The Duke William Lincoln in Lincoln

Brilliant place to stay, fabulous food, people, location and rooms

We were in the cottage, a self catering part.

Simple and straight forward booking online, excellent service, excellent food at a great price and lovely atmosphere.

Whilst partaking on a crawI of Lincoln’s finest ale pubs I was initially not going to bother visiting this hotel / bar / restaurant situated at the top end of the Bailgate but was drawn here by reports from other crawl members that it had the Timothy Taylor and Northern Monk collaboration Stout I’d read about on the bar, and I am very glad I did as I thought it was a much more comfortable example of a food and Ale pub than the Wig and Mitre further south on Steep hill.
An attractive white frontage hints at a building of some age, but internally it has a very modern décor with plenty of Farrow and Ball applied in the dining sections. But there are enough period features, such as exposed brickwork and beams to give the place some character, especially in the bar area where the U-shaped bar is composed of exposed stonework footings with reclaimed beams on top, liberally festooned with beer pump clips.
Although one connected space the bar area gives the feel of two separate rooms either side of the central U shaped bar, each with a bank of four ale hand pumps, but in the absence of a chalk board that I could see you have to inspect both sets to see what is on which, for our visit, was four ales and two ciders across the eight pumps. 
Timothy Taylor Landlord was on both sets, as this is a Timothy Taylor Champion Club establishment as proudly proclaimed by a large plaque on the back wall of the right-hand bar section, as was Ferry Ales Brewery Spirit of Jane Pale Bitter. Then alongside two ciders from Seacider on the left hand set there was Docks Beers Helihopter Pale Ale and the aforementioned Northern Rising Unity Stout on the right-hand pumps.
Then beyond the bar is a spacious dining area which then leads to a small, enclosed courtyard space and an outside garden area.
I cannot comment on the quality of the food, but plenty of other people on here are. But when considering the place just for a beer I was glad I popped into this one as it was a lot better than I was expecting.

Such a lovely place! Gorgeous vibe, all cosy and twinkly lights. The staff are so friendly - Lisa was a wonderful host. The food was delicious and served quickly. I'd love to come back.

Went to a vampire murder mystery party my friend was holding at The Duke William - staff there were very accommodating and served some lovely hearty food. Was really impressed with the service team, especially since there were a big group of us and we all felt very welcomed!

I went here for a friend's birthday (no hotel stay). It's a lovely, lively venue just a short walk away from the beautiful cathedral area. The staff and atmosphere are fantastic. Definitely worth a visit!

The food was delicious, the menu had something for everyone, staff were super friendly and we all had a wonderful time. I would highly recommend

Restaurant food, ambience and service good, though it can be noisy in the main restaurant due to poor acoustics.

Actually I didn't go in, my car had decided to throw up a warning light when I was on my way to the Castle Square Farmers market. Then my car decided to restart . At least The Duke was a good place as a point of reference at 6.50 am in pouring rain for the AA to find me. Anyway, I hear it's a very good ace and it had to he to have survived so many years , so givecit a visit. Also the Farmers market, every 3rd Saturday is great

Only a food review , amazing starters ( soufle) mains good but veg cool which was a shame service excellent and it is a lovely historic but very clean pub restaurant

Nice pub. Large outside area out back. Good food and drinks. Nice staff

Very pleasant pub with good range on stick and on tap. Decent range of non-alcoholic beers too.

Fantastic meal great choice of beer, excellent service. Thoroughly recommend

Went for a great lunch meeting up with family. Brilliant staff and service with lots of helpful hints for 'strangers in town' despite it being a quiet day. Good food with some interesting choices and combinations, dogs very comfortable in the bar area and a good selection of beer - ale and lager!

Nice enough as a pub, obviously it's more of a hotel/restaurant than a pub but the pint I had in there was ok, well served by polite, professional staff. Very nice décor, toilets are first class (always a bonus). Update 5 years later, much the same but a bit pricier than I remember, still good though.

Wonderful hotel. Well finished boutique rooms, great food, central location and amazing staff.

