The Recruiting Sergeant in South Kesteven

A lovely tradition village pub in the Lincolnshire countryside a short walk from the Travelodge by the A1 at Grantham. A chance to work up an appetite to enjoy the excellent food and local real ale! The pub was busy for a weeknight and the staff were welcoming and friendly. We were quickly shown to our table, drinks were delivered with a smile and our food order taken. The menu has traditional pub food with good vegetarian and gluten free options for many of the dishes. We both chose the steak and ale pie, which came with fresh vegetables and chips but new potatoes or mash were available. The pie was a real pie with the filling cooked with the pastry and there was a tasty soggy bottom and lots of gravy with beautifully tender beef. We ordered the traditional spotty dick and custard. All the food was quickly delivered and piping hot! Had a really lovely evening. Thank you Check out their website for menu details and Facebook!

We went here for dinner and it was pie night. So it would be rude not to have pie. So we had steak and ale pie. It came with mash, veg and a pot of gravy. It was lovely. Food was so good. But the restaurant was lovely. Really rustic perfectly clean. The service was amazing. Thankyou for accommodating two southerners who really needed a warm welcome and some great food. We got both. Dessert in here were literally incredible. I had crumble it was so nice not too sweet. My husband had bisscoff cheesecake he is difficult to feed a dessert he loved it. Very very reasonably priced. Such a lovely evening.

Worst meal we’ve had in a long time. Fish cake was thin deep fried and incredibly greasy. Salad had no dressing. Nothing seasoned. Prawn salad was tiny prawns out of a freezer bag. Not seasoned and completely tasteless. Felt like all just bought in on mass and deep fried and banged out. Certainly not home made and as such not value for money. Nice pub for a drink and lovely bar staff. But wouldn’t eat here again.

A friendly, cosy, well run pub offering simple but well cooked pub grub. The diningb area is separated from the bar area and judging from the array of activities organised the pub is a focal point in the community.

Lovely village pub, friendly welcome and nice atmosphere, good real ale, food very good and reasonable prices. My steak was cooked to perfection and the other family members enjoyed their meal. If you are staying at Belton woods I recommend visiting this dog friendly pub, just a 5 minute drive away. Booking is recommended as it can get busy.

Fantastic restaurant - good quality food and reasonably priced, friendly staff and excellent chef, all dietary needs catered for and a really enjoyable visit.

Would recommend for drinks and buffet following funeral. Lovely freshly prepared buffet catering for all tastes and a nice selection of fresh fruit . Very friendly and efficient staff. Thank you 😊

Service is none existent, only the regulars get served. The couple next to me left because they couldn’t get served and I wasn’t far behind. Don’t waste your time!

Looked for a recommendation as to where to have saw this place and recommended to the family Original plan included 8 and a high chair in the end just 6 adults the staff were very accommodating - the meal and service was excellent would really recommend trying

What an interesting series of 'Reviews' this pub has !!! Well, my wife and I are seniors, and we booked for their mid-week 'seniors' lunch, together with several friends. Our welcome was warm and the staff had our table ready prepared and explained the menus fully. Their pricing for mid-week lunches is excellent. Being 'seniors' there were memebers of our party who found it difficult to chooose from the pre-set menus !, but the staff were super and did their utmost to satisfy 'faddy' folk. The pub was extreemly busy, but the food arrived in good time and although portion control is apparent, the meals were all of very good quality. Staff are just lovely, and certainly have their time cut out with difficult old wrinklies. Anyway, well worth visiting, but do book, or you may well be disappointed. Congratulations to the 'Management' for getting their operation 'spot on' !!

Excellent quality of food and service. This made my birthday celebrations a wonderful experience. Thank you to everyone at the Recruiting Sergeant, it is greatly appreciated.

Excellent meal service lovely Thankyou all who made our pre crimbo family get together as o nice Warm and friendly atmosphere will certainly be repeating this next year

Nice village pub. Easy to park. Not the place to eat if you are either Vegetarian, Pescatarian or Vegan. Best to avoid if you are any of these.

