Best Independent Pubs & Bars in Lincoln

We don't curate by taste. We list the independent pub/bar we have found in Lincoln, and we screen out chains, franchises and private-equity-owned places where we can identify them. The screen is not perfect and our coverage is not complete, so tell us if something looks wrong.

The directory is independent businesses only: no chains, no franchises, no private-equity owners. Search is wider, because a reader asking what is nearby is owed an honest answer about what is nearby: national fast-food, coffee and high-street retail chains are never listed, everything else that turns up is shown with independents ahead when it’s close, and every result labelled by who owns it. Shop Local hides the chains; places we haven’t checked yet stay, labelled as unchecked. If you spot something that shouldn’t be here, tell us and we’ll review it. Businesses we’ve confirmed against Companies House and the PSC register carry a verified badge. If a business we’ve listed is later bought by a chain or a private-equity firm, we keep the page and mark it as no longer independently owned.

It means locally and privately owned, with the money and the decisions staying in Lincoln rather than flowing out to a national chain or a fund. Full detail is on our methodology page.

We add and verify pub/bar on an ongoing basis and update listings as things change in Lincoln. If you find something out of date, tell us and we’ll fix it.

If it's independent, yes, and it's free. Send your details through the business signup page and we'll add it to the directory. Ownership checks are separate, and a business carries a verified badge only once we have confirmed it.