We Chat to the Team at The Roundhouse, the Unique Pub Based in a Former Nottingham Hospital

This building has a lot of history, doesn’t it?
Pete: Well, it's the first ever round hospital concept, the idea being that all the wards had the sister in the middle so she could see everything. Our bays are where the hospital beds would have been, with a window view going all around and a ward down below. It’s designed by the same guy that designed the Albert Hall, which is why it looks like it does.

Tracey: It has a nice feel to it here in the evening. It's quite quirky inside, it’s a nice location, and we do have a terrace when the weather is decent, which is definitely a bonus.  

Your menu is incredibly varied. What kind of things are on offer?
Tracey: There's no blueprint, we just do what we think we should be doing at the time. We’ve got a steak night coming up and we’ve just had a Beaujolais weekend with live music. We are trying to incorporate themes, so it gives our customers something different.

Pete: I think that variety is the most unique thing we do. Because we change the menu so often, and we do specials and events that are themed, we are doing over 350 dishes a year. We do French, Italian, Spanish, Eastern European, Thai, Japanese - there’s no limit, really.

What are your plans for Christmas? 
Tracey: We are doing a menu all month which is two or three courses at a set price of £25-£30, plus we have an à la carte for walk-in or those who don’t want a set menu. We will be doing a four course Christmas dinner and a ticketed New Year’s Eve party with a four course meal and a DJ, so that will be really nice.

I loved the Sunday roast, it had brilliant portion sizes...
Tracey: We don’t skimp on it, do we? It had been quiet, but all of a sudden things are picking up. People are walking around past the castle a bit more than they would on a weekday, and we are already getting many return customers who love our dinners. 

And what drinks do you have on offer? 
Tracey: We have an array of spirits and wines. We do cask ales, where we are supporting local businesses such as Blue Monkey and Shipstones. We are limited to the amount we can have on because we only have a small space downstairs in the cellars, so we are forever changing the barrel type.

What else do you have planned going forward?
Pete: In the new year we are doing some events that are food and wine related, where you can have food and drinks to come and try. We have people coming to speak as well, so we will have Italian, Spanish, French nights, as well as gin nights, with drinks paired with the food so you can try it together and see why it works.

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