Shame this was good place, but now like transport cafe and menu to mach. Tables to close service and food not all that

Spotted this public house and decided to break up the day after shopping at downtown. Absolutely wonderful lady front of house . Nothing too much trouble. Stopped for just a drink but on seeing ‘The Golden Years’ menu decided to eat too. What an excellent decision. 3 courses of well appointed small portioned dishes all for under £10 . Quite something . I will be bringing my family here from now on when visiting Grantham for shopping as it’s by far outstanding service and good food. The coffee is also of great quality ! 👍🏻

We have been here several times and have not been disappointed. The food is good and the staff are very accommodating, polite and pleasant. However, our last visit left a lot to be desired - Firstly, we had booked for a 1.45pm lunch only to be told when we arrived that all food had to be ordered by 2pm and they were closing at 2.30pm! This was not conveyed to us when we booked and subsequently left us feeling rushed ordering our food and feeling very uncomfortable. Three of us (there were four in our party) decided to have the steak pie and when giving the waitress our order we were told that there were no pies left - why weren't we told this when given the menus? What we had in the end was ok but it was a second choice and not really what we wanted. We did not order a starter as we felt rushed and decided not to have a desert as we could tell that they wanted to close as it was 2.40pm already. Overall, a very disappointing visit especially as it was the first time our friends had been there upon our recommendation and had travelled 1.5 hours to be with us. We will not be going again.

i would recomend the recruiting sergeant for a meal ,when we arrived went in and the staff could not do enough,to help us had a few drinks then ordered our meal,my partner had the sizzler and i had the sausage and mash wich was fantastic,i nnormally have steak pie but i thought i would have change ,but one of the girls did reccomend the steak pie any way as were being served with our meal ,someone else had ordered the steak pie and it looked amazing.any way the next time you are passing through,make a point of going in and having a meal,you wont be dissappointed ,also it is a pub stopover ,we parked our motorhome for the night ,and it is quiet but phone in advance .and all the staff are wonderful.

Came here because our first choice was too busy . What a good move and now we have a new first choice . Lunch menu is quite varied pub food at reasonable price. there are also special offers available . Good quality lunch enjoyed by all in spacious restaurant . There is also plenty of outside space . Plenty of carparking is available at rear of pub

Great atmosphere, service staff were outstanding. The food was plentiful and presented nicely. Good varied menu too. Enjoyable evening and dining experience. Big thank you to all of the staff

Went as a group of 4 for lunch. Had starter main & pud from over 60s. Looked like a scaled down (both price & quantity) of the more expensive & longer lunch menu. Round of applause for catering to a more mature clientele at a budget price. My starter of Moroccan Cauliflower wings OK but small portion, very lightly spiced served with mango chutney, my wife had breaded garlic mushrooms (probably bought in.) My main was ham, egg & chips, also ok, then followed by pudding of apple crumble & custard. Custard a little less hot than I would have preferred but perfectly tasty, & overall the meal was pretty good value for money. Decent Latte to follow. If you are on a tight budget this is a very good option. Service prompt, pleasant & polite. Intend to visit for their Friday Fish & Chips special! Would certainly go again for an evening meal from the longer dinner menu!

Great place to eat out and have a few beers. We were staying close by at Belton Woods and went every night apart from Monday- only because it was closed. 🤣 Good choice of menu. The tuna steak was extremely tasty and the sizzlers were well worth having. Will be coming back in September for another week.

The Sunday lunch was spot-on. The atmosphere and the staff was even better. Would absolutely recommend and we will definitely be returning.

Really Excellent well priced food and very friendly service . Booked a table for 7 as a last minute thing . They were very accommodating and fitted us in .

There is a sign in the restaurant that should have served as a warning. We do not serve fast food. Indeed they do not. We waited almost 50 minutes for our meals to arrive. Food was good when it arrived and the service friendly but be prepared to wait. This was a Saturday lunchtime and I did hear an apology that they were busy. Had they said so at the time of ordering we would have been better prepared for the wait.

After a long walk at the Belton House, we were rewarded with an excellent Sunday roast. The vegan option was amazing and the burger was also very nice. But the best part of the afternoon was the kindness, wit and professionalism of the waitress that...

We have just had the most fantastic Valentines evening meal here. The service was excellent, we weren’t hurried, just nice and relaxed. The main courses, desserts, wine and beer were all superb. Always totally reliable, never disappointing. Thank you 🤩

What's not to like - great atmosphere, lovely food competitively priced and pleasant, very helpful staff. Despite being busy our table of six adults were given excellent service and treatment. You will not be disappointed by this establishment as they go out of their way...

