group we've drank here for over a decade without there ever being an issue until last night (we're all 45+). The landlord appeared at closing time and started shouting the odds at us and became aggressive towards us as we left. I don't think he like cyclists it's not wise to pretend to phone the police about your clientele as they are leaving peacefully claiming that they are too drunk to stand and threatening the staff, especially when you have CCTV. Demanding that we leave immediately then threaten to lock us in the courtyard if we didn't was somewhat counterproductive. The lion always had 3 top notch guest ales on until recently, now they usually have one half decent guest, and one dire one along with the trio of Weetwood house ales. I've never eaten here, only consumed the beer, so I won't comment on the food, but with an attitude like that it's probably better that the landlord who is also the head chef stays in the kitchen for his and others safety. Whilst the pub is charming and beers can be good (they are certainly well kept) the landlords attitude certainly marrs the experience. Edit. I feel I need to add more to this. When we left, I had a laugh and joke with the young barmaid about me falling down the stairs several months earlier, her response was, "oh, so, you're stair man!" With that in mind, I really can't imagine that she was scared of us at all.. I'm not going to deny that I told him I'd C U Next Tuesday as locking our bikes in was an unwarranted and unnecessary threat. At 1135 two of us nipped to the gents as we were leaving, nobody asked us to leave up to this point and the landlord charged into the gents and hurled a tirade of abuse at us, he then stormed outside and threatened to lock our bikes in (he told the police that he offered to keep them safe!), we left and then, he charged out of the open front door (after I spoke to the barmaid at the open front door stating that the landlord is a bit lively) issuing threats to myself whilst allegedly on the phone to the police. If the pub was as closed as he said, why were people still leaving via the front door? The police reviewed the footage and sided with us. Just so you know folks, the landlord here banned the entire Nantwich Cycle Group from this pub too, why? Because he doesn't like cyclists. Ladies and gentlemen, vote with your wallets, there are plenty of pubs in this town that are welcoming, sadly, the landlord of this one is not. In the 48 years I've been alive, I've never been treated like this in any establishment. Vote with you wallets people and Pick a welcoming establishment, I've posted this publicly with my profile, so, I have nothing to hide. The landlord is hiding behind his business. I wish him the best....

Lovely Sunday lunch service was excellent food, too 😋 Lovely old pub will definitely be back very, very soon !

Excellent place !!. Perfect atmosphere. The food is very delicious. And attention 10 points!! Very delicious beers and I had an incredible cocktail!!!

Very nice old pub with great beer

I'm new to the area thi has to be one of the best pubs in Nantwich and the beer is superb

Had a lovely dinner and many rounds of drinks. The staff were lovely and friendly, as were the locals. The fire was going and warmed up the place a treat. A lovely pub to come to when either starting or just finishing the four counties ring, or even just visiting Nantwich. Reasonable price for a round of drinks for 7 people! Will definitely come back when we venture back up North!

An absolute cracker. A proper English pub with real fires, real beers and real people. Quirky floors and higgledy piggeldy stairs and a cool wooden room at the back. Just ace. Always stop in ont way through, especially when I’m boating passed on the canal.

A lovely little pub in Nantwich, staff were polite and friendly and lit the log fire while I was sipping down my pint of Cheshire Cat, definitely recommend popping in for a cosy rest bite if in the area.

Can’t say it’s the best, manager doesn’t believe in gluten free so can’t imagine he’s the most respectful of people - food is ok, scenery is beautiful, just a shame about the people working

Called to meet friends on a recommendation for lunch. A busy town centre pub. Dog friendly areas as well. Great choice of real ales, beers, and ciders available. The menu has plenty of choice and caters for all tastes. We had the Roast Turkey Lunch special. Everything was well cooked and very enjoyable. The staff and owner are all very friendly, welcoming, and helpful. I would definitely recommend this pub and will call here again.

Very busy Friday night friendly atmosphere really good beers . We enjoyed our meals and were surprised to see how few people were eating as food was excellent . We will be returning

What a delightful old pub in Nantwich. The food, the drink and wonderful ambience make this well worth a visit. Brimming with historic charm and a children's policy (over 12s only) which ensures a relaxing visit. I have to commend the landlord on enforcing this. Children are a blessing but I simply want to enjoy my downtime time in peace. To hear the crackle of the large open fire and conversation with my partner over a superb plate of food. Huge well done Darren & team. We will be back very soon!

Sunday lunch at the Black Lion is exceptional. The food is excellent as is the service. As a vegetarian, the no beef Wellington is just awesome. Great atmosphere and highly recommended.

On a Sunday afternoon, we went to have a quiet pint. When we went to open the door through the courtyard, we saw a sign saying there were no children allowed under the age of 12. Well done to the owner. He's able to run a business which can ostracise half of Nantwich. Never mind the three previous attempts I've made to try and drink there but it was closed. What next? No women? Get a grip.

We now have a weekly boys night out each Friday night at the Black Lion and enjoy the food, atmosphere and friendly staff, always excellent service. Robert S.

Nice pub with a small friendly atmosphere

We sat upstairs in this cosy, friendly old pub. The decorations were tasteful, and the Westwood Best Bitter was perfect. Great ambience, and a wonderful start to Christmas!

