The Bowling Green Inn located just opposite St Nicholas Church in Wells next the Sea is apparently the oldest pub in Wells dating back to 1673

The pub inside is very warm and welcoming, although it does have the feel that a lot of locals frequent it and I wondered if we were sitting at one of the regulars table. Too late we had made ourselves comfortable

I like that it is far enough away from the front that it does not feel swamped by tourists and visitors, even though I know that I was one of said visitors.

We popped in for some pub grub at the end of a long day of pottering around and about the coast

BG BURGER

I checked out the BG Burger which was a “6oz Steak Burger topped with Smoked Streaky Bacon, Gherkin, Mozzarella, BG Burger Sauce all in a Brioche Bun”. It came served with either Sweet Potato fries or Chips (I had chips) and a side of Coleslaw. It took me a while to work out that BG was short for Bowling Green! well I was hungry 🙂

When it comes to filling a plate up they really didn’t mess around here at the Bowling Green Inn. The Burger was quite a decent size anyway and the portion of chips was reasonable too. They then piled as much salad as was humanly possible onto the plate, perhaps in a vain attempt to feign some level of healthiness to the affair.

As burgers go this was a mixed bag, the actual burger patty was your classic handmade pub burger, it was certainly solid and meaty and it was all steak mince. I quite liked it to be honest, I also liked the BG sauce, not sure what was in it? seemed to be some sort of thousand island mayo or a distant cousin in the same theme. I wasn’t keen on the gherkin but then again I never am, and the streaky bacon seemed to be back bacon. Who cares? it was bacon!

BEER BATTERED COD WITH CHIPS AND MUSHY PEAS

The Beer Battered Cod with Chips, Mushy Peas and Homemade tartare sauce was a reasonable plate of food. The actual fish was nicely battered and looked to be a fair size. The chips were pub fries and while they are always welcome on any plate I do prefer freshly cuts chips or ones from the chippy 🙂

MAINS MENU

The pub menu at The Bowling Green Inn had many of your classic pub grub offerings, but they all seemed to be described a little more excitingly and it all seemed much more homely than many pubs are these days

If I hadn’t been so hungry and in the mood for something basic to fill me up I may well have ordered the “Grilled Sea Bream Fillet with Creamed Petis Pois” for £12.95. I liked the sound of the ‘creamy butter sauce with Smoked Bacon petis pois and potatoes’ that the Fish came with.

Truth is though that I was more likely to get the “Homemade Steal in Ale Cobbler with Chips” or the “Grilled Gammon Steak with a fried egg and chips” Lets face it, I am more of a traditional pub fare kind of guy.

The sign outside The Bowling Green Inn promised ‘Home Cooked Meals’, and that was most certainly what seemed to be on offer when we visited the pub.

The pub inside is very warm and welcoming, although it does have the feel that a lot of locals frequent it and I wondered if we were sitting at one of the regulars table. Too late we had made ourselves comfortable

I like that it is far enough away from the front that it does not feel swamped by tourists and visitors, even though I know that I was one of said visitors.

It is a really nice traditional pub where you can have a nice pint and a bit of decent home cooked food

Location: Church St, Wells-next-the-Sea NR23 1JB