We booked this last minute on the day before our visit to Belton House Christmas lights as it was near and we were likely to be late. I cannot praise this place highly enough, it was warm and friendly, the service was great and the...

One of the best pub meals we have had. Very tasty, good quality, well cooked hot food. Lovely warm welcome with our dog in the bar area, water bowl and treats offered. Quick, friendly service, we will return.

An absolute gem of a place. Group of 12 booked in for a meal. Huge car park at the rear, seating and layout is perfect, as is decor. Staff were lovely, attentive, and know their stuff. Food was out of this world .. generous sized...

Had a lovely meal today never disappointed food and service very good and fitted us in at the last minute

Very good tradition village pub. Good selection of local well kept ales, both drinks and food were of a high standard and at a very fair price. Clean bright surrounding and friendly professional staff. Ticked all the boxes, would highly recommend.

Fabulous home cooked delicious food! Friendly staff and lovely atmosphere . Reasonable drinks and food prices . We will definitely visit again when back in the area

We always try to avoid the service stations on any trip and this pub is exactly why. We had an extremely tasty lunch in the sunshine in their copious beer garden. Portions were generous. But the thing that set the place apart was the excellent...

Called in on the off chance of food mid afternoon , cheery reception , made to feel welcome , friendly service , good food , good portions , value for money. Left feeling happy and satisfied.

First time visit today got a lovely table outside was greeted by some lovely friendly staff food and drink ordered. We had baguettes and topped chips all presented really well and very enjoyable served by friendly staff will definitely be returning

We have now visited this pub 3 times at various times of the day. Bar lunch excellent. Evening meal in restaurant also excellent. Very friendly staff. Will definitely use when next in the area on Holiday.

Great food, reasonably priced, and the fact that the staff seemed to love our well behaved dog was an added bonus, the land lady was very friendly and very helpful, well worth a visit

We came here for my mums 60th birthday and had two tables of 11 people in total. From entering the building the staff gave the right kind of vibes and I knew the evening would be a lot better because of this. The waitresses (sorry...

I have visited this place on numerous occasions and I have always had a good meal but I went yesterday and the eggs were overcooked they had been put in too hot oil and cook too long they also seem to have cut the portions...

First time for an evening meal, first class service, staff 100% and the food was one of the best we had , will 100% be back, thank you so much

Another visit to the recruiting sergeant for food was a lunch time treat, this time sausage and eggs a real plate full, pleasant atmosphere and well priced

Ate here last night after looking on tripadvisor.co.uk for places to eat near grantham absolutely lovely meal nice and hot great service wanted to book frsat night and fully booked I can see why

Lunch time visit to the recruiting sergeant was a splendid idea, the texan burger was spicy and very tasty and finally very filling, well worth a pint and food

Had a lovely meal here on the last night of our holiday. Food was all fab, and the service by Molly was delightful. Really lovely lady who was attentive, chatty and left us smiling every time she came over. Highly recommended!

I went with family for my first roast dinner out in 3 years. As I live abroad I'd been really looking forward to it. What a disappointment! We waited for ages to order and again for the meal which arrivedcold. Despite being assured that the...

Called into this pub for lunch and what a wonderful surprise. The food was well cooked and very tasty, the price, for the food and the drinks was very reasonable. The service was amazing, the staff were attentive and very cheerful. I can't recommend this...

I hope ours was a one off experience. This is a nice venue, the menu varied and the food very good. However, we were about an hour before food was served during which time, no one let us know that there was a delay in...

Good place to eat if you want traditional pub grub. Not bad prices. Fair sized portions. Plenty of outdoor seating, where you can reorder your drinks with the staff.

We opted for the Sunday roast - Beautifully presented and tasted delicious. Service was excellent. Overall a very nice meal.

Lovely dog friendly pub with a great welcome. Watched rugby here on Saturday pm. Halftime landlady provided delicious range of hot finger food. Good range of beers and lagers and as the designated driver lovely range of soft drinks. Fabulous atmosphere.bar meals looked delicious too

We have driven past this pub many times en route to Oldrids Downtown. The Recruiting Sergeant seems aptly named, given its barrack - like exterior. However, it has adequate parking at the rear and outside tables, which we still prefer, despite vaccinations. Covid precautions are...

