10 Places Where Locals Love to Eat in Lincoln

The Redhill Farm Shop in The Bail is said to be the best place in the city for Lincolnshire sausages. Just a short walk from the Lincoln Cathedral, their wares have won countless awards for their bangers, ranked among the best in Britain.

The shop is not a restaurant but a butcher’s shop, so don’t expect to be able to dine on their delightful wares in the store. However, the peppery local take on the typical pork sausage is definitely a must-try, so grab a few from Redhill Farm Shop to fry it up at home.

Stokes Bridge Café is right in the middle of Lincoln's High Street, in a beautiful half-timber building on the namesake bridge – it’s arguably more about the look than the taste. Dating back to 1540, it’s certainly an impressive building, both inside and out.

As it happens, the food is also award-winningly good. In particular, the freshly roasted coffee and 30 choices of loose leaf teas deserve your attention. The food choice available range from scrumptious snacks to hearty lunches, with the steak pie being a star attraction.

Browns Pie Shop is quite famous for the blue plaque fastened to the outside, declaring the building to have once housed Lawrence of Arabia. However, the pie shop itself is worth a visit. Their selection ranges from traditional favourites like beef and stout, steak and kidney, and pork pies, all the way to unusually signature flavours.

The restaurant serves more than just pies. Its old-fashioned interior hosts excellent food and wine, focusing mostly on British preparations. Standards are consistently high, though prices don’t necessarily follow suit.

The Jews House is a historical landmark on the aptly named Steep Hill. The house itself is just as aptly named, having previously been at the heart of the Jewish community in medieval times. It now houses a restaurant, with chefs Gavin Aitkenhead and Samantha Tomkins serving up well-presented seasonal cuisine.

With its cosy setting and first-class food – with prices to match – The Jews House is excellent for special occasions. However, it’s not every day you can dine in one of the oldest stone houses in Britain – isn’t that special enough?

The Bronze Pig is run by a former joiner turned MasterChef contestant Chef Eamon Hunt. The colourful fine-dining restaurant, which has a couple of luxurious en-suite rooms upstairs, specialises in small-plate seasonal dishes. Given its fame and popularity, reservations are recommended.

As the name suggests, the highlight of the menu is pork and boar in various preparations. The menu changes about every month and features relatively few options, with great care taken over each. The Chef’s Tasting Menu is highly recommended.

The Cheese Society takes great pride in the local delicacies they serve, including plum bread and, as the name suggests, Lincolnshire Poacher cheese. You can have the signature dish in rarebit, tartiflette, atop scrambled eggs with some Lincolnshire sausages and in a range of other preparations, all at reasonably good prices.

If you’re lactose intolerant, there’s no need to give The Cheese Society a wide berth – there are some dairy-free plates. The casual interior gives the restaurant a social vibe that its name hints at, making it a great place for lunch.

Rising Café is less famous for its food than it is for who serves it. The restaurant is run by residents of the Betel centre, which helps people with addictions. The cuisine is simple yet filling, including a 5-tier beef and mustard sandwich and staples like burgers, hot dogs and tapas. It’s a budget-friendly option, but one where your money will do some good in the community.

The restaurant itself is quite an impressive venue. The glass ceiling gives you the feel of being outdoors while being protected from the elements. The old signage and eclectic décor add a distinct charm to the experience, too.

Burton Road Chippy is one of the best places in Lincoln to get the most iconic of British dishes – fish and chips. In fact, it’s listed among the top places in Britain, being named as the 2nd-best takeaway restaurant in the National Fish and Chip Awards 2018.

Despite its critical acclaim, the 60-seat restaurant with more than 35 years of heritage is still very down-to-earth and budget-friendly. Portions are big, prices are low, and the chips are chunky, with a slightly sweet flavour and chewy texture.

Wig & Mitre is one of many traditional British pubs in Lincoln but is considered one of the best for food. The staff make a special effort to source fresh seasonal ingredients for their regularly rotating specials menu, which is written on blackboards throughout the olde-worlde interior.

Despite being in a part of Lincoln that’s especially popular with tourists – right at the top of Steep Hill and within seconds of both the castle and the cathedral – Wig & Mitre doesn’t have a cheesy or touristy style. Instead, it’s loved by locals for its great ales and friendly atmosphere.

Brayford Pool is one of Lincoln’s more iconic landmarks and the northern shore of this huge lake is lined with restaurants. Many are big-brand eateries, offering a range of cuisines, including Italian, Brazilian and Japanese. Many of them offer tables out on the cobbled street where you can enjoy the afternoon sun while you eat.

At the eastern end of Brayford Pool, you’ll find a cinema and an old-fashioned pub in an equally old-fashioned building. To the west is a restaurant called The Barge, for an obvious reason. The pool itself is home to a huge array of pleasure boats, as well as a tiny island and dozens of swans.