The Merchants Inn in Rugby

Was recommended to The Merchants as we were looking for craft beer. It was busy on an early Friday evening but we managed to get a table. The bar offered a very good selection of beers, including a list of Belgian beers. We didn’t eat here but the menu showed pork pies and hot pies. I’m not sure if they serve full meals.

Natalia was amazing, very welcome and brought good banter from thr start, will be coming back !!! brilliant and a very nice girl

If you dislike lager but prefer traditional British beer kept very well, poured properly by bar staff who know how to pour trad beers, this is the place for you. If you come out in a nasty rash when in the company of non gender spacific snowflakes, this definately is the place for you. Like a good wine or brandy, maturity comes with age and experience. If you want to experience how a traditional British pub should be, give the Merchants a visit. Rarer than hen's teeth in this digital age. A definate must visit for real ale lovers. My pints of Bass were to die for, difficult to keep properly, but when done well - wow!

Cannot do anything to improve on what has gone before, except to concur that this is one of Rugby's top ale houses comprising of several sections, all covered with a completely eclectic collection of brewing and beer memorabilia and paraphernalia. A large central serving area that supports several real ale pumps leads onto several other spaces all of some character. All nine of its ale pumps in operation for our visit and these included Nethergate Brewery Stour Valley Gold and Suffolk County Chestnut Ale, Oakham Bishops Farewell, Mad Goose Purity, Froth Blowers Hornswoggle, Parkway Brewery V and two Leatherbritches Brewery beers in the form of Ashbourne Ale and Doctor Johnson. All beers tried were in very good condition, so a must visit when in Rugby.

Lovely pub with lots of memorabilia and a good selection of draught and bottled drinks. Can be a bit busy during rugby matches. A hidden gem of a pub.

We are here for the cider festival called The Juice a Cider & Craft Beer Festival 2023. We have been here over 3 days buying a tray of 6 thirds for £8. The atmosphere in the Inn, is that of an ancient pub.

Excellent lovely old fashioned pub fantastic in side old metel pub signs and atmosphere and great selection of drinks. Highly recommended.

This is one of the best pubs I know. There is a good choice of handpumped beer in excellent condition, and a small range of food. The pub has a huge range of brewery memorabilia decorating the interior - more than I've ever seen in one place before. The staff are efficient and helpful.

I couldn't ask any more. Great range of beers, gin and lagers. I love the interior, it's so authentic. Lots of cosy corners and a great large room too. Some great details, like the old mirrors and brewery bits and bobs. I can imagine a rugby day out would be fun. We didn't eat, I am sure it's decent if the beer is anything to go by.

Probably the best pub in rugby. A great selection of beer at great prices. Always has a great atmosphere and the staff are friendly.

One of the go-to pubs in Rugby. Usually a good atmosphere and wide selection drinks, including real beer. But do they know how to charge, shockingly expensive. My wife and daughter were charged nearly £18 for two glasses of red wine.

Still great. I’ve not tried the food, but there’s always a great selection of beer and it’s always well kept. An example to other pubs.

We visited the the Merchant’s Inn for pre-dinner drinks. Excellent venue with indoor and outdoor seating. It was the weekend so it was incredibly busy but service was prompt. They offer an incredible range of Ales, Ciders, Gins and other beverages. Highly recommended.

called in saturday 12 march good selection of beers good to see all the beer signs around the room good pub to visit

Was very surprised at the price of Sunday lunch. Very expensive for a pub lunch. Food was ok but not very warm. Asked the waiter to check on the pinkness of the turkey with the chef. Never saw him again. Very poor customer service. Such a shame that this pub which I used to frequent regularly before Covid has become greedy. Very overpriced and certainly not competitive in the Rugby area.

If you are looking for a traditional English pub, look no further. This Inn looks after it’s beer and ciders and is a favourite with real ale and cider drinkers. The atmosphere is welcoming, with the walls covered in brewery memorabilia. I like settling back and seeing how many of the beers I’ve tried from the tap signs on the ceiling. The staff are very friendly and always have time to chat. If you ask about the beers or ciders they’ll provide a taster. Why buy a pint before you know if you like it. Now that Covid has passed, they are once again serving food. They have brought in a local company called Market Street Kitchen (MSK), from The Swan in Lutterworth to run the kitchen. The food is excellent, their dirty Reuben loaded fries covered in smoked brisket, Russian dressing, sliced gherkins, smoked gouda and sauerkraut, are the tastiest bar food I have ever had. They are on to winner with their Sunday lunch, it is so popular that booking is advised. This is the meal that we had on our visit. With its slices of local organic beef, turkey, and glazed ham. There are pigs in blankets and stuffing, honey glazed vegetables, greens, Yorkshire pudding and gravy. As you would expect we both cleaned our plates. There are always plenty of staff, who attentively looked after us making it simple to get another drink at our pace. The Merchant’s Inn is with is open fire in the lower nook, is a homely place and a pleasure to revisit.