Decided on a pub dinner and the pubs name caught my eye, wasn’t disappointed. Staff were very friendly and the food, nicest I’ve tasted in a long time. Breaded mushrooms and scampi were to die for and my husband thoroughly enjoyed his gammon with fresh...

Saturday lunchtime visit to the Recruiting Sergeant, the large breakfast was superb, cheesy chips very filling, washed down by a pint and ultimately left full and happy.

We visited for a family evening meal midweek, not having been there for a few years. It’ll be our new local when we move this year so wanted to see what it was like now. Very impressed! Charming young staff, very Covid safe, really good menu (one of us a veggie) and generous portions, all freshly cooked. Only slightly disappointed by size of dessert portions for the £4.75 price but generally the menu is good value. We’ll definitely be going back regularly! Highly recommended…

Lovely pub very friendly staff and excellent food. Covid guidelines adhered to felt safe and welcome. Will definitely call again if I’m the area.

Visited Recruiting in Gonerby over Bank Holiday weekend, had a fantastic meal enjoyed by all. Felt very safe all precautions against covid went above and beyond very well done and organised will definitely visit more often.

the staff are very friendly and helpful the food is all very good and they have a golden oldies menu in the week at lunchtime my husband had a three course meal and i had two with drinks and it only cost £20 breaded mushrooms liver and veg apple pie and custard

My first visit to a pub after the easing of restrictions and probably the best place to start again . Very well ventilated, lots of cleaning going on and lots of space . Food excellent value , good comprehensive menu and no rush service which was good as meeting friends for the first time in 18 months . See you beginning of July for our next get together .

We had an issue with our small party and an item was sent back and returned in a much worse condition. When we complained about this the waitress came out- no mask- taping her long acrylic nails on the table and getting very heated. I was totally taken aback that this lady would come out from presumably the bar and argue that we were in the wrong! We didn’t even finish our drinks and left. So disappointed that the first trip out to our local was ruined by what could have been a very easy fix.

I ordered half a pint of Birra Moretti online, and it was served after a few minutes. After I had a few sips of the beer, red lipstick marks become visible right under the rim of the glass. Especially as this is in COVID-19 times, it came as a shock as one would expect businesses to walk the extra mile to ensure cleanliness and safety. I got the attention of one of the servers, who apologised and took the more-than-half-full glass away. A minute later, the server returned with a glass with about the same amount of beer in it. I was still in shock as to how they had taken the efforts to measure how much beer was in my first glass, instead of just topping off a new glass as a plaster on the wound. I get the attention to another waitress, who brings the glass inside the pub. A few moments later, what seems to be the bar lady (who filled my glass) then, in a very confrontational matter, argued how she very accurately measured the glasses to make sure I would receive the exact same amount of beer. Which is not the point. The arrogance, lack of care for customer satisfaction and how a global pandemic was not taken seriously, was sad to experience.

Some very overpowering locals destroy the character of what could and should be a nice local pub. The staff should consider others.

The pub was absolutely immaculate and well prepared for covid times! Well spaced tables and hand sanitiser readily available. Friendly welcome by the barman and very attentive service throughout. Good simple pub grub with a good glass of Tiger too!

Satisfying pub food served by lovely staff in a COVID aware way. We booked as per COVID and arrived to a well spaced airy pub restaurant. Menu for Sunday lunch is 3 courses for £16.95 a bargain. The menu is exactly what you want in a traditional pub, starters of soup, garlic mushrooms etc. Mains roasts, pie and gammon and yummy puds. Large portions and great value for money

Our telephone booking was taken by a very cheery and friendly lady which set the tone for our visit - not our first visit by the way, and definitely not our last. On to the evening and we enjoyed another great meal, the food was lovely and freshly prepared, and the waitress was again very cheery and friendly, also polite and very efficient - overall very pleasant experience.