Lovely Christmas dinner at lunch time today. Amazing cheese board!!!!

Excellent dining experience this evening, we booked a table for 7:30pm on a Saturday a while ago, not thinking how busy it would be on a Saturday evening on the run up to Christmas! We booked a table downstairs due to mobility issues and yes, the pub was busy! However the service we received was exceptional, as was the food, the staff were attentive, professional, friendly and genuinely happy to serve us even though they were busy. Thank you Darren and the Team for a really lovely evening 😊

Great food, great choice of drinks and dfriendly staff

Lunch today absolutely perfect lovely starters followed by the lightest battered fish chips and mushy peas. Beautiful pub with open fire in the lounge and a log burner in the snug area. Polite and welcoming staff. Would definitely recommend and hopefully we will make a return trip.

Felt really welcome with my dog. Very clean. Excellent service. Very nice pinot grigio. Thank you.

Nous venions de quitter un pub bruyant avec ses 3 tv et 2 programmes, groupe de Heavy, et plutôt froid, un peu déçus les frenchys. Nous sommes entrés dans le Black Lion et quel changement délicieux ! Intimes alcôves à l'etage avec de confortables Chesterfield, le match Irlande Afrique du sud. Délicieux repas avec duo de poissons Une hôtesse qui n'économise pas ses marches, accueillante, prévenante, agréable, professionnelle en un mot. Une bonne petite soirée ! Merci Black Lion, nous reviendrons !

It was an experience to visit the oldest pub in Nantwich and it was beautiful, calming and relaxing. Will definitely go again!

Booked for Sunday lunch today and it was absolutely fantastic, the No Beef Wellington is delicious, it is lovely to have such a varied vegetarian menu. The quality of the food is excellent, the staff are friendly and professional and the atmosphere is lovely. Thank you to Darren and the Team. Highly recommended.

Lovely pub, only had drinks, so can't comment on the food but the Black Lion is my favourite pub in Nantwich

Lovely Sunday roast - a traditional home cooked roast dinner with a friendly and efficient service - highly recommend!

A lovely pub. Been going there for years when in Nantwich.

Excellent Sunday lunch no need to say more. Go and try it.

We were looking for somewhere for some lunch, so we looked at some reviews and this place came out on top and we weren't disappointed, the food was excellent, so we will certainly come back for a visit in the future.

I've been here before . Would come again

Great little pub with a really friendly atmosphere, the staff are lovely and the beer is always kept well.

Wonderful Sunday afternoon spent in 'The Courtyard at the Lion' Nantwich looking really pretty with all its flowers & water feature. Delicious hearty beef Sunday roast for me and a great Thai inspired haddock and cod fish of the day for my other half. Delicious beer & wine. Excellent value too! The food and service was top notch. Very friendly regulars too, great to chat to other people. Fantastic service by Darren and Team. 'The Courtyard at The Lion' is a hidden gem off Welsh Row and well worth a visit while inside The Black Lion just oozes history and old world charm.

I love this pub. Great beer, lovely surroundings. Attentive, friendly service. Effortlessly managed our table of seven for food on Saturday lunchtime. Great selection of meals and variable portion sizes (an excellent idea). Menu has very detailed allergy information.

Superb pub with great cask beers

A lovely afternoon in the courtyard, just had to snap the flowers. The perfect way to cool down on a warm sunny day. A couple of pints of Jester in my favourite pub in Nantwich.

Excellent service attentive staff & great pub food couldn’t fault it

Perfect spot in the courtyard with sun 🌞 shining!! Staff were friendly, gave us great service and just very accommodating. 😊

Lovely pub a short walk from the town centre. Selection of eight real ales to choose from. Ambient background music and no TV. Highly recommended for ale lovers. Food served too

Excellent value. Choice of real ales (mostly Weetwood when we visited). Pies locally sourced and were excellent. 17th century building and shows the character. Very popular with locals. Recommend visiting.

Lovely atmosphere great food would recommend

Fantastic pub, great service and good beer

Lovely. Old pub,cosy interior with a real fire,timbered building,good selection of cask ales, strong show from weetwood brewery,friendly environment and great staff,well worth a visit

This place is the best pub in Nantwich. It's warm and friendly , log fire, has great beer ( would love a stout though!) . Today we had a really nice mother's Day lunch include an amazing blackberry and ginger pudding. Will be back very soon!

Lovely Old pub with a really nice atmosphere

Great pub and staff, beer always served as expected. Quality always!

The food, the beer, the ambience - all make this a truly wonderful place to spend your Sunday afternoon. Gorgeous restaurant quality dishes without the price-tag. We began with ham & chorizo rissoles and soup of the day (lentil & veg) as starters followed by one of the best Sunday lunches I have experienced for miles around, a mixed plate of juicy tender pork and beef. Next was pudding heaven - dark chocolate & salted caramel tart and ginger & blackberry sponge, both with ice cream. The beer was Jester from local brewery Weetwood Cheshire, 'hoppy' and full of flavour. My partner and I love the character and charm of this delightful old pub and the staff couldn't have been more welcoming. Alex is a wealth of knowledge on the different ales and the service was all round top notch. As a local to Nantwich I feel privileged to have this pub in my town and can highly recommend booking for food or calling in for beer or two. Well done Black Lion.

