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From a late night snack in Nottingham to a Michelin starred restaurant, you never know when you might run into a famous face. Sports stars, actors and dancers love to color the town for a kebab, a few pints or a fine meal.
With Nottingham Forest’s promotion to the Premier League and England cricket team’s triumph at Trent Bridge, there has been a flood of sporting stars flocking to the city to celebrate. But where do the famous faces like to eat, drink and party?
When not working on the England v New Zealand game, former cricketers Phil Tufnell and Michael Vaughan frequented the Dragon in Nottingham, a pub popular with cricketers. A big favorite with commentator legend David ‘Bumble’ Lloyd, he wrote about the Long Row pub in his book Around the World in 80 Pints, and once tweeted his approval: ‘The best kept secret pub in Nottingham…The Dragon …excellent staff, beer and DJ. Music and DJ of a different class… just right.”
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It turns out cricketers are big fans of The Big Melt, a cheese toastie stand at the Test Match (and a regular at Ruddington Market). Sports Rush reported on Jonny Bairstow’s diet after the batter scored his third Test century of the year to seal a record-breaking hunt for his team.
When asked what he ate on his tea break, he replied, “Cheese and ham toastie and a coffee,” and hilariously vowed to repeat this for the rest of his career.
(Image: PA)
After beating New Zealand on the last day, the England cricket team celebrated in style with a trip to Nottingham’s Mega Munch takeaway in Chapel Bar.
Owner Akmal Hussein posted a video on TikTok of the stars waiting for their kebabs. He said: “It was just a very happy time, the whole team was so happy. It was great to have them there, you know, these guys are heroes. You did a great job and it was a very special day!”
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When the Reds triumphed at Wembley last month, there was only one place to celebrate the 1-0 win over Huddersfield that catapulted them into the Premier League. And that was Raglan Road Irish Bar on Derby Road, a regular haunt for the footballers.
Brennan Johnson, Brice Samba, Joe Worrall, Joe Lolley, Keinan Davis and Djed Spence were among the players who got to let off steam. In addition to posing for photos with fans and singing karaoke, Samba also DJed behind the bar and served drinks.
Entertainment manager Ged Dowling joked in a social media post “new barman sacked for giving away free drinks” and filmed him saying: “Raglan Road is the best place ever in Nottingham.”
A stone’s throw from City Ground, it’s no surprise that Eva’s Grill is popular with fans – and just as popular with players and coaches.
Andy Reid, Steven Reid, Julian Larsson, Tobias Figueiredo and Joe Worrall have all stopped by the Greek Grill on Radcliffe Road, famous for its authentic chicken gyros and chicken shish. Owner Julian Korage said of Joe Worrall: “What a player, delivers intelligence, a true team leader, a real gentleman.”
Another famous face you might see around town is actress Vicky McClure. When she’s not on site, Vicky, who still lives in Nottingham, enjoys visiting some of the city’s best restaurants. Back in March, the Line of Duty and Trigger Point star was joined by her old pal, This is England writer-director Shane Meadows, for a Friday night at Alchemilla.
The duo enjoyed the tasting menu at the Michelin-starred restaurant on Derby Road and posed for a photo with chef Alex Bond. He shared the picture on Instagram, saying: “It was an absolute honor to cook for these two absolute legends Vicky McClure and one of my absolute favorite directors, Shane Meadows. I appreciate that this is a super awesome boy, but I’m not giving up **. You were an ace. Nice to meet you guys.”
The live tour Strictly Come Dancing danced into Nottingham for three scintillating shows at the Motorpoint Arena in February, and in their free time, the celebrities and professionals enjoyed a taste of the city’s nightlife.
While some of the dancers reportedly swam in cold water at Spring Lakes Water Sports in Long Eaton, Great British Bake Off winner John Whaite and his professional partner, South African Johannes Radebe, made a more civilized choice.
The duo, who made history as the show’s first-ever male pairing, headed for drinks at Lord Roberts in Hockley, a pub that’s always the focus of Pride celebrations. John and Johannes were greeted by landlord Craig Pennington and staff and posed for photos with them.
Craig, whose dog Robert also starred, said: “The boys were so nice and they came back two more times. They really loved how safe the space felt and were so nice to the people who wanted to take photos. If I remember correctly, one drank white wine and the other JD and Coke. Craig Revel Horwood also stayed one night but I wasn’t on shift but again he was really nice.”