What a wonderful evening from the minute we booked the service was second to none. The pub was immaculate, covid secure with gel at hand in several areas. The service provided by our waitress was pleasant and efficient. We watched her clean tables, chairs, table mats etc after guests left. The food was very nice and desserts were also good. Definitely worth a visit and will return. Thank you

Great motorhome stopover just of A1 Large carpark, no road noise Lovley food even catered for me vegan 😊 Very friendly staff Very good value for money Highly recommend 👍🏻😊

Had a roast beef dinner here for Sunday lunch. Tasty beef, good portions and plenty of gravy. Very pleasant staff and tasty food.

Returned to The Recruiting Sergeant for a Saturday evening meal. Had visited previously so knew what to expect from service to food to the lovely surroundings in the restaurant. As usual was greeted with happy smiling staff (Ashley & Megan) and shown to table. Drink orders were taken swiftly and then food ordered. On ordering food we had asked for a barbecue sauce to go with chicken breast rather than Stilton and leek sauce off the menu. Ashley had a quick chat with the chef and the request was made possible. (Thanks Chef)Other orders were for the Henry VIII 8oz ribeye steak with accompanying chasseur sauce (x3).All were cooked to perfection as per each individual request.Sweets were excellent also with a good range of options of a daily board.Had ordered a bottle of House Red wine (merlot) which went down really well with the steaks and a non alcoholic lager (Becks Blue), Guinness, Peroni lager and Grapefruit gin. All served perfectly.I would definitely recommend a visit for a meal in lovely surroundings, great service and excellent food and drinks.

Came across this pub/restaurant after leaving A1 to find a suitable place for lunch. It has a good sized car park at the rear. We received a very friendly welcome and allocated a table without any delay. The menu provided a good choice ( with lighter meals), and the good quality food represented excellent value. The service was also very good and we have noted the "Recruiting Sergeant" for future use when making similar journeys.

Saturday lunch time, great choices on the menu, chips in cheese and bacon are divine, good alcohol choices, great service, looking forward to visiting again.

1 ère visite : Repas en famille, tout le monde était très satisfait. Le service était souriant et efficace et les plats savoureux et copieux.2 ème visite : soirée karaoké disco pour le réveillon. Excellente ambiance, bon enfant. Je recommande fortement !

Visited as a party of 13 to have a pre Christmas dinner. The experience from beginning to end was excellent, service and quality of food was outstanding. Many thanks to Alison and her team

This used to be my local until I moved. Back for a visit, the welcome, the food and the ambience were great.

Dropped in after finding the reviews on TripAdvisor. Busy restaurant on a Friday lunchtime but didn't have to wait to be seated or served. Food was a little bit of a wait but once it came there were no complaints. Big portions and delicious. Would come back and would recommend.....chips also were very good :)

This is an eating place we frequent on a regular basis. The food and service cannot be faulted. It is so nice to go to a restaurant that serves normal, nutritious, wholesome food. My ninety two year old mother loves it, especially as she can order from the golden years menu. The staff are extremely friendly and efficent. When we leave my mum always says, "can we come again soon". It is a very welcoming place. Top marks all round.

Me and my girlfriend fancied a few drinks and a nice meal. We arrived and they was 3 people in the bar and we waited 10 minutes to be served for a drink! Even though they was no one in there no one waiting to be served! Four members of staff were happy to stand near the till and talk! Totally ignoring us and a elderly gentlemen walked in after 10-15 minutes of not being served and got served straight away! You obviously have to local to be served in this place! Oh wait I am local! Another guy in the bar having a meal with his partner went to the bar and got ignored he had to slam his glass down on the bar because he wasn’t getting any attention off any staff! To busy chatting! Don’t like putting bad reviews but this place could be a very very good pub the food when arrived was beautiful! But the staff don’t seem to care one bit!

First class food staff best ever we stayed on site with our motor home Free. I was so impressed I left a £10 tip.

We stopped in for lunch during a long journey. The pub is in a nice old building and has a good traditional local feel.

Had a great meal food was very hot and large portions. Reccomend that you book gets very busy, good size car park Reasonable prices as well

the food was very good as was the service the prices were very reasonable as well there is also a meal deal on for the seniors

The food here is lovely but the portions are massive two people could share mains. Only a few of us were about to finish our meals. Even the children's meals are big. They prices seem expensive but for the amount of food you get it's definitely value for money. Nobody had starters but there were a few puddings which were normal sized. Would definitely recommend this resturant. Staff are friendly and efficient.