Just a shame the first breakfast ruined by workmen creating lots of dust in next room where we were having breakfast no door so dust was coming into area we were eating told staff but it still took about twenty minutes before they put up a dust sheet rest of time there was brilliant

Should have come earlier.....been to the Duke many times and had good food but came for a late sunday lunch. Obviously my food was from lunchtime. Paid £5 for some cauliflower cheese to go with the pork sunday dinner. It was like mush. Dinner was cold. Yorkie rock hard. Crackling... squishy. Roasties seemed like frozen ones. Yuk. Complained but didnt offer anything.

Looking for some pub grub, we got here and were surprised by a rather elaborate and tasty menu. Perfect in a humble way, restaurant quality but still a pub. Recommended.

Re-visited this lovely establishment for dinner with a few friends for a day out. I order the special lamb shank, which I must say hit the spot and the presentation was fantastic (despite forgetting to take a pic, as I was very hungry).

Had a wonderful full English breakfast. Stunning 😍 great location, very central

A lovely place to eat in up hill Lincoln. Pleasant friendly staff with a good range of food choices on the menu.

Service good for a very busy Saturday evening. Some good meals served except the chicken pasta dish. Chicken was like tough rubber and inedible. Management removed this off the bill after complaining but did initially tried to charge more than advertised price. Had the Australian Shiraz under the title Big and Bold section. This is very thin and only 11 percent abv. It’s never seen big and bold and not advertised correctly so be aware. Also an extra bottle had been put on the bill which we spotted and got removed so beware to check carefully. Bar drinks averaged £2 per head more than other pubs I visit in the area.

Just beyond the top of ‘ step hill’ but worth the effort. Hand pulled beer was excellent, if a little on the expensive side, we also had the Ploughmans lunch to share. Staff were all very friendly and attentive and the building possesses plenty of charm and character.

The car charger in the park is NOT a type 2 charger, nor is there a socket for you to plug into. Just saying

Great atmosphere in here, a bit pricey on drinks but a great place to meet up and chat......enjoy

As per usual the lunch was absolutely excellent and the service incredibly friendly. Well done again team!

Fantastic stay at the Duke William hotel in Lincoln. A very short walk from the cathedral. Very comfortable beds with all the things you might need in the room. Dinner and breakfast was also excellent with items on the menu that you might not normally get at a traditional pub.

Lovely place to visit, I've only been for food and drink so can't comment on the accommodation however if it's as good as the service, ambiance, food, beers, wines and spirits in the pub restaurant then its bound to be good.

Went in for a drink and there is a decent outside area at the back.

Booked Sunday lunch to meet up with friends . Arrived early so had a cooling drink in the garden . Ideal spot on a sunny day . We had our Sunday lunch in the restaurant. Lovely and cool on a hot day ,. The food was excellent , good quality and served hot . Staff are very pleasant , helpful and professional. Looking forward to going again.

Nothing was too much for the staff, they were so eager to please. Very polite and well mannered. The rooms are clean and have character. I would definitely stay there again.

Another superb meal at Duke William. The team all loved it and the food was wonderful as usual. Great venue, great service and the staff are super friendly! Thank you!

Our second stay at DW and another good experience. The team in all areas we interacted with were excellent. We were very impressed with the way an issue with necessary kitchen work, which meant we couldn't have a cooked breakfast was handled. A courtesy call to advise of the issue and offer of a voucher, which we used towards Sunday dinner, was much appreciated. It's when things go awry that you see how a business reacts and this was exemplary. We stayed in room 2, which we preferred to room 4 we had previously, quite a bit more space overall, although a bit tight between end of bed and wall. It was also a bit noisy, with casks or something being moved outside before 7am. Shower room was good, I'd recommend a shelf or some storage rack under the basin, as there is not much room for toiletries around the basin and the floor is not a great option. Our continental breakfast was excellent, great service again and might even make think twice about the full English next time. Cheers

Lovely place to stay, though room 3 was small, hot and, as a result, a bit uncomfortable. Removing some furniture, especially piece at foot of the bed, which blocks pathway to the bathroom, would help. But as I say, otherwise, lovely place to stay and we would come back - though not to room 3. ☺

A gem of a gastro pub with a gorgeous 17th century cottage to stay in - cosy, clean and full of character. Wonderful staff and amazing food.

Òn Saturday we attended the Duke William for food. The waitress was very friendly and very efficient, even though one of my guests was unintentionally, but definitely was, difficult. Despite this unintentionally rude behaviour of one of myguests (according to the individuals son and daughter I must admit. I did not hear myself) the waitress was very good natured and remained nice.