I took two friends from London to dinner at the Black Lion. A wide selection of beers (including six real ales). An enchanting interior with Tudor beams. An attractive menu with good options. The food was excellent and washed down by a very nice, reasonably priced, bottle of Pinot Noir. The service from the moment we walked in was excellent.

Most obliging staff. Informed in good time that this was quiz night.

I love the old world vibe of the Black Lion. Exposed beams, good beer and gin selection. Has been a favoured haunt for the last 20 years, through its different iterations. One of my happy places!

Have come here on a previous trip to Nantwich and enjoyed the pub downstairs for it's unassuming warmth and authenticity. Sadly now unable to have a table downstairs when seating 2 people, even as a special request booked in advance. Lacking that extra effort or personal touch. Disappointing.

We booked for a Sunday lunch with family. We'd booked a specific table downstairs, on arrival, we were told we'd been moved upstairs. One of our party is unable to do stairs (recovering from recent back operation) so were given a different table downstairs, not as nice as the one we'd booked. I'm pleased to say we ended up at the table we'd booked (without making a fuss). We had pork roasts with lovely fresh veg, a steak burger with melted cheese thin fries and salad garnish, with the chefs excellent home made relish and pie of the day - cheese and onion this time from Hulse's an excellent small local bakery served with chunky chips and gravy. All the food was very good, with fast and friendly service. Any one can have a problem, true class is in sorting it out quickly and amicably (as with our table)

Friendly staff, beer is great with new ones to try each week. Great historic surroundings..

Lovely food and staff. Would like more beer or cider choices though.

Really comfortable, friendly and great atmosphere. We sat outside and enjoyed the ambience.

Proper pub.....amazing staff and food

Booked for Friday night. Had an excellent table in one of the two bar areas. Quality pub food including fish stew and local pies. Great service and always a warm friendly atmosphere.

Lovely old pub with lots of character.

Cosy friendly. Food was just amazing.

Shocking just been turned down at 17.20pm as they open at 17.00pm and after 17.00pm kids are not allowed in how does this work? On a weekday when we wanted to have a meal in the new local pub. First time we’ve been in and now the last.

Of all the pubs we visit whilst touring the canals this has to be my absolute favourite. Why? Put simply it ticks all the boxes, great service, great ale (I first tasted Weetwoods Best here, loved it and still do), comfortable surroundings and good food all in a lovely old building which is full of character. When in Nantwich we always head for the Black Lion, sometimes more than once (on a good day!) Top marks for good reason.

Excellent choice of beers. Brilliant staff. Try the quiz on a Monday but you will need to book a place 🙂

Dog friendly pub and great beer.

Great pub oldest in Nantwich. Not eaten there yet but everyone raves about it

We had a fantastic lunch in their lovely courtyard beer garden. Plates were £7.50 and we had Thai beef salad and cod and chorizo fishcakes which were both great quality and to be able to add a decent size bowl of chips for just £1 is amazing value these days. Beer was good and service friendly.

A lovely, quaint little pub. The staff were friendly, the service quick and rhe beer cold

Nice quite pint. Old Dog great beer. Clean and Friendly pub.

Great place for real ales. You can watch the fish whilst having a pint in there side garden/yard. Recommend and plan to revisit.

Great beer and the food was excellent. Impromptu visit but A1 service. Food arrived promptly and we all(7 of us) enjoyed a lovely meal. Thank you.

Lovely old pub, I sat looking round at the building work done by men long gone who had never even heard of square, level or plumb as they pegged together the old ship’s timbers. The staff are lovely friendly people. The food was ok . My only advice if you want the Sunday roast book your table before 2pm as they had sold out We booked 4pm 🙁

Lovely atmosphere friendly staff,food was delicious

Lovely warm welcome from the bar girl and absolutely excellent food. The staff couldn't do enough for us and were so friendly and pleasant. Would definitely recommend and will be going again.

This only needs to be short...Great beer, friendly, welcoming, absolutely every thing you could want in a proper traditional English pub. It was a pleasure to visit.

A nice pub with a good range of beers. My Sunday roast was nice. Staff were very attentive.

Out for a few beers with friends, really old pub with authentic beams etc , reasonably priced beers, not sure if they serve any food. Friendly bar staff.

First time visiting today and we’ll definitely be back again. Delicious, reasonably priced roast dinner and amazing desserts! Very friendly staff, great service and dog friendly.

Nice wee pub. Quite room out the back very peaceful. Smoking area even serves direct customers, no traipsing in and out!

Quaint pub, really lovely, staff really friendly.

Nice selection of real ales but most impressive of all were the bar staff - knowledgeable and friendly, warm atmosphere throughout

We had a great evening in this wonderful pub. The food was lovely, proper "pub grub", the service was very friendly and efficient and the beer was superb! We were visitors to Nantwich and if we return to the area we will certainly return to...

Very friendly. Good food. Interesting building and dog friendly.