When I welcome new members to host a fan, I often ask if there’s any stadium or away trip in particular that’s on their rugby bucket list. Hot on the heels of a Spring Six Nations trip to Rome and a boozy saunter to the Millenium stadium, is a trip to Leicester’s Welford Road. The stadium is known as a hotbed of English rugby, with the largest purpose-built stadium in the English top flight and a ferocious, fierce and passionate supporter base to match.
It’s fair to say that those faithful Tigers have been feeding off relative scraps in recent years, peering enviously at the city’s football team like a neighbour looking admirably at the new Ferrari on their neighbour’s drive. In fact, Leicester is one of only two cities outside of London that currently boasts both a rugby and football club in England’s top flight (you can guess the other) and with such sporting prowess, you’ll find plenty of nice watering holes to wet your vocal chords and whet your appetite pre-match or drown your sorrows post-match.
So, with their side back on the prowl and stalking their way to the top of the Premiership under the astute leadership of Steve Borthwick, we’ve polled the Tigers fans to bring you…
Leicester’s Top 5 Rugby Pubs
(as voted by Tigers fans)
(Please note that there is a convenient map at the bottom of the page, optimised to minimise the drunken stumbling time between these 5 watering holes, ideal to help you plan any pub crawl. However, Host a Fan will take no responsibility for any inebriated mishaps, tellings off from your partner or an at-best hazy recollection of the match itself).
5. The Globe
Leicester boasts restaurants and cuisine from all over the globe but if it's the best of the local region and the East Midlands that you’re after, then set your compass straight towards The Globe itself. Owned by a local, independent brewery chain, it claims to be Leicester’s oldest pub (dating back to 1720), it’s bang in the city centre and a great spot to taste some real cask ales, draught lager, cider and stout. If you’re after a bite of good quality, local matchday grub, then don’t go searching the world over, but look no further than The Globe.
Best for: A hot, fresh food menu to line the stomach.
4. The Sir Bobby Peel
If you’ve ever wondered why policemen and women are referred to as ‘bobbies’, then wonder no more. The term derives from this local politician who served as Prime Minister not once but twice (yea, we’re not sure why he’d want to do that either) and who established the Metropolitan Police force during his time in office. Even if you don’t end up at any of these boozers, that fact alone is worth you coming here for this read, don’t deny it. Anyway, enough of the history lesson, the pub is a traditional alehouse serving a fantastic drinks range to suit all tastes including cask ales, craft beers and real ciders and a warm welcome.
It is worth noting, however, that, although the sport will likely be on the large screen TV, the food menu isn’t served on match days although you may well be able to get your hands on a local’s favourite food bite known as a ‘cob’ (filled sandwich rolls to me and you). Just please don’t get too drunk that they need to call a bobby or two to take you to the hospital next door.
Best for: A final pit stop on your way from the city to Welford Road
3. The Parcel Yard 
If you’re rolling into Leicester on an inevitably delayed train and planning a bit of a pub crawl, then where better to start than this brilliant boozer? Where once it was home to the station’s freight storage, it now welcomes to a buzzing match day pub that welcomes both home and away fans alike.
With the increasingly popular shuffleboard game - look it up if you’re not familiar with it, and a few dartboards, it’s a great spot to whet that pre-match competitive appetite. If it’s a different appetite you have, there’s a match day menu to fill you up and all the normal ales, lagers and ciders that you’d expect and one you wouldn’t - the newest addition to the range, the Tuilager. Yes, you read that correctly, a beer made by local legend and former Tiger himself, Freddie Tuilagi who’s even been known to serve from the pumps himself. Originating in Samoa but made in England, if you’ve had a taste, we’d love to hear what it was like so please leave a comment below and let us know how it was!
It’ll be a short stumble down Waterloo Way and across Mandela Park to the stadium from here, making this spot a perfect place to start or end any Leicester pub crawl.
Best for: Close proximity to the city centre train station.
2. The Blue Boar
It may only take the second spot in this list but The Blue Boar won the Leicester CAMRA Pub of the Year award in 2018, ‘19 and 2020 and there's a good reason for it.
Once inside its distinctive blue exterior and it prides itself as the city’s finest micro pubs and is a real, friendly locals’ favourite. The authentic and rustic wooden interior and flowery bar gives this real ale oasis a truly unique and historic feel. There’s more real ales, ciders and local beers on offer than you can shake a stick at and a range of fresh cobs (recommended by many of the Tigers fans fans), pork pies and the typical pub snacks to line your stomach for the road ahead.
Best For: A local, rustic and truly unique spot.
Don't forget: If you're heading to Leicester for a match and want a local guide to show you around these spots and host you for the match, you can join our family of supporters who host each other for free here.
1. The King’s Head
Taking the crown of our list of Leicester’s best rugby pubs with an overwhelming 35% of the Tigers Fans’ vote is this timeless Black Country Ale pub set in a classical Georgian building that boasts all the features you’d want and expect from a busy match day boozer.
There’s a large outside seating and milling area, a roof terrace and TV screens both inside and out, showing Sky and BT Sports and a wide and varied selection of rotating local cask ales. Being a fan’s favourite, there are always ample staff on a match day and it’s only a 10 minute walk or 20 minute drunken stumble from its King’s Street location to Welford Road. Just don't blame us if you wake up with a sore head from The King's Head...
Best For: Outside seating on one of the 6.5 days of sun per year that Leicester is known for!
Considerable Mentions:
Just missing out on our Top 5 list but mentioned by a few of the supporters we polled is the city's new Brewdog bar (with its full range of ales), The Distillery with its large sports screens, the rather plush and swanky Knight & Garter and The Bowling Green.
If you're coming from further afield, we'd also love to give a shout out to the simply awesome, Seven Stars who even run a coach to all Tigers home games from their Rugby (that's the place, not the sport) base.
Handy Little Leicester Map To Plan Your Pub Crawl
