The Vaults Cider and Ale House in Newark and Sherwood

Such a shame. My wife and I, along with many family and friends used to frequent this place when it was named The Lounge under Alison, a previous owner. It then changed ownership and was renamed The Vaults but still excelled with food.For years it was THE place for good quality, freshly cooked, well presented food, not cheap (as a couple we never expected to pay less than £100) but quality isn't cheap.It then closed for a while and has recently reopened. We visited earlier this week, hoping ;r a delicious meal. However, to our dread, shock and dismay, we asked to see the food menu and were told, "We don't do food, sorry".What? This was the number one place for food in Newark and the new owners don't do it?What we found, instead, is that the section at the back which used to be the dining area was deserted, but just had chairs and tables, no people. There were four people in the bar area, one man who appeared to be a regular and three men in workmen gear.We felt way overdressed and were extremely disappointed. So we didn't appear rude, we ordered a couple of drinks and were in there literally five minutes before going to find a restaurant elsewhere.Shocked, disappointed, not happy. If you're a pub that only has three customers drinking the odd pint, and you don't do the quality dining experience you were known for, then you are probably not going to be very successful.

If I could have given 0 I would. This place is completely different to the pictures. Steer clear! Whole place smells like sewers but not surprising given the toilets don't look like they have been cleaned in months. Awful doesn't cover it

Great venue, lots of atmosphere. Very friendly staff. Great range of beers and ciders. Food smelt delicious and looked very good value. Unfortunately place may close due to lease hold.

Great little place! Visited with family and had a great, tasty meal. Service was quick and food hot. Competitively priced. Good choice of ales. Setting very nice, and has a lovely open fire. Well worth a visit and will certainly return if we're in the area.

Great place, fantastic food and good value for money would defiantly in again

came here with my boyfriend on a Thursday evening. Was pretty quite but friendly, nice atmosphere. The food, *dribbles*, was so good, so much flavour and great portion size. Service was great and the staff were lovely. Also, the playlist was great

Went for my birthday with a large group friends. Managed to fit us in for food, with excellent personal service at the table. Great selection of drinks and a lovely food available.

One of the best pubs in Newark. Food is consistently excellent, decent real ales always rotating and a great choice of ciders. It has live music and a friendly atmosphere with a log fire in winter.

Was expecting this to be great after looking at reviews but was really disappointed. The building, setting, and service were great but the food was just crap! I normally finish a meal no matter what but this was way too salty and somehow bland at the same time, the rice was still crunchy, and my starter didn't come with what was advertised on the menu. The parsnip 'crisps' had also obviously been sat there a while and we're just soggy and floppy!

Good selection of ales and they serve a strong burger. Nice atmosphere, based under ground in a cellar, so it smells a bit musty, but otherwise a good pub/restaurant.