The Rose Villa Tavern, takes from their Instagram page

I received a text on Sunday morning:

Fancy going to the Rose Villa Tavern for lunch today?

I love waking up to texts like that.

Located on Warstone Lane in the Jewellery Quarter, the pub is part of the popular Bitters and Twisted venues and is a refurbished Grade II listed building with ornate stained glass windows, an old fashioned casual vibe, function room and a beer garden. In contrast, it serves a contemporary American style menu, a wide selection of beers and ales and fabulous cocktails. I’ve been to the Rose Villa Tavern on several occasions in the late afternoon and evening when it was quite busy, so I was interested to see whether it was any different during a weekend lunchtime.

We arrived a few hours after opening (it opens at 11am on weekends and 12pm on weekdays) and it wasn’t too busy, although we could see more people coming in after we had sat down. Perfect.

A Sherbert Fountain

I began with a cocktail (it was after 1.00pm, so why not?) and chose the Sherbet Fountain. I liked the quirky presentation (and non-plastic straw) and the fact that it was nicely balanced and strong enough to wake my tastebuds up. I also loved the price, which at £5.50 is almost half of what you would be expected to pay for a decent cocktail in the city centre. 

My friend as I shared the nachos as a starter – she’s a vegetarian so we went for the salsa, cheese, sour cream, guacamole and jack fruit toppings. The portion was enormous, the nachos were crisp and well seasoned and the toppings were more than generous. I’ve never had jack fruit before and it was a pleasant experience – certainly something I would have again.

I ordered a RVT Burger and fries for my main meal, and my friend and I shared a basket of baked cauliflower ‘flings’ – an alternative for chicken wings – with a Korean glazed sauce. I was quite full, having chomped my way through the large plate of nachos but the burger was delicious – piping hot, cooked well and complimented by the toppings on a lovely pretzel roll. The fries were perhaps a little underdone, but the cauliflower and sauce were moreish – adding a completely different set of flavours to the other dish. 

Nachos!

The RVT Burger

Cauliflower with a Korean glaze

I was far too full for a dessert, which was disappointing as I was rather lusting after a ‘Snickerbocker Glory,’ (which contains ice-cream, Snickers, chocolate bits and caramel sauce… yum!), but I decided to finish my lunch by ordering a Elderflower and Apple Spritz soft drink. Lovely. 

I like the Rose Villa Tavern. It’s a nice place to have a nice meal or to spend an evening catching up with friends over reasonably priced drinks. The staff are always really friendly, the building is beautiful and I’ve never had a bad experience there.

Absolutely worth a visit!

For more information about the Rose Villa Tavern, you can find them here:

Website: http://www.therosevillatavern.co.uk

Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/RoseVillaTavern

Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/RoseVillaTavern