Lock & Key

Duke Street is becoming the place in town where all the swanky boutique hotels and apartments are being built, but Lock & Key was one of the first of this new wave, and they deliver some incredible bar snacks and a great breakfast in the bar below. A great place for breakfast or a bar snack in the day, and a sophisticated bar at night, Lock & Key is a nice retreat in this busier-than-ever part of the city centre.

The Vibe

The Grade II Listed Townhouse has been lovingly renovated in recent times to create the boutique hotel and bar Lock & Key. The entrance to the bar is next door to the hotel entrance, and it can often be incredibly difficult to get a seat here (there are only a few tables and a tight squeeze to sit at the bar). The building had been one of the many abandoned buildings in the Ropewalks area, empty for over a decade, and some of the original features have been retained, such as the big Georgian shopfront. Inside, the plush furnishings and elegant décor fit with the boutique hotel aesthetic and the size helps you to feel part of an exclusive club of punters.

The Food

The menu is small but simple and delivered to a high quality. The brunch and lunch menu is served up until 3pm and has all the staples you would expect. The full Lock & Key is clean and wonderfully cooked, and they have those little crispy home fries as an addition you don’t often see on a British breakfast plate. The halloumi on the veggie breakfast is also a nice treat. Alternatively, you can choose a hulking breakfast burrito, or a stack of pancakes with your choice of toppings.  After 4pm the menu changes to a small selection of pizza and pasta.

We would like to say, that we do kind of miss the big bar snacks that they used to have on the menu at Lock & Key (please bring them back). The first time we visited we got an absolute massive plate of sausage rolls and another side of warm toasted bread and hummus (and it cost next to nothing) and were frigging delicious.

The Price

£8.50 for a full Lock & Key Breakfast (or £7.50 for the Veggie breakfast), a Burrito is £7, Toasted sandwiches, sandwiches, and the soup of the day all priced between £4 and £5.50. The pizza and the pasta menu that is served between 3pm and 10pm is also very reasonable, with a simple range of pizzas all under a tenner and spaghetti Bolognese for £7. For easy bar meals, you can’t go wrong with the prices here.