We must come clean on this one right from the start. You can’t have a night out in Nottingham on a fiver – unless you buy some meths and sit on a park bench. But you can still have fun on a budget. doNOWdo’s reporter, Richard Howard investigates the best places to make your hard earned cash stretch that little bit further.
Nottingham is a great city for a night but can be very expensive. Here are some suggestions for an enjoyable night out on a budget.
If you’re strapped for cash, steer clear of the Lace Market in the city centre where there are several trendy bars, which can clear you out if you have to buy a round. If someone else is buying the drinks there are plenty of fancy cocktails if you like that sort of thing.
If you want a cheap night out, there are still plenty of bars and clubs which are affordable. In the city centre, from Market Square, there are several places worth trying. ‘The Goose In The Square’ is good for a quick cheap pint but can feel a bit intimidating. Next up is City Bar which caters for everyone. You can get a variety of cheap drinks (triples for £2.50) and plenty of entertainment: karaoke, arcade games, table football and plenty of banter. It can be a bit dead on a week night so it’s best to go there at weekends.
Moving on from here, there are several cheap options, depending on your mood: a couple more cheap rounds in Lloyds and Wetherspoons or maybe you feel like dancing. And what better music to dance to than 70s disco and cheesy 80s pop? Flares and Reflex are well known around the country and provide an element of fun to any night out. You can buy your afro wigs in ‘Flares’ or cool shades in ‘Reflex,’ whatever takes your fancy. My personal favourite is ‘Reflex’ with possibly the world’s smallest revolving dance floor.
Once you’ve tired yourself out on the dance floor, there are a several other cheap bars you can try. There are ‘Templars’ and Cucamaras for those of you who like cocktails and shots and also Scream which is very cheap and if you have a student’s ‘Yellow Card’ the drinks are an absolute bargain. Chambers on Maid Marian Way, specialising in karaoke can get quite rowdy but luckily the quality of singing doesn’t matter and the drinks aren’t too expensive. A big bottle of VK can be entertaining: it comes in a variety of colours depending on the flavour. Maybe not something to try if you have a suit job to go to next morning. It’s a real give away turning up at work with a bright green tongue.
The Waterfront can be your next port of call with several bars, similar to Wetherspoons.
For your final destination, a club, you have a choice to make. There is Ocean, which is legendary, where there are cheap drinks, lots of cheesy music and a massive dance floor. For people who are in to their music, there’s Cookie Club which is great for indie music and, ‘Rock City’ which does exactly what it says on the tin: heavier music and a great live venue for various up-and-coming bands. At the end of the evening if you’re hungry there are plenty of takeaways for your usual healthy snacks and also Sapna curry house which is open very late.
All in all Nottingham is a great night out and can be done on a budget, although not on a fiver. But if you go to the right places you can have a good time without spending a fortune.