Superb Sunday Roast provided by Market Street Kitchen. It provides in terms of both quality and quantity. Beer great too. Long may this partnership continue.

Visited on Sunday for a roast and we weren’t disappointed. Extra happy to see my favourite beer on draught. Meal was excellent and service first class. Will do this again soon.

It's like putting on a comfy pair of favourite slippers. Warm welcome. A happy place to be in a chaotic world of change and disruption...

Popped into the merchant for a few, tables were nice and spread out, staff were very friendly, recommended drinks and there was always someone around in case we needed anything.

Some of the best choices in Rugby. We were served by Brit and the service was stupidly good. Mango porter’s whatever but yaknow

Warm welcome. Excellent service. Just a great place to kick back and relax - particularly during these "new normal" times. Highly recommended.

The Merchants Inn looked after 30 of us who enjoyed a very special Belgium Meal.It was a joy to arrange the meal with James who is the manager. He is very accommodating and made sure that we were well looked after throughout the meal.Fabulous cooking and really good service.The area we dined in was closed off from the bar and could accommodate at least 50 diners.I would always recommend the Merchants Inn for it's wonderful atmosphere and fabulous beers, as I use it on a regular basis.Having introduced the pub to a lot of diners from our Dining Group they were amazed by the atmosphere and said they will return individually.This event proves that the Merchants Inn is a fabulous venue for a party arrangement as well as visiting it as one of the best pubs in Warwickshire.

Visited a couple of Sundays ago and found this pub very cosy with a good selection of beers. As my wife and I were quite hungry we got a menu and ordered a roast beef Sunday lunch which came with all the trimmings Yorkshire pud and plenty of fresh vegetables which went down really well, would definitely recommend. This pub had a good atmosphere and glad we visited and will be definitely going back again.

Venus en couple deux jours avant où nous avions bien été reçus et où nous avions bien mangé ce lundi midi fut une catastrophe. La serveuse en salle, cheveux gras et pas aimable nous laisse patienter une heure. Des clients arrivés après nous sont servis et nous attendons toujours et encore. Pas d'excuses et un ton méprisant lorsque nous demandons à être servi. Tout arrive enfin. Le hamburger est froid les frites cramées, le fish and chip gras pas bon...tout a été fait à la va vite. La serveuse du bar est très gentille. Pour le reste tout est à revoir. Dommage que le patron soit absent.....

Returned with fanily and friends for Christmas dinner. Consistently high quality food (good selection), friendly and efficient team, excellent value for money, extensive selection of gins, wines and of course beers. Staff very knowledgeable in helping with beer choice. What is not to love

Have visited several times after we stumble across The Merchants getting lost in Rugby - very impressed with the beers and food coming out looked to be excellent

This is my go to pub for every occasion. Great service. Extensive range of beers and ales. Amazing beer festivals.

Liked this pub, and I've never before seen a National Pickle Appreciation Day, which is on Nov 14, and I would be there in a heart beat if not at work!My only tweak is that the two bar staff on a Saturday lunchtime was not enough, and they were more bothered about details behind the bar in precedence to serving customers e.g. Fiddling with signs about special gins etc. Also, the kitchen door is quite close to where we were sitting causing a few bumps and stepping out of the way, and telling the customers to move in a not particularly understanding way.However, we will be back, I want to go when there is a food, social or sporting event - just want the staff to be a tiny bit more focused on the customer and not make us feel like we are a problem to their service.Otherwise, great atmosphere and very worthwhile pub.

If in Rugby and want to try many Real Ale s,this is the Place.Also shows big screen Rugby Union.Food good as well.Situated in the heart of Rugby.A must if in Rugby or nearby enjoy Roger

The pub was recommended by one of the locals and we were not dissapointed. The staff were brilliant, food very good and the real ales great. The pub was full of interesting artefacts and rugby related items. Would definitely visit again if in the area.

Came to the merchants our local for a couple of drinks and our experience was made so so so much better by the brilliant staff member Tilly!! She’s excellent behind the bar and so so lovely!! Deffo coming back! what a great place to grab a drink on a Saturday night

As a 50 year old man to be told by a 20 year old bar hand that 1 of my party (all of around my age) was "a bit too merry" to warrant another drink and therefore none of us could have one seems utterly ridiculous, particularly as said member is just a bubbly character and was in no way drunk or unruly.

