The Trof

Some places become part of a neighbourhood almost by accident. Others help shape it. The Trof belongs firmly in the latter camp. For more than two decades, the venue on the corner of Thomas Street and Tib Street traded simply as Trof, becoming one of the Northern Quarter’s best-known institutions in the process. In May 2026, it entered a new chapter as The Trof, retaining the character that made the original such a fixture while sharpening the focus on proper pub drinking and confidently executed food.

Downstairs is warm, relaxed and reassuringly unfussy, with exposed brick, timber floors, leather seating, candlelight and vintage details helping create the sort of atmosphere that suits the neighbourhood perfectly. The bar balances familiar favourites with craft options, while a selection of pub snacks gives plenty of reason to stay longer than planned. Scotch eggs, crispy potatoes and things on toast all fit neatly into the brief.

Upstairs, things become a little more restaurant-minded. Owners Jamie Pickles and Matt Nellany bring experience from their Bridge Street restaurant Stow, with a menu that takes recognisable British favourites and gives them considerably more attention than your average pub kitchen. Hogget mince on dripping toast, chicken schnitzel with celeriac slaw, burgers loaded with Red Leicester and a rich ox cheek pie all sit comfortably alongside proper mash and other familiar sides. Desserts keep things reassuringly traditional too, with the likes of sticky toffee pudding and Bakewell tart rounding things off.

The top floor is available for private gatherings, giving The Trof enough flexibility to handle birthdays, celebrations and group occasions without losing the easygoing feel found elsewhere in the building. Most importantly, the move from Trof to The Trof doesn’t erase what came before. Instead, it feels like a natural evolution of a Northern Quarter stalwart: polished where it needs to be, still unmistakably pub-like, and rooted firmly in the neighbourhood it has long called home.