The New Foresters

I visited on a Tuesday, very early. This is a nice, clean, well maintained place. I was warmly welcomed by Jenny -a really nice and hard-working person, working under sometimes extremely difficult circumstances, especially later in the evening. It is open into the early hours of the morning most days. I had to leave early due to my massively advanced age, but I’m sure that it is interesting after hours. I don’t think that it can be guaranteed as LGBT at weekends, but during the week it is much quieter and much more ‘palatable’. Recommended for the seriously discerning visitor.

Gonna start off this review by saying I've never been much of a bar person, and had never been to a LGBT+ bar either. I was a bit nervous, despite having looked up that Nottingham supposedly is quite accepting of LGBT+. It surpassed my expectations for sure. We arrived quite early, and the staff was extremely nice and helpful. Answered general questions we had, gave us recommendations, etc. The space is well-decorated and has a nice atmosphere, and I really enjoyed the drinks. Not only was the bartender extremely helpful and nice, the security guard there that night was also very sweet, and quite funny, but still professional. We felt very at ease, I never felt unsafe at any point. I'm a very paranoid person, so this was very reassuring. I only went there once on a calmer night, so I can't account for everything there, but for a first experience, it was great. The bathrooms were clean, the only thing I can see people could dislike is there isn't a lot of food options. At least when we went, there were only snacks (crisps). But it didn't at all dampen the experience. I do suggest having a meal beforehand though, if you prefer to eat before you drink. Thank you for all the help & service provided, it was a great night. Editing to add: Also, as someone with sensory issues who gets easily overwhelmed, I didn't find the space itself overwhelming even though there was music and different lights. We were there on a calmer night, so it could be different on a weekend, but it was quite a safe experience, personally speaking.

A great karaoke night with a DJ spreading positivity to all who dared to sing. Bar staff were helpful and committed to the DJs happy vibe.

Edit to add- I have no problem with the policy. I get it and completely understand but I have an issue with no signage. Warnings and the pure rudeness from the staff making you feel very unwelcome. As someone new to the gay scene, my girlfriend and I have been looking for places where we feel safe, included, and welcome. A few weeks ago, we visited The New Forester during the Pink Tribute night and had a genuinely moving experience. I even teared up because it was the first time in a long while that I truly felt like I belonged somewhere. We both agreed it was a lovely place and planned to return. Last night, we decided to make a night of it. After having a few drinks elsewhere, we headed over, still feeling excited about the venue. We weren’t ready for another drink straight away, so we simply enjoyed the music, atmosphere, and company. However, after about 20 minutes, a man who seemed to be the manager or owner approached us and very rudely said: “You’ve been here 20 minutes and haven’t ordered. If you don’t, you need to leave.” We found this really upsetting for several reasons: 1. The tone was unnecessarily rude and belittling. A simple, respectful explanation of any policy would’ve been totally fine. 2. The venue wasn’t busy, so we weren’t taking up space needed for others. 3. There was no signage or prior warning about a drink policy. 4. It felt performative, like we were being judged on whether we were “good enough” customers to deserve being there. 5. We were literally discussing what to order — just hadn’t rushed to it after drinking elsewhere. What should have been a fun, safe evening turned uncomfortable. We left immediately and, honestly, I’d be hesitant to return now, which is disappointing, because I really thought we’d found a place where we could fully be ourselves without judgment.

I visited The New Foresters yesterday night (31/10/25). Whilst the venue itself was lovely and the atmosphere was great, I would like to raise an issue me and my group had. One of my friends (young female) was being hit on by a considerably older man. He was following us around the venue and would not leave us alone. He was trying to get my friend to leave us to go outside with him. We spoke to a bouncer about this, the bouncer did not seem to care at all and said my friend looks like she's "entertaining it" and brushed us off completely. We were really enjoying our time at the venue and wanted to stay there all night, however we had to end up leaving as we felt uncomfortable with this man following us around despite making attempts to get him to leave us alone. I noticed there were no "Ask for Angela" notices around the venue, specifically the toilets, which makes me feel like the venue isn't too bothered about situations like this.