If I go to a pub with friends, it's normally The Merchant. This time i took my Canadian Cuz's for a meal and experience a trad brit pub.

This pleasant, comfortable and quirky pub advertises itself as serving the best Sunday roast in town and it's not wrong. The food is quite simply, superb, and able to be washed down with an amazing selection of beers from the length and breadth of Europe and very high quality wines too. Like another recent visitor, I can highly recommend the Malbec. The only problems that stopped me from awarding straight 'A's were that our reserved table turned out to be right opposite the door and we were assailed by a cold draught every time a cistomer entered or departed. Initial serv ice was also very slow ; it would have been good to have been warned that a large party of Rugby players was booked in for lunch and that we could expect a half-hour delay in our starter course but in the end, the food was worth waiting for.

Well worth a visit, nice atmosphere and service very good centre of the town and popular venue. Good place for a meeting

We were in Rugby last month and visited Metchant’s Inn on several occasions. Every-time we went in the service was excellent! The vibe is amazing and I love the decor. Our family had chosen this venue for a lunch get-together on a weekend- absolutely fantastic service, excellent customer service and great food! Definitely recommend!

An impromptu Sunday walk led us to the Merchants, where we enjoyed a fabulous Sunday roast with fabulous vegetables, the Malbec wine was perfect with our food. Always a great pint to be had, whether it is beer or cider. Highly recommend a visit, especially to watch a game of Rugby.

Always a great atmosphere, the pub everyone is drawn too. They have frequent beer, cider, gin festivals and local music. The only downside is that there are bad drains and sometimes can smell bad, but to be honest no one seems to mind as it's usually full in an evening and a few pints down, who even notices anymore!

What can I say went here midweek fabulous guy singing all evening and beautiful surroundings. Very politeful helpful staff.

Found this great pub after being turned away from Witherspoon's because we had a dog. Wouldn't even let us sit outside. We found The Merchant's Inn and they made us feel so welcome. We had a chicken burger and a beef burger and a ploughman's salad. Each was very nice and we'll priced. The staff were very nice and nothing was too much for them, even fetching water for the dogs. A definite revisit is in order next time I'm in Rugby.

its a big pub which prooves popular, it does a decent range of beers, but i get the impression the staff arent as knowledgable as other venues in the town. not knocking them. well worth a visit for the odd pint

We stopped off on our barge at Rugby on Monday 8th July, which happened to be my friend Jayne's birthday, TO THE FIRST DAY OF THE GIN FESTIVAL!!!!! over 200 Gins - my oh my we were in heaven. Service - fantastic. Food - average. Decoration in the pub for the festival - outstanding. My friend and I would gladly have tried a few more gins had the rugby museum (where we sent the boys off to) not been shut on a Monday :( Thankyou for a lovely afternoon drinking gin in the sun!! xxx

Such a lively and lovely atmosphere in this pub. Staff are always welcoming. If you like Gin you are split for choice. Tried a few, they have so many some most gin lovers will know but then some lovely unusual ones. If you don't like Gin, don't worry so much more to drink.

Many uniquebeverages offered. Prices a bit steep. Venue is town centre. Next door car parking is available for a price.

We were staying in Rugby for work for a few days with the Juice crew and discovered this diamond of a pub. We were made to feel very welcome and the bar staff were all outstanding.

Cracking beer selection and very good quality too. Cheese and onion cobs good too. Nothing fancy just good drinking food!

Good place for a drink and a snack or meal.We go every week for a drink and to meet friends. Beer changes all the time so the one you liked last time you were here might not be there!

Called in on a recommendation and they were having a ‘rail ale train festival’, which was based on beers from breweries on certain railway lines. What a great idea!

Called on at lunchtime just for a drink and a bite. Good selection of beers and other drinks. We had the nonions to eat. Good pub.

What a great venue.. never lets us down & what an array of simply brilliant real ales available. The service is always friendly & knowledable & the beers are always top drawer.. we wished we lived closer !!

Great atmosphere, great beers and spirit selection, the food is fantastic. There are plenty of cosy little places to meet up with people and be private on the other hand it’s a fantastic place to be in a big crowd for the rugby internationals. Service at the bar is usually pretty quick and the food arrives quickly and is hot.

Another great beer festival. So much choice. The burgers were delicious. Love the quirky names on the menu.

Popped in yesterday for pub lunch as was in the area with my partner. We had fish and chips, and the Bergamasco burger, was really nice. Friendly staff and atmosphere. Would visit again.

