please note - reviews on this site are purely the opinion of site visitors, so don't take them too seriously.
I just had time to visit one pub in Bradford on Friday evening. It was gone 11pm. So there was little choice at that time. But the City Vaults was open. Ales on offer appeared to be Tetley's Cask, Black Sheep Best Bitter, Saltaire Blonde & Upham Tester. But when ordering the Saltaire beer, I was told that nobody had been drinking the ales for a few hours. So they had taken them off. I ended up with a bottle. The interior is fairly traditional and there are a number of different alcoves and corners to retire to. Music was being played far too loud though to make it a very relaxing experience. Those sat at the bar seemed to be enjoying it. But I'm not sure about everyone else. Part of a chain of 4 pubs in Bradford city centre, this one had the nicest interior. But the Old Bank had the best ales.
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Visited last Thursday afternoon, after being tempted to give it a try on previous visits to Bradford. On entering you realise this is a fairly large and sprawling pub across several split levels, whereas by contrast I thought it looked fairly small from the outside.
At the bar, 5 pumps of which 3 were on. One the two unavailable, one was clipped but turned round, the other was unclipped. I went for a Saltaire Blonde and at £2.65 you can't grumble at the price. The others were Doom Bar etc so the Saltaire Blonde seemed the natural choice. It was a little underwhelming though, unfortunately. I had wanted to experience the pub having been past it many times, but nothing to rush back for on the ale front.
The pub itself is reasonably interesting, people of all walks of life in every corner on my Thursday afternoon visit, interesting effects on the wooden ceiling, wallpaper with mock bottles and books on, depending on the section of pub.
Several TVs on showing sports, but music was also playing with the TVs not muted. I found it bearable but that kind of thing can drive people mad.
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busy city centre pub, large-ish on a couple of levels, bouncers on door, poor quality of ale. Pretty unremarkable all round.
anonymous - 13 Jun 2016 20:17 |
Something gone badly wrong with my Trip to Bradford. I used a combination of a pub crawl from pubsgalore.com and the cask marque app to find the decent boozers. This was the closest one. Not majorly enamoured with the cheap hording advertising 2 for 1 drinks etc. Delighted to see they had Black Sheep on but I seriously doubt it was Black Sheep. It had the creamy texture of John Smiths Smoothflow and was decidedly nasty. Entering mid way through a quiz night is not ideal but the dodgy pint and noise meant I made a hasty retreat. But things got worse. Much Worse.
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Convenient, comfortable and central, and not crowded for watching international football (mind you, the quality was good for people staying away). The Saltaire Blonde was very moreish.
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Went in for a few drinks with a mate, more impressed with the food (which was stonking) than the ale choice last night. 5 hand pulls on which were all set to relatively pale ales, I mean you can't knock a tetley'a cask or black sheep as two of the 5 but be a bit more adventurous with the rest, rather than stick 3 blondes on! However saying that, the pub was right as rain. Decently priced and came away feeling I'd had a good night, and at the end of the day...that's what you're looking for!
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Went in for a few drinks with a mate, more impressed with the food (which was stonking) than the ale choice last night. 5 hand pulls on which were all set to relatively pale ales, I mean you can't knock a tetley'a cask or black sheep as two of the 5 but be a bit more adventurous with the rest, rather than stick 3 blondes on! However saying that, the pub was right as rain. Decently priced and came away feeling I'd had a good night, and at the end of the day...that's what you're looking for!
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Went in for a few drinks with a mate, more impressed with the food (which was stonking) than the ale choice last night. 5 hand pulls on which were all set to relatively pale ales, I mean you can't knock a tetley'a cask or black sheep as two of the 5 but be a bit more adventurous with the rest, rather than stick 3 blondes on! However saying that, the pub was right as rain. Decently priced and came away feeling I'd had a good night, and at the end of the day...that's what you're looking for!
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Went in for a few drinks with a mate, more impressed with the food (which was stonking) than the ale choice last night. 5 hand pulls on which were all set to relatively pale ales, I mean you can't knock a tetley'a cask or black sheep as two of the 5 but be a bit more adventurous with the rest, rather than stick 3 blondes on! However saying that, the pub was right as rain. Decently priced and came away feeling I'd had a good night, and at the end of the day...that's what you're looking for!
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the salamander, in here is always very well kept the prices are pretty reasonable and the bar staff are very attentive, definately worth a call if you are in bradford.
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Pretty decent pub. Not as wide a selection of real ales as some others in Bradford but it's quite popular and a good atmosphere.
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This pub has improved massively over the last couple of years and is now an excellent real ale pub right in the centre of town and with a good selection of local beers. I went for Golden Salamander, Salamander Mud Puppy and Copper Dragon Golden Pippin and all were excellent. They also sell large 50g bags of Seabrook crisps which is a nice bonus. This pub has character and is in an excellent location just behind the famous Wool Exchange. Somebody should open another similar establishment in the fantastic building just opposite.
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This pub has shot up in my estimations. The last time I was here it was a Mansfields tied house it now appears to be a freehouse with a good selection of ales. The ales on offer were Copper Dragon, Golden Salamander, Tetley, Pedigree and Black Sheep. Tried the Salamander which was underbodied and sweet - should have gone for the copper dragon.
It was a hot summer night and lots of people were drinking outside. Inside there are lots of cosy nooks and also crannies for intimate drinking comfort. Small mirrors and pictures adorn the ambient subtly lit walls. There was a cast iron spiral staircase. Wifey liked the tiffany glass ceiling near the bar.
The old buildings of Bradford have a great deal of character only spoilt by drunken insane town planners. 7.
anonymous - 19 Aug 2009 10:00 |
I have now realised this is not the goth cellar, that is the ugly Exchange over the pavement. This is a decent independent boozer that used to be a Mansfield pub, and a bank before that; although it has no vaults.
This is now, in my opinion, the best boozer in the very centre of Bradford. Handpulled beer is not expensive and very well kept.
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The pub you should head for if you are in the ciy centre and don't fancy a walk.
The Golden Dragon is usually spot on. Black Sheep isn't bad either.
Food is worth buying too, try the fish & chips.
Always a good atmosphere in here, moron free pub usually
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The Ales have got better in recent months, there is now always black sheep, Copper Dragon Golden Pippin & another. Good stop off point to get a decent pint if you're moving from the exchange to the gasworks.
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After reading the comments I totally disagree the city vaults is a warm beatiful looking bar with tiffin lamps that adds to the character.
Give me atmosephere any time instead of neon lights and plastic beer my experince of the vaults was very pretty girls behind the bar and a good pint of tetleys although I wasnt hungry I Coudnt resist the food been served the chicken fajitas was to die for
On the time I visited the place was full of businessmen and secretarys and a pleasant crowd i saw a poster on the wall advertising jazz on sunday must make a visit on that night
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This is now one of central Bradford's oldest established pubs. It is a goth cellar that would make goths proud, if goths ever showed an emotion other than misery. I cannot remember seeing handpulled beer for years, but the house doubles are cheap enough to drown misery whilst waiting for a bus, or happiness.
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Conversion of an old bank building. Had a decent pint of Mansfield bitter the last time I was in here.
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