Whilst driving via Grantham we stopped here for an evening meal. It was excellent, we both chose dishes form the specials menu, they were excellent quality, tasty and reasonably priced. Service was very good. Would definitely come here again if possible

We arrived today for Sunday lunch at 3pm after booking a couple of weeks ago, it appears I had made a mistake and they did not have my booking, however, the staff were absolutely amazing and even though they had stopped serving Sunday lunch at 2.30pm they organised a table for us and all I can say is wow! The food was beautiful, served by the most pleasant waiting staff ever. The roast beef was perfect as was the roast pork, plenty of vegetables to accompany with lashings of gorgeous gravy. We had puddings too, toffee sponge with custard, two had jam sponge with custard and one had banoffee roulade, we left full up and very happy and with four drinks it was £64 for us all, excellent value. Thank you to the manager and her staff, you made our weekend.

Friendly, Welcomin excellent place to eat.Varied menu all cooked to a high standard and well fiited out seperate restaurant the recruiting sergant is our local and used regularly.Try the golden oldies menu if you want smaller portions, two courses £6.95 and two could eat with drinks for around £22!!!

Arriving just after 2pm we were told we had just missed the cut off point for lunch.Seeing the disappointment on our faces the landlady kindly arranged for plates of chips for us as the kitchen was still catching up on orders placed just before the deadline. A very kind gesture and it ‘filled a hole’ so to speak.BTW the chips were delicious.Thank you Ma’am.

Dropped in for lunch, nice menu including a ‘Golden Years’ menu, less than £7 for two courses, and £2 extra for a sweet! Great value, friendly staff, and good food. Starters include whitebait and deep-fried mushrooms, which is an unusual treat in this area, and at theses prices. We’ll be back, and soon.

Excellent lunch.. plenty of choice.. good quality..great service....and the beer is good too! Will be returning soon.

Delightful meal with good service in a friendly pub. Neat menu with nice range range of tasty food. Definitely worth a visit . Couldn't get in for a Sunday roast which was a shame.

Foods amazing staff amazing tables settings amazing staff top professional. Prices very reasonable for all you get here

We called in here quite by chance. Hungry and just passing. It looked pleasant enough so we hoped they served food. What a lovely surprise. Not only did they serve the nicest, freshest, tastiest delicious food, the price was reasonable and the staff couldn't have been more helpful and friendly. We will most certainly be returning and can't recommend it enough. As frequent diners out this is high on our list of favourites.

Met up with old friends once again and thoroughly enjoyed the luncheon. Very good staff and food quality very good , with a very good selection to suit all. Wish that we were much nearer than Mablethorpe so that we could visit as regulars.

Stopped here having come off A1 road on journey North. Super pub lunch. 2 courses only £6.95 and excellent. Couldn’t be better.

My whole family arranged a private party and hot a live band in to celebrate some good news.

Just been here today for our Sunday lunch with family. Just wow, staff fantastic, steak and ale pie to die for, honeycomb cheesecake (and the other puddings people chose) were amazing and we are wondering why we haven't been here sooner. We were made to feel so welcome and were looked after superbly. Now I know the bar area is dog friendly we will be visiting this fab pub alot more. Thanks everyone for a lovely Sunday :)

Visited for a quick bite to eat as was staying at the travel lodge and was blown away with the friendly service and home cooked food and the proper ales. Can't wait for a return visit

We had an excellent lunch here, specials where also very good and a bargain @ £6.95, staff were very friendly and welcoming the food excellent

Lunch was lovely here the staff are friendly and helpful definitely be returning , food was lovely and reasonable prices

Our fourth family visit for lunch yesterday in just a few weeks is evidence enough to prove that if you value excellent food in a lovely, caring and friendly environment … The Recruiting Sergeant is the place to dine.

This was a total surprise to us as the meal was arranged by family and we had never been there before. What a great find it turned out to be, the first thing we noticed was the friendly relaxed atmosphere. The waiter was so pleasant and helpful. The meal was everything you could want varied, plentiful, and hot, and if like me you’re a sweet fan you have to go to The Recruiting Sergeant. Full marks..