Our royal visit: Take a bow, Your Majesty!

QUEEN OF HOCKLEY LIVES UP TO ITS REGAL NAME

- By LYNETTE PINCHESS

WITH a name like the Queen of Hockley, Nottingham’s newest pub clearly aims to reign supreme.

It's about a month since the new venue opened in the city’s coolest area.

With a sister pub in Leicestershire called the Queen of Bradgate, the name came naturally... much to the chagrin of Nottingham drag queen Liv who recently joked that it had stolen her title.

The lofty, spacious Broad Street building that used to be vodka bar Revs has been transformed.

While there’s no crowns or thrones, there are plush booths, lots of wood, statement lighting and neon signs. The makeover has done it justice.

As well as food and drink, it’s a place for live music and DJs, the love of music reflected in both in the art-work and other quirky touches. Posters of bands and singers grace the walls, in upcycled frames made out of the decorative timber that used to run around the bar.

Inside is split between bar (with the dark blue ceiling) and restaurant (the orange ceiling) but it appears you can eat either side as we were asked where we'd like to sit when we visited for lunch. Every other customer was sitting outside, taking advantage of the sun, so we had the whole place to ourselves.

The right royal name conjures of images of a lavish banquet of roast quail, organic eggs and foraged mushrooms, but thankfully the menu isn’t fanciful or pretentious. The down-to-earth options include pub staples of fish and chips, burgers, pies and bangers and mash (albeit Lincolnshire sausages and honey mustard mash).