Great service, good food, great gin menu 😀

Excellent rooms, excellent location and excellent staff

Duke_Wellington_Review A lovely historic place in the heart of Lincoln. Atmosphere was friendly and peaceful, no music blaring out so you can converse with your family & friends. The FOH staff were warm, friendly and we felt welcome. It seemed to be a very popular place to eat so booking would be recommended. The menu was interesting and offered a good variety of starters, mains and sides. Desert menu offered popular choices. The menu suggests that they are trying really hard to escape the mundane usual offerings but I chose the roast beef from the Sunday Lunch option I really don't want to give a negative review but the meal I was served wasn't what I was expecting. The beef was very thinly sliced and tbh a bit tough and needed a lot of chewing. It was reminiscent of the over cooked beef slices you get from the supermarket but a lot tougher and not much of it. The roast spuds looked good although a bit well done and a little charred in places, the skin(s) didn't yeild easily with a knife but the inside was lovely and fluffy, nice. The mash was lovely but was buried under the thin slices of beef. The chunky carrots were lovely and IMO had just the right amount of bite! Yorkshire pud was light and crispy and cooked to pefection but seems to have been hanging around for a long time and would probably have better hot. Gravy was lovely but not much of it. I like a lot of gravy. Veggies were ordered as "sides" and IMO under cooked, sadly like in a lot of eating places. The Cauliflower (cheese) was very resistant to being cut with a knife, instead of just yeilding under the light pressure of a fork. IMO, if you want crunchy veg, eat them raw and don't pretend to cook them :-) Wilted veg is why bother! My comments about the food is purely my opinion as a foodie, based on cooking food for 50+ years, I prefer traditional! I like beef to be cooked rare / medium rare but veg to be well done but not mushy :-) I could have complained but I accept we are all different and some people would have enjoyed the meal with relish. Due to the popularlity of the place, it would seem most people like what they are served but I did notice quite a lot of burgers meals. No doubt a lot of people would give 5 stars. My visit was at the peak of Sunday lunch and most tables were taken, the FOH staff worked hard to keep things running but the kitchen staff must have been working like honey bees getting the meals cooked and deserve a pat on the back but crunchy veg will never get 5 stars from me :-)

We stayed at another location that had a technical issue so couldn't supply breakfast, we was walking into town happened across this pub, saw it was open for breakfast. I had full English wife had eggs benidict teas and orange juice, food was excellent, tasty, fresh and delicious. £13 Full English. Highly recommend the breakfast at this pub

Ate there with family, food and service top notch

Lovely sized, clean and comfortable room with shower. Although situated above restaurant and bar noise was minimal and i slept very well. My only gripe would be that the refreshments weren’t replenished and we had to ask for a refill. Highly recommend and very close to Cathedral and Castle in old town. There is also parking at the rear for staying guests.

Lovely old and characterful rooms and pub. Cracking breakfast with great staff

One of my favourite pubs. Booked this for a works meal. Everything was great bar two meals being missed on the pre order. This was dealt with efficiently and the waitress could not have been more accommodating or apologetic.

Went for a small family gathering and Sunday lunch, my 3rd visit recently. The setting is lovely, the food is very good as is the beer. The staff were very friendly, very helpful, efficient and provide an excellent experience. Well worth a visit.

We had Sunday lunch which was good. I’ve been before and the only comment I would give is that the veg was luke warm both occasions.

Had a very nice meal and a couple of drinks here while visiting Lincoln. Very impressed, unbelievable choice of craft ales and the food was excellent. Made to feel very welcome by the friendly and attentive staff. Highly recommended.

Convenient location to get to. Great food, good friendly and efficient staff and good atmosphere. Will definitely be back.

We arrived on Lincoln early and since the accommodation wasn't ready, what else do girls do? Have lunch and oh and a drink. We had a sandwich which was excellent and bigger than expected when we were expecting a light lunch. Service and staff were helpful and friendly. We had planned to return for dinner but time ran out but will visit next time

Fantastic Sunday dinner and friendly service.

Had a superb Sunday lunch all the usual choices and much more! well presented with friendly accommodating staff . Pleasant atmosphere good value . Only little niggle was our extremely wobbly table . This did not distract from what appears to be a well ran business . Well done to all of the staff 👍. bear in mind that this is a cashless concern ie card only

Lovely food and not rushed at all during meal.

