Pieminister's 'most ambitious restaurant' closes in Nottingham

The owners of a Nottingham restaurant known for its gourmet pies have confirmed it has closed for good. The restaurant rebranded to Long Row Social last May but many will still remember it as Pieminister.

It opened in Long Row in 2016, selling pies such as Moo, with steak and ale, Fungi Chicken, and Heidi, with goat's cheese, sweet potato and spinach. Business was good until the pandemic.

The rebrand was designed to turn it into an all-day venue, with brunch, coffee and cakes, and drinks in the evening, but still selling the popular pies. Two escape rooms at the back of the restaurant closed and were replaced by a pool table and a photo booth.

Get the latest What's On news straight to your phone by joining us on WhatsApp

Pieminister's head of press Romany Simon said: "It was probably our most ambitious restaurant. We opened with more than double the size of any other Pieminister. While we managed the space well pre-pandemic, it’s not right for post-pandemic and cost of living crisis eating-out patterns, with our costs so high nowadays and people still eating out less than before.

"We really hope to open up again in Nottingham, in the not-too-distant future. We'll just go for somewhere about a third of the size next time."

Pieminister has 14 other restaurants, including one that opened in Derby last year. The founders have a strong affinity with Nottingham. Jon Simon met his wife Romany in the Venus nightclub, while the two were studying at Nottingham Trent University in 1992. He teamed up with her brother Tristan Hogg to launch Pieminister in 2003.

Even though the Nottingham restaurant has closed, fans can still find the pies at Lillie Langtry's pub in South Sherwood Street, Nottingham, and buy them in Waitrose, Newark, Tesco in Carlton and Toton, and Asda in Hyson Green, Newark, Long Eaton and Langley Mill.

The company's latest venture is a range of Handy Pies. The £2 deep-filled hand-held pastries are designed for eating in the office, at picnics, and on the go. They can be eaten cold or hot, or warmed up in an oven, air fryer or microwave.

Four flavours are available: Chicken Tikka, Steak and Peppercorn, Cheese and Onion and plant-based Banger and Bean, all in crisp flaky pastry.