The Norwich Pub Crawl

After settling in to Norwich, the UEA Erasmus Student Union (ESU) organized a Norwich pub crawl where I discovered some of my favorite pubs and bars in the city.

The Norwich pub crawl has to be one of my favorite memories from studying abroad. All the abroad students from across the globe trotting through Norwich at night going from pub to pub, talking, laughing, and forging new friendships. There are so many pubs and bars that I didn't have the chance to visit while I was there but I plan on checking them off my list when I go back. Out of the many that I did get the chance to visit these are some of my favorites. The Birdcage (pictured above) is located directly across from Grosvenor Fish Bar and many people take their fish and chips to go and sit at The Birdcage for a signature cocktail or pint along with their meal. It had a very cozy and eclectic vibe inside and I'm grateful to have had the chance to visit now that they have announced they are officially closed.

Bar SU

The Bar SU (student union), also known as the red bar (because the walls and couches are red) is the student bar conveniently located on campus. Not only is the Bar SU the perfect place to chill with friends after class or meet up for a bite to eat and a pint, it is also the place where the ESU pub crawl began. The ambiance is very relaxed with couches and tables all around as well as pool tables and tvs for sports games. Weekly trivia night takes place here and on Tuesdays and Saturdays when there are LCR club nights half of the bar (the other side known as the blue bar because the walls are blue) turns into a second dance floor with a DJ and access to the bar for drinks. Before going to UEA I was told by a study abroad returnee that I needed to try the Snakebite from the campus bar and on the first day Sam and I bravely did just that. A Snakebite is a pint filled halfway with cider, halfway with beer, and mixed with black current syrup for a sweet and refreshing beverage. I cannot wait to get my hands on a pint of Snakebite again!

Spoons

Spoons is a chain of restaurant bars located all over the UK. The name of the chain is actually Wetherspoons and each location has its own unique name but everyone just calls them all "Spoons" for short. The three in Norwich are The Bell Hotel, The Glass House, and The Queen of Iceni. Spoons is a great place to go especially if you are with a large group because they have a ton of seating and even multiple floors. The drinks here are also very affordable so its a great place to start a night or end a night, and if you're hungry they also have a full food menu!

Brewdog

BrewDog is a beer brand that was founded in the UK and sold internationally (I was surprised when I saw them at my local grocery store). They too have opened multiple BrewDog pubs across the UK and it was one of the first pubs I ventured to in Norwich. Inside it has a very chill, trendy vibe, a great place to grab a few pints of beers or ciders with a group of friends and chat. The relaxed vibes makes this an easy pub to go to whether you are looking for a place to start a night out, a place to end a night out, or a place to grab an afternoon pint.

Revolution

Revolution is a restaurant and bar with some of the most creative and delicious cocktails I have ever seen. First of all the aesthetic inside is adorably hip with vines and fairy lights hanging from the ceiling and rounded booths for circle tables. They have a tasty and affordable lunch and dinner menu which is why it makes for a fun place to eat as well as stop in during a pub crawl. I'm picky when it comes to alcohol, I don't like to drink liquor straight and absolutely cannot drink shots. Having said that, Revolution's extensive bar menu had an intriguing range of flavored shots like sour berry, big apple, and mango so I had to try it at least once and found that the sour berry shots tasted like drinking liquid warhead candy. I'll pass on a shot of tequila every time but hand me sour berry and I'm in love. Although the prices are more affordable when it comes to the food, the cocktails can add up and become very expensive very fast. They are the most delicious concoctions so to me they were worth it every once in a while! My favorite drink was the Pornstar Martini, a vodka based passionfruit flavored cocktail that comes with a shot of Prosecco on the side. I loved it so much I even took my mom to get one when she was visiting me because I wanted her to try it. This drink I found, is very popular in the UK and pops up on many bar menus.

Cecilia's

Cecilia's is hands down my favorite bar in Norwich! I've described stepping into this bar like stepping into a sparkly, floral, pink, fairy utopia because the interior is mostly pink, the bar stools look like pink swinging rope benches with floral vines climbing up the sides. If you are looking for a place to get dressed up, go out, and take cute pictures with your friends this is without a doubt the place you should go! They have their own photo both you can use, but they also have walls with the cutest backdrops for individual and group photos, just check out the picture from my "Night Out in Norwich" blog! They have the classic cocktails like mimosas and Bellinis with colorful sprinkles on the rim of course but they also have sugary sweet fishbowl cocktails with candy inside.