Stoped off having fallen off my bike and could have been look after better. Dominic is by far one of the most professional yet friendly bar men I have ever had the pleasure to being looked after by. He organised and wonderful veggie burger cooked to perfecting and a real ale. You can tell they look after there lines well. I wish I had time to stay longer.

Having been a few months ago and having a fantastic meal we decided to revisit on Saturday 30th at 2-45pm, the pub was very busy as I think a lot were probably eating before the madness concert, unfortunately we had a less than enjoyable experience this time around, my wife had the pie which she said was superb and I ordered the fish and chips, unfortunately the fish was full of bones and after a few mouthfuls I gave in as it’s a pet hate of mine and put me off finishing it, we did mention it to the waitress but I know it wasn’t her fault and these things happen, I was quite disappointed as I’d been looking forward to it all day, I’ve pictured the meal and attached what I left, regards, Mark.

We only used it as a pub. The wait to be served was minimal for a busy pub. Service was good, reasonably priced drinks. Nice atmosphere.

Good Saturday night dinner. Huge portions but delicious well presented food. Place was packed so that says it all.

Nice pub. Although very busy, the service was great and the staff very friendly.

Lovely pub , staff great , good location , room very nice would stay again. 😀

We stayed 5 nights. Lovely old Hotel/Pub with nicely updated bathrooms. Very quiet at the back of the hotel, although on Friday/Saturday night it can be a bit noisy on the street side. Great location, and terrific food in the restaurant. They serve Sunday Roast until 8:00pm, Breakfast are great, from Full English toe Eggs Benedict, Eggs Royal, with Lattes, Cappuccinos etc. all very good. We ate there many times, on one occasion the Sea Bass was a little oily but all the other food was excellent. No English Whisky in the bar (Filey Bay would have been good) and an excess of fruit flavored drinks (they seem inordinately fond of mango) but they have some decent beers and (normal) cider too.

Met friends for a Sunday lunch. Unlike most pubs was quiet enough to talk and catch up. Food and service was both good.

Fantastic service from all the staff. Lovely food. Friendly atmosphere.

Food very good, service good, friendly staff. Overall a lovely lunch!

Had a couple drinks here. The wine was lovely. Such a lovely vibe, very rustic

Great food on a wet day in Lincoln

Location is superb Staff at the bar .. excellent Then that’s it … virtually nothing for a coeliac .. plenty for vegetarian or vegan .. Choice is very limited and cross contamination is the only answer given to us Perhaps need to consider necessity of clients not choices. Oh well maybe we should stop being coeliac .. oh wait .. can’t !!! Disappointed to say the least about this and the lack of interest in the customer Nice place .. needs a clean too but.. with the right food and a good clean house would be perfect to go

Has a fantastic time, food, staff, atmosphere amazing. Thank you all

Have decided to join the dystopian freedom crushing CBDC system by going cashless, avoid like the plague if you value your freedoms.

Booked in for breakfast at 10.30, service was very slow and as we were the only table in there it was a little disappointing. When the breakfast arrived the poached eggs where extremely vinegary and all of them where over cooked, intact the majority of the items on the breakfasts where over cooked. None of the breaded items were buttered and had to ask for butter. All in all it was ok but didn’t reflect the price they were charging.

Food was good, service was good.

Room could have been a bit better. Staff in the night chatting down stairs at 3.00am.

A great place to have fabulous food, really great menu, friendly staff, accessible. Dog friendly too! I've been multiple times and always had a good meal, particularly fond of the pasta dishes and the Sunday lunches. 10/10

Sunday lunch was really good. Generous portions and nicely cooked with fresh ingredients.

A nice.pub with plenty of choice of beers

Lovely quirky hotel. We ate there on the Sunday night and everything was delicious. It is a rabbit warren of rooms but that makes it more interesting.

Food was gorgeous, they had run out of lamb for the salad, but they substituted chicken for me and made a salad especially, so was very grateful. Really good customer service attentive, without being overbearing. Really lovely.

Beautiful location in Lincolns Bailgate. Lovely atmosphere Beautifully decorated and inkeeping with surroundings. Pleasant helpful and friendly staff service with a smile. We only stopped for a few hot drinks on a cold spring morning and nothing was too much trouble. Dog friendly also. Always a place we pop into for drinks on an evening out. Great selection of beers ales and gins!

