Today’s Norwich Pub of the Week is the Plasterers Arms in Cowgate, just off Magdalen Street, where the 15 real ales on offer are the main attraction
A customer at the Plasterers Arms summed up its appeal when he said it was a 'hidden gem'.
Tucked down a back street, off busy Magdalen Street, you have to make a detour to get there – but it's well worth it.
Owner Ben Thompson and manager James Voysey are keen to make the 15 real ales on offer one of its main selling points.
But it's not exclusively a real ales pub, and caters for just about everyone.
Mr Thompson, who used to drink in the pub, said: 'It was once known as a really good ale pub, but it had a few bad managers in. We put 15 ale pumps in, which we think is the most of any pub within the city walls, and our main aim was to take it back to how it was.
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'The whole thing was refurbished and the cellar was cleaned up, and all the beer engines replaced. We are now serving a big range of well-kept ales, bar snacks, and we soon plan to start doing meals as well.'
He added that customers who remembered the old pub before its refurbishment were quite surprised after it reopened following the makeover. He said: 'It's really different to the way it was. It used to be quite dark in here, but we redesigned it all.
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'It's quite a big change and I think people have taken to it really well, and we are getting consistently positive feedback.'
Mr Voysey, who has been in the trade for about 14 years and learned the pub trade in Cardiff, despite being a Norwich man, said: 'We are very much a community pub and we are starting to get a nice, younger crowd in at weekends, to go with the regular weekly trade. We are also very busy on Mondays when all the drinks are discounted during the day.'
The pub has also fitted in well with neighbouring properties, the Fat Cat Brewery Tap in Lawson Road and the King's Head in Magdalen Street.
The Evening News has been urging customers to either 'use' or 'lose' their locals in our Love your Local campaign.
To see more stories from the campaign, visit www.eveningnews24.co.uk/loveyourlocal.
Would you like the Evening News to cover your pub in our campaign? Call reporter David Bale on 01603 772427 or email david.bale2@archant.co.uk.