We went along to the Beerexit Belgian meal night and it was wonderful.

The pub has a wide variety of beers on draft. The crowd was a real mix of ages but there was more of a trend towards older rather than younger people. There was a live band and smoking garden. Atmosphere was really good.

Good place. Decent food. Good portion. Affordable price. Good environment. Good location. Good parking.

Very pleasant pub in the middle of town with a solid selection of burgers and other freshly cooked fayre. Quality ingredients and well presented means this pub is definitely on the 'return to' list should Rugby town be graded with my presence again. Annoyingly, the six Nations reminders around the pub made me realise London doesn't have anywhere as good for super Saturday and for that reason only, you don't get five stars.

Fantastic pub memorabilia adorns the inside of this large but still cosy building. Good selection of well kept beers, massive gin menu and friendly, helpful staff. Didn't eat but the food coming out looked great. Would definately recommend a visit.

I’ve visited The Merchants several times and it’s always a good atmosphere, with a good mix of people. It’s an old pub with a roaring log fire, and if you’re into real ale you definitely won’t be disappointed - there’s plenty to choose from! There’s loads of old pub signs on the wall, which bring back memories. They also serve food - we’ve had a very nice lunch here a few times. It can get very busy, especially if there’s a rugby match on, but you can usually find a seat somewhere. One of my favourite pubs in Rugby.

Traditional pub with warm welcome and great beers. Busy at weekends but always find a seat. Great atmosphere

Near to Rugby School this is a traditional pub, the inside walls of which are adorned with beer memorabilia. All staff were friendly and helpful. There are nine cask and seven draught taps, self choice tasters/flights are offered, prices are decent and the beers fresh and tasty. The menu offers good pub food.

Five for lunch after a ramble,super lunch with a very nice pint of mad goose.Staff were very friendly and the pub has loads of character.Do not like the game of rugby myself but would recommend a visit to this pub when in rugby

Had lunch here whilst visiting Rugby. The town itself was very disappointing but I'd seen this pub in a Good Beer Guide so we popped in for a pint and a bite to eat. Good choice of beers - I had a nice pint of Lowry which can be recommended. The food was good and the portion sizes generous - we didn't need to eat again until much later.

Lovely dinner,all had different burgers,all extremely good. Great value,surroundings so cosy with a log fire burning and staff very friendly and helpful

This is a great real ale & cider pub. It has bags of old pub atmosphere and always 10+ ciders on offer.

lovely pub in the heart of Rugby. Always serve a good friendly pint and offer great food too. nice cosy fires to warm away the winter

The Merchants Inn is always busy but not over crowded. Lovely atmosphere with people of all ages present. Good selection of real ales.

Proper pub, great beers, great atmosphere if you’re into Rugby. Proper pub food, smallish car park, others walkable

We had our works Xmas dinner here for the second time, the food and service were excellent. There was also a live artist on who was really good too.

Everyone at the Merchants has outdone themselves. The pub is decorated inside and out. It must have taken hours to hang the poppies from the ceiling. Wel done. Excellent food and beer.

We popped in here for drinks and it was great, they have a gin menu and the bartender was great to suggest which tonic to have with the gins. My friends had local beer. The decor outside is briliant.

We stopped off for a pub lunch while travelling. Our lunch was generously portioned but only average. The bar staff were super friendly, but unfortunately the food was very slow to arrive. The pub decor was interesting and the pub was busy. Best for a visit when you have time to drink with the locals, not suitable for a quick pub lunch.

Stumbled across this place so we called in for a pint! Lovely pub! The poppies and the decor outside the pub are superb! Inside was a lovely bar! Fire was going it was a lovely environment! We ended calling in again later on, there was a couple singing and playing music, staff was efficient! Wish we went there for lunch, saw pork pie and ploughman’s lunch on the menu. Next time we come we will eat there!

Refreshingly different. Great friendly venue for a good drink . Really good atmosphere. A little hidden but we'll worth trying to locate.

I was meeting my friends in Rugby after reading reviews we decided to book lunch here. We were not disappointed, the prices were reasonable, servings were more than enough and the food was really yummy. The only thing I would suggest is a note on the menu informing the guests to order at the bar when ready. Also this is a dog friendly pub where they can join you,

This is one of the best pubs in Rugby, the staff are always attentive and knowledgeable about what drinks they serve. I recently had a lunch time meal which was delicious and fairly priced. Just wish I lived closer!

Really great pub with lots of international beers besides the typical Ales. Amazing place to spend a couple of hours with friends. I haven't tried the food yet.