We came for dinner on Sunday 5 May. The atmosphere of the place is good, the staff are very attentive and helpful. The starters were good, but the sunday dinners that we had were only average! The roast potates were burnt and the pudding was hard. Brownie tasted powdery!

First time visit and the food was great. Good service and lovely setting and atmosphere.

The best Veggi roast by far Lincoln has to offer. The roast potatoes were out of this world! Always impeccable service and I’ve member had a bad meal there in all the years I have been going.

My wife and I went for Sunday lunch. Greeted warmly and shown to table. Service prompt throughout the meal. Food was superb, very tasty and generous portion size. Waiting staff friendly, helpful, not intrusive. Will definitely go again.

Lovely stay at this hotel. Friendly staff and excellent evening meal and breakfast. Free parking included which is a bonus. Highly recommended and will certainly return one day.

Wonder meal, very tasty. Early Friday evening and they found us a dig friendly table inside. Great service.

Our experience of the Duke Williams was exceptional; staff went the extra mile for our celebrations. Food was second to none - all three courses were fabulous!

Service good and friendly and food delicious

It was bustling (Steampunk weekend). The service was friendly and I had the best moules mariniere I've had for years! Wonderful, thank you.

My wife had liver … lovely , no complaints. I had fisherman’s pie .. supposedly with.. Salmon, cod, clams, prawns, squid & haddock in a creamy white wine & herb sauce, topped with mature cheddar cheese mash, tenderstem broccoli, braised fennel & roasted chantenay carrots. Although the taste was ok , it consisted of a few very small pieces of white fish , a very small prawn i could hardly see . I do remember one piece of squid, and to be honest I don’t recollect any salmon. You need to up your game if you are changing £18 for this. Let me say i like this pub , have had some nice beers and sunday lunches here and are not one to complain .

Stayed for a weekend break and this was a lovely base in Lincoln. The room was comfortable, well equipped and nicely decorated. There were nice touches, such as cookies on the tea tray and nice toiletries. We had a larger room and had the comfort of a sofa for relaxing. The staff were all very friendly, welcoming and helpful throughout our stay. We had a very good meal in the pub which had a range of cask ales and a great atmosphere. This was a great place to base ourselves for a visit to the city, highly recommended

Stayed 1 night, lovely clean and cosy accommodation in a great location, fabulous hot fresh breakfast in the morning & all staff here are very friendly and welcoming

The food, service and the restaurant space were all warm and welcoming. Food was delicious 😋! My linguini was so flavorful without being overly spicy and my husband's steak and ale pie was presented beautifully and tasted amazing. We finished with a homemade slice of cheesecake. The restaurant itself is a cozy space with a great staff.

Food was very tasty and service excellent. Will come back again. Thanks

Quite crowded need to book. Friendly staff and food is excellent, not cheapest but good prices for evenings. Highly recommended.

Great stay, the bar and restaurant provided excellent drink and meal, excellent friendly service from all the staff and kitchen. Room was very comfortable and quaint with the meandering corridor! Never been offered filter coffee in a hotel room before, great touch.

Lovely restaurant, very popular so book a table. We were there for 2 evenings, food fresh and delicious (particular praise for the salmon souffle starter). Very efficient, friendly and welcoming staff who all seemed to be always smiling - however busy they were. Highly recommend

Lovely food with a wide variety on menu. Great service even though it was a busy evening.

As a family of six we booked in for a Sunday lunchtime. We got a nice table in pleasant surroundings, with a satisfying busy buzz about the place. The kids had a child’s roast, and burgers, and the adults went for the roast. All of the food was excellent, huge Yorkshire puddings, lovely stuffing and rich gravy. The deserts were great too, I had an excellent bread and butter pudding, and perfect espresso. A special shout out the waiting team, who were very attentive, charming and helpful. We had a very nice time indeed.

Had two course lunch offer. Great value, choice, and quality.

Ate an evening meal, arrived a bit early but taken to reserve table earlier than our reserved time, served promptly and cheerfully. Food was good

Nice restaurant with great food. Not a noisy pub so good for a quiet drink. Nice area outside to sit in the sun.