We reserved part of the pub for a Saturday afternoon for a 30th birthday and the guys in the pub were brilliant from the moment we called to reserve the area, to the moment that we left.

Delightful old style pub with great beers and good atmosphere. Good solid Sunday lunch. Nice wine. Real mix of punters.

What a lovely pub- fairly new, so not a "spit and sawdust" affair, but well themed, and great selection of real ales. No loud music, so good to converse with friends, but we were treated to live piano music- fabulous!! Highly recommended.

Good breakfast, TV coverage & bar service, with tasty snacks any time of day. Over the last few years we have enjoyed 6 Nation matches & International matches on TV with brilliant atmosphere.

Old fashioned, homely, atmospheric. Good selection of real ales. Friendly staff.We sat in what I would describe as the library.

Last minute decision. Always a good place to go. Good food, nice atmosphere and friendly staff. Since moving to Rugby its become my local inspite of being a 30 minute walk.

Visited this amazing pub as part of our stag do pub crawl in Rugby - loved the selection of real ales and great lively atmosphere.

Good grub, love of rugby, wild choice of ciders and a good beer selection. There are several strategically placed TVs to watch your sport and a wonderful choice behind the bar.

Went to the merchants inn last night to celebrate my brothers 18th birthday. The ladies behind the bar are always wonderful and polite. I always have a good night there.

Just love The Merchants beer and cider festivals. Have been to a few now. Great friendly helpful staff. Always happy to help you with your choice. The food very good. It's a great place to meet friends, old and new.

Lovely afternoon spent sampling their range of Gins , 119 I think but we didn’t manage them all ;) . Friendly staff , great pub atmosphere. Tapas wasn’t as nice as the pictures described, but we did lunch there and their Homemade Beef burgers with fabulous homemade chips were delicious. Highly recommend, weather you love Gin or Beer there’s something for everyone !

What a great evening at the Merchants for the start of “Gin Week”. A lovely lemon sole meal, freshly prepared and very tasty, accompanied, of course, with a gorgeous gin from the 100 on selection this week. Lovely friendly, welcoming and efficient staff and a quiz took us through the evening with lots of laughs. I will certainly return to this pub.

I went to the pub with a bunch of friends on bank holiday Monday to catch the tail end of their beer festival. We thoroughly enjoyed the quiz night and we were only charged £1 per a person to enter. What makes this even better is the Merchants are donating all quiz proceeds to the local hospital. The staff here are ever so friendly and always happy to help. They allow you to taste their beers before you buy to make sure that they meet to your needs. Charlie, the quiz master, was brilliant despite being heckled by some quiz teams. We will definitely attend another quiz night in the near future! Thank you for a good night!

We went here on Saturday as my husband and our son in law love this pub for its selection of beer. Can l just say how lovely and efficient the staff are, nothing is to much trouble for them and you get all that with a smile and a chat. The food is wonderful, although l would recommend having fries with the fish instead of the fat chips. I would have no problem with recommending this pub for good food and great service, obviously because of the selection of beers and all the above we will be returning. For some reason again l am unable to give a rating for service, food and value which would have been five star.

Always enjoying visiting this pub for food and ale. Great staff and great atmosphere, if you enjoy Rugby then this place is a must.

Hier geweest om een rugby wedstrijd te kijken op een groot scherm, een heel groot scherm! veel verschillende bieren verkrijgebaar en het eten was goed.

The staff are very helpful. We had help choosing a real cider and after sampling had the Thatchers Original. This pub not only has a food menu, but a gin menu as well.

Roast dinner on Sunday was lovely, gin menu is very good and tasted great. German beers on draught and bottled. Really olde style pub, very traditional, worth visiting.

Voted the best British rugby pub 2018. A lively and well established public house well known for its ales. (Serves largers, wines and spirits too). Staff very friendly and always happy to serve. Popular with local people. The Merchants Inn runs themed nights such as a Titanic evening, Belgium evening, live bands to name a few. New Year's eve runs on a theme with live bands and food. The Merchants Inn also accommodates various functions for private parties and on Six Nations rugby and all other important rugby events will throw open its doors to all rugby fans, large TV's and screen shiws matches and staff all wear rugby tops for the occasion.

Little and cosy pub, with a huge selection of beers that changes periodically. Great atmosphere, with live music sometimes or with some customer who plays the old fashioned piano.

Fantastic selection of brewed still ciders not quite as good as What I can get in taunton. Great atmosphere always friendly

I honestly don't sit writing these reviews about the Merchants because I want to knock up my TA review total (because that would be sad!). I write these reviews because I love the Merchants & we frequent it a couple of times a month at least & tonight will be another one of those visits!